ESCANTA: A James Thomas Novel (The James Thomas Series Book 1) (21 page)

Cami flanked her side as they exited the courtroom. Mak made eye contact with the each of the victims’ parents who were present and sitting together, and had been for the entire trial. She gave them a confident smile and a nod of her head, but otherwise she didn’t stop to talk to them. They all knew nothing more could be said today and Mak wasn’t going to offer any false reassurances—that wouldn’t help anyone if the verdicts came back not guilty.

“We’ll go back to the office. There’s no telling how long the jury might take to reach the verdicts,” Mak said to Cami as they walked side-by-side.

“Sure,” Cami said.

As they reached the front entrance to the courthouse, Mak was joined by five other bodyguards. Mak looked to Cami for an explanation.

“The result of last night,” she said, shrugging her shoulders. Cami spoke little when they were in public.

In a perfectly timed coordination, Mak’s car arrived as her heel lifted off the last step and onto the pavement. She was ushered inside, where she finally closed her eyes and dropped the act.

She kept them closed all the way to her office. She was not in the mood to make small talk—she wasn’t in the mood to talk at all. The trip passed quickly and she went straight up to her office and closed the door. She sat at her desk and hung her head in her hands, exhaling the tension that had taken hostage of her body over the past few months.
You did everything you could
, Mak told herself, but the words weren’t as comforting as she would’ve liked.

Mak sat there, still and quiet, but her mind was busy reflecting. It did no help to look back on the trial now but she couldn’t help herself.

She jumped, startled, when her office phone rang.

“Mak Ashwood,” she answered.

“How are you doing?”

James’ voice was deep but comforting.

“The suspense is killing me,” Mak admitted. “I’m questioning everything, I…” Her voice trailed off.

“I’ve been told you were brilliant,” James said.

Mak scoffed. “Who told you that?”

“Cami. And Deacon.”

“They’re biased,” Mak said.

“No, they’re not at all. If two people love to speak the truth, believe me it’s them,” James said with a light chuckle.

Mak smiled. Thomas Security must be a very interesting place to be a fly on the wall. “Well, I’ll take the compliment but it doesn’t matter what we think, does it? It only matters what that jury thinks.”

“Mm. Regardless of what the jury thinks, I think you should be proud. I’m proud of you, Mak. Few lawyers would’ve taken that case, particularly at the stage of your career, and you know it. And you’ve had to deal with this security mess on top everything else.”

“Thank you,” she said quietly—she’d never been good at taking compliments. “Where are you?”

“Not very far from you,” James said and Mak could almost hear his smile in his words.

“Are you always so close?” Mak bit her lip—this call had become a good distraction for her mind.

“Almost always. And if you were to become my girlfriend, I’ll become a shadow you might wish would disappear every now and then.”

“You would follow me everywhere, even when this case is over?” Mak rocked back in her chair, wrapping the telephone cord around her fingers.

“Yes, I, or someone, would follow you everywhere. You would never be completely alone again,” James said, completely serious.

That thought was very unappealing to Mak—she was used to being alone. “I have to be alone sometimes otherwise I might end up in the defendant’s seat.”

“You can’t be. I told you, Mak, you will need to think about this very carefully.”

“You left me alone last night,” Mak pointed out.

“Well, Thomas Security is a different scenario. And, anyway, every room in that building has surveillance, so you’re not completely alone,” James said.

“I see,” Mak said. It was weird to know her every move could be watched on camera, but at the same time she rarely thought about the cameras. Her mind had been consumed with the trial, though, and so maybe that would change now.

“So, I’ve been giving this, us, some thought today. And while you are staying at Thomas Security, it does present an opportunity for us to get to know each other. I still don’t think it’s a good idea for us to talk about things until your trial is done, but I was thinking, if you’re up for it, that you should come up to my apartment when you’re done at the office.”

“I want to, but…My mind is distracted, James. I probably won’t be very good company.”

“I don’t care, and you don’t have to pretend with me. If talking about the trial will help, we can do that. Or we can watch a movie or something to help you relax. Whatever you want. But what are you going to do otherwise? Sit in the apartment and drive yourself crazy?”

It was exactly what she had planned to do. “Okay.”

“Good. I’ll come and get you from your apartment. I’ll see you later.”

“Bye, James,” Mak said, placing the phone back down on the receiver.

Mak’s assistant, Amanda, walked in.
Surely not already
, Mak thought with a surge of panic.

“I’m going to order us some dinner,” Amanda said, and Mak breathed a sigh of relief. A verdict that quick meant either an epic win or an epic fail.

“What would you like?” Amanda asked, tapping her pen on her yellow notepad.

“I don’t think I can stomach anything,” Mak said, shaking her head.

“I’ll get you a smoothie or something.”

“Thanks,” Mak said, but she doubted she’d even drink that.

Mak was nervously picking at the cuticles of her nails when James walked in. It was a bad habit, and one she had to stop, otherwise they might end up bleeding.

“Relax,” he said as he walked toward her. He tilted her chin up and she placed her hands on his chest. Her stomach fluttered and she was glad he was here with her. Sometimes being alone was very hard.

She leaned in to kiss him and she saw a smile on his lips before they met hers. His mouth tasted like sweet spearmint, and his lips were soft as they pressed against hers.

“Let’s go,” he said, uttering his two favorite words.

Mak smiled. “Do you realize how often you say that?”

James cracked a smile too. “I’m always moving. Come on.”

They took the stairs up one level to his apartment. James went through a rigorous system to unlock his door, which seemed insanely ridiculous given the building they were in.

“Why so many tests?” Mak said, eyeing the retina scanner.

“Just because.” He winked at her. He shuffled her inside and turned on the lights. His apartment looked similar to the one she was staying in, just a little larger. And it looked as empty. Emptier, even.

“Where are all your belongings?” Mak said, looking at the sparse surroundings. No books, no photos, no collectibles of any kind.

“I don’t have a lot of stuff,” James said.

“You don’t have anything,” Mak corrected.

“I have clothes in my closet, amenities in my bathroom and food in my kitchen—that’s all I need. Now, what would you like to do tonight?”

Mak craned her head around the pillar to look at what she thought should be the entertainment unit in the living room. It, too, was empty.

James smiled. “I have a television in my bedroom. But if you want to watch a movie I think we should go to the movie theatre downstairs,” he said. “It even comes with a popcorn machine.”

“You have a movie theatre?”
What else does Thomas Security have hidden in this building?
Mak thought.

“Well, it’s a home cinema—not a full theatre—but, yes. We like to leave this building as little as possible.”

“Perhaps you should give me a tour of the entire building.”

James gave her a mischievous grin. “I’ll save that for another day.”

Mak laughed, sure that she would never get the full tour of his building.

“Do you want to watch a movie?” James asked.

Mak nodded. “Sure.”

“Let’s go,” he said, taking her hand. They took the elevator express down to B1 and when they stepped out he led her down a wide corridor, stopping at a set of double doors. He entered another code, unlocking the room. It seemed every room in this building required a code to gain access.

James turned on the lights and Mak took in the lush surroundings—the Thomas brothers didn’t do things by halves. Thick, red drapes covered every wall and the floor was covered in a soft, long-pile carpet that looked expensive. Twelve, wide velvet chairs were lined up in three rows.

“Very nice indeed,” Mak said as James pressed a button that activated the drapes at the front of the room, revealing a screen that took up the entire wall.

“Thank you,” James said, smiling as he walked toward a mahogany bar. He opened a cupboard to reveal a refrigerator. “What would you like to drink?” he said, taking a step to the side so she could see the selection.

There was a range of juices and soft drinks, but Mak chose a water. James retrieved two bottles and closed the refrigerator.

“Popcorn?”

Mak didn’t really think she could stomach much, but James looked excited by the red-and-white striped machine that sat atop the bar. Mak moved forward to take a closer look. “Where did you get this?”

James chuckled. “To be honest, I’m not sure—Deacon bought it somewhere. But we all love it.”

“Popcorn it is,” Mak said.

The machine lit up when James turned it on. From a jar next to the machine, James scooped up some kernels and tipped them into a slot in the side of the machine.

“Now we wait,” he said.

“How often do you use this room?” Mak asked, trying to get a more accurate picture of what his life was like.

“Not enough, actually. We all work a lot, but it’s a nice luxury to have when we need some downtime away from the world. Sometimes we do movie marathons in here, which are fun, but it doesn’t happen often.”

The kernels started popping and rebounding off the glass walls of the machine.

James opened up a drawer and pulled out a remote. He turned on the screen, bringing up a menu, and then threw it to her. She caught it with one hand.

“Good reflexes,” he said with a hint of applaud.

Mak scrolled through the movie selection as James returned his attention to the popcorn.

“What kind of movies do you like to watch?” Mak asked.

“Anything except chick flick movies. Please don’t make me watch one of those,” James said with pleading eyes.

Mak grinned; she didn’t like them either. She selected a new thriller and once the popcorn was done, James tipped it into a large bowl, salted it, and then held out the bowl for her.

She popped a piece in her mouth. “Delicious.”

James winked, and carrying the popcorn and water, led them to the two seats in the center of the first row.

Mak sank down into the chair. They were so comfortable, and better than any other cinema chair she’d ever sat in.

“You can use these buttons to recline them,” James said, pressing on the buttons controlling his chair. He relaxed into a half-upright position. Mak kicked off her shoes and reclined her chair back, pulling her knees up to her chest.

James pulled his phone from his pocket, pressed a few buttons on an app, and then the room went dark, lit only by the large screen.

James shifted in his chair, and Mak felt that same sensation she had in the construction site. Everything felt heightened in the dark. He leaned over, cupping her cheek with one hand. Mak’s chest tightened as their lips touched and his tongue stroked hers. The man might not date, but he certainly knew how to kiss.

He pulled back but held her hand, resting it in his lap.

The movie started and they didn’t speak again, nor did James make another move, but he did continue to hold her hand, his fingers stroking over her knuckles every now and then.

Mak lost track of the time, her mind distracted by either the trial or the man next to her, and when the movie credits rolled she was surprised the movie was over already.

James adjusted the lighting again, creating a soft, dim atmosphere. He rolled onto his side, and a faint line glistened along the edge of his jaw. A scar. Mak wondered how he got it, and if she even wanted to know.

Mak held her breath as he leaned in and brought their lips together. She felt a rush of energy flood her body as she kissed him back. His body was warm, almost hot, and it felt comforting. Everything about him felt right—the way he kissed her, and the way he held her.

He sucked on her lower lip and she moaned softly.

He dipped his tongue in her mouth, and she kissed him back.

“We should go upstairs,” James said with a husky voice.

Mak looked into his eyes and nodded her head. Her brain knew it was the right thing to do but her libido was having trouble understanding. “We should,” she said unconvincingly.

James bit his lip and his eyes lingered on her, and then he put his chair back into the upright position. He stood up, waiting at the foot of her chair as it moved back into its original position. He held out his hand for her, helping her out of the chair. He picked up the half-empty bowl of popcorn and placed it by the machine, along with their empty water bottles.

“A maid will wash it in the morning,” he said by way of explanation.

James turned off the lights and they walked back to the elevator. The building was silent, and they hadn’t encountered another person all night.

James pressed one button on the elevator panel, and a few seconds later they arrived at her floor. James unlocked the apartment, which he always seemed to do for her, and closed the door behind him—but Mak knew he wasn’t staying the night.

“Thank you for tonight,” she said. It really was nice to have company, and Mak wondered if James, too, got tired of being alone.

“Thank you,” he said quietly, tilting her chin up. He placed a sweet, innocent kiss on her lips and then exhaled a deep breath. “Good night, Mak.”

The call came in at eleven in the morning: the jury had reached a verdict on all three counts.

Mak stood in the courtroom with squared shoulders and a stony face. It was the moment of truth.