On the Edge of Destiny (Book 3) (A Vampire SEAL Novel) (21 page)

Without waiting for the elder’s cue, Maddox sprang to life. “Dr. Vieira, is it true that Jo Mason used her power of manipulating air to kill Blake Turner?”

“Objection,” Mr. Rose sang.

“Nothing further,” she said as she sat down with a satisfied grin on her face.

How did she know about my powers? Aside from my telekinesis, most of my other abilities weren’t common knowledge—at least, not that I knew of.

Hollings checked his phone then whispered to the other two elders. They both nodded. “We need to take a break,” Hollings announced. “Court will resume in thirty minutes.”

I didn’t know why we were taking another breather, but I wasn’t complaining. The trial was getting intense.

Chapter 18

D
ad, Mr. Rose, and I settled into the client-attorney room. Tripp and Sam stood outside the room, guarding the door. I wasn’t sure why, since we were in a secure government building.

Mr. Rose pulled what looked like a protein bar out from his briefcase. I wasn’t hungry at all. Not even for blood. Dad had packed blood in case we needed it. As I relaxed in one of the comfy leather chairs, I checked my phone. I didn’t think Webb would have sent me a message yet, since he was jumping on another flight not that long ago. But I did want to see if Ben had.

Nope. No messages. “Dad, I didn’t have time to tell you earlier, but Ben sent me a text on our last break. You said you found him. Did you have him picked up?”

Dad glanced up from his phone. His green eyes flashed to vampire silver as he pinched his eyebrows together. “Let me see your phone.” His voice was calm.

Dad was sitting three chairs down from me, along the same side of the conference table. I slid my phone down to him. He picked it up and tapped the screen. After he read the text, he reached inside his jacket and pulled out a pen. Mr. Rose handed him a piece of paper without prompting.

Dad jotted something down on it before he stood, walked to the door, and opened it. “Tripp, have this number traced.”

Tripp took the paper.

“Tell Sawyer to ping me on my phone when he gets the location,” Dad said. “I’ll step out of the courtroom if I have to.”

I thought Dad had found Ben. Did his order mean he hadn’t?

Dad closed the door and returned to his seat.

“Did you not find Ben?” I asked. I spotted a paperclip sitting on the table. I picked it up.

“He wasn’t in the location we tracked him to,” he said as he slid my phone back to me.

“Was that location in Boston?” I asked. Ben’s text did say he would see me soon. Did that mean today? If so, how? Were he and Nicki devising another plan to corner me as they did at the fundraiser that night?

At that moment, Dr. Vieira came in.

Dad turned in his chair. “What is it?”

Dr. Vieira ran a hand through his hair. “Grace from the lab just called. She informed me that their computer system has been compromised. Whoever hacked into it also erased their entire system. They’re trying to restore the data. She’s not sure if the backup was completed after she entered the twins’ results. I thought you should know.”

The air thickened.

“Son of…” Dad scrubbed a hand over his face as he got out of his chair.

Mr. Rose busied himself by reading through a thick packet of stapled paper.

Why would someone want to steal lab data? Unless somehow Edmund found out about my unique DNA?

Dad chewed on the inside of his cheek as he got out of his chair then walked over to the window.

Silence blanketed the room as Dr. Vieira and I watched Dad. Mr. Rose kept reading.

“Are you thinking that Edmund might be the one who stole the data?” I asked Dad.

“That thought has crossed my mind. If that’s the case, then we definitely have someone on the inside of our organization who’s helping him.” Dad rubbed the back of his neck as he mumbled a few obscenities under his breath.

The only people who knew about my DNA were Dr. Vieira, Dad, Sam, Webb, and me. I wasn’t certain if Brian, the lab assistant, knew, or even Dr. Case.

“Damon,” Dad said. “Head over to the lab and see what else you can find out.”

Nodding, Dr. Vieira pivoted on his heel and exited.

“Has Ms. Wallace reported in yet on what she found out about Grayson Manor?” Dad asked as he looked out over the city.

The dark clouds rolled over the skyline.

“She assured me she would call or text as soon as she knew.” Mr. Rose joined Dad at the window.

“What’s going on?” I bent the paperclip into odd shapes to pass the time.

“I may have found the person who helped Edmund get Blake into Grayson Manor and the school,” Mr. Rose said, tucking a hand in his pocket. “This information will help your case.”

“Who?” The paperclip fell from my fingers.

“I’d rather not say until I have confirmation.”

“What if you don’t get the info before the trial ends?” I was curious why he didn’t have it already. The way the trial was going, I didn’t feel confident about my chances of walking out of this building today.

“Jo, let me worry about that,” Mr. Rose said. “Right now, let’s go through some pointers on how to handle yourself on the stand.”

For the remaining time we had, Mr. Rose and Dad coached me not to get angry, not to use my powers, to answer the questions with surety, to tell the truth, and to think about my answer before I spoke. I could do all those things. After all, my freedom was at stake.

By the time they finished giving me pointers, it was time to get back into the courtroom. Dad had a few things to check on. He wanted to see if Sawyer had traced the number that Ben had texted me from. He also wanted to check with the control room on Webb’s ETA to their location.

Dad went right out of the conference, and Mr. Rose and I went left. Sam and Tripp followed. The audience in the courtroom had dwindled down to half. Aside from the people I didn’t know, Ms. Lawrence talked with Ms. Weston. Ms. Costner sat next to Sam. Zea and the man she had been with were not present, and Mr. Banks had departed long ago.

As soon as we were seated, Mr. Rose pulled out his phone, tapped the screen, and scrolled through a text. I was about to ask him if the message was from Ms. Wallace when the elders settled in.

“Call your first witness, Mr. Rose,” Hollings said.

Mr. Rose set his phone on the table. “I call Maddox Tinsley to the stand.” He looked at Maddox then back at the elders.

A collective gasp sounded throughout the courtroom.

“What!” Maddox blurted out as she jumped out of her seat.

I was just as shocked as she was. Did that mean she was working for Edmund?

“I have reason to believe that Ms. Tinsley knew that Blake Turner was not a natural-born vampire but a victim of Edmund Rain’s experiment to turn humans into vampires. I also have proof that Ms. Tinsley was the solicitor who signed off on Blake’s documents.” Mr. Rose fixated on the elders.

“And where is this proof?” Dyson asked, leaning forward on the bench.

The door to the courtroom opened, and everyone turned, including me. Ms. Wallace walked with a confident air about her, holding a folder in her hand. Dad was right behind her.

“Who is this human?” Maddox asked, looking worried.

Ms. Wallace handed the folder to Mr. Rose before taking a seat next to Sam. Then Dad sat down beside her. I angled my head toward Dad, and he smiled.

I faced forward, hoping that whatever Mr. Rose had in that folder would end this case. I wanted my name cleared and my innocence proven so I wouldn’t be the topic of conversation when I returned to school, and I didn’t want other kids to be afraid of me.

“If it pleases the court, I would like to enter the contents of this folder as exhibit A.” Mr. Rose got out of his chair, walked over to the bench, then handed the folder to the elders. “I also request that, with this new evidence, my client be dismissed of all charges.”

Maddox dropped into her chair, looking defeated.

“Please explain yourself, Ms. Tinsley,” Hollings ordered as Dyson read through the folder.

“And may I remind you that as an officer of this court, you are under oath,” Raddison said, clasping his hands together and resting them on the bench.

Mr. Rose took his seat as everyone waited for her to speak.

Maddox sat, staring at something directly in front of her.

“Your signature is on these documents.” Dyson’s voice hitched. “This is the missing file from St. Anne’s Academy.” The surprise turned to anger. “I’ll give you two seconds to start talking, or I’ll have you removed from this court and thrown into a cell.”

At least a minute passed before Maddox let out a sigh, turned her gaze to the elders, and said, “I’m sorry. Edmund Rain threatened me and my family. He told me that if I didn’t help him get Blake Turner into the school, he would start killing those close to me. Then when I followed through on his request, he told me to make sure I got this case and that I proved Jo Mason was guilty of killing Blake. If I didn’t, he would kill my mother and father then me.” A tear slid down her cheek.

I wasn’t surprised Edmund was at the root of all this, continually making my life hell. I knew he somehow had enrolled Blake into St. Anne’s Academy. He’d told me himself when he kidnapped me. But he never told me how or who was responsible.

I felt a pang of sympathy for Maddox. I didn’t want to see any harm come to her or her family.

I glanced at Mr. Rose, who looked troubled. I imagined he was thinking of his own issues he had, and of the debt he owed to a vampire.

The elders huddled at the bench, whispering.

“Elders, may I speak?” Dad asked.

They lifted their gazes and nodded at the same time. I glanced at Tripp, and he shrugged. What was Dad up to?

“Maddox, where’re your parents now?” he asked.

She shifted in her seat so she was facing Dad. “I had them leave town a week ago. I spoke to them on break. They’re safe.”

“Write down the address on a piece of paper,” Dad said. “Tripp, get two men to check out the address.”

Maddox scribbled on her notepad. Tripp stood then walked over to her. She tore the paper from the pad and handed it to him, then he walked out.

“Guardian, take Ms. Tinsley to a holding cell,” Hollings said.

Maddox got up, collected her belongings, and went over to the guardian before he even moved from his post at the side door.

When they were gone, Hollings turned his attention to me. “Jo Mason, even though the evidence presented today leans in your favor, indicating that you operated in self-defense, you are not without fault. You’ve damaged school property and assaulted a teacher. There are consequences for your actions. Therefore, you are responsible for the cost of the damages. As far as your assault on Ms. Weston, I’ll leave your punishment up to her. Is this understood?”

I didn’t know which one I was afraid of more. The punishment or the half-million dollars I didn’t have. “Yes, sir,” I said reluctantly. Where was I going to get that kind of money?

“Very well. This court is adjourned,” Hollings said.

All three elders stood and left through the side door. I didn’t know what was going to happen to Maddox or how I was going to pay for what I’d done to the school or Ms. Weston, but I was relieved that the trial was over.

It was still raining as we left Boston. I sat behind Dad while Tripp drove, and Sam sat next to me. I leaned against the window with my phone in my hand, hoping Webb would call. I wanted to tell him about the trial and to brag about Mr. Rose and the great job he did.

Plus, Mr. Rose had been right about Ms. Wallace. She was a great investigator. Maybe she could find out who cut the brakes on the limo. In fact, Dad had asked her if she would be available to take on the task. She said she’d think about it.

I hadn’t brought up Ben, although I wanted to. I was curious where he was and what he was up to. But I didn’t think Dad would tell me.

I sat up and checked on my brother, who was playing a game on his phone. He’d been quiet since he left the courthouse.

“What’s wrong, Sam?” I asked.

He looked over at me and shrugged. “I guess we have to go back to school.”

I wasn’t sure how I felt about going back to St. Anne’s Academy. Could Zea and I still be friends? What kind of punishment did Ms. Weston have in mind? Did I have to pay the damages before I returned?

“Dad, how am I supposed to pay the school back?”

Traffic on the highway was slowing down ahead.

“I’ll speak with Ms. Lawrence and work something out,” Dad said.

“I’m sorry I’ve created so much trouble. I’ll do whatever I can to help pay.” I didn’t want to put my dad through hell. Maybe at one time I’d wanted to but not anymore. He was rough around the edges, but inside, he had a big heart. I loved him and wanted to show him I could be an adult.

“Let’s learn from our mistakes,” he said as his phone rang. “What!” He sounded panicked. “Say that again.”

Tripp slowed to a stop. I leaned over slightly and glanced out through the windshield. Blue lights flashed in the distance. I guessed there had been an accident.

“Did you try again?” Dad asked whomever he was speaking to. His voice still held an edge to it. He growled. “Keep trying to contact the pilots.”

Sam and I exchanged looks, and I froze. Was he talking about the pilots of Webb’s plane? I shook my head as though I were trying to shake off a bug in my hair.

“We’ll be back as soon as we can. Call me when you have further information.” Then Dad hung up and hit something.

The sound made me flinch.

“What’s wrong, Pops?” Sam asked calmly.

Dad turned in his seat. His green eyes had turned silver, and the water in his eyes made my heart fall out of my chest. Why would my strong, powerful vampire father have tears in his eyes? Steven Mars Mason was always tough, strong, and composed. A leader among humans and vampires.

Tripp kept his focus on the stopped traffic. “Did something happen on the mission?”

Please say no. Please.
My breathing increased.

“The pilots radioed in and said the plane was going down. One of the engines had caught fire. Then we lost all communication with the pilots.”

I gasped.

“Fuck,” Tripp said as he banged on the steering wheel.

Sam ran a hand through his hair as he grabbed my hand.

The blood rushed out of me. My heart plummeted to the floor. Tears clouded my vision. The inside of the car narrowed. The air left my lungs.

This couldn’t be true. Webb had texted me not that long ago. He couldn’t be—

No. I refused to believe it.

My lower lip trembled. As vampires, we were hard to kill, although I didn’t think we could withstand a plane crash. Could we?

My dream of Webb in a coffin tumbled through my mind. Was my dream coming true?

I needed air. I opened the door and jumped out. I ran down off the embankment with my phone in my hand. I dropped to my knees, and with unsteady fingers, I punched in Webb’s number. It immediately went to voicemail. I tried again. Same thing.

“Please leave a message. I’ll return your call as soon as I can,” his voice said on voicemail.

“Call me, ple—ase,” I said as tears poured down my face. “Please.”

“Pumpkin.” Dad lifted me off the ground.