The Vintner and The Vixen

Chapter 21

Jacques slipped into the Montreal courtroom and found a place to sit on a bench at the back. He resisted the urge to scratch his new beard. Dieu, it was uncomfortable. But it was nothing compared to the ache in his chest. Soon.

Maya was led to the witness stand and all the breath whooshed out of his body. She looked ... pissed off. Anger fizzed out of every pore. Even furious she was gorgeous. More importantly, she was alive. He'd had bad dreams every night since she'd left that she'd be killed before he could get to her. Before he could put his plan into action.

He'd deliberately chosen a spot where he couldn't see the defendant. Because he didn't trust that he wouldn't leap over the barrier and kill the man who threatened Maya's life.

With a cold, hard voice Maya gave her evidence, reciting the horror of that night in chilling detail. As she finished her account, a hush fell over the courtroom. Then the defense attorney stood up.

Maya's gaze swept the courtroom. It rested on him and for a split second he saw her face soften for the first time since he'd arrived. It quickly hardened again and she turned to the judge.

"I need to pee," she said.

The judge looked annoyed but called a ten-minute recess. Maya was released from the witness stand and two armed guards escorted her from the room.

Had she seen him? Had she recognized him? He hadn't quite figured out how he was going to speak to her without putting his plan in jeopardy. She was being kept in protective custody, and although he'd been in Montreal for four days, he hadn't found a way to approach her and not blow his cover. He'd shown up at the trial today because he couldn't take another day not being near her.

When she returned to the courtroom, she had a brief word with the Crown prosecutor before returning to the stand. The defense attorney grilled her, but she remained resolute. When he brought up her past, her involvement in gang life from her teenage years, the lawyers battled back and forth with objections and rephrasing of questions.

Finally, the judge called a recess for lunch. Jacques waited until Maya was taken back out through the side door and then he slipped out into the hallway. He put his sunglasses on and was about to exit the building when someone grabbed his arm.

"Excuse me, sir, you need to come with me."

Had Maya sent for him? The pressure in his chest eased fractionally. He followed the guard down a series of corridors to a small interview room. The door shut behind him. Endless minutes dragged on until he heard the click of heels in the hallway outside.

The noise stopped and another door opened and closed, but not into the room where he stood. He released a frustrated sigh. He turned to the mirror on the wall, sure he was being observed. Running a hand through his hair, he ground his teeth in frustration. Court would resume in less than an hour. If Maya finished her testimony today, this would be his last opportunity to see her.

She'd said she was a shooting star. But she wasn't. She was his north star. Without her, he was lost, directionless.

He'd almost given up waiting, about to go back to the courtroom in the hope of getting some message to her, when the door opened again and Maya walked in. She wore a baseball cap and sunglasses, but he wasn't fooled. He'd spent long enough kissing those lips to have memorized them. They curved upward and his heart crashed against his ribs.

"What the hell are you doing here? I told you it was over," Maya said. But there was a waver in her voice.

He lifted the hat off her head and her hair spilled down her back. Next he removed the sunglasses and tossed them with the hat on the table behind him.