Justice in Love

Ch. 44 The Man is a Tramp

The next few days were much calmer, much quieter than they had been.

Reed and I were back to normal. When we got time alone, we made the most of it. We reveled in one another's company. It was sobering, almost.

We worked like mad people. Reed barely had cases in my court, and I had a lot of cases. We were workaholics, but at least we knew we were. I always had been. He always had been. We were perfect for each other.

Work kept me busy, even when I didn't want it to. I would think about cases all the time. 24/7. I saw anywhere from 2 to 6 cases a day, which was a lot--especially when they were mostly murders, rapes, and assaults.

The world was an even worse place than I thought. People were monsters. It didn't take much for many of the defendants to snap. It was all a bit unsettling.

One Friday night, I went to bed early. It was December 23rd. The next night, we had Reed's parents' gala, and I wanted to be well rested.

Reed was working late at the office, so I went robbed alone. I was home alone. The thought was unnerving.

A man walked into my bedroom. He was tall and thin. He wore a black mask, black clothing. He looked intimidating. He casually walked over to the bed.

"Where's your fiancé?" he huskily asked.

"He's-He's at work," I stuttered.

"So there will be no one to hear you scream except for me? What a pity."

The man continued to tie me up. He beat me, hitting and biting me until my a great deal of my skin was black and blue. He continued his torture by breaking one of my legs.

When I cried out in pain, he laughed.

I was groaning in agony. I was sweating. I tried to get free. But where would I go? How would I get free? How would I leave on a broken leg? I couldn't run.

The door opened and closed.

Mr. Pauley stood in my doorway. He walked over. He was also wearing black clothes. He sat on the bed beside me. "Finally, you're going to get what you deserve."

He lifted an ax-like object, aiming for my throat.

I let out a blood-curdling scream.

"Georgia?! Georgia?!" Reed called.

Reed.

Suddenly, I woke, sitting up. I was gasping for air. I gripped my throat. Oh, my God. It was just a nightmare.

When I somewhat got my bearings, I looked up.

Reed sat beside me. He looked worried. His eyes watched me carefully.

I took a deep, shaking breath as tears came to my eyes. Oh, God.

Reed pulled me in his arms.

I cried for a few minutes, sniffling. Tears ran down my shirt and onto Reed's warm shoulder. He was so comforting.

When I calmed down, I pulled back.