Chapter 19

CHAPTER 19

R aphaella

Two hours.

That's how long it had taken to stop shaking from all the horrible things said before we'd walked in. Thankfully, not only had guards been posted at the entrance to the courtroom, but the judge had cleared the room of all unnecessary personnel.

While I continued to be shaken, Aleksander was cool as a cucumber. He made it seem all too easy. Yes, I gathered he'd been under tremendous pressure many times in his career, but the threats had been horrific. My mind drifted back to what Jasmine had said. Had her words been a forewarning?

At least as I sat beside him, I was able to catch glimpses of utter brilliance. A part of the moral turpitude I still had was poking me that he was bending the law for his client, but in truth, most of me was in awe. I had no idea if I'd ever be able to attend law school, but if I was lucky enough to ever pass the bar exam, I'd want to be as merciless as he was.

I'd felt exhilarated to be on his team, euphoric seeing the falling face of the prosecutor the moment he'd known he'd lost.

I'd even felt pride, which was ridiculous given the circumstances, but no matter what terrible things were said, Aleksander was an amazing attorney.

Now I felt numb.

There'd been the last witness and closing arguments, but that had seemed to go on for hours. Maybe two in reality.

And the prosecuting attorney was damn good as well, grilling the woman ‘found' as a witness to the point I'd be in tears. But when Aleksander had recrossed, he'd managed to make her look like an angel. I had no idea how that was possible given it was obvious to me she was lying through her teeth about being with Congressman Tillman. Some people were just good actors.

It was shocking to me a verdict was still expected at any minute. It was already after four and the jury had been deliberating for hours. Hours of waiting and worrying. Hours of being hungry. We hadn't risked going out for fear of being attacked by the mob. An alternate version of a word I knew completely differently. Ugh.

"Stop worrying. This will all be over with soon enough," Aleksander said from the chair beside me. He seemed comfy, sitting back as if he owned the joint. Meanwhile, I sat on the edge of my seat, trying my best not to listen to the ramblings of the few remaining in the courtroom. I only hoped the reporters and those carrying picket signs had grown bored.

"I don't know how you can be relaxed."

"We did our best and there's nothing else left. Besides, you never let the opposing team see you sweat." He leaned in when he made the last statement, which made me feel incredibly guilty.

I did what I could to look relaxed.

Another ten minutes passed.

Another fifteen.

I was sick to my stomach.

When the bailiff suddenly appeared, everyone stood up without being told. I don't know why I was thinking this way but until today, I'd never set foot inside a courtroom. My father had been arrested once, even facing a grand jury. However, he'd shielded his family completely, forbidding us to even watch television during the time period.

He'd been exonerated of course. Now that I was older, I knew that meant the grand jury had either been threatened or paid off. I'd been pretty na?ve at that point, assuming my father had been innocent.

I was numb inside as the jury entered the room, the defendant appearing way too confident even for my tastes. As the judge finally made his way to the bench, I was fairly certain I was going to pass out.

Aleksander seemed to know and helped guide me to the chair by placing his hand on the small of my back. I knew I was holding my breath, which made me extremely lightheaded, but it was better than screaming.

The words echoed when the judge asked the right questions, the head juror rising to his feet.

However, as soon as the first verdict was read, there was no way to hear anything at all, the screaming was so loud.

I heard enough.

Not guilty.

On all charges.

Aleksander had won after all.

I glanced over my shoulder, noticing at least ten people were on their phones. They weren't even supposed to have them turned on. That spelled trouble. I could just see the headlines now.

There was no way I could have moved yet. I sat quietly as Aleksander shook the hand of his client. But when I looked up, the man was leering at me. Dear God, I needed a shower.

With a few administrative things necessary, by the time Aleksander closed his briefcase and was ready to go, the courtroom had been emptied.

I was wringing my hands still while he appeared to be all smiles. At least I sensed there was a tenseness about him I hadn't anticipated. I thought the scene earlier that morning had unnerved him as well.

The congressman would have his own private lynch mob outside waiting for him. Even though he had eight family members supporting him, the man should be worried.

Aleksander purposely waited until everyone had left, taking a deep breath as soon as they had. He turned to face me, offering a more professional smile. "You did great today. You made a perfect assistant and I hope you don't take offense to that."

"I don't. I just feel a little… slimy."

I could tell he was thinking about something to say. "We're going home. We're going to open a bottle of wine and relax. I'll order some food in so we can enjoy ourselves without worry. Deal?"

Nodding was about all I could do. My heart was still racing and I knew part of it was because of the dread I felt in the pit of my stomach. "I'm surprised you didn't have one of your soldiers drive us."

He laughed and grabbed his briefcase. "I've been accused more than once of being in the Bratva. While true of course, I've always tried to separate the two businesses."

"Understandable." I finally stood on shaky legs. Maybe I wasn't cut out for this. He led me from the courtroom, his hand firmly placed on my back. Thank God it was because he was forced to push me down the back hallway. When we reached the exit door, the security guard gave us both a look.

"The police have been contacted," the man said. "It's unruly out there. I wish I could do more."

Aleksander sighed and pulled out his key fob. "Not sure what you can do, Bob. There were supposed to be additional guards."

Bob glanced over one shoulder then the other. "Someone called them off. Last minute."

"Who?"

The man threw up his hands. "I don't know but there were a lot of happy people because of it."

Aleksander didn't just bristle; I could read his mind enough to know he was furious. Even the way his hand was clenched around the fob was a clear indicator he would ensure heads would roll.

"I appreciate the info, Bob. Tell Nancy hello for me."

Bob smiled. "I will. By the way, it's raining. Be careful."

Great. Rain on top of this. Maybe I'd have another excuse to take a shower. It seemed rude to be doing so over a case my… fiancé had just won. I couldn't get over the term. It was so far removed from anything I'd wanted in my life.

Bob nodded to both of us, and not only did he open the door, he walked out onto the platform, which was risky for the poor man.

The mob was worse than that morning, almost every scream calling Aleksander a murderer.

As he pushed his way through the crowd, I clung to him like some waif child. I definitely couldn't be a celebrity. The storm was as close to being violent as I'd seen in a long time, rain pelting down, but it didn't stop a few tenacious reporters from clawing their way through.

"Mr. Semenov. What do you have to say to the family of Emily Porter?" The woman who'd been murdered.

"Mr. Semenov. Why did you allow the miscarriage of justice?"

The questions came fast and furious, Aleksander growling before issuing a very loud ‘no comment.' We were almost to the car when another question rang out that I would never forget.

"Miss Bernardi. Not only are you Mr. Semenov's assistant but I understand you're his fiancée? And you're the daughter of one of the most notorious crime lords in the city. What do you have to say for yourself?"

Another wave of sickness and anger rushed through me. It took everything I had not to retort. What shouldn't have surprised me but did was that I knew the moment a switch had been flipped in Aleksander's mind and his entire system. He was so angry the electricity he exuded was off the charts. I expected people felt it in the next county.

The unexpected came when he punched the male reporter in the face. "How fucking dare you. Miss Bernardi has nothing to do with you or anyone else. Get out of my face."

The reporter was screaming that his nose was broken, and I sensed that we were being photographed from every angle. I could only imagine the six and eleven o'clock news programs.

But as additional questions were shot off from every direction, his grip tightened on my hand and he was nearly dragging me toward the car.

"Fuck this shit," he muttered. I certainly had never seen him this angry, and it made me realize I didn't want to be on his bad side. Ever. The fact that he'd come to my defense tore at a portion of my heart. I wasn't certain whether to be flattered or overwhelmed given his possessiveness.

Suddenly, we both stopped, hearing stranger noises. Not just the screams of hatred or the cries of reporters trying to get our attention. There was definitely something else. Whatever it was became instantly unnerving.

I'd heard the term ‘hell breaking loose' in my years on this earth. I'd also heard some say you knew when something bad was about to happen. In a few slow seconds, I felt both…

First came the punches at Aleksander, two catching the man in the face. All he'd needed to do was issue two of his own, and blood spewed across my nice suit and blouse. I was shocked, trembling to my core.

But the hair stood up on my arms and I knew something was terribly wrong. The slow motion remained as if we were being sucked into a vacuum. Instantly, I could tell Aleksander was reaching for his weapon as he glanced up at the roofline of the building across the street. With nothing in his hand, he pushed the closest people aside as he bellowed and threw his body over me.

But…

Pop! Pop! Pop!

Aleksander

"Goddamn it!" I snapped and pounded my fist on the wall.

"You should calm down, my friend," Vadim told me. "Here's a drink. Take it before you bust the television set."

He knew I wasn't simply enraged because of the crap that was being said on the various news stations. I snatched the glass from his hand, almost spilling a portion of the contents.

After hearing about the near-death experience, Nikolay had rushed over as well. The three of us stood in my study. I'd been railing at the television, but my anger was directed toward the fact I'd had my guard down without my weapon in my possession. I kept one in the car, but fifteen minutes had passed before I'd managed to get the very shaken Raphaella into the passenger seat. There'd been no way the sharpshooter had remained anywhere in the area.

The police hadn't been so readily forthcoming to do their jobs. Even worse, Matt Tillman hadn't been attacked. Something in the back of my mind told me I'd made a mistake in getting him off.

"She was almost killed," I said as I turned off the television and turned around.

"You saved her," Nikolay stated.

"There were threats, the fucking extra guards mysteriously told to leave. And some chick at my office threatened Raphaella. I need to find out who the fuck she is. Plus, this goddamn news report. It makes our marriage sound terrible."

I was pacing the floor, trying to figure out what I was missing.

"You think this whole thing is a setup." Nikolay was quieter than normal.

"Yeah, I do. Whoever this is followed us when I allowed her to get clothes, for Christ's sake." I'd never felt so exasperated in my life. And helpless. That didn't bode well for anyone.

"Where the fuck are we at with this?" Vadim threw out. "We need to get to the bottom of whatever is going on so it doesn't destroy everything."

Nikolay rubbed his jaw and sighed. "Look, Sergei and Maxim are still out there along with my two Capos and dozens of soldiers, but other than several casings from the high-powered weapon, there's nothing. No sign of the intruder since the building was under renovation, the construction crew off for the day. I've had the cameras in nearby businesses checked but none are pointed at the roof. We have word out on the street, payment being offered for any information on the shooter, but it would seem whoever this guy is has our informants stymied."

"No one has claimed the act?" I snapped once again. In the case of gunning down a high-ranking member of a crime syndicate, almost always someone took gleeful credit. Perhaps because the asshole hadn't been successful, he was remaining low.

Until the deed was done.

Nikolay just shook his head.

"Fuck!" This time, I tossed the drink against the wall, the glass shattering.

I could tell Vadim was holding his tongue. When he did speak, his voice was surprisingly calm. "We're going to use all resources to find this jerk, but I'm going to give you a piece of advice. Go to the Brighton Beach house."

The storm continued to rage outside, the wind howling. He was right but I had no desire to leave tonight. Not only because it was dark but because even as we were speaking, a brigade of reporters was hanging around the gate trying to gain access. One had even dared try to climb over the steel posts. Thankfully, Ivan had stopped him, tossing the man off the property.

There would be more.

The notoriety from this case was overwhelming. I'd never expected such a reaction. Of course it didn't help that Congressman Tillman had egged on the press with talking about freedom and his rights. Blah. Blah. Blah. I'd told the man to shut the fuck up and return to his life, but he was as much a drama king as any man I'd ever known.

"It's not good enough." I was being tougher on myself than anyone else, but how could I have been so fucking stupid? The bullets had whizzed by, hitting the car three times. Not that I gave a shit about the Mercedes, but being caught with my pants down wasn't anything I'd ever done before.

"It's going to need to be for now. Take several men with you. You know many of our guards live in Brighton Beach. If it's any other crime syndicate, they'd been stupid to come onto our territory." Vadim was right but that didn't make me feel much better.

"Fine." I pulled out my weapon, checking the magazine for the fifth time since returning home. I had to be conscientious at all times at this point.

"Go to the beach," Vadim repeated.

"Yeah, in the morning. Raphaella is finally resting. She hates storms. She hates this life." Fuck, at this point so did I.

The one good thing about heading to the Brighton Beach location was that there was the best security system available already installed. It was a gift from my grandfather but had been used by both Vadim and Nikolay on several occasions. Maybe being back in the area would be good for my soul.

Raphaella I wasn't so certain about.

Vadim clapped me on the back. "Go be with her. It's obvious how much you care about her."

"Yeah, I do. She's seen me at my best and worst. She's a tough lady."

"Women are always stronger than men," Nikolay said.

At least he could allow me a slight smile. "Yeah, they are." I was thankful I'd made the choice to step back from the law firm. I was a Capo at heart, a Councilor and both were considered revered positions. It was time I took more of my rightful place.

"Good to see someone can tame you and don't go off halfcocked about how you two were forced together. I could tell you had a thing for her from minute one." Vadim was now grinning. I realized there was nothing I could do tonight to escalate finding the fucking son of a bitch, but I wasn't ready to let my guard down.

Still, I laughed halfheartedly. At least they had my back.

"She's special." When I said the words, I truly meant them. I wasn't a relationship kind of guy but around her, anything was possible. Anything.

As long as we remained alive.

"You're sure the Irish haven't laid claim? The Armenians?"

Vadim exhaled, likely tired of my repetitive questions. "No, but needless to say, we're keeping an eye on them as well."

The list was long.

And my anger was only increasing.

At some point, I'd reach the boiling point and when I did, blood would rain in the streets.