She closed her legs as if anyone would be able to sense the wetness that had built up beneath her freshly-pressed skirt. Okay, it had been a while for her, and her body was painstakingly reminding her of that fact. She adjusted her blouse, feeling the room get warm.
This time when he turned and looked at her, he licked his lips. Oh, he knew exactly what he was doing. Maybe it was a tactic to throw her off, or maybe he was one of those men who thought all women should fall at his feet. She didn’t know whether it was an intentional distraction or not, but it was working. She was better than this, and she wasn’t going to let him mess with her, no matter how attractive he was. Her face and neck flushed, making the room feel like a sauna.
“What the hell is wrong with me?” she thought. “I have got to stop this daydreaming. Get it together, Victoria. It’s game time.” She silently blamed it on lack of sleep and tried to focus on his words rather than the voice forming them.
Andrei Rusak continued his opening defense. “The prosecution would have you believe that Mr. Roman Vasin is guilty for the crime of murder, but we will prove otherwise. The neurologist will testify of the nerve damage in my client’s hands and spine, thus preventing him from shooting anyone or having the strength to pick up a body and throw it in the river. My witnesses will also testify that Mr. Vasin attended their wedding on the day in question and spent the night at the family estate for two days at a location that is six and a half hours away in Buffalo.”
When the defense finished, the judge called over the bailiff. “Why is it so hot in here, Bailiff?”
It wasn’t just her. The courtroom was more than a little warm, and the air conditioner didn’t feel like it was functioning at full capacity.
Victoria had already unbuttoned the top part of her shirt without revealing anything that would make her seem unprofessional. Still, a bead of sweat trickled down her temple.
A few people were even fanning themselves with papers, and the jury shifted uncomfortably in their seats.
“I’m sorry, Your Honor,” the bailiff said. “Maintenance was supposed to come in and fix it yesterday.”
“Well, we can’t continue in here under these conditions. The jury will have heat stroke before we even get to the first witness.” The judge dismissed the bailiff. “We will continue with a few breaks in between this session. If it becomes too much, we will adjourn for a future date. Now, the prosecution will call the first witness.”
Victoria did her best to focus on the case rather than how hot she was getting. She tried to do as little movement as possible to keep from overheating.
“The footage from the security cameras will be shown and entered as exhibit number one,” she said. “It shows Vasin—”
Rusak interrupted saying, “I object. The man in the security footage has not been identified as my client.”
Judge Hughes said, “Sustained. Ms. Bellamy, you will rephrase your statement.”
“I apologize, Your Honor. I will say it another way.” She stared at Rusak. “You claim that you saw the alleged suspect” she started before turning back to her witness, “entering the jewelry shop, shooting the victim, stuffing him into a beige duffle bag, and then dragging him out back and placing him in the truck bed. Is that correct?”
“Yes,” her witness said. “I saw it just like that. I saw him leaving the back alley behind Winters Jeweler driving a white truck.”
“To be specific, you said a white Ford pickup. Is that right?
“Yes.”
“He was later seen dumping a large, beige duffle bag into the Hudson River. Later, a beige duffle bag was retrieved by the New York police department, bearing the body of Sam Winter, who was found shot twice in the torso.”
Vasin jumped up and screamed out, “No! No! No! That’s a lie. All lies.”
The courtroom broke out in gasps and murmurs.
Judge Hughes banged his gavel repeatedly. “Order in the court. Order in the court! That’s it. Bailiff, take Mr. Vasin into custody. He will be charged with contempt of court and pay a fine of no greater than $500. Maybe that will teach you to hold your tongue in my courtroom. This isn’t a court drama, Mr. Vasin. Maybe Mr. Rusak and your defense team need to remind you of that before you reappear in front of me. Until then, Mr. Rusak, it may be in the best interest to have your client submitted for a mental evaluation since he has problems following simple directions?”
Mr. Rusak said, “Yes Your Honor.”
Victoria bit her lip to keep from laughing. Her case was turning into a circus, and it hadn’t even been an hour in session yet. She couldn’t wait to tell her friends about this one.
Chapter 2
Andrei
Andrei Rusak was beginning to question his own sanity in addition to his client’s. The man was beginning to be a pain in the ass, and it was Andrei’s job to get the man off from a murder case. Maybe his best option was to plead insanity after his random outbursts.
The only silver lining was the sexy prosecutor, Victoria Bellamy. She had her own reputation for giving criminals what they deserved. He’d heard about her and done his own little prodding about her, but this was the first time he’d seen her in action, and he was impressed already.
He knew he should just keep to himself and focus on helping his client, but he couldn’t take his eyes off her. The suit she had on hugged her curves in all the right places. He wondered if she would feel soft and delicious up against his body.
He could tell he was getting under her skin a little by staring, and he had to admit he enjoyed that a little too much. It wasn’t his intention to mess with her or ruin her presentation. In fact, he did it for selfish reasons. Andrei wanted to see if she responded to his attentions, and he had confirmation of that.