***Trigger Warning***

Jessica is sworn in, looking as if she hasn't slept in weeks. I can't blame her, I'd have nightmares too if I was held at gunpoint by my boyfriend. She's been under witness protection all of this time.

My lawyer approaches her, exuding confidence. "Ms. Fowler, is it true that you once dated Mr. Hartley?"

Jessica sounds and looks numb. "I'm not proud of it, but yes. I guess you could call me his mistress, he was dating another woman at the time."

"Are you two still together?"

Jessica makes a disgusted face. "No, it's sort of hard to trust someone after they hold you at gunpoint as bait for their ex girlfriend and trust is everything in a relationship."

If eyes could kill, Jessica would be dead from the way Jeremiah's eyes bore into her.

"Are you positive he was planning on pulling the trigger?"

"Yeah. He said, 'not another step unless you want her blood on your hands,' and then pressed a gun to my head. It sure felt real to me."

"Did he ever mention anything about the night of the murders to you? Allude to what could have happened?"

Jessica holds her head in her hand. "When we first starting seeing each other, he told me his name was Jeremiah. That's what his ex called him as well. So, imagine my surprise when an ID feel out of his bag with the name Brant. Obviously, I confronted him about this and he told me the same thing that girl, Harper told you. He said that he killed eight girls and he needed my help. I refused to help him though. That's why he tried to kill me. I tried to warn his ex, Lyra McGomery."

My lawyer stared down Brant's lawyer as she returned to her seat. "No further questions."

Jeremiah's lawyer wasted no before attempting to discredit Jessica. "So, you mentioned you and Ms. Blackwood are coworkers."

"We were, yeah."

"You were? As in past tense?"

"I was let go."

He strokes his chin, his tale-tale sign for being excited. "Mhmm. Why did they fire you?"

Jessica looks far from happy as she answers. This guy is a real prick. "I was caught having sex in the nurses
lounge, not that it's any of your business."

"Mhmm. Who caught you?"

"Ms. Blackwood, can you drop it now?"

"Okay, so let me get this straight. Ms. Blackwood caught you sleeping with her boyfriend and then reported you and made you loose your job. Yet, you called to warn her about him?"

Jessica looks as though she's about to jump over and tackle him, but she doesn't. "No. I was sleeping with MY boyfriend, they were broken up at the time and she promised not to report me. To be honest, I don't know who did."

He nods. "Interesting, because my client told me you decided you were friends with Ms. Blackwood after he tried to end things with you."

"Yeah, he also said his name was Jeremiah. He lied."

"No further questions."

At first, Ryan's testimony goes as smoothly as it could. He talks about his time in Harper's basement and the gruesome things he was put through, things I wish I didn't hear. All went well until Jeremiah's lawyer got his turn to ask questions.

The killer question was, "Can you tell me about the time you were arrested?"

Ryan, caught of guard, stumbles over his answer. "I, ummm tried to rob a bank."

The crowd, including me, gasped.

"Would've been nice to know." My lawyer mumbles under her breath.

"Right. So, you were able to successfully rob a bank, but you couldn't stop your little sister from kidnapping and torturing you?"

Ryan's jaw clenches. "She is my SISTER! I obviously wasn't expecting her to kidnap me. Plus, she and her boyfriend had guns, I had nothing. I robbed that bank because I was desperate. My mom was sick and didn't have the money to pay to get life saving medical treatment. I was 15 and scared. I served my time and more then made up for it. I, unlike Mr. Hartley, didn't kill anyone."

This rendered the out of line lawyer speechless and he stopped his questioning.

My dad, true to his word, claimed that I told him everything that happened the night of the murders. He claimed that I was frantic, devastated for the girls (which I absolutely was, but he doesn't know that). When Jeremiah's lawyer asked him why he didn't go to the police, he said that I told him to wait until the trial. He said we were both afraid no one would believe him because he's my father. To be fair, they shouldn't.

The whole time he's talking, the same thoughts are running through my mind on repeat. Why couldn't he just let it alone? Why did he have to make up a lie and testify? So, he could use it to blackmail me into marrying a girl I don't love? That's so beyond ridiculous. He needs to get a life of his own and stop trying to dominate mine.

The most entertaining part of the trial is Lucy's testimony.

She gets sworn in, looking more dressed up and
angry than I've ever seen her.

Jeremiah's lawyer comes up first. "Can you explain to the court how you know Mr. McGomery?"

She sticks her nose up in the air. "Why do I have to do that if you already know?"

When he doesn't answer, she grumbles, "He was my patient."

"Would you say he was cooperative with his treatment?"

She rolls her eyes. "No, he didn't want any part of it. I wouldn't either if I was being given meds for something I didn't have."

"Can you elaborate on that?" Jeremiah's lawyer pushes, looking genuinely interested.

"They misdiagnosed him. Said he was having a psychotic break when he clearly wasn't." She lifts her arms up in defeat. "I told them that too, but doctors always think they know more then their nurses. Idiots."

"Can you tell me about the night Mr. McGomery tried to shoot a guard in his manhood."

She burst out laughing. "Sure, I'd love to. He was playing with him. The old guard was antagonizing Mr. McGomery, so he forced him to leave him alone. He wasn't actually going to shot him. I thought it was pretty funny, but you're all so sensitive these days."

My lawyer elbows me when I start to chuckle. I look into the crowd to see Lyra chuckling too.

"Uh huh. You called Ms. Blackwood in to help you calm Mr. McGomery down, is that right?"

"Yep."

"You have a great reputation as a nurse, why would you need to call in back up?"

She crossed her arms. "He liked her. Mr. McGomery went through a lot, being falsely accused of being a serial killer and all. He didn't trust many of us. She earned his trust."

"Hmm, then she was reassigned because her boss was worried their relationship was crossing professional bounds, is that right?"

"No, nothing you've said has been right." She screams at him. "Lyra Blackwood is the best nurse I know and I've been a nurse longer than most people in this court room have been alive. She's just good with people. The only reason her assignment was switched was because that red-headed bimbo you had up here was jealous. That same bimbo got fired for having sex with Ms. Blackwood's ex-boyfriend in the nurse's lounge. That ugly fella over there you're trying to represent." She points at Brant. "Lyra wouldn't even report her for it, I had to."

"Didn't Mr. McGomery escape and run to her place of residence?"

"How is someone as dumb as you a lawyer? It was a coincidence. They were hurting him and he was afraid. It's not his fault the security sleeps on the job. Call one of them up, you'll see how stupid they are. You might have to carry them here though, they don't like to move."

She makes a face at him. "It's creepy you know any of this by the way."

"I'm done." Brant's exasperated lawyer walks away, clearly fed up with Lucy.

"I'm all good." My lawyer announces with a smirk.

To my dismay, Inara is up next. I can hardly sit through her testimony, I'm too worried. I'm scared they're going to push her too far. I keep Lyra's words in mind, Inara has been through a lot and is strong. She can handle this.

When the questioning stops, I realize Lyra was right. Inara absolutely crushed it. She answered every question with grace and dignity. I'm proud to say she never faltered despite how hard she was pushed.

The worst part of the trial is when Jeremiah testifies. It's amazing how confident someone who should have zero confidence is.

Brant's lawyer has the impossible task of making him look good. I'm dying to see how he does that.

The little man approaches Brant with the same unbelievable conviction he always has. "Mr. Hartley, what you're being accused of here is no joke; murder, rape, kidnapping, assault and battery. I want to start by giving you the chance to explain yourself."

Brant clears his throat. "I want to say that my heart goes out to those girls and to Harper's brother, they didn't deserve what happened to them at all. I can't imagine what they've gone through. I want justice for the victims more than anything , that's why I need you to believe me. I didn't do any of these terrible things I'm accused of. I'm not capable of murder or sexual assault. I'm being framed. The real perpetrator is out there, praying you make the mistake of convicting me."

"What happened the night of the murders? Where were you?"

"I have no idea what happened the night of the murders, except that nine of my girls were attacked, seven died. Although I wish I was there so I could've prevented it, I wasn't."

"Where were you during the time of the murders?"

"I was on my way to work and my car broke, so during that time, I was stranded on route 86, in the middle of nowhere with no cellphone service."

I clench my fist. He can't be serious right now.

"How did you get back home that night?"

Brant looks stressed. "I walked home and called a friend of mine who's a mechanic to fix my car. Which he did the next day."

His lawyer just nods, as if that was the most believable story he's ever heard. Turning to the jury, he says. "The texts messages between Mr. Hartley and his mechanic friend, John Levy, have been presented to the court and are up on the screen now."

I run a hand through my hair. What is happening?

"Mr. McGomery claims he found messages between you and some men, where you offered to sell those girls that were killed in exchange for payment. Can you explain that?"

Brant looks torn. I'm shocked to find some sincerity behind his eyes. Maybe I'm going crazy.

"That wasn't me. I never messaged those men, I swear! My guess is Mr. McGomery, who I hear used to be a professional hacker, set me up. He hates me because I hired his sister, Inara. He never approved of her being a stripper."

My lawyer looks at me sternly as I reach my boiling point. How dare he!

"So, to be clear, you're saying that you had no part in the murders that night?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying. Those girls were like family to me, I'd never hurt them."

"That's all I have." His lawyer exits as if he's won the case.

My lawyer goes straight for the throat. "What about the acquisition about you attempting to kill Ms. Fowler and Ms. Blackwood? What do you have to say about that?"

He scuffs. "First of all, I didn't attempt to kill either of them. Lyra, I mean Ms. Blackwood, was the one who held the gun to Ms. Fowler's head and said she would kill her. The whole thing was a setup that Mr. McGomery created. He recorded me without my consent, which is illegal by the way. He then manipulated his illegal recordings of me to make it look I confessed to things that never did. Anytime I was caught with a gun in my hands, it was absolutely self defense. He's smart, he had it all planed out. Lyra fell in love with Brexton and helped him find a scapegoat so they could run off into the sunset together. She got to get rid of the boyfriend who cheated on her and he got to get away with murder. It'a all very Bonnie and Clyde."

My lawyer looks unimpressed. "Okay, since you're in the mood to run off on tangents, I'm going to ask you a very simple question. All I require is a yes or a no."

"Fine." He says like a teenager who was grounded.

"Were you in the hospital at the time of Roger Venezuela's death? Don't bother lying, there are cameras."

"I don't even know who that is!"

"March 23rd. Were you at the hospital where Ms. Blackwood works on March 23rd?"

"Yes."

"We're you in room 215, Roger Venezuela's room at the time?"

"No."

"Okay." She turns to the screen and presses a button that brings up the security camera. We all watch in deafening silence as Brant walks into room 215.

When it's over, she crosses her arms. "That's right, we found a camera that was working, although the rest were mysteriously not working at the time."

She faces the jury. "It's quite clear to see that Mr. Hartley is lying. You guys can reach your own conclusions as to why he'd do that. No further questions."

The trial had ran on for hours until I found myself sitting on the witness stand. My lawyer approaches me first. "Mr. McGomery, I'm going to ask you point blank, did you kill those girls?"

I feel my hands shake, so I squeeze them together and try not to look as guilty as I feel. I did kill those girls. "No, I tried to save them."

She nods. "Did you see who did?"

"Yes." I point to Brant. "He did."

Brant's eyes burn through me.

"Why were you even there that night?"

"To save my sister. He wanted to sell her to some creepy old man." I hear my voice get choked up with emotion, I don't try to hide it. I let all of the heartbreak I've been through show on my face. "I didn't know how bad it really was, I had no idea he was going to kill anyone. It tears me apart every second of my life that I didn't make it in time to save them all."

"You know for sure he was planning to sell those girls?"

"Yes, I saw messages and he confessed to both Ms. Blackwood and I."

She gives me a reassuring smile. "No further questions."

Brant's lawyer walks up to me and stares me dead in the eyes, challenging me. "Mr. McGomery, did you escape the psychiatric hospital?"

"Yes, once."

"Why?"

"Some of the people who worked there were cruel.
I was being given wrong medications, being nearly suffocated and my wrist were raw from the restraints they had me trapped in."

There's not even a hint of empathy on his face. "I see. It seems as though you've been able to escape a ton of bad situations. I'd like to point out that you've been at the scene of every crime. Anytime something awful happened, you were right there. That's strange if you're not involved in any of them right?"

"So was Brant."

"No, he wasn't actually found at the scene of the murders. He informed us that his car was broken down at the time. You were there though."

I narrow my eyes. "Yeah, he confessed to Lyra and I that his plan had always been to frame me for what he did. I was trying to help every time I was at the crime scene. I could've run, but I stayed until I knew the police were there to help, no matter how bad it made me look. I cared more about the people than myself, which isn't a serial killer trait."

"No further questions." He walks away, looking a little discouraged.

Lyra was called up next. My breath hitches as she sits in front of the court.

Time slows down around me as I walk to the stand. Everybody else did an amazing job of defending Brexton, I can't be the one to mess this up.

Brexton's lawyer questions me first. She's gorgeous and incredibly smart. I was a little intimated by her at first but, then I realized she is Brexton's best chance at getting out of here and now I'm grateful.

"Ms. Blackwood, you dated Mr. Hartley for years until you recently broke up. Can you tell me what happened?"

"Our relationship had been toxic for years, but I was afraid to leave him because he's a dangerous and powerful man. When I met Ms. McGomery, she promised to help keep me safe if I ended things with him."

"There's been a lot of speculation that you and Mr. McGomery have had a romantic relationship that started while you were his nurse. Can you confirm or deny this on record?"

My mind spins in circles as I decide what to say. "No, our relationship has always been strictly platonic." I don't look at Brexton, I'm too scared I've hurt him.

"Okay, that's all I've got."

I smile as Jeremiah's lawyer faces me. I've been waiting for my moment to shut him down. "Ms. Blackwood, you say that your relationship with Mr. McGomery is strictly platonic, but that just doesn't add up. He refused to have any other nurse take care of him, you got his restraints off multiple times, when he escaped you were the one who brought him back to the  hospital. Do you see why I'm struggling to believe you?"

"No, I don't see why you're struggling to believe me. All it's showing me is I'm a good nurse."

He looks stunned. "Isn't it a little out of your way to be shot at? That seems like it's way out of your job description."

I chuckle, amused by how stupid he could be. "If I were a regular nurse maybe, but I'm not a regular nurse. I'd take a bullet to protect any of my patients. Also, thanks for bringing up me being shot. I've been dying to talk about how Mr. Hartley was taken to jail for shooting me in the arm."

This catches him off guard and he takes forever to respond. "That was never proven. Nobody saw him actually shoot you, they only saw him standing over you with a gun after you'd been shot."

"I saw him. I told the police who did it and they seemed to believe me because they took him to jail."

"Did Mr. McGomery kill those women? Remember, you took an oath of truth."

I stared into Brexton's emerald eyes before saying the next part. "Mr. McGomery has never killed anyone and he never would."

"No further questions." He huffs away.

After

They dismiss us while the jury deliberates and I run to Brexton and pull him into a private area. He still looks shaken up.

I pull him into a tight hug. "I'm so sorry, I hated that."

When I try to pull back, he pulls me closer. "What do you have to be sorry about?"

My eyes start to water. "I said what we have is platonic, it definitely isn't platonic to me."

He takes a deep breath. "I know, it's okay. You had to say that."

I lean my head against his chest.

"There's something I need to tell you."

I look up at him. "I'm not going to like it, am I?"

He shakes his head.

"Tell me anyways."

He rubs his hands together. "I'm not coming back here after our trip to Australia."

My voice is meek. "What?"

"I'm going to move there. My dad only testified to blackmail me. If I don't marry Stephanie, he's going to have me arrested. I'm running away from him until I can figure out what he's hiding."

My eyes don't leave his. "I really don't like your dad."

A lightbulb goes off above my head. "I'll come with you. I love it there."

"No." He says sternly. "You've given up enough for me. You're going to finish you're schooling before you even think of leaving."

"But...that's two years! I won't see you for two years! I can't do that!" I'm full blown crying now.

He wipes my eyes. "You can and you will. We'll still text and FaceTime all the time, we'll make it work. You don't owe me anything stormy, we haven't even defined what this is between us."

I swallow hard. "Okay, then let's define it. I want to be your girlfriend."

His eyes light up. "I want that too, but not yet, not like this. Everything is so messed up right now."

"It always will be." I'm in love with you Brexton, I add in my mind.

Before he can say anything else, we get called back into the courtroom. "That was quick." My heart is beating out of my chest. That is either a really good sign or a really bad one.

We walk into the courtroom and find our seats. I sit next Inara. Sensing her nervousness, I reach over and squeeze her hand. She gives me a grateful smile.

The judge gives the jury the floor to announce their ruling.

A juror stands up. "We the jury find the defendant Brexton McGomery not guilty in the charge of the rape and murder of Lily Johnson." They read the rest of the names off and find him not guilty of any of them.

I can't stop the huge smile that makes it way onto my lips. I bite my lip to stop from screaming.

The room goes silent as the juror speaks up again. "We the juror find Jeremiah Hartley guilty of two counts of attempted murder and seven counts of rape and murder."

My heart jumps all over the place, between happy and sad. He is sentenced to death, the harshest punishment he could've received. He's going to die.
————————————————————————————

Brexton, Ryan, Inara and I are driving together to the airport, filled with more excitement than we can handle at the moment. It's been so long since anything good has happened for our small group.

I hit the button to open the roof and stand up. My hair dances in the wind as I scream out.

Brexton starts to slow down the vehicle, but I yell at him. "Don't slow down!"

He laughs, speeding up just a smidge.

When I finally sit back down, my three best friends are jamming out to 'Life is Highway' by The Rascal Flats.

I join in with no hesitation.

This is going to the best vacation I've ever been on.