“No. We didn’t contact her, we just wanted to know that she was all right.”

“And once you had this information, did you dispense with the services of your investigator?”

“Yes,” she said glancing up at Frank.

“And when she was kidnapped, how did you find out that she was gone?”

“The police telephoned me to tell me that she’d been taken and to ask if I knew where Frank was.”

“Is it true that your husband is a probation officer?” he asked.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“And before that, what did he do?”

“He was a policeman,” she told the court.

“And were you aware of Mr. Thomas retaining any of his contacts or friendships from his time with the police force?”

“I don’t know. I don’t really keep track of who my husband’s friend are.”

“I understand, Mrs. Thomas. Finally, I would like to know whether you have ever seen or heard Mr. Thomas touch or speak to Emily in a way that would be considered inappropriate for a father with his biological daughter?” The bitch didn’t look at me or Frank once. She looked straight at the barrister and crucified her daughter.

“No, I didn’t.” The barrister had no further questions, and the judge dismissed us for a break.

“What the fuck?” I said walking over to our barrister.

“Not here,” he told us authoritatively. “Not in front of the defense.” Following his lead, we went into the foyer where all the guys crowded around him looking pretty pissed off.

“What was that? You gonna just stand there and let her spin her bullshit lies and then just walk off the stand?” I barked at him.

“What would you have me do, Mr. O’Connell? I understand your frustration, but without tangible evidence, I can’t accuse a sworn witness of being a liar. I did explain to Mr. Driscoll that if Mrs. Thomas stuck with her original statement, we’d have no case.”

“So what now?” Danny asked him dejectedly. He looked so old and forlorn. This was going to destroy Em, and none of us knew what to do about it.

“I’m not going to call Frank to the stand. He’s skilled at manipulating his audience so I don’t think it will do our case any good. The prosecution will likely call him, and he’ll embellish the story they’ve cooked up. Then we’ll go for summations, and the jury will adjourn to deliberate. In all likelihood, he will be acquitted. There really isn’t enough corroborated evidence to make either charge stick. Mr. Thomas has done a thorough job of creating the public facade of an honorable and respected member of society and a loving stepfather. We’ve challenged his character, but I’m sorry, I really don’t think that what we have is enough to satisfy the jury beyond all reasonable doubt.”

I sat down hard on the bench and rubbed my face with my hands in despair. How can he rape, kidnap, and torture her and just walk out of the courtroom a free man? As Danny and the guys debated shit with the barrister, my fear turned to anger. It wasn’t fair for Em to grow up in a home where she was raped and beaten. It wasn’t fair that I had an alcoholic mother who’d made my childhood a living hell. None of it was fair but I had the power to make it right and give my girl the justice she deserved. With my mind made up, I felt calmer and more in control than I had for a long time.

“Shall we go back in?” I said to Kieran and stood up. The guys all stopped talking and turned to stare at me.

“What’s going on? We thought we’d have to sit on you after her mother’s performance.”

“It is what it is. There’s nothing I can do about it. Let’s just get this over with, shall we.” Turning, I buttoned up my suit jacket and walked toward to the courtroom. The last thing I saw was the grave look on Kieran’s and Danny’s faces. They knew me better than anyone in the world, except maybe Em. Aside from babysitting me every minute of every day, there was nothing they could do about my plans, even if they did figure them out. The legal system had its chance. It was going to fail Em, but I wouldn’t. Not again.

By tomorrow morning, one way or another, we’d know. Frank had given his testimony, and I hadn’t flinched while he did it. The guys kept looking at each other worriedly as they noticed my behavior. I was still because I was focused. Like I did when I fought. I tuned out all the outside shite and thought only about what I needed to. I didn’t hear a word Frank said. Didn’t matter anyway. The lying sack of shit looked like he was having fun up there in the limelight.

One hour. That’s all it took for both sides to finish with him. But, oh, what I did to him in that hour. Every conceivable means of torture ran through my head. In my mind, Frank died a thousand times but I only needed to pick one way to make it happen for real.

Lifting my hand to put the key in the door, I paused and took a minute to work out what I was going to say. I wanted to shield Sunshine from everything and tell her it was all going to be ok. She wouldn’t thank me for it. I’d do whatever I needed to keep her safe, and I wouldn’t apologize for it, but I wouldn’t lie to her either.

“How’s she been?” I asked Nikki, as I walked into the flat.

“Pretty bad,” Nikki replied quietly so Em wouldn’t hear. She looked worriedly behind her, and I could see Em was still in bed.

“She says she’s all right, just having a bad day. How’d it go in court?”

I shook my head slowly and wiped the friendly smile off her face quickly. “He’s getting away with it,” I told her.

“They’ve released the verdict already?” she whispered angrily.

“They will tomorrow but our barrister is sure he’s going free.”

“This will destroy her,” she said sadly, looking Em’s way.

“After everything she’s been through, people still doubt how strong she is. It’s going to hit her hard, but if we stick by her, she will move past this.”

Nikki nodded and gathered up her things. “I won’t say good night,” she told me. “She’s been asleep for about half an hour so I want her to get some rest. Tell her I sent my love though.”

“Kieran is waiting for you downstairs. He’s going to give you a ride home.”

“Thanks, Con,” she said giving me a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek. “Take care of her,” she ordered as she left with a wave.