Page 131 of Hush

“Good morning counselors.” Tom’s smile was thin, strained. “We have a serious situation to discuss. First, Mr. Renner. How is Mr. Kryukov?”

“Doing well. He says this was gentle compared to what he’s experienced in Russia.” Renner passed them each a copy of Kryukov’s medical report. Tom flipped through his slowly, reading every page.

Ballard flicked quickly through the pages, and then focused on the photos of Kryukov’s injuries. He frowned. “Your client has interesting tattoos.”

“What does that have—”

“Are you familiar with Russian organized crime rings? Or the tattoos that members of the Bratva, the brotherhood, receive? Russian prison tattoos? Each one tells a story.” He pointed to the tattoos on Kryukov’s chest: a church with three cupolas, and a black capital A wreathed in a dark circle. “These are prison tattoos. They denote how many sentences he’s served. Three, at least. And that he’s an enemy of the state.”

“And,” Tom said, flipping to the next photo. “Thesetattoos are forced tattoos.” He pointed to a pair of eyes on Kryukov’s lower abdomen, and then to a woman wrapped in a snake on his lower back. A playing card, an ace of hearts, on one ass cheek.

Ballard squinted at him. Renner stayed silent.

“Forced tattoos from when Kryukov was imprisoned in Russia. He is homosexual. He was punished for his sexuality in the Russian prison system. These tattoos were forced on him the day he entered the prison. He was marked.” Tom swallowed. “And then everyone knew who he was. And he was targeted for abuse.”

Both attorneys were quiet. “You seem to know a lot about Russian prisoners,” Ballard said softly.

“I knowthis.”

“Look, what happened was regrettable, but out of our control.” Ballard shrugged. “Sometimes prisoners get out of hand. We’re not Russia. We don’t force tattoos on people. But fistfights can happen. We stopped it before it got worse. That’s what is important to remember.”

“My client doesn’t believe that the men who attacked him were prisoners.”

“Excuse me?” Ballard frowned. “What are you suggesting?”

Did he really not know? Or was this more covering up? Ballard had become a professional at cover-ups, it seemed. Had it always been this way? Just what had Ballard been doing when they worked together? Years and years at each other’s side, and suddenly, Tom realized he barely knew the man.

“Extrajudicial retribution.” Renner tented his fingers, pursed his lips. “I scored points against your special agent yesterday, and your men took it out on my client.”

Ballard scoffed. “This is—”

“What concerns me,” Renner said, speaking over Ballard. “Is the question of whether or not this was also a hate crime.”

“A hate crime?”

“My client is a homosexual. As Judge Brewer stated, he has been persecuted before for his sexuality. Mr. Kryukov clearly recalls hearing his attackers shout ‘faggot’ as they kicked him in the chest.”

Ballard’s face darkened as he went still. “You can’t have it both ways. It’s either an extrajudicial retribution, or it’s a hate crime.”

“It absolutely can be both.”

“Gentleman.” Tom slapped both hands down on his table. “I am deeply disturbed by what happened. There is no reason—none at all—for a prisoner to be assaulted, in any way. By inmates or by anyone else.” He fixed a long stare on Ballard. Ballard didn’t flinch. “I am also infuriated at the possibility that the attack was motivated by Mr. Kryukov’s sexual orientation. The freedom of an individual to be who they are is a core and fundamental principle of America.” He swallowed hard, fighting against the words.

How free had he been his whole life?

What the hell was going on? He was defending a man who had, by the preponderance of evidence, conspired to kill the Russian president with the help of the CIA. His old boss was helping to cover the government’s tracks, and he was sympathizing with the mastermind of the terrorist attack, a gay Russian who had suffered, but was now making the world suffer through his acts. Sighing, Tom shook his head. “I have ordered that Mr. Kryukov be kept in protective custody at the hospital until he is recovered enough to be transported to a secure facility. I’ve also ordered a new team of marshals to secure his transport. His former team, clearly, failed spectacularly.” Again, he glared at Ballard.

“Thank you, Your Honor. We would also like to ask for a continuance.”

“For how long?”

“Only until this afternoon. Mr. Kryukov wants to put this trial behind him and get on with his life.”

Ballard snorted.

“Counselor!” Tom’s eyes narrowed. “I will speak with you privately. Mr. Renner, I’m more than happy to grant you this continuance. I’m concerned you’re coming back to trial too soon. If you and Mr. Kryukov decide you need more time, let me know. We can recess until next week.”

“This afternoon will be fine, Your Honor.”