Page 85 of Wicked Refusal

“That is an absurd allegation!” Smithers bellows. “My client has never been reported for domestic violence in his life. He’s an upstanding member of the community and?—”

Time slows down. I lose track of the discussion—of everything. My eyes are fixed on that spot, those bruises on my body in the picture. My heart is hammering, my breaths cut shorter and shorter.

“C’mon, sweet thing. You know I hate it when you make me hurt you.”

“Sidebar!” the judge roars. “Now!”

Isaak scoops up the pictures and walks up to the bench, whistling jauntily. Smithers follows him, still spewing his ongoing outrage for all to hear.

I stare at the empty spot in front of me and try to remember how to breathe.

“Hey,” Nikita whispers. Then, when I don’t answer: “Your Honor! Something’s wrong with her.”

Isaak swirls around. There’s a hungry glint in his eye, like he’s just seen something he can use.

Good,is my last coherent thought.Use it. Use me.

Anything to keep my son safe.

Then the world goes dark.

29

MIA

I wake up in the courthouse hallway, lying sideways on a bench. My family’s worried faces are swimming before me.

“Oh, thank goodness!” Mom exhales. “Henry, look, she’s awake!”

Dad’s hand squeezes my shoulder as I sit up. “Had a nice nap?” he teases, but I can hear the concern beneath.

Off to the side, Ginny doesn’t say anything. She’s barely looking my way, like she thinks I did this on purpose.

Wait—what happened again?

“Okay!” Nikita claps once. “Let’s give her some space, everyone.”

As if this is all she was waiting for, Ginny immediately herds our parents back inside. “C’mon, let’s go. Sleeping Beauty needs a break, apparently.”

I want to reply, but my head’s killing me.

“You fell,” Kallie explains. “Bonked your head on the stand as you went down. Nikita tried to grab you, but?—”

“I’m slippery,” I try to laugh. “Must be all the sweat.”

Isaak comes back with a glass of water. “Drink,” he orders. “I got us a ten-minute recess. You’ve been out for five. Since you’re awake, I’d rather not waste the rest.”

His tone is blunt, almost dismissive. Nikita bares her teeth at him for it. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, Mr. Robot, but your client justfainted,” she snaps. “She’s not up for a strategy session right now. So how about you start acting like a human being and grab her a protein bar or something?”

Isaak’s lips curve slightly. “Is that what you want, Ms. Winters? A protein bar over your son’s life?”

That has me straightening up immediately. “I’m okay,” I promise. “I can do this. No—Ineedto do this. Please, Mr. Noskov.”

He seems satisfied with my answer. “At the cost of sounding callous, your panic attack helped us in there. Couldn’t have staged it better myself.”

Nikita clears her throat. Her cough sounds suspiciously like she’s muttering,Asshole.

Isaak ignores her and continues. “But now’s the hard part. Opposing counsel isn’t messing around. They know you’ve never reported your ex, and that’s what they’re banking on. The judge won’t grant a dismissal without some proof. So we need to give it to them.”