Page 38 of Winter’s Heart (Three of Hearts #1)

“How did you go? Did you manage to testify?” he queried.

Because this was the crux of the whole thing.

If the video link had failed, or the defense lawyers on the other end hadn’t asked the right questions, this could all have been for nothing.

The plan had been for Russell to take Nikki back to his house so she could use his reliable Wi-Fi and where they were hopefully safe for however long it took to talk to the court.

She nodded. “Yes, it all worked like a dream. Russell already had his computer and everything set up, so all we had to do when we got to his house was log in. But oh, gosh, Jacob, I could barely think. Barely even speak. I was so worried about what’d happened to you.

That poor judge must’ve thought I was an imbecile, not a world-renowned specialist.” She gave a wan smile.

He nodded sympathetically. “But you got it out in the end?”

Nikki straightened from where she’d been bending over the bed to hug him, but she didn’t let go of his hand.

“Yes, the chief lawyer asked for a short recess when I first logged on—he could see I was rattled, but he didn’t know why—and Russell read me the riot act, so I finally pulled myself together.

” Nikki grimaced, although Jacob found it hard to imagine the mild-mannered, bohemian Russell that Nikki had described raising his voice to anyone.

“After that, I was on the virtual stand for three hours. The prosecution tried to discredit me, of course, but the lawyers on our side kept objecting or coming back to me to clarify my answers. In the end, the prosecution ran out of avenues to pursue. After all, our research speaks for itself. You can’t argue with facts and figures.

” He knew the world wasn’t that black and white, but Nikki was a scientist through and through, and as such, she believed unequivocally that the facts never lied.

He loved that her blue eyes were now sparking with heat and resolution, the same stubborn strength of character she’d showed on the very first day, when she’d stood up to him in the little hut in the snow, demanding to know what was going on.

“Russell had already warned me that the lawyers on both sides had been banned from mentioning why I was giving my testimony via video. You see, the murders and the attempt on my life are all just allegations at the moment, and until they prove the gunmen who killed Tammy and Antoine were hired by Diàoyú, then it’s inadmissible in court.

But the judge seemed to know something dodgy was going on, he asked a few pointed questions why I had suddenly replaced Tammy as the specialist, and when the lawyer told him that Tammy had died in tragic circumstances and there was now an ongoing criminal investigation, the judge looked most interested. ”

“Hmm. That’s a good thing,” Jacob replied, smothering a large yawn. At least the judge suspects Diàoyú of foul play, even if he can’t take it into account when he makes his ruling.

“I guess so.” Nikki bit her bottom lip, her gaze drifting to the window where the lights of Seattle flickered outside.

“Russell and I waited until the end of the court session, just in case they wanted to recall me, which was mid-morning, our time. But Russell wouldn’t let me come and see you until he’d contacted the FBI and had assurances there would not be any repercussions for me. That I was a free woman.”

“Great.” Now that the first hit of dopamine from having Nikki back in his arms was fading, he could feel the drugs taking effect. His body was becoming heavy and lethargic, his mind sluggish, and he was finding it hard to focus on her words.

“I’m sorry,” he muttered, rubbing his eyes. “They doped me up with meds for the pain, and now I’m feeling a little woozy.” He tried to fight it, shaking his head and squeezing his eyes shut before popping them open again, but the fog continued to creep in around the edges.

“I should leave you to get some sleep.”

“No, stay. I’ll sleep better with you in my arms.”

“What about your leg?”

“With you by my side, I’m feeling no pain.

” He looked up imploringly at her. His eyelids felt so heavy they could’ve been weighed down with concrete.

But he would not succumb, not until she said she’d stay in his arms. The drugs might be numbing the pain, but they were also numbing his ability to think and even speak.

He wondered vaguely if the nurse had slipped a sedative in among the other medications.

“Okay,” she agreed, then she sat gingerly on the bed and swung her legs up so that she was lying above the covers on his uninjured side. “Are you sure this isn’t hurting you?”

“Babe, I’m in heaven right now,” he sighed, tucking her shoulder underneath his arm so she could lay her head on his chest. “This is exactly where I’m meant to be.

I couldn’t ask for any place better.” At last, he gave in to the cotton wool crowding his brain and the lethargy that caused his body to feel like it was made of lead and let his eyes close.

He knew he could sleep soundly tonight, as long as he had Nikki safe and warm in his arms.