Justify My Love: An Interracial Romance (BWWM) (13 page)

Chapter Twenty-One

The judge banged her gavel loudly and ordered the prisoner to be restrained. Scott was the closest to Kalb and tackled him just as he reached Marnie’s row. Kalb tried to get up, but Scott threw a punch catching him high on his right cheek. Kalb refused to stay down, so Scott hit him again. “That was for Marnie, you piece of shit!” Scott said. This time Kalb remained down long enough for the guards to cuff and shackle him.

Two guards pulled the struggling, cursing Kalb to his feet and dragged him forcibly from the courtroom. All the way out he screamed obscenities and the last thing Marnie heard was, “I’ll get you bitch!”

Marnie had been drowning in a pool of fear, fighting for breath as she tried to claw the way through her terror. It was that terrible day all over again when she and Marishka were confronted by the enraged Kalb and shot. She was hyperventilating and trembling uncontrollably as Scott rushed to her side and took her into his arms. “It’s all right, baby. You’re safe now. I wouldn’t let him hurt you again.”

Marnie clung to him as if she was holding on to life itself. It wasn’t until he took her outside into the fresh air and sat her down on a bench, before she was able to stop trembling.

“Are you all right?”

“No,” she replied in a quivering voice barely audible. “But I’ll live. I hope they shut that monster away forever.”

Looking back in the direction of the court, Scott narrowed his eyes. “Me, too.”

Then Marnie noticed Scott’s bruised knuckles and kissed them. “Thank you.”

Scott gave a wry half-smile. “A small price to pay. I quite enjoyed hitting that bastard.” Then becoming more serious, he said, “Let’s get you home.”

When Marnie realized Scott was leading her to his car, she asked, “What about my car?”

“You’re too shaken to drive. We’ll pick it up early tomorrow morning.”

Realizing he was probably right, she acquiesced and nodded. They reached his car and Scott helped her inside. He felt the trembling of her body and had the urge to rush back to the courthouse, find Kalb and strangle him for frightening her so badly. As he drove, he’d glance at her from time-to-time, noting her rigid posture. He pulled over to the side of the road and took her into his arms to comfort her.

After several minutes she spoke. ”I’m okay. Please take me home.”

He nodded and restarted the car, but he wasn’t too certain that was the case.

When they arrived at her apartment, he parked the car and took her inside. “I’m going to make you some tea and stay with you awhile,” he said as he sat her down on the sofa.

While Scott was in the kitchen preparing the tea, Marnie replayed the entire incident in Court with Kalb over in her mind. Just thinking about him chilled her to the bone. Will she ever be free of that hideous man? Or will he haunt her forever? Tears filled her eyes at the horrid thought. She covered her face with her hands and began to sob just as Scott reentered the room.

He put the cup of tea down on the cocktail table and took her into his arms.

“Marnie, baby, please don’t cry. He can never hurt you again,” he whispered into her hair.

Though she couldn’t stop crying, it was wonderful to be held in Scott’s strong protective arms, and for the first time all day, she felt safe.

“Everything’s going to be all right.” He brushed a gentle kiss across her forehead. His lips moved down to her face and kissed away her tears. She stopped sobbing as he placed his mouth over hers, tenderly kissing her. She quivered at the sweetness of his kiss, parting her lips. He kissed her again, more urgently this time and the kiss was like the smoldering heat used to join metals. As he crushed her to him, he branded her lips with his mouth and began to sear a path down her neck. Her emotions whirled and skidded.

Her restless hands threaded through his hair and worked their way up and down his back. He had opened her suit jacket and cupped a breast through her silk blouse. She made a sound in her throat that sounded half like a moan and half like a hiccup. He opened the top two buttons of her blouse and kissed her bared skin.

Burying his face in her chest, he cried out. “I love you, baby. No one will ever hurt you. I promise you.”

She held him tightly. “Love me, Scott. Please love me.”

Scott scooped her into his arms and carried her into the bedroom. He laid her on the bed and stripped off his suit. He helped her out of her jacket and blouse and kissed the rising mounds of flesh that swelled above her lace bra before he removed it. His hands moved magically over her smooth breasts, which had been spared scarring. The stroking of his fingers sent pleasant jolts through her. Her large dusky-colored nipples firmed instantly under his touch and her back arched instinctively toward him. His tongue explored the hard peaks of her breasts, slowly lathering each one as she moaned softly.

His hands explored the soft planes of her back and slid down to the zipper at her waist. He slipped her skirt off and pulled her pantyhose slowly down and off her legs. Her lacy panties came next. He never tired of looking at her beautiful body or stroking those long tapered legs of hers. He kissed the tender flesh inside her thigh and she gasped.

He half-covered her body with his as he sought her mouth. She writhed beneath him as his cock rubbed against her mons. He kissed her fervently. His tongue plundered her mouth. This kiss was no different than the others that left her mouth aflame. His kisses were like drugs, the more he gave, the more she craved. Her breasts tingled against his mat of chest hair. As he lowered his head to suckle a breast, he slowly moved his hands downward, skimming either side of her body to her thighs. He slipped his fingers inside her. She was wet and inviting.

Her body now tingled. His touch had become exquisite torture and her impatience had grown to explosive proportions. She wanted to feel him inside. Deciding to take matters into her own hands, she reached for his thick cock and guided it into her, eliciting a low guttural sound coming from deep within him.

Slowly they began to move together in a pleasurable harmony. As he further roused her passion, his grew as well. It wasn’t long before the tempo of their movement had quickened and Marnie felt involuntary tremors start deep within her, building quickly into spasms of fiery sensations before she cried out in pleasure.

As the waves of ecstasy throbbed through Marnie, Scott found his own release. They collapsed together with Scott’s head resting on her chest and allowed the contentment of their lovemaking wash over them. Each time they made love it felt so right. There was no denying it. She was deeply in love with Scott Langley and would follow him to the moon had he asked her to.

Right now those feelings of terror that followed her out of the courtroom after John Kalb’s terrible outburst were gone having been chased away by love. She felt safe nestled in Scott’s protective arms. However, she was well aware that he couldn’t remain with her 24/7 and because there were a great many crazies out there, she feared something like that ever happening again. And if it did, would she be able to go through it again? It had taken so much out of her to get herself back into that courthouse today. She hated to admit it, but perhaps her father had a point. Perhaps, it
was
too dangerous being an attorney today. But, then again, being a lawyer was her life. There was no way she could merely give it up and do something else. It was in her blood—a part of her. To that extent Debbie had been right. In fact, the woman knew her better than herself. There was no way she could walk away from practicing law.

They were alike, she and Scott, in so many ways. Scott loved the law and it seemed even clearer now why Scott turned down Frank’s offer to join the law firm. He wanted to put men like John Kalb away. She’d seen the relentless determination etched deeply into his face as he spoke in that courtroom and nearly felt the exhilaration he got from getting the conviction. He loved the challenge and the adrenaline surge just as much as she.

Marnie believed in soul mates and felt that there was one special person placed on this earth for everyone. It was everyone’s destiny to find theirs. Holding Scott in her arms now, perhaps she’d finally found hers.

Chapter Twenty-Two

By the time Marnie walked into Frank’s office the following day, she had firm control of all her emotions—the good and the bad. She’d felt wonderful after having made love with Scott, but seeing and hearing the news broadcasts depicting the incident brought back all the sensations of terror she’d felt in that courtroom as Kalb charged her.

Like every other struggle she had to face in her life, the counseling would help her she’d through this, forcing her demons under wrap. If she gave into or tried to placate her fears in any way, she might as well give up her career. And now she knew there was absolutely no way she could ever do that. She’d worked long and hard to get where she was and wasn’t going to allow her fears to take over her life and ruin things.

“Court wasn’t very much fun yesterday, I take it,” Frank said putting the newspaper down.

Marnie shook her head seeing her picture gracing the front page.

“You must stop becoming headline news or you’re going to make the other associates in the firm jealous.”

It evoked the laughter he intended. “All lawyers come across one or two people during their career who attempt to make their lives a living hell. But they survive. Use what happened as a learning experience and don’t dwell on it.”

“Thanks, Frank,” she replied knowing while it was easy for him to say, it would be more difficult for her to do.

“Do you have anything pressing for this morning, Marnie?”

“No. Why do you ask?”

“I’d like you to meet your next client.”

“What time is he coming in?”

“He’s in jail. And he’s requested you to represent him.”

“Who is he?” Marnie asked.

“Grab your coat. We’ll talk on the way.”

Curiosity made Marnie hustle back to her office. Debbie looked up as she approached.

“Is there a fire I don’t know about,” she asked her boss.

“I’m on my way to the jail with Frank to meet a new client. Hold down the fort.”

Debbie saluted. “Will do.”

Marnie laughed and saluted her back before going to fetch her coat and briefcase.

“See ya later,” Debbie said, as Marnie passed again and waved.

Frank met Marnie in the hall and they walked together to the elevator. “I know your curiosity must be eating at you. The man’s name is Victor DeMarco.”

“Isn’t he the CEO of some large software corporation?”

Frank smiled at her. The doors of the elevator opened at the garage level and they stepped out. “Yes. Safe-T Unlimited.”

“What’s he done? Cooked the books?”

“I’m afraid it’s a lot more serious than that, Marnie,” he said as he unlocked the passenger door to his Lexus sedan.

She slid inside and he heaved his bulk in on the driver’s side. He shut the door and turned to squarely face her.

“He’s charged with the murder of his wife.”

Marnie gulped in air. She hadn’t expected that. Before she could dwell further on that thought, Frank drew her attention back.

“It’s not a simple case and will probably snowball into another media event.”

“Why? Is it because he’s a wealthy CEO?”

Frank should his head. “That might play a part, but other factors will take center stage. For starters, his wife had terminal cancer and apparently little time left. He ended her suffering with a pistol.”

“Which is considered murder in this state.”

“That is correct. Helping terminal people die is still a hot topic. Don’t forget Dr. Kevorkian and all the publicity he stirred up. He turned the right to perform euthanasia into a crusade.”

“I now understand what you mean,” Marnie said, secretly wondering if she was ready to tackle a potentially media-charged case that could easily turn into a circus.

Frank pulled into a spot in the visitor’s parking lot and locked the car after they got out. As they reached the Nassau County jail in East Meadow where DeMarco was being held, Marnie turned and asked Frank if he knew who the prosecutor was going to be.

“I imagine the DA will want to take such an important case himself.”

“Frank, why me? Why not you or one of the other more experienced attorneys?”

“Two reasons: One, he specifically requested you and two, I think you need to get back on the horse, so to speak. I know you can handle it.”

Before she could reply to what he’d just said, he added, “Besides, I will take second chair whenever I can. When I’m unable, Richie Kantor will step in. You’ll do fine. Don’t trust me. Trust yourself.”

After identifying themselves, they were instructed to place their personal items in the provided baskets to be scanned. Separately, they walked through the wired entrance and grabbed their things on the other side. A guard met them and led them through a door to one of the interrogation rooms. It held a steel-framed table and three folding chairs. A short time later, another guard brought Victor DeMarco in. He was handcuffed in the front of his body. There were shackles on his feet and they were connected to his handcuffs by a chain. The guard removed the cuffs and stepped back.

“Can we have some privacy?” Frank asked the guard.

The man nodded. “I’ll be right outside if you need me.”

“Thank you,” Frank said.

The three of them sat. Frank and Marnie on one side facing DeMarco on the other. Marnie recalled seeing a vibrant looking man in his early forties on the cover of
Business Week.
The man sitting before her, studying his own hands, had the haggard look of a man who’d experienced the depths of hell, aging twenty years in the process. He didn’t look like a man who’d willfully ended the life of his wife because he wanted to get on with his own life. Instead, he seemed the type of man who might have pulled the plug because he loved her and wanted to end her suffering.

“Mr. DeMarco, I’m Frank Conway and this is Marnie Davis. We’re here to help you.”

DeMarco raised his head slowly and looked directly at Marnie. “I had no choice—what choice did I have? I couldn’t stand her moaning, any longer. Day after day lying there in such unbearable pain begging me to make it stop.”

“Was there a nurse with her administering medication?” Frank inquired.

“Yes. She had been giving her a mixture of painkillers—a cocktail, she called it. She told me that if she if she added too much of one part, it could kill Marie.”

“How long did the doctors give your wife at this point?” Marnie asked.

“That’s the point: she could have lingered for months in pain. I couldn’t bear to see her suffer even one minute more. Seeing and hearing her in such agony tore me apart. And she begged me to help her. She wanted to go.”

“You realize that the prosecution will argue that you took your wife’s life because it suited
you
. You needed to move on with your life and get back to your business,” Marnie said, trying to give De Marco a sense of what he’d be up against.

“You had to see her eyes. They begged me…the pain was ripping through her relentlessly. I could almost feel it. I couldn’t stand by and see her in such pain and do nothing. I felt helpless and…so…useless. And with what little strength she had, she grabbed my hand, begging me to kill her.”

“I think you’re going to have to convince a jury of your altruistic desire to bring your loving wife peace,” Frank said. “And I’m afraid that won’t be an easy task.”

“We’ve got to get them not to convict on humane grounds, since we can’t argue you didn’t take a life,” Marnie added.

“The prosecution will hammer at you that you shot your wife and murder is murder, no matter how you mask it. Will you be able to handle that?” Frank asked.

“I knew I was breaking the law. I didn’t care. I would have gladly changed places with Marie if I could. As I saw it, I had no other choice.”

“Yes. I can see that. Watching her suffer until the end was no option for you,” Marnie concluded, but turned away for a moment in a futile attempt to blink away the tears that were filling her eyes.

“I’m not sorry for what I’ve done and would do it again.”

“We’ll be back to accompany you to your arraignment tomorrow morning,” Frank said.

Marnie placed her hand on his shoulder. “Victor, listen to me. We’re going to help you get through this.”

“Does it really matter? I’ll never get over losing Marie.”

“We’ll see you in the morning at your arraignment,” Frank said. “Officer!”

After leaving specific instructions for placing Victor DeMarco under twenty-four hour suicide watch, Marnie and Frank left. Marnie thought it was a good move and would have suggested it herself. After listening to DeMarco and hearing how despondent he was, she’d bet the farm on him taking his own life if the chance presented itself.

On the way back to the office, they discussed DeMarco and the possible defense strategies open to the case. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much leeway. It would all come down to spinning the crime and making it sound like the most humane thing a despondent spouse could do and play it up as DeMarco’s only choice. Marnie knew she needed much more information if she was going to mount the best representation that she could. She also wished that the DA wasn’t charging him with a Class A felony, which was murder in the first degree.

“I want to know everything there is to know about DeMarco and his wife, Laura. I don’t want any surprises,” Marnie said. If there have ever been any problems in their marriage, I want to know about them. Also, I need to know exactly what kind of medication Laura was on, including the doses, as well as the care she was given. I made a few friends in the hospital while I was there. Maybe they can help me with some useful answers.”

“If you have Rick Thompson’s number on you, Marnie, it would be a good idea to get a jump on the DeMarco’s personal info.”

Marnie took out her cell and speed-dialed Rick. He answered on the second ring with the usual, “Hello, beautiful,” which always made her smile. She explained what she needed and hung up.

The smile didn’t go unnoticed by Frank. “He still trying to get you to run away with him?”

She grinned. “ I’ll bet he asks that of all the women he deals with.”

“I’ll have to ask Margie.”

Margie was Frank’s personal assistant and happened to be in her fifties. Even so, Marnie thought Rick probably treated Margie as if she were the most desirable woman in the world. It was his just his way of talking to women.

“You know something, Frank; this is going to be one tough case. I think whoever captures the hearts of the jury will win. Emotions, not facts will drive this case.”

“I think your assessment’s right on the mark.”

* * *

That night Scott called as Marnie was about to undress for bed.

“Hi, beautiful. What did I catch you at?”

“I was about to undress for bed.”

“Getting undressed, huh?” Scott said.

“Uh-huh. Are you trying to visualize that?”

“In Technicolor. Wish I was there to undress you, myself.”

“Really? Like you could do a better job?”

“In a heartbeat, woman.”

“How would you make it so special?” she asked, her curiosity piqued.

“I’ll prove it to you. Go get your laptop and I’ll get mine. When yours is booted up, call me on Skype. Then I’ll show you the Langley way to undress,” Scott said.

“All right…I guess.”

“Trust me. You’ll enjoy this—no, we’ll enjoy this,” he amended.

“Have you ever done this before?”

“Nope. We’re entering new territory together. Now go get your laptop so we can get started.”

Marnie came back with her laptop and turned it on. “It’s booting up now. Is yours booting, as well?”

“Whoops! Nearly dropped my cell. Yup. Hang up and call me.”

Tingles of anticipation were coursing through Marnie as she brought up her Skype account and opened her contacts. A moment later, Scott’s face appeared on her screen. “Hi, again,” he said and grinned. “Okay, place your computer so the camera picks up on the bed area and I’ll do the same.”

Marnie placed her laptop on her dresser and moved back toward her bed. “Hey, I love that suit on you. The beige brings out the beautiful color of your skin. I also like the way it hugs your hips,” Scott said.

Marnie felt a rush of heat to her face. “Thanks, but don’t you ever straighten your room? It looks like a crime scene.”

“Don’t ruin the mood, Ms. Over-organized.”

“I wouldn’t think of it,” she replied, taking in his bare muscled chest and the tent in his running shorts. It excited her to know she had such an effect on him.

“Okay, ready?” he asked.

She nodded as she removed her suit jacket before getting on the bed.

“Time to get undressed. First I’d slowly open the buttons on your blouse, one-by-one, kissing your tender skin as I go.”

Marnie began to open the buttons on her blouse slowly, her eyes on Scott, who was watching her intently.