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Chapter Twenty-Four
Raven
“I thought you were going to make all of this go away,” I say to Baxter. Then I cringe at how accusatory I sound. I don’t mean to be defensive, but this feels like judgement day and it truly could go either way. I pinned everything on him and the guys to get me out of this and I should have been trying to save myself.
Since the moment that letter arrived I’ve been in free fall. Plastering a smile on my face whenever Nix is around, falling to pieces as soon as she’s out of sight. I tried to be strong, to be positive, to remind myself that Cordelia is a monster who will never win.
But demons don’t listen to logic.
“I am,” is all he replies.
“How? I thought you could use The Or—” I stall at the look he gives me and lower my voice. “Your connections to stop this from happening.”
“I have.”
“Then why the hell are we in court?!”
“We’re in court because it’s the only way to stop her once and for all. If the case was thrown out, you know she’d never accept it and would keep coming for you both. This way, she gets her day in court, but not the outcome she’s expecting.”
“You can’t know that.”
“I can and I do. Listen, they’re going to call us in in a moment. Have you seen on TV when they ask you to swear to tell the truth, blah blah blah?”
“Yes.”
“It’s not exactly like that, but similar. Listen to me.” He pauses and stares intently at me. “You need to tell the whole truth. All of it. Right back to Lizzie going to West Prep, maybe even earlier, and don’t leave anything out.”
“I can’t do that!” Panic rises like a tsunami in me at what he’s suggesting. “I’ll lose Phoenix for sure and they’ll lock me up!”
“Trust me. I’ve got our family’s back,” he insists. “Tell the whole truth, spill every secret and don’t leave any stone unturned. You won’t regret it.”
I shake my head. I can’t. I can’t do that. What he’s suggesting is crazy.
He reaches out and gently grasps my chin to stop the frantic shaking of my head. He holds me still until I meet his gaze and focus on him.
“Trust. Me.” His low, commanding tone is not to be argued with. I sigh and the fight leaves my body. When he feels me relax he lets my face go but only to scoop me into his arms for a tight embrace. His heart beats slow and steady in my ear, a reassuring drum to calm and soothe.
We’re called into the small courtroom, sworn in, and shown to our seats. I keep my eyes straight ahead, refusing to even look around for Cordelia. I know she’s in the room, she’s like a poisonous gas leaching through the air. With every breath I take, I feel my lungs constricting with the kind of panic that only strikes me when she’s nearby.
No sooner have I sat down when someone calls “all rise”. We do, and the judge walks in.
My jaw drops. It’s Bob Blackborow, the judge that gave Baxter custody of Phoenix. But...he said he wasn’t on this case?
“You may be seated. Thank you, and sorry for the delay. As you can see, I am very clearly not Miranda Payton. My colleague has had a family emergency come up and I was the only judge available at such short notice. But please rest assured, I am up to speed on all that this case entails.”
I glance at Baxter out of the corner of my eye but he’s a closed book.
“I have reviewed the statement put forward by Ms Cordelia Deighton and accept her wishes to be represented by proxy this morning, and she will join us for the verdict this afternoon.” Huh? “I understand that this is very unusual, but apparently being a ‘Deighton’ affords one many privileges in life, this being one of them.”
I finally look around the courtroom to the table where Cordelia’s lawyers are sitting. Her lawyers, but not her. Oh my god. I let out a ragged breath.
“In light of the statement Miss Charlotte Deighton wishes to give, I rather feel this is for the best and will make things easier for her.”
He knows that I ‘wish’ to give a statement that I knew nothing about until two minutes ago?
I gape at Baxter.
He’s stone.
