The Mafia's Missing Triplets

Chapter Twenty-Two

Avery's POV

    I didn't sleep much and my stomach hurt because of all the nerves. Sawyer and Quinn knew I wasn't in a good mood and gave me space not making me talk about anything, which I appreciated. All three of us got ready in nice clothes because Sawyer said that was what was expected in court and while I would love to dress casually as a middle finger to the system I didn't want to cause any problems today.

    Sawyer and Quinn were also nervous and all I wanted was to run from all of this but I couldn't figure out a plausible way on how to get away successfully with everything we would need. I know Sawyer and Quinn don't blame me for not getting us out of it. I blame myself. I am the oldest and I should be able to protect us.

    Once we were ready to leave Quinn made sure we all had our phones probably so we could try to take our minds off what is to come. Seeing him. I knew I wouldn't be able to but I appreciated her thought process and hoped it would work for her and Sawyer.

    I just needed this all to be over. Quinn held my hand subtly to stop it from shaking and my other hand held my phone tightly stopping it from shaking as well.

    Remo knocked on the door to tell us that we needed to leave soon so we headed out of our room making sure all of our stuff was packed because thankfully we were leaving after the trial. We met everyone in the living room and they all looked over us concerned and I rolled my eyes with fake confidence. We all got into the elevator and Francesco rambled about something stupid but I appreciated him filling the silence keeping my thoughts at bay.

    We split up into the cars with Alessandro, Leonardo, Remo, and Francesco in one with us and the others in the other car. I was glad that I didn't have to deal with Adriano or Dante today. I plugged in my earbuds and my twins followed suit, all of us trying to drown out all our thoughts of Jacob.

    We got to the courthouse and I walked between Sawyer and Quinn. Sawyer had his arm around my shoulder and Quinn held my hand tightly. We got many concerned looks from everyone else but we ignored them. Alessandro led us over to one of the lawyers in the case who introduced himself to the three of us and then led the three of us into the courtroom and sat us near him away from everyone else.

    We waited side by side all three of us tense watching the door where we were told Jacob would walk in. I just wanted to get out of here. I felt my breathing begin to be uneven so I blocked everything out and began to read people's body language. The lawyer who talked to us was stressed and tired. The woman who was sitting at a computer was bored and the officer at the door was checking her out and she was glancing towards him every once in a while. The other lawyer seemed defeated and tired. A person sitting to the right of us was excited and a little apprehensive. I looked over everyone and just read body language. It took me out of my world and let me be free from everything else. It was something Papi helped me begin to learn as a kid and it has always come in handy.

    That door opened and we all froze. An officer walked in and then Jacob walked in after him. He looked over the entire room and then his eyes froze on us and he smirked. The smirk he always gave before he ordered us into the basement. I loathed that fucking smirk and its control over us.

    He walked in and sat down with I guess his lawyer who talked to him a bit. Quinn's hold on my hand tightened her eyes fixed on him. I would have to walk past him to go to where I was supposed to testify. "Are you going to be okay?" Quinn asked me quietly in Russian.

    "No," I couldn't lie to them.

    She leaned on me to offer some comfort and it helped me a little bit but everything inside of me was racing. I didn't understand why I was so afraid. I used to be able to function around him and right now I could barely even think. I felt Alessandro's and everyone else's eyes on us looking for the weakness that we would never show them. I just wasn't sure how I was going to accomplish that right now.