Page 15 of Red-hot Boss

Chapter 14

Love and Victory

Hillary Beck

“After hearing the testimonials of the victims who have been tortured and abused by the Mavericks all these years, and after viewing all the evidence of the local people, placing the defendant at the site of the crime, and the sudden uncovering of the CCTV footage that proves the crime without a doubt, this jury finds the defendant guilty on the count of first-degree murder. The jury finds him guilty on all counts of rape and abuse, and sentence the defendant to three life sentences.”

As the foreman read out the verdict, a cheer rang through the court. I turned to look at Gale with tears in my eyes, unable to believe it had finally happened. We finally had won the case after a whole year of work.

Because that is how long it had been since that incident. A whole year. It was hard to believe that just a year ago, we had nothing. Gale was under investigation. The firm was in shambles, and Daniel had used Joe to kidnap me and then intended to kill Gale himself. It might all have gone as he had planned if it wasn’t for Jack. He had burst in at the last moment, surrounded by FBI agents, and he had shot Daniel in the knee.

It had shocked us all at that moment, but it soon unraveled that Jack was an FBI agent all along. He was working undercover to uncover the illegal activities that Daniel had been running. Turned out that all the money Daniel had amassed wasn’t just because of his hard work, but because he was running a smuggling business on the side. Jack had been trying to find evidence for a while, and he had Daniel followed. So, when he saw Daniel kidnap me, he knew it was the best chance to catch him red-handed. He had waited until Daniel was about to shoot Gale, and then he had busted in. He arrested Daniel on charges of attempted murder, and once he had Daniel in custody, he found the rest of the evidence as well.

Joe had finally been arrested and was serving time in prison, with no chance of him getting out any time soon. Stella, on the other hand, had disappeared. The police had been able to find no sign of her, and I was sure she was somewhere far away, trying to hook in some other rich man. Seth had been appropriately reprimanded, but Gale had decided to keep him on. After all, he had no idea what he'd been lured into.

The investigation ran its course, and Gale was soon found to be innocent. The firm was allowed to function again, and one of the first things Gale did was to work on the Avery case. He had worked tirelessly for a whole year, and after multiple court sessions, we had finally won it. He had personally interviewed all the locals, finding people who were willing to testify that Maverick was at the scene of the crime. He even managed to find the guard who was asked to wipe the CCTV footage. He had made a copy in hopes of blackmailing the Maverick, but Gale had offered him a better incentive and he had given it up.

With all that evidence, even the rich and powerful Maverick had to kneel. Finally, justice had been served! Finally, all his victims had peace, and finally, Nina’s parents had avenged their daughter.

“You didn’t let us down,” Katie said as we made our way out of the house. “You had a lot of hopes resting on you, Gale. Thank you for not letting us down.”

Gale nodded as Laura thanked him as well, before they all left, finally free of their abuser’s shadow.

“Thank you,” I said to him. “You gave hope to many girls out there that they also stand a chance. That if they come forward with their stories, someone will fight for them.”

“No, thank you,” Gale said, smiling at me. “Without you, I would have never had the guts to do this. Without you, I might have never taken the case, and without you, I know I wouldn’t have won it.”

“It all worked out in the end,” I said. “Finally, we all are free. We have helped Avery, and both Joe and Daniel are in jail as they deserve.”

“Yes,” Gale said softly. “I wish I knew what he was going through. I wish I could have helped him.”

“Gale,” his mom called out, walking out of the courtroom. “I am proud of you for what you did for that poor family. This is what I raised you to do, and I am happy that you are finally fighting for right.”

Gale had changed the firm so that all those who couldn’t afford lawyers could now avail their services, too. It was something that Gale had always wanted to do, and now, he was truly the hero of the people.

“I love you, Mom,” Gale said. “I will take you to visit Dad later, okay?”

His mother nodded before smiling at me and walking away.

“That was wonderfully done,” Jack shouted as he walked towards us. “It was excellent. Couldn’t have done it better myself.”

Over the past year, Jack and Gale had become good friends. In fact, Jack had helped collect a lot of the evidence needed for the Avery case, and I couldn’t thank him enough for it.

“Oh, really?” Gale said. “Well, why don’t we celebrate this with a drink? I think we have enough time before Hillary and I have to leave for our vacation.”

“Actually,” I said. “I would like to introduce you to someone, Jack.”

I grabbed Erica, who was standing some distance away, waiting for me, and pulled her close.

“This is Erica,” I said. “Erica, this is Jack.”

“It’s very nice to meet you,” Jack said, and I could tell he instantly liked her.

“Very clever,” Gale whispered in my ear as he pulled me into a hug. He kissed my forehead and smiled at me, saying, “I love you, Hillary Beck.”

“I love you more, Gale Fears,” I said with a smile.

The end.