man resonated across the courtroom, he nodded at Abel to continue. Abel looked away. “He started...touching me. Rubbing his hand on my...on my rear.”
“What did you do?”
“I moved away from him real quick and sat in the corner of my bed against the wall. I told him to leave me alone.”
“Did he leave you alone?”
Abel nodded. “He said okay and went to the door, then looked at me and said he liked girls too, then he left. I didn’t know what he was talking about when he said that.”
“What was he talking about?”
“Savannah,” Abel said thickly.
“Objection.” Tate stood up. “Speculation. Jesse Evers was not a mind reader.”
“Sustained.” The judge looked at Jensen Taylor. “Re-word your question or move on.”
Jensen nodded, un-phased by the objection. “Why do you think he was referring to Savannah?”
Abel trembled, tears forming as he looked at Savannah, tucked beneath Cole’s protective arm, Maddy next to her, holding her hand. He bit his lip to keep his chin from quavering. “Because that night...” Abel shuddered, “Craig tried to rape her.”
♦
S queezing his eyes shut, Devlin battled the nausea rising up fast. He didn’t know if he could stop himself from vomiting and thought it might be a good idea to run to the restroom. But if he left now, what would Abel think? He knew why Abel was so uneasy about taking the stand. He didn’t want Devlin to have to hear the details of his brother’s transgressions. Abel felt guilty about forcing him to listen to it all.
Devlin ducked his head, tears burning. It hurt so bad that Abel would feel any level of guilt about anything concerning Craig. Abel was the victim.
“You say he tried,” Jensen said. “What stopped him?”
He could see the tremors in Abel from where he sat. A strained look tightened Abel’s face. “I did.”
“Can you describe to the court the events of that night?”
Abel nodded and swallowed hard, his eyes catching Devlin’s stare. It’s okay, baby, I know now the monster that he was. You don’t have to be afraid to say it . But after Devlin’s initial reaction to Abel’s revelation about Craig...he wondered if he had forever damaged something in Abel that kept the boy from fully trusting him to be on his side. Please, God, don’t let that be so. Please assure him that I’m on his side all the way .
“I was asleep in my room,” Abel’s voice shook. “Across the hall from my sister’s room. She had been sharing it with another girl, but the girl had been adopted, and at the time, she was sleeping in there alone.” He swallowed thickly and glanced at his family then jumped away. “I woke up to the sound of her cries. They weren’t real loud, but enough to wake me up. I ran over to her room and...” His eyes filled, and he stared down into his lap.
Devlin’s chest tightened until it felt like it would crush in on itself. He knew what Abel had found inside that room.
“What did you see?” Jensen asked.
“Craig,” Abel trembled, then his voice cracked a bit. “He was...he was on top of my sister, trying to...” The boy looked as sick as Devlin felt. A tear slid down Abel’s cheek as he looked at Savannah, who had turned and buried her face in Cole’s shoulder. “He was trying to pry open her legs and get his hands under her night gown.”
Jensen clearly wasn’t enjoying having to make Abel recite these details. “What did he do when you came into the room?”
“He told me to get out,” Abel said. “But I didn’t. I attacked him. Punching, kicking, screaming at him to leave her alone.” More tears ran down his face as his voice thickened.
“And what did he do then?”
Abel took on a distant look. “He hit me. Then he grabbed me and told me to leave or take her place.”
“What choice did you make?”
“I couldn’t let him hurt her,” Abel choked on a sob. “I wouldn’t let him.”
Jensen rubbed his hand slowly over his mouth, his lips tight as he asked,
“What did you do?”
“I moved away from him real quick and sat in the corner of my bed against the wall. I told him to leave me alone.”
“Did he leave you alone?”
Abel nodded. “He said okay and went to the door, then looked at me and said he liked girls too, then he left. I didn’t know what he was talking about when he said that.”
“What was he talking about?”
“Savannah,” Abel said thickly.
“Objection.” Tate stood up. “Speculation. Jesse Evers was not a mind reader.”
“Sustained.” The judge looked at Jensen Taylor. “Re-word your question or move on.”
Jensen nodded, un-phased by the objection. “Why do you think he was referring to Savannah?”
Abel trembled, tears forming as he looked at Savannah, tucked beneath Cole’s protective arm, Maddy next to her, holding her hand. He bit his lip to keep his chin from quavering. “Because that night...” Abel shuddered, “Craig tried to rape her.”
♦
S queezing his eyes shut, Devlin battled the nausea rising up fast. He didn’t know if he could stop himself from vomiting and thought it might be a good idea to run to the restroom. But if he left now, what would Abel think? He knew why Abel was so uneasy about taking the stand. He didn’t want Devlin to have to hear the details of his brother’s transgressions. Abel felt guilty about forcing him to listen to it all.
Devlin ducked his head, tears burning. It hurt so bad that Abel would feel any level of guilt about anything concerning Craig. Abel was the victim.
“You say he tried,” Jensen said. “What stopped him?”
He could see the tremors in Abel from where he sat. A strained look tightened Abel’s face. “I did.”
“Can you describe to the court the events of that night?”
Abel nodded and swallowed hard, his eyes catching Devlin’s stare. It’s okay, baby, I know now the monster that he was. You don’t have to be afraid to say it . But after Devlin’s initial reaction to Abel’s revelation about Craig...he wondered if he had forever damaged something in Abel that kept the boy from fully trusting him to be on his side. Please, God, don’t let that be so. Please assure him that I’m on his side all the way .
“I was asleep in my room,” Abel’s voice shook. “Across the hall from my sister’s room. She had been sharing it with another girl, but the girl had been adopted, and at the time, she was sleeping in there alone.” He swallowed thickly and glanced at his family then jumped away. “I woke up to the sound of her cries. They weren’t real loud, but enough to wake me up. I ran over to her room and...” His eyes filled, and he stared down into his lap.
Devlin’s chest tightened until it felt like it would crush in on itself. He knew what Abel had found inside that room.
“What did you see?” Jensen asked.
“Craig,” Abel trembled, then his voice cracked a bit. “He was...he was on top of my sister, trying to...” The boy looked as sick as Devlin felt. A tear slid down Abel’s cheek as he looked at Savannah, who had turned and buried her face in Cole’s shoulder. “He was trying to pry open her legs and get his hands under her night gown.”
Jensen clearly wasn’t enjoying having to make Abel recite these details. “What did he do when you came into the room?”
“He told me to get out,” Abel said. “But I didn’t. I attacked him. Punching, kicking, screaming at him to leave her alone.” More tears ran down his face as his voice thickened.
“And what did he do then?”
Abel took on a distant look. “He hit me. Then he grabbed me and told me to leave or take her place.”
“What choice did you make?”
“I couldn’t let him hurt her,” Abel choked on a sob. “I wouldn’t let him.”
Jensen rubbed his hand slowly over his mouth, his lips tight as he asked,
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