Chapter 388

The jury deliberated for three days. Finally, the phone call came that they had come to a decision, and we hurried to the courthouse.

Taking seats behind the DA, we waited for the judge to enter the courtroom. I watched the jury file into the room first and take their seats. There was no sign of the verdict on their faces.

“Why am I nervous?” I whispered to Victor.

John had an odd look of confidence on his face. The word smug came to my mind.

“Don’t worry,” Victor whispered back. “There’s no way John will be found innocent.”

I tried to let Victor’s words calm me, yet I knew it was still possible for John to walk away from these charges. He had the devil's own luck.

The bailiff entered the room and had everyone stand. When we took our seats again, my stomach fluttered, and my heart raced.

I wanted John to be somewhere he would never bother us or hurt anybody else again. He couldn’t get away with his evil schemes ever again.

The jury foreman passed the verdict to the judge via the bailiff, and I held my breath while she read it and handed it back.

“Foreman,” the judge said. “Regarding drug trafficking charges against John Cameron, what is your verdict?”

“Guilty, your honor,” the foreman said.

“And regarding the two counts of kidnapping?” the judge asked.

“Guilty, your honor,” the foreman repeated.

The rest of the charges against John went the same way. He was found guilty of all charges brought against him, including the attempted murder of Victor.

“The defendant has requested immediate sentencing,” the judge announced. Therefore, I pronounce him to serve three life sentences to be served consecutively.”

The crowd in the courtroom gasped in surprise. The smug look on John’s face was replaced by raw anger. He turned and looked at Victor and me with such hatred that I shivered.

The judge continued. “I further declare that Mr. Cameron will be transported immediately to Black Peak Prison to serve his sentence.”

The crowd gasped again. Black Peak Prison was located on a remote northern mountain. Only the worst criminals are sentenced to Black Peak Prison.

No prisoner had ever escaped from the icy mountain fortress, and most didn’t survive the first five years of their sentence.

I was confident we would never see John again. And since his son had received a twenty-five-year prison sentence, I expected no more trouble from him either.

John Cameron and his ilk were out of our lives forever.

It took a while to sink in that we didn’t need to worry about them meddling in our lives anymore. When it did, we wanted to celebrate.

“We should go out to eat tonight,” Victor said. “We’ll get the best bottle of champagne Moon Glow has in their wine cellar.”

“Instead, let’s go on a picnic somewhere nice,” I suggested. “We could drive up to the lake. William won’t mind.”

“Text him and make sure he or his parents aren’t there,” Victor suggested. “I don’t want to disturb them if they are there trying to relax.”

William replied to my text within minutes. He said nobody was at the lake this weekend.

“Feel free to use the cabin all weekend if you like. The key is under a fake rock on the right side of the porch,” William added.

I ran to Victor. “Guess what? The cabin is free if we want to spend the night or even the weekend.”

A grin bloomed on Victor’s face. “Just the two of us spending the weekend at the cabin sounds good.”

“Let's pack a few things and get on the road,” I said and ran upstairs.

The drive to the lake was sunny and pleasant. Victor and I rode in comfortable silence, watching the scenery slide past my truck windows.

We arrived in mid-afternoon, and I ran down to the dock. Victor followed and held me in his arms while we watched the ripples across the water's surface.

The peaceful feeling that washed over us as we watched birds fly low over the lane, and fish jumping after insects nearby made me wish we could spend longer than a weekend at this place.

“Let’s make burgers and go out in the boat for a while,” Victor suggested.

“Sure,” I agreed a second before my stomach gurgled at the thought of a juicy charbroiled burger.

We unloaded the cooler that Benson had the cook pack for us, along with the portable grill and charcoal.

With a bit of work, we were soon eating tasty burgers and macaroni salad with chips and iced tea.

When we were finished eating, we took the small boat out on the lake for a ride. After a while, Victor switched off the small motor and let the boat drift on the water.

The sun felt inviting and sensual on my skin. I peeled off my sweatshirt, pushed up my t-shirt sleeves, and sighed.

“Will our lives really be this peaceful from now on?” I wondered aloud.

Victor took my hand. “I think so. Sure, we’ll have our share of life’s problems. But none will be as dramatic as what we've endured in the past.”

“There’s still a lot of work to be done in the coming years,” I pointed out. “The fight for equality and fairness will never be entirely over. We owe it to the people to make things right for all.”

“But without an evil force like John working against us, the fight won’t be as grueling,” Victor assured me. “And we will win.”

“Do you think we should be feeling the slightest bit bad for John, imprisoned on that icy mountain, while we’re here enjoying a beautiful day on a lake?” I asked.

“No,” Victor replied. “John got what he deserves. Do you feel that way?”

I shrugged. “I don’t feel bad about it, but I wonder if his hatred of me was the catalyst that made him turn completely evil.”

Victor shook his head. “I’ve known him longer than you, sweetheart. He hated you because he was always evil.” He kissed my cheek. “And you, my lovely Luna, are light and love and everything good in this world.”

I blushed and bit my lip. “Flattery will get you anything you want.” I giggled and put a hand high on his thigh. “Nobody is around to see us. Let’s make love.”

Victor tossed the seat cushions on the boat floor and pulled me on top of them. His hand moved to my right breast while his mouth closed over mine.

“Oh, yes, my darling,” I moaned and pulled him on top of me. Waves of excitement washed over me from the feel of his hardened manhood against my thigh.

I pulled at his shirt to get it over his head. With his help, my shirt and bra were soon lying next to us. I reveled in the sensations of his hard chest pressing against my breasts.

I gasped with pleasure when his mouth found the twin globes and suckled on them until I was going mad with delight.

“I need you now,” I whimpered.

Victor lifted his head to look around the lake before pulling off my shorts and unzipping his jeans.

“Anything for you, my love,” he said and entered me.

He moved slowly at first, his mouth nibbling on my earlobes and neck. Then I wrapped my legs around his waist and urged him to move faster.

I didn’t care that the boat was rocking hard enough to splash us with lake water. I was making love with my fated mate. That was all that mattered.

His excitement matched mine. Our eyes locked, and our souls entwined as our bodies moved toward our goal. We were truly one when we exploded in an earth-shattering climax.

The waves of pleasure seemed never-ending as we clung to each other.

When the last spasm passed, we lay still in each other’s arms, listening to the water ripple against the boat.

“I could get used to this more peaceful kind of life,” Victor said as we looked up at the line of silverish clouds forming in the sky.

“I hope it’s not going to storm,” I said, remembering the nasty storm that hit the weekend I stayed here with William and his parents.

“It might.” Victor began to dress. “Let’s get off the water just in case.”

I dressed while Victor guided the boat back to the James’s dock. He tied the boat fast while I grabbed my sweatshirt from under a seat.

My phone fell out of my pocket as it started to ring. I saw Justin’s name on the screen and dove to pick up the phone and answer it.

“Justin, what’s up?” I asked.

“We just got to the hospital,” he replied. “There’s no stopping it this time. The baby is coming!”