The Marshal Pt. 05

"What's Kwang-hoon going to do in the courtroom?" Martinelli asked, his voice soft but his tone incredulous. "There's three marshals and two bailiffs, all armed in here, and two more out in the hall."

"Maybe nothing, but would it have killed you to have me in the room if it made her feel safe?" Rob demanded. "You want her cooperation? Why don't you try cooperating with her a little? Didn't she tell you that she wanted me here? The moment I walked into the room she asked if I was staying, and when I said yes, she said she said she was ready."

He glared at Rob a moment. "Okay, you're right. I should have called you if it made her feel better. I just don't understand her attitude. She didn't have a problem with you not being around last night."

"She wasn't sitting in front of her brother last night, either. She told me she thinks he's going to make a play for her. I think she might be right. He seems awfully smug for someone who has had a new asshole ripped into him for the last two days."

"Again, how?" he asked, his voice getting louder. He pursed his lips in clear annoyance as he glanced around to see if anyone heard.

"Maybe he won't make his play here. Maybe it's later. I don't know, but something doesn't feel right to me."

"If he whacks her after she testifies that won't do him any good."

"Maybe, but he's a sick, ruthless bastard, you know that. Who knows how he thinks? He may not even care so long as he gets his pound of flesh."

Martinelli glanced around the courtroom. "You just make sure she stays in line."

"How much longer is she going to be on the stand?"

"Most of today probably. Maybe tomorrow."

Rob nodded. "Okay. I'll talk to her at lunch."

Martinelli shook his head. "I can't allow it. She'll be sequestered."

"You didn't have a problem with me seeing her two hours ago."

"I didn't have a lot of choice, now did I? You're too close to the case and I don't want the defense charging that the two of you are colluding, that you're coaching her, or anything else. That's why you're not on her protection detail. What you two did while you were gone is of no concern of mine, but here, I don't want even a whiff of scandal, got it?"

Rob rolled his eyes. "Fine. Then tell her I'll be here every moment she is and that I'm watching Kwang-hoon. That should be enough."

Martinelli nodded. "Okay. I'll have one of the bailiffs tell her." He sighed. "Thanks for bailing me out this morning. I covered it with the judge, but Ms. Han can be a real handful when she makes up her mind about something."

Rob chuckled. "You're not telling me anything I didn't already know."

Martinelli returned to his position behind the prosecutor's table and Rob returned to his place behind the bar. When proceedings restarted, the defense took their swing at Bae.

Rob knew it was all part of the game, but Kwang-hoon's attorney was pissing him off as he tried to tear Bae down. He questioned very little detail of what she said, focusing mostly on trying to make her look like a party girl who was always stoned, drunk, promiscuous, and all around untrustworthy. Bae handled the questions with class, keeping her answers pithy and not getting upset or rattled. Several times she turned the question around on Kwang-hoon and even managed to work his sex dungeon into one of her answers, although Kwang-hoon's lawyer shut down that line of questioning right away.

Through it all, she watched Rob or Kwang-hoo, her gaze steady. He gave no sign, pretending she was just another person under the Marshal Service's protection, but he couldn't have been prouder of her.

Kwang-hoon was beginning to get squirmy. Maybe he could feel the noose tightening around his neck. Near the end of the day, Martinelli had a chance to follow up on a few items that came up during the defense's questioning, including the sex dungeon. Kwang-hoon's attorney tried repeatedly to stop that line of questioning, but Bae bore in. Martinelli was masterful in sidestepping objections and asking questions Bae could answer without falling into hearsay that still built a picture of one of the techniques Kwang-hoon used to spread fear and intimidation.

Rob had to hand it to Martinelli, he'd played Kwang-hoon like a violin. He probably couldn't have brought up all sex dungeon stuff had the defense not brought it up first, but once they did, he expertly hammered that nail into Kwang-hoon's coffin.

Bae had just finished answering a question that twisted the knife in Kwang-hoon's back when her brother leapt to his feet. "You fucking bitch!" Kwang-hoon screamed as he charged around the table in front of him. "I'll fucking kill you!"

Rob vaulted the bar as the bailiff intercepted Kwang-hoon, the two men going to the floor in a tangle as the spectators in the room released a collective cry of surprise and fear. The other three marshals and the bailiff came on the run, the bailiff from the back of the room hustling the judge into his chambers as the other one and the three marshals wrestled with Kwang-hoon. Rob covered Bae, pushing her down behind the short partition that formed the witness stand and covered her with his body as the other men got control of Kwang-hoon.

Kwang-hoon screamed and cursed, his face red as he strained against the men trying to subdue him. "I'll fucking kill you, you whore! You lying fucking bitch! I'll fucking carve your pussy out, you fucking cunt! I'll fucking kill you, you hear me! You're dead! You're fucking dead, you slut!"

"Stay down," Rob said softly. "It's okay. They've got him."

He kept Bae out of sight as the men dragged Kwang-hoon away in handcuffs while he continued screaming his threats and curses. Rob glanced at Martinelli. Martinelli's eyes were wide as he watched the three marshals drag Kwang-hoon away. Rob was still watching Martinelli as his gaze turned to Rob, his eyes still huge. Rob gave his head the faintest of jerks, his mouth clearly set in annoyance, silently admonishing the attorney for doubting something like this could happen, and Martinelli nodded once in acknowledgment. Kwang-hoon wouldn't have reached Bae because of the dedication of the first bailiff, the one that had intercepted him, but if he'd been any less competent Kwang-hoon could have made it to his sister before the other bailiff, or the marshals, could have arrived to help. Rob was the only other person in position that could have possibly intervened before he reached her.

Rob let Bae up as the bailiff that had rushed the judge from the bench began herding the jurors out of the room. "Are you okay?"

"Yes. Thank you."

He wanted to kiss her so badly. "I'll take any opportunity to hold you," he whispered.

She nodded but said nothing as Martinelli approached. "Jesus, are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah. This is why I wanted Rob here," she said firmly as the bailiff cleared the courtroom.

Martinelli looked at the door Kwang-hoon had disappeared through. "Yeah. He's well and truly fucked now. The judge will order the jury to disregard what happened, but they're only human. There's no way they're going to forget him charging at you and screaming he was going to kill you."

"What happens now?" she asked.

"The judge will come back in a few minutes, and I'm sure he'll recess the case for the day. I'm done with you. I want the last thing the jury to remember about you is you hiding in the witness stand with Deputy Marshal Cogburn protecting you with his body."

"Will I have to come back tomorrow?"

Martinelli smiled. "There's no way in hell Thrussell is going to put you back on the stand after that. No, I think you're done. As soon as the judge returns, we'll get you out of here. We'll keep you in hiding for a couple of days, just in case I have to recall you to the stand, but in a few days, you'll be on your way to a new life. Thank you, Ms. Han, for your service."

"I want Rob on my protection detail."

Martinelli nodded. "You got it."

Bae looked at Rob, but he kept his face carefully neutral. He might be on her detail, but there was no way in hell they'd let him sleep with her. She'd find that out soon enough.

"Ms. Han," the bailiff said, extending his hand to indicate she should follow him.

She looked at Rob, and when he nodded, she rose and followed the bailiff out.

It took another ten minutes before the judge and jury reappeared. The courtroom was empty except for the two legal teams, the judge, jury, and security. The judge spent a solid five minutes lecturing the jury before dismissing them, and five minutes more berating Kwang-hoon's legal team. Rob stood to the side, trying to hide his smile. Martinelli was right. Kwang-hoon was seriously fucked.

Once the judge was done beating up the defense, he asked if Martinelli wanted to recall Bae to the stand. As he promised, Martinelli was finished with her. The judge then recessed court. Kwang-hoon's lawyer, Thrussell, Martinelli had called him, was typing away on his phone, sending a text or an email. Rob couldn't put his finger on why, but something about that didn't feel right. The attorney had just got his ass chewed by a federal judge, and he was texting?

Rob joined the other four marshals as they moved to get Bae. Rob stepped in front of the door to the room where she was sequestered. "Wait a minute," he said, holding up a hand.

"What?" Ricky Moore asked.

"Something's not right. Kwang-hoon's lawyer was texting something the moment the judge announced the recess."

"So?" Steve Nicholson asked.

Javier Ordono grinned. "He was probably ordering himself a new ass after the judge chewed his off." The other four marshals chuckled.

"Maybe, but he was too frantic, like he was surprised or something," Rob said.

"Yeah," Vic Colnary said. "He didn't expect Kwang-hoon to lose his shit like that."

Rob shook he head. "I'm sure, but I don't think that's it."

"What are you concerned about, Rooster?" Nicholson asked.

"I don't know. Call it a feeling. I have this feeling something's in play."

"From his lawyer texting?" Ordono asked, his tone dubious.

"It's more than that. Thrussell was too tense. His body language was all wrong."

The four other marshals looked at each other. "Okay, look sharp," Nicholson said firmly. "We all know that feeling."

Rob opened the door to the room. "Let's go," he said, and Bae joined them.

Rob didn't say anything to Bae about his misgivings. There was nothing she could do if he was right, and if he was wrong, he didn't want to worry her for no reason. The four marshals formed a square around her, two in front, two behind, with Rob bringing up the rear. They entered the elevator that would take them to the garage. The garage elevator wasn't part of the public elevator system, so they didn't have to wait long before the cab arrived.

Rob stood in the back of the cab beside Bae, the four marshals standing in front of them. Rob was probably jumping at shadows, but after all that had happened, he didn't want to take any chances... and Nicholson was right. Cops who ignored that tingling of warning did so at their own peril.

The cab slowed to a stop and doors slid open. "Where's the ride?" Moore asked as the marshals began filing out.

There should have been a vehicle waiting outside the elevator. The sense of danger grew stronger.

"Here it comes," Ordono said as he stepped out of the elevator. The four men stepped farther away from the cab, intending to meet the SUV. Bae started to follow, but Rob took her arm and held her back. The moment the SUV rocked to a stop, the front and rear doors swung open.

"Get down!" Rob yelled with the first roar of a weapon, shoving her down and into a corner as he covered her with his body, shots popping and pinging off the elevator.

Three of the marshals went down in sprays of blood. Nicholson, closest to the elevator, was hit and fell back into the cab. He slapped at the control panel and the doors began to close. Dozens of holes appeared in door as the gunman fired into the car blindly, trying to hit them by luck. The cab started up. They'd been lucky. The angle had been bad and the gunman didn't have a clear shot at Bae.

"Nicolson!" Rob shouted as moved to him. Steve was bleeding badly from a wound in his left shoulder and another in his right arm. He probably wouldn't die if he got help soon, but he was out of the fight. "Hang on, buddy!"

They'd been on the lowest of the four floors of the garage. The elevator stopped two floors up, still in the garage, and an alarm began to ring. Someone had overridden the elevator, probably with a fire key. Kwang-hoon's men were trying to trap them and slow the arrival of help.

"Go!" Steve hissed, shoving Rob toward the doors as they opened, his effort causing him to gasp in pain. Rob hesitated. "Go, Goddammit!"

If they stayed in the cab, they'd be fish in a barrel. Rob grabbed Bae's hand and hauled her out. They were on G2 of the parking garage in the middle of the deck. Since the garage elevators and stairs didn't stop in the lobby on the ground level, the second floor was their nearest escape. The lobby was a double height floor, which meant they had four floors of steps to cover before reaching safety. That was too far, so he decided to take their chances hiding among the parked cars.

He pulled her hand and they started to run, but he heard the roar of an engine as a car charged up the ramps to cut them off. They'd never make it that way. He pulled her back to the stairs. As he banged through the doors adjacent to the elevator, he heard the slapping of feet coming up the steps. They had no choice but to climb.

"Go! Up!" he yelled, shoving her toward the steps leading up.

She began to run. He followed, pausing to look down the stairs. He fired one shot, the Glock booming in concrete cave of the stairwell, to make goons below them think twice about chasing and to slow them down. A flurry of gunfire answered. Neither Rob, nor the shooter below had a clear target and the chance of hitting anyone was almost zero, though Rob didn't like the idea of bullets bouncing around in the stairwell. Bae was well ahead and climbing fast. He paused on a landing and squeezed into a corner to give him the maximum angle of view. A man appeared and Rob squeezed off a shot. He hit the thug, causing him to fall with a cry of pain. A hail of bullets answered, causing Rob to duck as bits of concrete showered him.

He chased after Bae, taking the steps two at a time. He was breathing so hard he almost missed the sound of a door slamming open above them and the pounding of feet coming down the steps. They were between floors, probably at the lobby level. They'd never make it up or down before the two approaching groups were on them. Rob shoved Bae down and into a corner, making her as small as possible, and backed up to her, his weapon darting from pointing up the steps to down, waiting to see where the threat appeared first.

A gun roared from below and bits of bullet or concrete splattered against him. He fired two shots down the stairwell, driving the men back before firing up the stairwell as well, keeping the men at bay as long as possible. Legs appeared above him as bullets hammered into the wall above his head from below. The men coming down the steps opened up, shooting past them at the men firing from below.

Rob whirled and crouched over Bae, wrapping his arms around her and covering her with his body, steeling himself for the white-hot pain of bullets as they ripped at his flesh and bone. She screamed in terror as a war raged briefly over their heads, the barks of the individual weapons merging into a solid wave of sound. Then there was silence, and Rob's ears were ringing like church bells.

"I'm sorry. I tried," he said softly, his lips next to her ear. He either hadn't been hit or he hadn't felt it yet, his body dumping hormones into bloodstream to allow him to fight despite injuries. Several more shots rang out, then there were the sounds of pounding feet coming down the steps. "I love you," he said before he threw myself away from her and whirled toward the sound of running feet, bringing his weapon up as he did, ready to make one last desperate stand to protect her.

"U.S. Marshals! Drop your weapon!" someone bellowed.

Rob damn near squeezed the trigger with the shouted command, but he retained just enough control that he didn't.

"I'm a marshal!" Rob yelled as loudly as he could while pulling his weapon in close to his chest in a ready position.

"Drop your weapon!"

Rob complied. He was in very real danger of being shot.

"Clear!" a voice roared as six marshals poured down the steps.

As they pounded down the steps, Rob's fellow marshals recognized him, and their weapons immediately pointed away from them as they went to ready. Jacoby and Peterson stopped to check on them as the rest of the marshals rushed past in pursuit of the men below.

"You okay?" Jacoby asked. "Cogburn! Are you hit?"

Rob's mind began to work. "No. Yes, I'm fine." He turned to Bae and took her arm. She was still huddled in the corner, her hands over her head. He crouched beside her. "Bae. It's okay." She looked at him, her eyes wild and unseeing. "It's okay," he said softly, slowly rising and drawing her to her feet.

As she rose she seemed to snap out of the fugue that held her. She threw herself into his arms and began to sob. He held her, held her tight, and he didn't care who saw them. He was still holding her when his shakes started.