Chapter 57

Josiah, Rossalyn, and Sarah went back into the house to deal with the consequences George would be facing for what he ordered done to Rossalyn. Josiah had no fear that justice would be withheld. He just didn't want to kick off an endless war due to George's status. There were very few hard rules that must be followed in the lifestyle, as it were, but regardless of evidence of the crime, there must be a trial for any Don to face real punishment.

"So, how is this going to work?" Rossalyn asked Josiah once they reached his office.

"Ironically, it is much like a traditional criminal trial, except there is only the option of being pardoned or sentenced to death. We will tell them what all happened, give them what evidence we have, witnesses and all that bosh. Once that is all done George will have the chance to defend himself. To explain why he did what he did and justify his actions." Josiah answered.

"With the screwed up morals of these people, they're probably going to let him off." Rossalyn said then sighed in frustration.

"I would be completely surprised if that happened. There are sacred rules of the brotherhood. Arranged marriages are one of the sacred codes. He kidnapped the pregnant wife of a Don. He was holding her hostage with plans of not letting her go for months, if ever. Then he was going to keep the baby against our wishes. Not to mention the other crimes he committed just to get to that point. Not to say that what he did to Sarah and Roger doesn't matter, but in the scheme of things the brotherhood wouldn't care about them. The only 'victim' in the picture that holds any status is you, Rossalyn, and our unborn baby. You and the baby are supposed to be protected by every Don, regardless of how they feel about me." Josiah explained, alternating his gaze between Sarah and Rossalyn. "With all of those things in consideration, he also had a marriage arrangement between our families so that is another sacred code that he broke."

"I don't care if they don't prosecute him for what he did to us, as long as the bastard doesn't walk. Dead is dead, it doesn't have to be for what he did to me and my children." Sarah assured Josiah. "But make no mistake, I want something done if they let him go."

"Oh, I assure you, if for some reason they let him go. He won't be free for long. It'll just be more of a pain in the ass. But he'll pay for what he's done. It being sanctioned doesn't matter to me. I can make it look like we weren't involved. Not to mention the fact that I have many other Dons that are loyal to me, even some that helped me track Rossalyn so quickly, that I wouldn't even need to ask to handle him should he get away. Some things are just not done, and he's done more than one. I think everyone knows that if he walks on this, he won't get far." Josiah said with a shrug.

A few hours later every Don in the country sat assembled in the formal dining room with various drinks in front of them. The case would be argued there with witnesses called in to tell their side of the story. The trial wouldn't take very long and Josiah hoped that by the end of the night, George's life would be over. He knew the things that he put Rossalyn, Sarah, and the kids through wouldn't just disappear with his soul, but he hoped they would feel better knowing that the man responsible for their kidnapping wasn't left to roam around and at any point give the order for them to be taken again.

Of course, he was the first one called to 'testify' about everything that went down. From their first encounter and the relationship they had up until he rescued Rossalyn. Almost everyone knew about the rivalry between the two Dons and the tentative peace that was attempting to be formed. There were some questions for clarification, but it was over within an hour Josiah was exiting the dining room and sending Rossalyn in to tell her side of the story.

Rossalyn went into the room and took a seat at the head of the table, feeling exceedingly uncomfortable. She was in the room with at least twenty men who commanded forces in the thousands and few had a firm grasp on what the average person would call a moral code. These men made up rules for themselves and followed very few others. She looked around the room nervously but didn't say anything until one of the men addressed her.

"How are you feeling Mrs. Roja?" Arthur asked from the seat at the foot of the table.

"I'm.....okay....." she answered hesitantly.

"Can you tell me about what happened from the first time you met George? Just give as much detail as you can and simply tell us what happened, if you don't mind." Arthur said, giving her a kind smile to put her at ease.

Rossalyn let a little nervous breath out then went into the details of every encounter that she remembered with George, including the car chase he ordered before Josiah and her got married. It took some time but she spoke directly to the man sitting across from her and tuned everyone else out. It made it easier for her to tell him the things that happened. Within thirty minutes she had told them everything she knew about the encounters with George and answered the few questions that came up.

"If you wouldn't mind sending your sister-in-law in for her testimony, we'd greatly appreciate it." Arthur said and stood when Rossalyn lumbered to her feet around her pregnant belly.

Rossalyn exited the dining room and tracked Josiah and Sarah down in the entertainment room. When she entered they both stood up and looked at her anxiously, as if trying to determine if she'd been bitten by a snake or not.

"They want your testimony, Sarah. It isn't as scary as you think, I promise." Rossalyn said, giving her a reassuring smile.

It seemed like no time passed whatsoever before Sarah returned to them and said that they wanted to hear George's witnesses of events. They knew that it would be some hours before they would be told that the Dons were ready to rule on the case. Josiah took both of them outside to get some air and try to take their minds off what was going on in the dining room. George would be the last to testify as he had the most to lose and he was the Don that would be able to spin any story he chose. He was being kept in a room by himself and the Dons would know if the things he said were true or not based on how what he said matched up with what everyone else said.