“That’s it….you like it, don’t you, little bitch? Teasing us all night long in that fucking mini skirt and tight tee-shirt …. just begging to be fucked,” Zamani growled in between ragged breaths as he steadily thrust in and out; his face changing from that of a handsome young man to a hideous monster, while Molly was pinned down and forced to watch in horror.

“No, Mani, she doesn’t like it….she loves it,” Jackie taunted, licking a path from the side of her neck to her ear and whispering, “Now shut the fuck up and take it like the dirty little slut you are,” as he covered her mouth with a strong hand to muffle her screams. Terrence and Richard were standing by watching and laughing maniacally sounding almost demonic to her ears as they awaited their turn. Molly tried desperately to fight back, but the more she resisted the harder they fucked her and the beatings became worse; until she found herself being completely consumed by the now sub-human creatures surrounding her….

________________________________________

“NO!......NO!.....NO!” Molly screamed over and over again as she tossed and turned fitfully in her sleep. Jennifer was getting ready for work when she heard her daughter’s distress, and immediately ran into her room to discern if Molly was in any pain. When she reached out to brush away a patch of sweaty hair from her face, Molly sat up with a start, panting heavily as she tried to get enough air into her lungs. After she’d managed to steady her breathing a bit, she grabbed a tight hold on the front of Jennifer’s dressing gown and buried her face in her mother’s chest and cried hysterically.

“Shhh…it’s alright, Molly, I’m right here….everything is going to be alright,” Jennifer tried to soothe her as she rocked her daughter back and forth like a newborn child.  Her eyes filled with tears as she heard her daughter's sobs wracking her body and causing her to shake violently.

“Don’t you get it, Mom?” Molly said, lifting her head to look at Jennifer with a tear-stained face “Nothing is ever going to be alright again. They took that away from me and I can never get it back!”

Jennifer’s heart broke for her daughter because she knew Molly was right in a way. The individuals responsible for Molly’s pain didn’t just strip her physically of her innocence; they also took away her self-confidence and emotional stability as well. These nightmares were becoming more and more frequent, and she wished like hell she knew how to make them stop.

“Oh, baby….I wish I knew how to make it better,” Jennifer cried softly. “Those bastards are going to pay for what they did to you, Molly, one way or another.”

________________________________________

Zamani, Jackie, Terrence, and Richard had been arrested and charged with rape and aggravated assault. Both Jennifer and Molly cried tears of joy at the news, but the joy soon gave way to panic and fear when Detective Horvath requested that Molly come down to the station for a line –up. Sitting there staring into the two-way mirror watching as various young men held numbers up to their chests, never knowing if and when her assailants might recognize her, was almost Molly’s undoing.  If not for Carl and Brian being there to reassure her that the possibility for her to have to endure further harm was next to zero, she might have fallen apart completely.

________________________________________

“I know Mom,” Molly whispered softly, and allowed herself to relax into the comfort of her mother’s gentle touch until she was able to fall comfortably back to sleep.

Meanwhile, Brian was at his desk, meticulously going over every detail of the medical and police reports that he’d received days prior. He viewed each photo the hospital staff had taken and read every sworn statement given, trying to find something that would aid him in building a solid case against the former high school jocks.  He knew building Molly’s case was going to be quite a daunting task.  Even though there was a house full of people inside at the time of the incident, there still wasn’t one eyewitness that could corroborate Molly’s story. Brian furrowed his brow in confusion, thinking to himself that somebody had to at least have heard something, or at the very least had to have noticed something was amiss.

Brian knew most would argue the fact that it was a party after all, and the music could have been playing a little on the loud side, hindering everyone’s ability to hear anything. He was also pretty sure that alcohol played a big part in the night’s festivities, so of course no one would notice anything out of the ordinary going on. Even if by some chance they did happen to hear any type of moaning, they would probably just assume that it was just some horny couple who’d snuck away to get their rocks off. Brian was brought out of his musings when he heard a light knock on his office door.

“Come in,” he said gruffly, his irritation showing clearly in his voice

His assistant, Cynthia Preston, walked into his office and placed a fresh latte on his desk before reminding him that he was due to be in court within the hour.

“Brian you need to get a move on; you have to be down at the courthouse for those boys' arraignment in forty-five minutes.” Having given him the warning, she quickly made her exit without waiting for a reply.

________________________________________

In less than an hour, Brian would be going before the judge trying to convince him of a good reason to keep the suspects behind bars. Even with the evidence and information he had at his disposal, he feared it still wouldn’t be enough.  These young men came from families with deep pockets and strong ties to the community; if the judge granted them bail, which he could very well see happening, he shuddered to think what that would mean for Molly.

“Fuck, there’s got to be something here that I can use to keep these little assholes in custody,” Brian muttered to himself as he continued to read and re-read the documents before him, searching for anything he may have missed. Brian groaned in frustration as he looked at his watch, realizing that his investigation would have to cease for now. Brian reluctantly gathered his thoughts and necessary materials and left for the courthouse.

________________________________________

“Does the State plan on even bothering to attend our proceedings today?” Judge Gregory Matthews bellowed from his place behind the bench as he glanced down at his watch.

“Well, I don't know about the D. A.'s Office, Your Honor, but we're ready," the head of the defense team, Thomas Adams, pronounced confidently.  Adams was the best known of the six-man defense team, having been in the limelight frequently over the years in connection with some of the most notorious and highly-publicized trials in the city.  He was loud, brash, intelligent, and an excellent orator; just the type of person who enthralled a jury and consistently came out victorious as a result.

As he stood there in front of the judge, he felt confident that his clients would not only be granted bail today, but that ultimately he would come out victorious in the trail the followed.  After all, the young men being accused had been model students in school and well-known, popular athletes. They had never been in trouble before, and it would be their word against the alleged victim's.  And besides, the word 'lose' wasn't in his vocabulary.   

But he had to admit – he was very familiar with the assistant district attorney who was in charge of the State's case, and he had a grudging respect for the young man who had replaced the old codger before him who had retired.  In his prior dealings with Brian Kinney, he had found him to be hard-edged, dogged, and thorough in everything he did, as well as inventive in the presentation of his evidence and very knowledgeable about case law.  He considered him much more competent than his predecessor, and he wasn't naïve enough to think that he wouldn't have to stay on his toes if he were to win his clients' freedom today.

"Glad to hear that, Counselor," the judge replied dryly as he turned his attention back to the present.  "I'll give them five more minutes," he decided rather impatiently as Adams nodded from his place next to his clients who were grouped at a wooden, rectangular table, all wearing the customary, orange garb of jail inmates.

“I can’t believe this is happening,” Jackie whispered incredulously within earshot of Adams, feeling the metal of the handcuffs biting into his wrists. “The nerve of that little bitch! She wanted it and we all know it.”

“Hey, calm down, Jackie,” Terrence chided. “We’ll have plenty of time to concentrate on little Ms. Taylor once we get out of here.”

Jackie smirked.  "Well, that's a done deal already," he snickered as the other defendants grinned over at him smugly.  They had all undertaken an acting job worthy of an Academy Award regarding their parents to convince them that Molly Taylor had simply been a willing, consensual partner in their activities at the Jacobsen's house, and that SHE was the liar regarding what had happened. As expected, all of their parents had believed them completely; after all, they had their own family pedigrees to uphold, and no child of theirs would ever commit such a horrendous act.  As a result, they had spared no expense in providing each of their children with the best possible defense team money could buy.

"Shh," Adams warned them under his breath.  "Keep your opinions to yourself!"  He had to force himself not to roll his eyes over his clients' immaturity and arrogance; nothing was ever set in stone, and if the judge even caught just a hint of their attitude, it could mean the difference between being granted a reasonable bail, or being charged such a high amount that even with their parents' deep financial pockets they would remain behind bars.  The four boys glared over at Adams, but thankfully did as he asked.  He sighed, thinking no amount of money was probably worth having to put up with such snot-nosed smart asses, but knowing he was committed to seeing it through to the end.

________________________________________

A couple of rows back, Jennifer and her son sat silently on one of the wooden benches reserved for observers; both of them unable to keep from staring at the four boys who had so dramatically changed Molly's life literally overnight.  As the boys' chief attorney rose to address the judge, Jennifer reached to tightly grasp her son's hand for support.  "I wonder where the Assistant D.A. is," she fretted.

"Yeah, me, too," Justin replied, keeping his voice down in the crowded chamber.  Practically every spot in the room had been taken, mainly due to the publicity that had been generated since the attack. The main Pittsburgh newspaper, in addition to all the local television stations, had been providing extensive coverage regarding the incident, and as a result the chamber was presently filled to capacity with either media personnel, the boys' families, or just plain gawkers who had come to observe the arraignment proceedings.  Justin personally found the whole spectacle disgusting and sickening.  "I'm sure they'll be here any minute," he reassured his mother, although secretly he was concerned as well.  They seemed to be waiting until the last minute to show up.  Why?  Was this going to be an indication of their competency?  He had already decided that the Assistant D.A., Brian Kinney, was arrogant and overly confident.  He only hoped that his skills matched his superior opinion of himself.  This wasn't helping to convince him of that, however.

As they waited for everyone to arrive, he couldn't help thinking about his sister.  Both he and his mom had been afraid to leave her alone today at the house, so they had thankfully taken Sarah up on her offer to stay with her while they were gone.  Molly had still been in bed when they had left, even though it had been mid-morning when Sarah had arrived and they had left the house to come here.  That concerned him.  Everything about his sister's demeanor since the attack worried him – the spunky, confident young woman he used to know and love had been replaced with someone who was reclusive, frightened, withdrawn, and skittish.  The Molly he used to know was not there any longer.  He sighed sadly.  He wondered if she ever would be.

Just then, the back door opened and he observed Kinney, along with another man and a woman in business attire entering the courtroom; he watched them hurriedly rush down the aisle, each carrying a black briefcase in their hands as they pushed back the wooden, swinging door separating the spectators from the front of the room and took a place at the table opposite the defense team.

"Nice of all of you to show up," the Judge commented.  "Two more minutes and I would have ordered a postponement."

"Sorry, Your Honor," Brian replied politely, sounding slightly out of breath as he stood to address the judge.  "The freeway was shut down due to an accident, and we had to take another route."  Inside, he fumed; he hated any event that might reflect poorly on his competency, and while he and the others had left more than early enough, the unexpected accident had caused them to almost arrive too late.

"Very well," the judge responded.  "Let's get this proceeding under way."  He turned to stare down at the four boys peering up at him somewhat nervously.  "If the defendants will please stand, the Bailiff will read the formal complaint."

A middle-aged, bald-headed man began to read off details of the alleged crime that was committed, in addition to the charges as the crowd of people quieted noticeably:  several counts of first-degree rape and assault were leveled for each boy.

The judge nodded as he eyed the four boys standing in front of him.  "Counselor, how do your clients plead?" he asked Adams.

"Your Honor, all four of my clients wish to enter a plea of Not Guilty," he advised the judge as a murmur rose among the crowd.

Justin shook his head in disgust as his mother's grip on his hand tightened perceptibly.  He couldn't say he was surprised by their plea, however; he had actually anticipated that would be the case.  Still, it left a distinct, sour taste in his mouth, though.  "Unbelievable," he muttered in disdain.

A few feet away from the judge's dais, Brian forced himself to keep a neutral expression on his face as the pleas were entered; he had expected the same as Justin, and had, in fact, already warned both Molly's brother and mother earlier that he fully anticipated all of them would enter precisely that plea.  Now, he had the formidable task of trying to persuade the judge to set at least a high enough bail so the accused would remain in jail, rather than being set free.

"So noted," the judge intoned.  "Before I set bail, does either the defense or prosecution have anything to contribute?"

"I do, Your Honor," Brian replied quickly as he stood; the four boys to his right at the other table began to turn their heads to glare over at him, but one firm look from Adams and they faced straight ahead instead.  "Your Honor, these defendants are charged with a heinous crime. They are accused of gang raping a young, defenseless woman in such a manner that she required hospitalization due to egregious injuries sustained, and is still experiencing nightmares and symptoms of PTSD as a result.  She is fearful for her safety should these defendants be released from bail.  While I realize total revocation of bail is not an option in this case, due to the grave nature of the offenses presented, I would like to respectfully request a higher-than-typical bail of one millions dollars be assessed for each defendant."

A loud gasp of shock filled the room over the high amount requested as Judge Matthews pounded his gavel to regain control of the chamber.  "Quiet!" he sternly admonished the spectators.  "I will have quiet in the courtroom!"  He bestowed an unblinking stare across the room until the visitors quickly grew quiet once more.

"So noted, Mr. Kinney," the Judge addressed Brian as the younger man sat down next to his co-attorneys; he had encountered him numerous times before.  He turned his gaze upon the defense table.  "Mr. Adams?  Do you wish to speak in regards to this issue?"

"Yes, Judge," Adams firmly replied, precisely what the judge assumed would happen.  "Your Honor, my clients all derive from well-established families in the Pittsburgh area," he began. "They are recent graduates of St. James Academy; a prestigious, college preparatory institution from which their parents – and their parents before them – all attended with high honors.  In addition to participating in varsity sports, they also performed several hours of community service this past year."  What Adams neglected to tell the courtroom or the judge, however, was that the 'community service' had actually involved mandated volunteer work as required by the school in order to graduate; they were no different than any other student in that regard.

"Your Honor," Adams continued as he peered over at the four boys sitting side by side.  "Each of these young men have never been in trouble with the law; not even a speeding ticket.  Their families have deep roots in the community, and each of my clients was born and raised here, presently a miniscule flight risk." He glanced over at Brian, who was sitting at attendance nearby, his mouth drawn into a tight line and his body rigid.  "With all due respect to the assistant district attorney, Your Honor, his request for a one-million-dollar bond is quite excessive.  For the reasons I have outlined, therefore, I respectfully ask that you consider a much lower bond in the amount of $50,000 instead."

Justin's brow furrowed in disbelief. No amount of money would bring the Molly he knew back to them. But was that all her pain and anguish was worth? Fifty thousand, lousy, fucking dollars apiece?  He held his breath as the judge considered each side's request.

"I have taken each of your arguments under careful consideration," Judge Matthews responded after several seconds.  "And while I concur that the nature of the charges is quite severe, I must weigh that against the lack of previous criminal activity on the part of the accused, as well as their likelihood of being a flight risk and their level of support."  He paused for a moment before he rendered his decision.  "Bail will be set for each defendant at $100,000 each.  In addition, I will require that each defendant wear an ankle monitoring device and stay away from the plaintiff.  This hearing is in adjournment."  He banged his wooden gavel against the top of the dais as the bailiff intoned, "Everyone rise!" as the judge turned and exited the room, leaving the defendants gratefully shaking Adams' hand as Brian shook his head in resignation.

He had tried his best, but it had been a foregone conclusion on his part that Adams would manage to get the bond lowered somehow.  Now he had the unpleasant task of discussing what had just transpired with the Taylor family, who he had observed sitting a few rows back.  As Adams and his defense team began to filter out of the courtroom to assist in the preparations for bonding out their clients, Brian peered over at his colleagues.  "Go ahead.  I'll be out in a few minutes."  They shook their heads affirmatively as they turned to exit out of the courtroom, the media having rushed out the moment the decision on bail had been announced and they were free to go; the rest of the spectators slowly headed out the exit door, leaving Justin and his mother sitting quietly together a few rows back.

Taking a deep breath, Brian walked over to join them, sitting down next to them in the now mainly-vacant space.

"100,000 dollars?" Justin growled.  "That's only $10,000 a piece!  Those pieces of shit will be out on the streets again before we can barely exit the parking lot!  Why?  They've practically destroyed my sister's life!"

Brian let out a heavy breath as he brushed his hands through his hair.  "You have to realize they have no prior criminal records. And their mommies and daddies no doubt contributed to that judge's reelection campaign.  Money talks," he told them simply with a shrug.

Jennifer shook her head sadly as Justin replied in disbelief, "How can you be so cavalier about all this, Mr. Kinney?"

Brian's eyes flashed in indignation.  "I am NOT being cavalier, Mr. Taylor.  I'm merely being realistic and telling you the way it is.  I don't agree with the bond amount, but I would be lying if I said I was surprised by it. At least he did require they be monitored; that will help to ensure your sister's safety while they are free on bond."  He paused as Justin scoffed at his response.  "The important thing is that we convict the bastards. They're all legally considered adults now; that will mean once convicted they will go to jail for a long, long time.  And trust me; everyone in the pen loves a pretty face."

Justin scrunched up his nose at the thought; while it was somewhat abhorrent to him, in a way it would give him an immense sense of satisfaction if they eventually received the same sort of brutal treatment that they had given to his sister.  "What makes you think they'll even be convicted?" he challenged Brian.  "It's going to be their word against Molly's, and there're four of them all in cahoots together.  None of them will ever rat against one of the others."

Brian raised his eyebrows.  "Oh, you might be surprised," he told them.  "If they are afraid enough that they might actually do some serious jail time, you'd be amazed what a little plea bargaining might do."  He patted his thighs with the palms of his hands as he told the two of them, "In fact, I have a meeting in a little while at the D.A.'s office to go over all the evidence in the case with the opposing parties – and to see if they are willing to play ball a little with me.  If not, I plan on using everything in our arsenal to see that all four of those assholes are convicted to the fullest extent of the law."

Jennifer finally spoke up as Brian's words registered in her mind.  "You mean you would actually consider making a deal with them?" she asked incredulously.  "Do you not understand what my daughter has been through, Mr. Kinney?  She's been through hell and back!  And she's STILL not back to normal; she may NEVER be back to normal!  You would actually be willing to negotiate with them?"

Justin stared at Brian with much the same look on his face as Brian sighed.  "Look, Mrs. Taylor.  This is not the first rape case involving a young girl that I have worked on.  I fully understand the gravity of what occurred here, as well as the horrific ramifications involved. But you yourself realize what this has already done to your daughter; if it meant not having to subject her to testifying on the stand and reliving the entire event all over again, in exchange for a slightly reduced sentence that would still involve jail time, for instance, wouldn't that be worth at least considering?"

Jennifer looked over at Justin as if to find an answer, but he remained just as conflicted as she was.  "I don't know," she finally answered.  "Maybe. But look at what she's been through!  I don't want her to think we have taken this whole thing too lightly; that what happened to her was in any way her fault, because I can assure you, Mr. Kinney, there was no way my daughter would have led those boys on!  She...she wasn't even...experienced...before this happened!"  Her eyes filled with tears as she whispered painfully, "All this time she kept telling me she wanted to save herself for when that one, special guy came along. She wanted her first time to be so special."  She sniffled.  "And now...this."

Brian swallowed hard.  Yeah, that had to hurt – a lot. While he himself found that hard to understand, he could still realize the significance it would have to a young woman like Molly.  He nodded.  "I understand," he told them both softly.  "And I won't forget that when I speak to my opponent.  I won't let what they did go unpunished – or unacknowledged.  Whatever happens, as the victim Molly will have to approve whatever plea deal that is reached.  And if she feels that she's not willing to do that – and wants to actually GO to trial – I will certainly honor her wishes.  But at the same time, it won't hurt to meet with the other counsel team to discuss possible alternatives.  Agreed?"

Justin and his mother looked into each other's eyes before they both nodded slightly in agreement.

"Yes," Jennifer reluctantly concurred.  "I suppose that makes sense."

Brian nodded back at them.  "Good. Now, if you will excuse me, I have to catch up to my colleagues and head back to the office.  I'll call you later and let you know what happens."  Just before he could leave and head up the aisle, however, Justin reached out and clamped his hand onto his wrist, causing him to turn around and gaze down into the troubled, blue eyes.

"Mr. Kinney?"

"Brian," the D.A. corrected him softly, thinking "Mr. Kinney" made him feel like he was more like seventy.

Justin nodded.  "Brian.  Brian, do you have a sister?" he asked unexpectedly.

Brian frowned slightly, but nodded.  "Yeah, as a matter of fact, I do."

"Are you close to her?"

Brian shrugged.  "Not as close as we could be," he admitted.  He and Claire had certainly had their share of ins and outs over the years, but at least he could finally say that their relationship was more of a cordial one at last.

"Well, when you talk to those boys' attorneys, remember how you would feel if this had happened to her at Molly's age."

Brian's estimation of this young man rose incrementally as he nodded back at him.  "I will," he promised, before he finally turned to go.

Justin exhaled heavily as he turned his head to peer over into his mother's teary-looking eyes.  "We'd better go," he told her.  "I'm sure it won't be long before those creeps are out on bond and Molly's back home alone with Sarah.  I only hope they haven't been listening to the news and found out about this already. I think she needs to hear it from us."

His mother nodded.  "Yeah, let's get going," she agreed as the two of them stood to go, now the last two left in the courtroom.  "Justin?" she called to her son quietly as he turned around.

"Yeah?"

She smiled for the first time today; a tender sort of smile as she grasped his upper arms and leaned in to kiss him briefly on the cheek.  "Thank you for being her with me today.  I don't know how I would have been able to manage everything if you hadn't been here with me to face it."

Justin nodded, a sympathetic smile on his own face.  "I'll be here as long as you need me," he promised, before they headed up the aisle toward the rear exit door, both wondering how they were going to prepare Molly for the news that her attackers would soon be free to roam the streets again.

________________________________________

Brian sat in a small conference room a short time later, laying out the documented photographic evidence of Molly’s injuries for the defense team’s viewing while discussing possible ways to keep the controversial case from going to trial. Brian made what he felt was a generous offer of Rape One with a two-to-five year sentence and the possibility of parole after eighteen months with good behavior. Peter Fairfield, a thin-framed man in his sixties and co-counsel for the defendants, stated unequivocally that his clients would only plead guilty to a charge without a sexual element. He argued that each boy was at the top of their academic game and were still quite young; that a charge carrying a sexual element would be forever damning to each of their futures.

“Mr. Kinney, considering that our clients have no prior records, I was thinking more along the lines of say…..reckless endangerment.”

Brian looked over at him as if he were an alien from another planet.  “Mr. Fairfield, is that supposed to be some kind of sick, fucking joke? Rape One," he repeated emphatically.

“What would you say to simple assault?” Mark Brown, the youngest attorney on the team, asked.

Brian glared at the young attorney indignantly. He couldn’t believe this Brown character had the unmitigated gall to think that allowing his clients to cop to such a flimsy charge would serve as justice for what Molly had suffered through. He intended to make it more than clear that these young men would be punished to the fullest extent that the law would allow.

“I would say go fuck yourself, then,” Brian quipped sarcastically.  “And stop trying to bullshit me around.”

Brian ran a ragged hand through his hair as he stood up and began to pace the length of the confined space. He was finding it increasingly difficult to maintain control of what little patience he had left as he listened to the ridiculous offers being bantered back and forth.

“Gentlemen, I would advise you to consider your options wisely. Keep in mind that what you have before you the jury will see as well, so if we can’t come to a reasonable agreement and go to trial you WILL lose,” Brian warned them, further stating, “And when you do I will ask for 15 to 25...AND I’ll get it.”   

And with that Brian packed up his visual aids and walked out, leaving them to decide their clients' fate.