Total pages in book: 125
Estimated words: 121728 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 609(@200wpm)___ 487(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121728 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 609(@200wpm)___ 487(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
“What do you think?”
Of course it was. And the man sitting across from her was about to start working there to deliver those deadly drugs.
Chapter Twelve
The troubled expression on her face had Decker explaining, “Criminal organizations like the Deadly Demons tend to buy up places like pizza shops, strip clubs, laundromats, car washes… Any business that deals with a lot of cash is perfect for money laundering.”
“The MC’s involved in money laundering, too?”
“They have to do something with their drug money,” he answered. “It’s easy to mix in dirty money with the clean with the right business.”
“They’re making that much money selling drugs?”
“Sloane, this isn’t some street corner dealer. They’re a part of a major pipeline. And they’re only making a fraction of the money that the financial backers are making.”
“Wait. Who are the backers?”
Fuck. He’d said too much. “Another criminal organization bigger and more powerful than the Demons.”
“So, they’re only one piece of this puzzle.”
“Yeah.”
“And is your task force also going after this other… organization?”
“We’re concentrating on the MC,” he answered.
“But the other organization, whoever they are, will be taken down, too?”
The hope in her voice punched him right in the gut. “I don’t have direct knowledge of that. That would be handled by the feds.”
She nodded, dragging her fingers back and forth through the churning water.
Her smooth skin held a sheen from the heat and a tiny bead of water balanced in the indentation above her full lips. He stared at it, waiting for her to sweep it away with her tongue. When she didn’t, he licked his own.
“Do you like being a cop?”
Her question made him shake himself mentally. He’d been so distracted it took him a few seconds for his brain to catch up. “My mom said that when I turned three, I decided right then and there I was going to be a cop and bust the bad guys. She thought I would change my mind a million times before college. I never wavered. What about you?”
“What about me? As a little girl I certainly didn’t dream of becoming a legal assistant. I didn’t even know what one was until I was in college and floundering around, trying to decide what to do with my life.”
“If working in leggings and a blouse wasn’t your dream, then what was?”
“I’m not sure I should admit it,” she answered on a laugh.
“Your secret’s safe with me.”
“Good to know since I wouldn’t want this getting out to the masses,” she teased. “I wanted to become a princess and meet my Prince Charming. Isn’t that every girl’s dream?”
He hoped to hell that would never be Val’s dream. He didn’t want her relying on any man to take care of her. He wanted her to grow up and only be dependent on herself.
Anyway, screw Prince Charming. It was Decker’s job to take care of Val until she was old enough to take care of herself. It was also his job to make sure she was capable of doing so.
“How’d that work out for you?” he asked her.
One side of her mouth pulled up. “It was a complete failure as you can see. No tiara, no poofy princess dress, no glass slippers. And you saw the motel room I was living in. It’s difficult to confuse that with a castle.”
It certainly wasn’t close to a castle. It wasn’t even close to a two-star accommodation.
“Tell me more about the type of law Astor & Associates practices.” He grumbled, “Hopefully not criminal defense.” He hadn’t dug too deep on the website. When he pulled it up, he’d only been looking for something—or someone—specific. And she was now sitting across from him.
Her half smile turned into a full one. “Why? You don’t like when all your hard work goes down the drain?”
“Putting endless hours into an investigation, or an arrest, to only have it thrown out, or the charges reduced to a joke, is a kick in the nuts. Those criminal defense attorneys like to rip apart everything we do. Unfortunately, too many guilty people get cut loose on technicalities.”
He half expected her to tell him he needed to do a better job, then. A typical response he heard from anyone not in law enforcement. Like he didn’t do the best job he could with what he had to work with, for fuck’s sake.
“I’m sure there are many innocent people in jail, too. But no, we don’t work on any criminal cases. The firm specializes in construction and real estate law. It involves a lot of paperwork. Research. Negotiations. We handle things like construction contracts, mechanics liens, zoning, land use, eminent domain… you name it. When it comes to commercial or non-commercial real estate, we handle it all.”
“Do you like what you do?”
“I don’t hate it. However, I do like not having to go into an office every day. Plus, as long as I have an internet connection and my phone, I can work anywhere. It not only saves me on gas but wear and tear on my Honda. My car insurance is cheaper, too. The pay is decent, the benefits even better and, best of all, my bosses are great. That last reason alone is priceless.”