Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 79338 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 397(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79338 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 397(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
“I’m sorry, sir, but I'm still not sure I understand why you're calling me.”
“My apologies. I have a grand-daughter in college, you see. When I heard about poor Hank’s behavior, I immediately thought about how difficult it would be for her. If there is anything I can do to help, please don’t hesitate to ask. I actually have some time this afternoon if you’d like to try your hand at another interview.” Everything he says sounds so smooth and heartfelt.
And my BS radar is pinging like crazy.
That said, if this guy is connected to what Mullerby is up to, I can't just turn down the chance to see what he has to say. “That’s so amazing of you, Judge Kincaid. Thank you.”
“Please, outside of the courtroom, just Mr. is fine. I'm not big on formalities. My friends just call me Royce.”
Right. But we aren’t friends yet, are we? “Thank you, Mr. Kincaid. What time this afternoon?”
We settle on four o'clock, after he's wrapped up his last case of the day. When I hang up, Meghan’s eyebrows look like they are trying to crawl up under her hairline.
“Judge Kincaid called you just to have a chat because Mullerby was a jerk?”
“Does that sound normal for him?”
She looks very skeptical. “Not really, but it might be fine? I’ve never heard he has a granddaughter, but it’s not like we were buddies or anything. I’d be careful. It wouldn’t surprise me if Mullerby’s leave of absence was him panicking about you asking questions.”
She has no idea how right she is.
“I think so, too.”
“Do you want me to come with you? If anyone asks, I’ll say that I’m just there to catch up with the people I interned with.”
“No!”
She looks a little taken aback by how vehement I answered.
I try again. “I appreciate the offer, but the last thing I want is for anyone to make a connection between us. If it comes out that I have the Mullerby’s flash drive, and they know we’re friends, you could be in deep trouble. But it’s fine, I’ll make sure I have backup this time.”
19
MILA
“Miss Cole, I'm so happy you could make it.” Judge Kincaid smiles broadly and holds out a big hand. The smile drops almost immediately when he sees the three big, leather and denim-clad men backing me up. “You… um, you brought company, I see.”
Judge Kincaid looks maybe sixty, his close-styled hair almost completely white. He's clean shaven except for a neatly waxed mustache. He stands ramrod straight and looks like he's in good shape. His suit is obviously tailored, fitting him perfectly, dark navy with a deep red tie and a gold tie clip. He recovers quickly from the shock of seeing Mack, Scrapper and Reaper, pasting on a new smile that's as broad as the one before it. He's slick as a politician.
“My brothers are awfully protective,” I say, matching his fake smile with one of my own. “But I promise they won't interrupt the interview. They're just here to bring me home safe. They were very unhappy with how Mr. Mullerby treated me last time.” Reaper snorts when I call them my brothers, but if Kincaid has probably made up a granddaughter, I can make up overprotective brothers, right? The fact that none of us look remotely similar doesn’t matter.
Am I showing my cards too early by implying that I know something is going on? I don't know that the judge is part of it, though. If he isn’t, I just seem weird, but if he is, maybe we’ll learn something useful.
“I see.” He frowns like he doesn't actually. “Well, come into my office, young lady. Perhaps your… brothers can wait out here. There's coffee in the machine.” He points.
“Mila,” starts Scrapper, looking ready to follow. So do Reaper and Mack.
“It's okay.” I put my hand on his wrist, asking him to trust me. No matter where the judge stands on what's going on, he's not going to assault me inside his office. If nothing else, it's way too public, especially with my boys waiting outside it. “This won’t take long.”
They nod, even if they don't look thrilled about it. Instead, they take seats in the hallway outside his office, making the chairs look tiny with their powerful bodies while they scowl at the judge and me.
Judge Kincaid shuts the door behind us. “They seem protective of you.”
This time I don't have to fake my smile. “They are.”
“I wasn’t aware that you had connections with the Screaming Eagles.” He sounds genuinely caught off guard. He sits down behind his desk, rests his forearms on the top and folds his hands. “How interesting.”
“Is it?” I pull out my phone and show him the audio recorder. “Is it okay if I record?”
He nods. “Of course. I assumed you would need to. As long as you understand that this is an informal interview for educational purposes. If you attempt to use it in any sort of commercial capacity, we will pursue legal action.”