AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“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.”
“Of course.”
Any hope I had of finding new information dries up faster than the Sahara. Judge Kincaid gives me a perfectly good and perfectly boring interview. Every time I drop a hint of the sort that threw Mullerby into a full fledged man-trum, Kincaid simply smiles and sails on past. He knows how to handle himself. And of course, there's always the possibility that he doesn't actually know anything after all. About ten minutes in, there's a buzz in his pocket. He's wearing a smartwatch, which he checks with a glance. A brief nod, as if to himself, and then he looks back to me.
“I'm afraid I have to cut this meeting a little short, but I hope you got something of value out of it. Unfortunately, a judge's work is never done.”
I try not to seem too dejected when I stop the recording app and put my phone away. If I'm going to get more information about what's going on, it's not going to be from him. But, I had to try. “Thank you for your time. I appreciate it. I'm sure you're very busy.”
He gives me that fake politician smile again as he holds the door. The one that keeps me reconsidering whether I can actually trust him or not. “No problem at all.”
The guys stand up as we come out. Reaper's eyes flit suspiciously between me and Judge Kincaid. “Everything good?”
I nod. “He was a perfect gentleman.” They don’t look convinced.
“Your sister is quite unharmed, I assure you.” Judge Kincaid chuckles softly. “Are you okay finding your own way out? The elevator is just down the hall and to the left.”
Needless to say, we make it to the elevator safely.
We don't really talk until we're getting on the bikes in the parking lot, not wanting to make anyone more suspicious than they already are seeing me walk in with the three of them. I sit behind Reaper, loving the feeling of his broad back in my arms and his narrow hips between my legs.
