Emily
WE WERE OUT of time.
I stood in the hallway of the courthouse as numerous could have, should have, would haves flashed through my brain. I wanted to pace. I wanted to bite my nails. I wanted to freak out and slap the mayor’s greasy smile right off his face.
But I would not go down like that.
I’d worked too hard to let the bastard see me fall.
So instead, I held my ground, trusted my man, and prayed like I was watching a comet hurtling toward earth and knew nothing short of divine intervention could stop it.
Jayson, Havoc, and Bull stood around me, looking sharp in their Sunday best. The blazer of my business suit had pockets. Grandma had gotten me a charm bracelet shortly after my parents died, and I kept it in my pocket now, occasionally running my thumb over it, as if the motion would summon her.
But she didn’t magically appear.
Lily and Candice were off-site, protected by Eagle, Rabbit and at least a half-dozen other Dead Presidents until we were ready for them. We weren’t taking any chances with them.
My phone buzzed. I checked it to see some stupid email advertisement.
I wanted to throw the fucking thing across the hall and watch it shatter. Better yet, I wanted break it on Mayor Kinlan’s pearly white dental implants.
“Breathe, Em,” Jayson said, smiling while his eyes flooded with worry.
I gave him my best fake toothy grin in response, and he winced.
“He’ll come through,” Havoc said, his gaze locked on the courthouse doors. “Link always comes through.”
Link hadn’t slept in days. I knew he (along with everyone else) was doing everything in his power to find her, but his efforts didn’t change the fact that Grandma was still missing. And, since I was standing in the courthouse with Havoc beside me as my client, the mayor might have already issued the order for his men to get rid of her.
I knew that walking in, and I’d still come.
What did that say about me?
Less than six feet away, Mayor Kinlan was laughing and joking with his attorney while Noah sat in a wheelchair, his broken arm in a cast, next to his father. The wheelchair was a nice touch. The jury would take one look at it and feel pity for the bastard.
The idea of him getting anyone’s compassion made bile rise in the back of my throat.
I checked my phone again. Still no word from Link. He and two guys from Portland had left early this morning, excited about some lead, but I hadn’t heard from him since. Nobody had. So, at eight fifteen this morning, I’d left the station and headed for work like it was any other day. Like my grandma was safe at home rather than with some asshole who’d threatened her life.
We were called into the courtroom to begin the proceedings. With a heavy heart and a racing mind, I stepped slowly into the courtroom.
Still no sign of Link, Grandma, the cavalry, God, or anyone else who could possibly intervene and help me out. I nodded to Jayson and he sent off a text to Wasp, letting him know we were starting and would need the girls soon.
As I was organizing my briefcase, Mayor Kinlan approached. “I don’t see your supposed witnesses,” he said, barely above a whisper. “Does that mean you’ve come to your senses?”
“Is she okay?” I asked.
“I have no idea who you’re talking about,” he said. “But I’m sure the safety of everyone is in your hands, Ms. Stafford.”
Mayor Kinlan walked away.
I wanted to bow my head and cry, but I couldn’t.
“Emily…” Havoc started.
I knew what he was going to say. He’d started saying it at least a dozen times since we’d left the station. We could leave the girls out of this. Havoc could take the fall. Grandma could live. And she would never forgive me.
I’d never forgive myself.
