“Besides the obvious,” Cam added, gesturing at their surroundings, then at Nic.“He lives for this shit.Fucking junkie.The rest of us...”He wrinkled his nose in exaggerated disgust.“Not so much.”
“Hey!”Nic twisted in his seat, looking over his shoulder.“You give your fair bit of testimony.”
“Because your ass drags me in here.”He pushed off the wall and slid into the chair next to Nic.“It’s not just you, sweetheart.”People tended to overlook his suit and badge when he lengthened his vowels, letting himself sound like a blue-collar garage rat from South Boston.Which he was.Before he’d become an Assistant Special Agent in Charge at the FBI.
Worked on Abby too, finally chipping through her nerves and also, it seemed, her reluctance toward him.Good; if she betrayed them again, he’d use that.She chuckled, relaxing in her chair and laying the pen down.“Do I have to go in there with Scott and Mike?”
“I’m going to try to avoid that.”Nic nudged the stack of documents with his index finger.“This is your statement about Saturday’s events, plus my and Agent Byrne’s recommendations to waive any charges against you, as a cooperating informant and witness.You sign the affidavit and the recommendation, which Agent Byrne and I already signed, then I’ll hand the papers, together with Stefan Kristic’s statement”—he pulled a trifold sheet of paper from his inner coat pocket—“over to the judge.”
“Then why did I have to come here?”Abby asked.
“In case the judge has questions about your statement or our recommendations.Same reason I asked Agent Byrne to join us.Mr.Kristic, unfortunately, hasn’t been released from the hospital yet.”
“Isn’t this just an arraignment?”Cam asked, mentally scratching his own head, not that he minded seeing a pre-court-jazzed Nic.“Scott and Mike walk in, plead not guilty, and you move for prelim or trial.”He’d seen more than a few of these too.
“It’s felony murder,” Nic explained.“Someone was killed in the act of committing a felony, the attempted robbery.Neither Scott nor Mike pulled the trigger, but they’re on trial for murder.”Abby shivered, no doubt realizing that could be her on trial for murder too.“I’m covering all my bases,” Nic said.
“Where do I sign?”Abby said, almost a squeak.
Nic walked her through where she needed to execute each document, finishing just as two swift knocks sounded against the door.Tony opened the door to the court bailiff.“Attorney Price,” the bailiff said.“Judge O’Donnell is ready to start.Courtroom C.”
“We’ll be right there,” Nic replied.
Seeing Abby jolt, Cam reached across the table, covering her trembling hands.“Hang tight.Shouldn’t be more than fifteen minutes, twenty at most.”
“Can Tony wait inside?”she asked.
“Don’t see why not,” Cam said as he stood.The big man could do his job on either side of the door.
Nic followed Cam to his feet.“How far are you into the book?”he asked Abby.
“Chapter eleven, I think.”
“That’s a good one.”He collected the legal documents, putting them all in a bucket folder, and left behind the pen and a legal pad.“Big conclave between the warring factions.Lots of interesting voices.”
Abby had the earbuds back in before Tony even closed the door.
As they walked down the hallway toward the courtroom, an air of confidence came over Nic that made Cam doubly wish the damn bailiff wasn’t waiting for them by the courtroom doors.Nic’s firm, round ass in perfectly fitted suit pants didn’t help either.
“This is the part you like best, isn’t it?”Cam said.
“It’s the one thing I’ve always been good at.”
“Arguing?”
Nic smirked.“Exactly.”
Outside the courtroom door, the bailiff turned to head in, and Cam gave in to the urge, as much as he could under the circumstances.He darted out a hand, copping a feel of Nic’s ass in the guise of a “Go lock ’em up” tap.
“You’ll pay for that,” Nic murmured, smirk tipping up into a smile.
Biting back his own grin, Cam slipped into the courtroom behind Nic, impressed to find the room all but deserted.Just him and Nic, the judge, clerk and bailiff, and Scott and Mike, and their attorneys.Nic’s ploy had worked, and the clerk’s office had definitely done them a favor, more than a few.
The pounding of the gavel called the court to order, and true to Cam’s word, it was eighteen minutes, start to finish.Not guilty pleas.A short argument over whether Scott and Mike would be released on bail, which Nic obviously won.The criminals were too much of a flight risk, and with Becca still at large, too much of a risk for another attempted felony gone wrong.
Then some back-and-forth over calendaring to set the preliminary hearing for next Monday.
“I’m surprised opposing counsel didn’t want to push the prelim out,” Cam said as they walked back to the holding room.
