His brows rise, and a glimmer of respect lurks in his eyes as he looks up. “I’m impressed. You didn’t drag your feet at all.”
I shrug. Judge Harmon was happy to skip a few queues, that’s all. Prison protocols became a hot topic after McKenna’spersonal interference in Zack’s situation, and the resulting full-blown inquiry has everyone antsy. As it should.
Alhedy’s case shows the same misuse of power. “Have you had any issues since . . .?” I circle my finger in the air, indicating the prison. Other than a fading black eye, he seems unhurt.
“Not really.” He shrugs. “I got lucky ’cause they’ve had us on lockdown ever since theaccident.” He grins, both of us knowing Ray’s attack was no accident. “So, unless you count boredom, no one’s come for my blood.”
I scoff. “In your case, I’d think boredom was a blessing.”
He spreads his hands. “Yeah, it is. But it’s a little too quiet without my kindergartner here to create chaos.”
I scratch my nose to hide a smile. He’s right—things are never quiet with Zack around. I push my chair back, and it scratches noisily on the concrete floor. “Well, our deal ends here. I’ll check in tomorrow evening to be sure they’ve shipped you back where you belong.”
Alhedy rises and offers me his hand. “Pleasure doing business. It was fun.”
Hard to say exactly what prompts me, but as I shake his hand, I recall his deal with Zack. “Look, Alhedy,” I say, catching his eye. “I’ll have some job openings later this year for a program to work with feral alphas. If you ever decide you want to clean up your act, call me. Seems you have a gift for understanding how to talk to them.”
Al scoffs. “Me? Train kindergartners? It’d drive me mad.” Even as he refuses, I catch a sparkle in his eyes that suggests he’s intrigued. Well, who knows what the future holds? Miracles happen every day.
I smile. “Maybe a little madness would suit you nicely. Think about it.” I head for the door, pausing before I leave. “Thanks again for protecting Zack.”
He moves his hands as if he’s doffing an invisible hat, and I step out through the hall.
With a little luck, I’ll never come back to this prison . . . and it seems I’m a rather lucky man.
Chapter sixty-three
Callisto
I head straight from the prison to my office, my mood growing more serious as I follow the familiar hallways to my office, a path I’ve faithfully traversed for years. I pause at the end of the corridor opening into Hale’s workspace. The paralegal leans way back in his chair with his feet up on his desk, highlighter pen in his mouth as he skims a dossier. He flips pages way faster than I could read, pausing occasionally to highlight a line before zipping on with dogged focus.
A sinking feeling tugs at my stomach. Now I’ve reached this turning point, it’s Hale I’m going to miss the most. I couldn’t have made it this far without him, and his brusque care and attention to detail made my ambitious career goals possible. It feels like I’m letting him down now, but I can’t stay.
“You’ll burn a hole in my head,” the paralegal says without looking up.
“You can’t even see me from here,” I say with a scoff.
He swivels to eye me. “True, but I can feel all your alpha focus. Need something?”
I cross the room and set a gift bag on his desk.
“A bribe?” he asks, lifting his brows.
“A thank you and an apology.”
“Must be my lucky day. I hope it’s expensive.”
I snort. “Would I give any other kind of gift?”
He grins. “So, are you apologizing for something you’ve done, or something that’s about to happen?”
“What’s about to happen. I’m on my way up to see Aden.”
“Ah!” He pulls his leather shoes off his desk and straightens. “Word on the street is Aden’s already cleared a partner’s office for you on his floor.”
I roll my eyes. “You sure get around, don’t you?”
He shrugs and grins. “That’s what you pay me for.” We both know I’m not the one paying him, but it doesn’t matter.
