“Don’t put words into my mouth, Hudson. This is something new for all of us.” He pulled the bat free, holding it under the security light. “Blood.”
“It was useful. At least we left them alive.”
“I understand Maverick participated in this foray into sin.”
Huffing, I ripped it from his hand, returning it to the bag. “Interesting choice of words.”
“I’m an interesting guy.” We’d never experienced a moment of awkward silence.
Until now.
“Taking control was long overdue if you ask me.” I glanced at the almost full moon, still processing the violence. Yes, it had been necessary.
“Maybe so, but I think we need to go about this business very carefully. Erasing people from this earth is still a crime.”
“Not unless their bodies are found.”
His eyes opened wide. I could tell I’d shocked him. Maybe I’d shocked myself. However, the old adage was true. Everyone had a line and everyone had a reason to cross it. “By the way. You look like hell. You have blood on your shirt. You might want to change since you have guests. I doubt you want to give little girl nightmares.”
Glancing down, I nodded. “You’re probably right. I appreciate you looking out for Valentina.”
His scowl turned into a grin. “You got it and you’re welcome. When do you get out of court tomorrow?”
“I have two cases right after lunch.”
“Then we meet afterwards. I’m working on a case myself that’s a little dicey, but I’ll juggle some things around. Let’s meet at my house. I have a few things to show you.”
“Show and tell. You’ve been keeping secrets.”
We’d been friends for long enough I knew what he was about to say, but I allowed him to take the lead since he was the one putting himself out on a limb. “If we agree to do this, we all need to take an entirely different oath.”
One of secrecy and silence.
“Understood.” I waited outside until he drove away. Maybe I knew she’d question where I’d been and what I’d done.
Providing answers would be interesting.
I headed into the house and took a deep breath.
The house was quiet.
Not what I’d expected, but what I’d hoped for.
Just walking inside felt different than when I’d left only a few hours before. In coming home and finding Valentina missing, I’d felt a strange sense of loss immediately before the reality that she had no understanding of how much danger she was in had jetted through me.
While I hadn’t been certain where she’d gone, I’d immediately had my suspicions. While I might not know much about the woman, what I’d learned months before during the trial was that she preferred staying to herself and was intent on handling whatever issue or tragedy came her way.
Another reason I’d been so easily attracted to her.
Being self-supporting, she didn’t like accepting help from anyone. That’s why she’d gone to work as if nothing had changed when in fact everything had. Since I’d taken the matter into my hands, Luis Delgado would be forced to realize his days were numbered.
At least if I had anything to do about it.
The heavy dose of adrenaline was fading, leaving little more than exhaustion as well as some mental numbness. Yet no guilt. None.
With the alarm set, I made mental note to check the system thoroughly in the morning, maybe adding a few more cameras.
As soon as I walked into the living room, I noticed Valentina lying on the couch. A half glass of wine was on the table in front of her. She’d done little more than remove her shoes and curl up in a ball. At least she was safe. I walked closer, standing over her as her chest rose and fell in an even rhythm. She was fast asleep.
