What I did realize was that in him coming to my office, which in and of itself could be considered a felony, he’d issued a warning that I needed to heed. He and his men would begin picking off the other jurors and potentially every single person on the side of law enforcement. Perhaps I’d need to issue a warning myself if Dan and his staff had gone AWOL.
Right now, I needed to concentrate on my guest and making her more comfortable.
Plus, I was altering my course in life.
Raven Intel.
I was also eager to hear more from Chase and the others.
Fuck the paperwork. I’d expedite a few plans. One thing that concerned me more than anything else was having Bella in the midst. She was the most vulnerable of all, but I knew Valentina would demand that she return to her house to collect a few things. That meant I needed someone I could trust without question to babysit. Someone who had the kind of qualifications that would help keep the child safe for a few hours.
Someone that wouldn’t alert Bella that there was any real issue.
Sighing, I sat down, leaning back and staring at the ceiling. The last thing I needed was to bring up old business, but I doubted Bella would do well with any burly older men who had no clue how to spend time with a child.
We were professionals. Right?
I made a quick call to the officer stationed at my house. Thankfully, there’d been no sightings of strange men and no issues with my lovely guest avoiding my rules. If I had to guess, I’d say she’d soon be going stir crazy. While I’d prefer to stay away from her apartment given Jones’ visit, that would only increase tensions. She was right. We both had to continue living our lives or the bastard would win. Unacceptable.
After drumming my fingers on my desk, I knew there were few options. So I dialed the number. Maybe I’d anticipated voicemail or maybe that’s what I’d hoped would happen. When she answered the phone, I stiffened.
Our last conversation had been one of anger.
After the courtroom drama.
After tears and shouts.
After our friendship had been terminated.
“Judge Armstrong. What can I do for you?Sir?” The contempt in her voice was overflowing.
“Camille. How have you been?”
Even her laugh was bitter. “The same. Long hours. Little sleep. Shitty food. Working with assholes. All in an attempt to catch the bad guys. But you wouldn’t know about that. Would you?”
Camille Morgan was one of the finest detectives in Miami. Her arrest record was stellar. She held the respect of men and women in the field alike, although her take no bullshit attitude had often clashed with all those she served with. Including her superiors. We went way back. At first, we’d been friends. Then everything had changed.
“Let’s just say I’ve grown as frustrated as you. Perhaps more.”
“Ah, the great judge can’t slam the door on crime any longer. Oh, wait. You never could.”
I was already weary of the hatred shared between us. That wasn’t fair. I didn’t hate her. There’d been a time not only had I considered her my best friend, but also someone I’d wanted to get closer to.
One night. One tragic event had changed everything.
“We could do this all afternoon, Camille, but I need your help.”
I’d caught her off guard. “What does the great Hudson Armstrong need?”
“You heard about Jacob Jones being released?”
Her sigh shoved aside some sarcasm. “Yes, I heard. I also learned a juror was murdered. Of course they refuse to point any fingers in the right direction. Bastards.”
“Any chance of pinning it on him?”
The bitter laugh returned. “Not my case, but from what I heard, none. Whoever handled the slaughter was very careful.”
“That’s what I was afraid of. The lone witness came to me for help.”
