Leaning over, he purposely yanked the seatbelt across my waist. “And how talented in that?”
“Mmm… Enough to know you’re a very bad man hiding behind cowboy boots and a shit-eating grin.”
His laugh sent shivers down my spine. “Let’s get you home.”
“Okay.” Home. I was no longer certain where home was. While talking to my father on the phone, I’d had intense homesickness pangs, even though I hadn’t lived at my parents’ house in years. Maybe I just wished I could go back in time.
While my sister wasn’t lying on a cold, hard slab in a morgue, that didn’t mean she wouldn’t end up the same way as Janey.
When he hesitated, I could tell exactly what he was thinking.
“You’ll never be alone, baby. Just hold the faith for a little while longer. But you’re still the most disobedient woman I’ve ever met.” I knew he was trying to help push aside the anxiety. At least I was able to offer a smile as a reward for his attempt.
“That’s why you adore me. Right?”
“That’s why you need harsh discipline.” He glanced at the street and with the way he was bending over, I was able to see the handle of his weapon. Nothing about this was a game.
Very slowly, he moved around the back of the car, studying the area before climbing inside.
“What’s going on with Jackie? This is very personal for her.”
He waited until he’d started the engine before answering. “She was lured into a sex ring at Briana’s age. She was lucky to get out alive.”
“She told you that?”
“A long time ago.”
“That’s why she brought you the case, Kendrick. Because of just how much she believed in your honor and integrity. You can trust her. When something like that happens to you, it changes you forever. She chose to fight the oppression. You asked me to have faith in you so I’m asking you to have faith in her.”
His sigh was heavy. “Let’s hope you’re right. That doesn’t get you out of a spanking later.”
The yin and yang of the man would continue to amaze me, but he was perhaps the most honorable man I would ever meet.
CHAPTER 25
Kendrick
“Your visitors were active,” John said casually, although his tone was humorous.
“Meaning?” I glanced into the rearview mirror, ensuring we weren’t being followed.
“They walked around the house several times but finally gave up.”
I was grateful my police buddy had my back. “They noticed the cameras.”
“Maybe, but they had cameras of their own.”
“Taking pictures.”
“Yeah. Well, don’t worry. I decided to follow them.”
His comment put me immediately on edge. “Where?”
“It took me a little while to figure it out. A judge’s house.”
A judge. He rattled off the name and it honestly didn’t matter at this point. I’d been inside the judge’s courtroom and I had no doubt Hudson knew him as well. By all rights, the man was a decent human being as well as an honorable man. The cycle was coming full circle in that the Privileged would not only need experts in security and commerce, finance and transportation, but also a highly successful and corrupt group of men in law enforcement.
The scope of those involved was getting wider.
