Amusement grabbed me, and I laughed. That was just funny.
“Maybe it’s the laugh.” Nick grinned. “You have a great one.”
Okay. “Well—”
“You also have the cute girl-next-door thing going on.”
All righty. I didn’t need any more scrutiny from Nick. Plus, no woman wanted to look like somebody’s little sister. We all wanted, at least at my age, to be a bombshell. A dangerous one. “I have no intention of dating anybody in this business. No cops, no lawyers, no judges.”
“Just criminals, huh?” Nick asked, his eyes gleaming.
“Low blow, Basanelli,” I returned, even though it was a great hit. Yeah, I wanted to help out Aiden, and he’d been spectacular in bed. Right now, my only interest in him should be solving my case and putting bad guys in jail. If there was a way to help him turn his life around in the process, I’d take it for old time’s sake, since I really did owe him. Maybe I should forget all of these hot men and just get a cat. “I’m not dating criminals, either.” It wasn’t really a lie. I hadn’t been on a date with Aiden.
“You’ve just listed everyone you’re likely to come across in the next five years,” Nick said.
It was so crappy of him to point that out. “Maybe I’ll join one of those dating apps.” Why was I talking out loud? If all else fails, deflect. “What about you? Don’t you need a silent, pretty, and supportive spouse for your run for office? One who smiles dutifully when you open your mouth, just to hear the brilliance?”
He blanched. “Ouch. You’re cranky in the morning.”
“You started it,” I said, sounding like any kid on the playground.
He snorted. “Yeah, yeah I did. I’ll know better next time.” His smile warmed.
I didn’t have the energy to deal with Basanelli in a charming mood, and he was swiftly heading that way. “Don’t you have to be in court?”
“Yep. I’m going. Also, keep in mind that Detective Pierce is at least a decade and a half older than you. Like I said, he’s way too old for you,” Nick said.
I sighed. Enough about my dating life. “Get going. I’ll study the murder board and then head up to the office.”
“Take a couple of minutes to look at these.” Nick gave a short shake of his head that somehow looked regretful and then pulled out a dark brown file folder from the bottom of the stack. “The DEA finally gave up the rest of Aiden Devlin’s rap sheet, and it’s interesting information.” He glanced down at his watch. “I’ll leave you to your reading.” Giving me an awkward pat on the shoulder, he strode from the room, looking like an upcoming senator in his black suit with black tie.
My gaze glued to the case file. Swallowing, I pulled out a chair and sat. My hand shook as I flipped open the file to see a mugshot of Aiden taken at least ten years ago. One of several mugshots.
I slid the coffee away and read quickly. Through the years, Aiden had been arrested for armed robbery, grand theft auto, drug dealing, and distribution. There were numerous assault charges along with a couple of pretty violent looking batteries, and he’d managed to avoid serious prison time more than once.
That was nothing compared to being a person of interest in several drug-related homicides as an Enforcer for the Diablos—of which he had been three times before being patched over into the Lordes.
I’d slept with him the night before.
I flipped over the last page to a picture of Aiden in his cut, his jaw covered with a beard, his eyes hard and unrecognizable. My stomach cramped. His face swam, and I realized my eyes had filled. I angrily blinked tears away.
Was it too late to save him? More importantly, what had I done?
Chapter 28
Igrabbed case files from my office on the way to misdemeanor court, once again not having had time to look them over before arriving. Once there, I met a cute and even greener deputy public defender named Clark Bunne, who had to be around twenty-five and fidgeted nervously. His skin was a warm beige and his head bald, and he had that earnest look that juries would love once he got the hang of the courtroom. Even his smile was sweet. He was the exact opposite of the men I’d been dealing with lately, and I warmed to him immediately, even though we were on opposite sides.
A uniformed officer sat at the back of the courtroom, and I felt a bit better having him there, even though I didn’t know which hearing he was attending.
My mouth almost dropped open when Judge Hallenback swept into the courtroom wearing his judge’s robe, red cowboy boots, and that stupid hat with the tassels. He was sucking a purple popsicle. He nodded at me. “Alberto. Good to see you again.”
“Um, thanks Judge.” I quickly introduced Clark and tried to appear normal.
The judge sighed. “Everyone is getting ready for the funeral, so I said I’d cover these hearings. Haven’t been to misdemeanor court in years. Years and years. Smells funny in here.” He glanced down at his case files. “Let’s do this.” Then he started humming ‘Can’t Touch This’ loudly.
I coughed and read my files, motioning for Clark to do the same. Most of my cases involved either pot or meth, and I guess the news stories about the current drug epidemic were true. We pled most of them out with only two going to trial, and Clark was a quick learner, even though the judge went from talking about the law toI Love Lucy.
Finally, Clark was finished with his files, and he fled the courtroom with an apologetic smile. People had already filtered in for the next hour of civil hearings, which I wasn’t involved in. I only had one case file left when the judge called for Charles Monroe to come up.
