Hawk knew the game.
It just got under his skin when his men were forced to playit.
“Smithie, nor you, nor any member of your team, nor anyemployee of the club can detain a man, Hawk,” Lawson retorted.
“Yes we can as hired security for that club,” Hawk returned.
Lawson knew that to be true, so he let it go and switchedsubjects.“He reports his wallet was forcibly removed from his person.”
“I’m not surprised he’s offering false testimony, Mitch,considering what was found in his house,” Hawk clipped.“But at the time, whenwe shared our concerns, he shared he had nothing to hide, was happy for us toenter his house and do a search, something we did.He thought we were bluffing,didn’t understand the scope of our security remit with Smithie or thought thisright here would get what was in his house made inadmissible after what he’llclaim is an illegal search.Now he’s falsifying his story, deciding this willbe his defense when his shit got hot.”
Mo remained silent.
The shifting behind him ceased.
“But we got witnesses to the effect of our story,” Hawkcarried on.“And he’s got a basement fitted with soundproofing and other thingsI don’t need to describe since you saw it.He got agitated during the time hechose not to leave Smithie’s office, probably cottoning onto the fact weweren’t bluffing.He was cocky at first, and if you read his letters, you’llget why.He thought he was on his way, his confidence growing.”
They definitely knew that last.
“So wediddetain him,” Hawk went on.“Just notforcibly.But we were adamant about it once Jorge found what was in his houseand I called you.I made that order.So that’s on me.But Mo wasn’t around forany of that.So how about Mo comes down to make a statement when his womanisn’t upstairs,workin’ off a week’s worth of tensioncaused by the likes of this man having her in his sights and we move on fromhere.”
Mo wondered who’d called Hawk in.
His guess was Lucas.
But it also could have been Lawson.
He’d never know because he’d never ask, and it didn’t matteranyway.
It was just a game that needed to be played to put a sickman down.
“By the time we hit that club, Hawk, all the patrons weregone so we couldn’t question them.And none of the employees are reporting theincident where your man Axl forcibly locked down the suspect and took him up tothe office,” Lawson noted.
“That was because Axl and Jaylen asked him up to the officeand he came of his own free will,” Hawk replied.
“And again, he says otherwise,” Lucas pointed out.
“And again, with what Jorge told me was in his house, I’mnot surprised,” Hawk fired back.“Are you?You got him on intent.You got himon stalking.You got him on malice aforethought, times two.”He jerked his headtoward Mo, indicating the death threat.“And the Feds got him on using theUnited States postal service to deliver a threat.Three counts.You call in theFeds?”
“Yeah,” Lucas said.
“Now you’retellin’ me this guywho had that shit in his house isgonnaroll into acourt of law, whine about Smithie and my boys forcibly capturing and detaininghim when the man doesn’t have a mark on him, have pictures shown of thatbasement, his journals passed around to a jury, those letters read, and he’sgonnaget off?”Hawk asked.
Axl had a talent at that, a capture with no marks.
Downright skilled.
Mo did not smile.
But he wanted to.
“We’retellin’ you, if we don’thand everything to the DA with all of it tied up tight, he’sgonnafind a crack to slip through so maybe you can backoff and let us do our job,” Lawson replied.
“And I’ll repeat, I’m good to go down to the station, but Itold you what I saw, where I saw it, what I did, what I reported to Hawk, whichby the way, turned out to be correct, and that I wason Lottie,” Mobutted in.
“And Lottie…?”Lucas pressed.
“Was in the dressing room, then in my truck, then in bedasleep and she doesn’t know dick,” Mo told him.“The only letter she saw wasthe first, everyone’s call considering the escalation of menacing language.”
