It was a matter of time before they caught the judge with his hand in the cookie jar. He was trying to play in a world he didn’t understand. A guppy swimming with the sharks.
“You and I both know you didn’t use that money on college,” I snapped, letting my annoyance with him show. “You have one week to get me my money, Judge, or I will make it my personal mission in life to bring you down.”
“I can’t get a hundred and fifty thousand that fast.” He stood up and Donovan followed the movement, no longer leaning against the wall but ready to pounce on the piece of shit in front of me.
I shrugged. “I guess you should have been making your payments then. Not only would your debt be considerably lower by now, but we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”
“I need more time.”
I couldn’t help the smirk that crossed my face as sweat broke out on his head and he lost his cool, aristocratic demeanor.
“Time is something I’m not willing to give you anymore of, Judge. Get out of my office and get me my money in one week.”
Donovan came forward to get the corrupt fucker out of my office and out of my face.
“Wait.” He stopped when they were almost at the door. “I have a niece.”
I cocked a brow, wondering what the hell that had to do with anything. “And?” I asked when he didn’t continue.
“And she’s nineteen and beautiful. She’s also a virgin. What would that be worth to you?”
I cast a look at Donovan to make sure he was hearing what I was hearing. The rage on Donovan’s face was very clear that I’d heard the judge correctly.
“Let me get this straight. You are going to sell me your virgin niece?”
He huffed out a half laugh. “She’s my late wife’s sister’s daughter. We took her in after her parents died when she was a kid. She’s been a burden since, but she grew up nice. She’s a very tempting little morsel that I’ve had to resist for years.”
I squeezed my desk so tight behind my back that my knuckles felt like they were going to break. Donovan was having an equally violent reaction to his words.
“I don’t deal in flesh. The only women I deal with are strippers at my clubs, and they are all there voluntarily to make money.”
He nodded and scratched his jaw like he was planning something. “I’ll get you your money.”
#
“You know what he’sgoing to do, don’t you?” Donovan asked softly, fury laced in his voice, after coming back into my office. His face was just as angry and disgusted as when he had escorted the judge out.
“He’s going to sell her to Botello. His fucking niece!” I growled and banged my fist on my desk, rattling the pens and crystal decanter filled with brandy.
I didn’t know this girl. Hell, I didn’t even know he had a niece he’d been raising and lusting after for years—the sick fuck. She was just a kid, like Donovan and I had been all those years ago. Neither of us had parents that were worth a damn, so we’d made our own family when we were thrown into the system together. Michelsen’s niece was in a family that would sell her to save their own skin.
“What do you want to do?”
“He won’t risk talking about something like this on the phone, Donovan. Follow him. Confirm he’s linked to Botello. Get it on film.”
“And the girl?”
“We protect her. And we make sure the bastard goes down with the ship.”
