* * *
“Dove,”Lincoln’s arms squeeze around me, waking me up from our improvised bed in the lounge on the sofa. And I know it’s not morning yet, the sky is still too dark.
“No. Sleep.”
He chuckles, his hand brushing the hair off my face, but I bury against his chest more, refusing to move.
“Kris is trying to call you. He’s blowing up your phone.”
I hold my hand up, but refuse to budge. “This better be good, Kris,” I croak out.
“Prosecution wants to cut a deal. Is that good enough?”
“Does it include a formal and public apology, along with adequate sentencing for every person involved in Regalo?”
“No.”
“Has the government admitted they tried to start up a similar program to Regalo yet?”
“No.”
“Have they provided the name of the person who killed Ares?”
“No.”
“Have they admitted publicly they tried to abduct me?”
“No.”
“Have they stopped asking to test my blood?”
“No.”
“Tell them to jam it up their ass sideways, then.”
His bellowing laugh hurts my ears, and I press my head against Lincoln’s chest to escape the noise. I nearly fall back to sleep when Lincoln trails his fingers up and down my back, spoiling me with snuggles.
“What if I include the news that Judge O’Harrigan has been removed from public office.”
“Still no.”
“His assets have been frozen.”
“So have mine.”
“They took his passport.”
“Yeah, well that’s standard procedure.”
“And a task force has been established to review all cases he’s sat on.”
“Blah, blah, blah,” I say, rolling on top of Lincoln. My eyes are still closed, but he’s so warm. “What experts are they using to verify Regalo’s information?”
“We’re currently arguing if it’s admissible evidence. They’re pushing for access to the originals.”
“Of course they are. Why then did you wake me up, Kris?”
“O’Harrigan has been moved to Desert Rose Prison. The very place Regalo was held.”
