“Dammit Ben! This asshole threatened to kill you!” Max yelled.
“No. He didn’t say those exact words. And keep your voice down,” Ben told Max. “You want Mama and Daddy to know about this? I didn’t think it was a big deal. I’m a public figure, and not just because of his case, but because of the reputation I’ve created. If something happens to me, he’s gonna be one of the first people they look at. Then, he’ll be on death row.”
“You’re giving him too much credit, Ben. Vega doesn’t give a damn who you’re related to or how well you’re known in the criminal arena. He’s a killer remember?” Max was pissed.
Ben couldn’t even be bothered by his brother’s reaction because his was the same. But he hadn’t seen his brother this angry in he couldn’t remember how long. He didn’t like upsetting his family, didn’t like doing anything to worry them.
“I just didn’t think any more about it. Until last night,” he said, wishing he didn’t have to tell them more about this, but knowing there was no way out of it now.
“What happened last night?” Trent asked.
“There was a note on my car. It said think again and it gave an address. I thought about Vega briefly before I went to bed, but then I let it go. He’s a pompous ass.”
“And he’s a killer,” Trent stated evenly. “You know he’s a killer and that’s why you declined to represent him again isn’t it?”
“I’m a defense attorney, Trent. It’s my job to represent criminals,” Ben said sure of his words, his job, his goals. What he wasn’t sure of was what would happen next.
“I’m heading down to the station to compare my note with the one Noah found at the crime scene. I need you to tell Mama something but not the truth. Just that I had to go take care of some business or whatever,” he said to Max.
“She’s gonna know something’s wrong,” Max argued.
“They’re all going to think something is wrong. Especially since I’m going to the station with you,” Trent said.
“That’s not necessary,” Ben told him. “I can handle going into the police station alone. I’ll call you guys later and let you know what happened.”
“You’ll go to the police station with me standing by your side. I’m not arguing with you Ben. I should be kicking your ass for not calling me last night with this information. But I’ll save that for later.”
“Trent, it’s not that big of a deal. It’s nothing for you to get involved in.” But Ben wasn’t sure of that. Ebony was dead. Vega’s vague threat had been serious. And Ben shouldn’t have thought otherwise.
“For you to have gone through all that schooling, you’re not all that smart. Go to your car. I’ll meet you in the driveway.” Trent had already turned to walk away so Ben couldn’t argue his case further.
Trent was and would always be a warrior. He craved a good fight and fought with the elite training of his kind. Ben, on the other hand, fought with his own training. He wasn’t a Navy SEAL, but he was no slouch either. He was in impeccable physical shape and had called boxing a serious hobby for at least ten years now. In his line of business he’d also thought it prudent to take lessons at the gun range and he was licensed to carry a concealed weapon. So he felt pretty confident that he could protect himself.
He simply wished he could’ve protected Ebony, too.
Chapter 4
Ben
Late Monday morning, Ben and Noah moved in silence up the walkway leading to the house on Portage Lake Court. The sun was blazing down on the rock-covered front yard, palm trees looking as if they were as parched as Ben felt.
When he and Noah had met last night they’d talked about what their next steps were. It was very likely that Vega was responsible for Ebony’s death. The two notes he’d left said he was aiming to intimidate Ben into representing him once more. Ben’s stance was the plan wasn’t going to work, nor was he going to cower in some safe house until Vega’s new trial had concluded. Their first step, however, was to talk to Ebony’s family. Ben felt like he at least owed them that much and Noah refused to let him go alone.
Noah knocked on the door squinting as he looked toward Ben who pushed his sunglasses up on his nose. “You should invest in some of these,” he told Noah.
Noah shook his head and gave a dry smile. “Not on my salary.”
Ben smiled in return. Noah was about his size and build with a light bronze complexion, completely shaved head and hazeleyes that women seemed to fall for. He was a good looking man with his head on straight, but he was still walking the bachelor path right alongside Ben.
An older woman answered the door. She couldn’t have been more than five-feet tall with her graying hair pulled into a messy bun. She wore a colorful housedress and ruby red lipstick that made her very light complexion look a little pasty.
“May I help you?” she asked in a voice that, to Ben, sounded tired.
Her eyes were red-rimmed and puffy from crying and Ben felt like a piece of crap for coming here during this time regardless of whether it was the right thing to do.
“My name is Benjamin Donovan. Ebony was my legal assistant,” he said to her.
She nodded her head, her eyes filling with tears. “Yes. Yes. She told us all about you. Come on in.”
