Page 23 of Dirty Judge

Nothing.

After getting past midnight, I was beginning to wonder if a ghost had done it.

But then a black hoodie appeared.

I hit pause and zoomed in before rewinding a bit further and hitting play.

A crowbar connected with my glass.

Then the criminal looked up.

Wind blew a few strands of dark hair from beneath the hood, revealing familiar hazel eyes and a mouth I'd spent far too much time noticing in court.

Olivia?

I hit pause, staring in utter fucking disbelief.

There’s no way this woman has the audacity to try me…

There was also no way this was the same woman whose work I'd been reading—or the same woman I'd nearly considered giving a break.

But as I leaned in closer, the truth became clearer.

It was definitely her.

Half pissed, half aroused, I let it play.

“Take that, motherfucker!” She swung her weapon like a madwoman, her chest heaving up and down with every swing.

When she was finished with her damage, she unknowingly pointed her finger right at my camera.

“Be grateful formyleniency, asshole…”

Her face paled, as if she just realized what she’d done, and she turned around and ran away.

I took a deep breath and watched the sequence one more time before calling my building’s security.

“This is Bryan,” he answered on the first ring. “How may I assist you?”

“It’s me, Bryan.”

“I was just about to call you, sir,” he said. “The police were able to access some nearby cameras, but they’re all grainy. Have you accessed the ones on your car yet?”

“No, actually…” I glanced at the freeze frame. “My system glitched as well, and the footage is all blank.”

“Are you sure?” he asked. “Those cameras are typically military-grade.”

“One hundred percent, sure,” I said. “They didn’t catch anything.”

He sighed. “Sorry, sir. Well, no matter what, we’ll handle it.”

No, I will.“Thank you.”

I ended the call and scrolled down to the officer who personally handled all my vehicle requests.

“Yes, Judge Ashton?” he answered on the first ring.

“Have you started your appointments for the day?”