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ChapterTwenty-One
“You never cease to impress me, counselor,” Parker said as he and Angelo escorted Journey out of the courtroom. “First with the closing arguments earlier today, and now with the win. If I ever need a lawyer, I want you on my team.”
“Thanks,” she said, giving him a slight smile as they entered the busier-than-usual hallway. “It was a tough one, but justice prevailed. And hopefully, you’ll never need a lawyer, but if you do, I’ll be there.”
Despite being exhausted and operating on fumes, Journey was happy that she’d won the arson murder case. She and her team had worked on it for six months, and nothing about it had been easy. During the investigation, there were times when she didn’t think she could build a solid case. There had been twists, turns, and even a couple of setbacks. In the end, she managed to convince the jury that the defendant was responsible for the fire to the warehouse and the death of the homeless man found inside.
Journey strolled down the hallway with Parker and Angelo on either side of her. She might’ve given Laz a hard time when he originally insisted on details, but not anymore. Not after that phone call this afternoon that shook her to the soles of her feet. It was scary as hell knowing that someone was out there watching her and her family.
Still, she had second thoughts about pulling Laz and his team in on the case against Dennis Stratton, but this was a special circumstance. Tonight, instead of going home after work, she and Prentice would head over to Supreme Security. Hopefully, together, they all could get to the bottom of why someone was willing to kill to keep this case from going to trial.
“Do you need to stop anywhere before we take you to Supreme?” Angelo asked as they moved through the crowded hallway.
“Yeah, I’m not scheduled to be there until eight. I need to stop back at the office, and I want to go home to change clothes.” She could also use a drink to take the edge off an emotional day, but she kept that thought to herself.
Without missing a step, Angelo dug into the inside pocket of his suit jacket and pulled out his buzzing cell phone.
“Yeah,” he answered, then slowed and put his arm out for Journey and Parker to stop. “Will do.”
“What’s up?” Parker asked before Journey could get the words out.
“Myles said the media has the front of the courthouse in chaos, but he’s not sure why. He’ll meet us at the side entrance.”
They headed to the entrance that Journey often used. The moment Angelo pushed open the door, cameras flashed, and members of the media rushed toward them. Parker cursed under his breath as he and Angelo flanked her, moving in perfect precision to block anyone from getting close.
“ADA Dimas, is it true your husband, a former cop, was gunned down the other day?”
“How is your husband? Is it true he was a crooked cop?”
“Is it true your husband and daughter were almost killed the other day?”
Fear and anger warred inside of Journey with each question thrown at her. Laz had told her that Hamilton had been able to keep the information about the shooting out of the media. Apparently, they’d somehow gotten wind of it.
“Did the shooting have anything to do with one of your cases?” a reporter shouted.
“Is it true that city councilwoman Tamar Warner has been accepting bribes from Leverage Construction and possibly other companies?” another reporter asked.
Shock blasted through Journey, and her steps faltered.
How the….
“Keep moving,” Angelo whispered close to Journey’s ear.
He had a hand at the small of her back while shielding their faces from camera flashes. All Journey could think about was that either Prentice told someone about what they’d learned, or Marta talked to someone. Her guess was the latter. She trusted Prentice with her life, and he knew how important this case was to her.
“ADA Dimas, why do you have a security detail? Does it have anything to do with your husband being shot at?”
Journey was bombarded with questions, and anxiousness blasted through her in the midst of the chaos. Her mind reeled with each one, and if she had any doubts about meeting with Supreme Security, they were erased at that moment. They had to get to the bottom of whatever was going on.
“Myles is on the left,” Parker said only loud enough for her to hear.
Journey assumed Angelo saw him since he was already moving them in that direction. The small crowd followed close behind, still lobbing questions at her.
Shielding her with his body and pushing a cameraman back, Parker yanked open the back door to the SUV. “Get in, slide over, and put your head down.” Journey did as he said, and Parker was barely in the car next to her before Myles started driving. She didn’t lift her head, especially since someone was knocking on the back door window with questions.
Myles laid on the horn and kept inching forward.
“Dammit, get the hell out of the way!” Angelo yelled from the passenger seat. “Now, if we ran over one of them, they’d be claiming that we were the ones in the wrong,” he mumbled and put his cell phone to his ear.
