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Brody’s cell rang from the table, and he moved from the grill to see who it was. All of us stared at him, and when he looked up, his attention was solely on me. He answered the call and grunted, “Agent Easton.” He listened to whoever it was and then said, “Two seconds,” down the line, and flicked his head toward the sliding doors of the kitchen.
I moved my legs from around Belle’s ankles and stood, followed by the rest of the guys on the team. Silence surrounded us because everyone around the table knew that for all of us to go inside, it was about a case, and right then, the only case we were all on, was Garza’s.
We moved into the lake house and through the kitchen, into the hall, and then entered Brody’s office. He waited until we were all inside with the door closed, then placed his cell on the table.
“You’re on speaker,” he told whoever was on the line. “I have my team with me.”
“Oh, okay.” A throat cleared, and then he said, “I’m calling to tell you the case is adjourned. The judge has listened to both sides and is making a decision.” He paused, and I stared at Brody. “The judge said he’ll hopefully have a decision by next Tuesday/Wednesday, but in the meantime, Eduardo Garza is still on bail.”
We all knew that was what would happen, but it didn’t make it any easier. While he was out on bail, it meant Belle was still at risk, and so was I.
“And how do you think the case went?” Brody asked.
“Obviously, I’m the prosecutor, so I think we won, but you can never be certain. It’s a bench decision, which means it could go either way.” We could all hear his deep breath over the line. “But I’ll be honest, the state has tried to bring charges against him numerous times, and he’s never actually been found guilty of them. He knows what he needs to do to get away with the crimes he commits, so you should keep that in mind going forward.”
I heard him loud and clear. Just because he thought the court case went well, didn’t mean he’d be found guilty. And the likelihood of Garza being sent down was slim, so we needed to start preparing for what would happen if he didn’t go down. And the first person who came to mind was Belle.
“Thanks, Scott.” Brody lifted his cell off his desk. “Keep me informed.” He ended the call and blew out a breath in frustration. We could only do so much, and the parts we could do were over. Now we had to wait and see if the judicial system would work and put the piece of shit behind bars.
“What we gonna do if he don’t get sent down?” Jord asked. It was a question we were all thinking.
“You’re gonna have to keep a low profile for a while,” Brody told me. “And Belle …she’s gonna have to move back home.”
Ky snorted. “Good luck making that happen.”
“She won’t have a goddamn choice,” Brody burst out and slammed his fist down on his desk. “I’m not leaving her out there for him to be able to get to. He’s already tried to break into her apartment once, and even that didn’t scare her enough to get her to leave.” I kept my lips sealed, not willing to tell him that it had scared her. I’d been there when she was terrified to go to sleep at night or do her shift at the shelter and coffee shop. It had affected her. She just hadn’t shown him that.
“Let’s just see what happens. We have until
next week, and in the meantime, we do what we’ve already been doing.” I paused and stared at each of them in turn. They could have an opinion all they wanted, but the fact of the matter was, it was me who had been undercover, and me who was watching over Belle. “We’ll go home on Friday morning, and I’ll take extra precautions until the verdict comes back.”
“No.” Brody crossed his arms over his chest. “You can come back home until the verdict is read. She’s safe with all of us around.”
I shrugged and stepped back. “I’ll let you be the one to tell her, then.”
Brody growled. “Fine.” He let his head drop back as he stared at the ceiling. “You all go back to the office tomorrow, keep an eye on Garza’s whereabouts, and we’ll stay here and act like nothing has happened.”
“Got it,” Jord said, and Ky and Ryan repeated his sentiments.
“And Belle?” I asked.
“I’ll tell her Friday morning.” He stepped around his desk. “But right now, we’re gonna act as if nothing has changed and go eat burgers.”
He walked between us and pulled his office door open, and everyone filed out after him, me being last. I shook my head and clenched my fists in frustration. He should have known by now that telling Belle she had to do something never went well.
I kept a few steps behind them all as they made their way back outside, and as soon as they were seated, I spotted Belle staring at me, biting down on her bottom lip. She opened her mouth to say something, but I shook my head. I couldn’t tell her what had happened, not when everyone was here with us. She’d find out soon enough, and I was sure she wouldn’t go down without a fight.
“So, Asher,” Ky said, distracting the table from the silence that had surrounded it. “I hear you have another tournament coming up.”
“Yep.” Asher reached for a burger as Brody placed them in the middle of the table, and I sat back in my seat, trying to keep my mask in place.
The temptation to walk around to Belle and tell her what was going on was too much. I wanted to tell her what had happened on the call. I wanted to confide in her about the court case and what her dad wanted her to do, but I couldn’t. I was part of a team, and that had to come first. Not just because it was my job, but because it was keeping her safe.
“You getting us tickets?” Ky asked as Brody sat at the head of the table. I caught Brody’s gaze and made sure he knew I wasn’t happy with what he’d done in his office. He hadn’t listened to me, he hadn’t been willing to hear me out, and I couldn’t stand it.
“If you want,” Asher said, then turned to Belle. “Are you gonna come?”
Belle blinked at him, her soft voice asking, “When is it?”
