AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You have a complete recording? Where did you get it?”
The DA looked more concerned than surprised. Maybe giving him a heads up was the wrong call. Sean had discounted Liv’s observation that the man might be on the Cartel payroll, but now his instincts were telling him not to share.
“Anonymous tip off. Still need to authenticate that it is the right place and time, but you know I’ll have that locked down before trial.”
“Of course. Of course. Why don’t you give it to me? I’ll have our people look at it as well.”
It was tempting since he could get another copy from Liv, but something told him that it would be a bad idea.
“Sorry, only have the one copy. I’ll have my team send it over later today.”
Sean didn’t like the way the man clenched his fists. One of the court clerks rushed up and whispered something into Nachman’s ear. He took a deep breath. “I need to talk to the judge about another case. We’ll talk after court. If you have evidence on the Soto Cartel, we need to lock it down before they find out about it.”
Taking a deep breath, Sean relaxed. If this man was considering going against the Cartel, then maybe that explained his strange reaction. It was true that they would do anything and everything to stop evidence like that from being submitted to the court. Yes, things could get lost once in the system, but it was much harder and more expensive than taking out one lawyer with a USB. Until he had this on Echelon’s servers, it wouldn’t really be secure.
Sean didn’t plan to stick around for any conversation, but he nodded. How the fuck had a simple Bail hearing turned into such a clusterfuck?
Chapter4
Liv
Sitting in the far back of the courtroom waiting for Tepes to be done was an exercise in patience and her ability to stay awake after barely sleeping the previous night. How the hell did the people who worked here not drop off into random naps?
Ok, that was insensitive. It was probably very exciting if not nerve-wracking for the stream of defendants that flowed through the room. But after the fourth case, it started to feel more like a show stuck on repeat. Announce the defendant’s name and the crimes they say guilty or not guilty then get assigned a dollar amount, that seemed weirdly random, that you have to pay or stay in jail until the real trial. Next.
It was tempting to sneak out and head home to catch up on sleep. She wasn’t really obligated to follow the commands of a man she hadn’t seen in ten years. Hell, she’d done him a favor by giving him the video. And really, even if he did track her down, what would he do? Scowl at her?
Naughty thoughts aside, that would probably be all that he did. She didn’t think he would hurt her in any way. The memory of him trapping her against the wall made heat flush up her body. She’d read and dreamed about what a dominant man could and would do to her, but that had been the first time she had wished fantasies were real.
Not that a strong, sexy man like him would be interested in doing anything filthy or dirty with her, but the possibilities would probably fill her dreams for months. She sighed. All her wandering thoughts aside, she knew why she was still sitting here. She wanted to spend more time with Tepes. Find out what he was doing now and hopefully get his help in bringing Luis Soto to justice.
If you were going to dream, you might as well dream big. Liv snorted. That sounded dirty, even in her own mind.
Eventually, she saw Tepes join the area where the lawyers seemed to gather before being called up. Hopefully, his thing would go as fast as the others, and they could get out of here.
“Funny seeing you here, little Livy.”
Ice ran down her spine. The soft oily voice with a Spanish accent was all too familiar to her. Luis Soto, the man who haunted her nightmares. She kept her gaze forward, not wanting him to see the anger or fear that he evoked in her by being so close. She shrugged, not willing to speak.
Tepes moved to the defendant’s table with a man who was obviously his client next to him. She did her best not to look at them. If he knew she was here for this case and later found out about the recording, it wouldn’t take much to guess that she was the source.
“Why are you here, chica?” His hand came down on the back of her neck and it took everything in her not to jump away and make a scene.
“Don’t touch me.” She hissed low and tried to pull away.
His grip tightened, and she was forced to look at him. She’d never understood what her sister had seen in this man, even in the beginning when neither of them understood the evil that lurked behind his dark eyes. He wasn’t particularly handsome, with rounded features and narrow eyes. Where some men held lines that showed they smiled, his face was always set in an expression of disapproval or disgust.
He dressed nicely in expensive clothes, but that was his only appeal. Really, for her sister, it had probably been his main appeal. He drove expensive cars and wore a gold chain that probably cost more than most people’s rent. He was dangerous. Like a coiled snake ready to strike.
“I find it interesting that I get word that someone is trying to smear my good name, and I find you sitting here where you don’t belong. Have you been spreading rumors about me? That wouldn’t be healthy for you.”
The threat was delivered in an offhand tone, but it struck home. Had Tepes told someone she had given him the video? She was as good as dead if he had. Would he have been that stupid?
“I don’t know what you are talking about. I’m here because a friend got a DUI and needs a ride home after her hearing. Now please take your hands off me.”
Liv wasn’t sure DUI’s even came through this courtroom, but it was the only lie that came to mind. It didn’t really matter because she knew that any sense of a normal life that she had clung to for the last two years was over. If she didn’t manage to hide from Luis, he would make sure she joined her sister in death. She’d known it was a possibility, but until this moment she hadn’t cared as long as her sister got justice. Now facing the knowledge that her life could end very soon, she very much wanted to live.
“No. You are going to come quietly. We are going to talk. If I like what I hear, maybe you get to go home.”
