by Jayne Blue
“In fact, that was the other thing I was going to talk to you about this morning. Maybe it’s a good idea if the Marshals Service sends someone else to take over for you. You know, in light of everything.”
“You’re scared.”
“I just … be reasonable. We’re too close to each other. You told me that couldn’t happen. I see why now. You have to remain objective. I need someone who’s objective. I know there are rules against getting involved with … well, me. Rules are there for a reason.”
“Indeed they are.”
Jillian nodded. She turned and shoved the coffee pot under the faucet and turned on the water full blast.
“It’s settled then. I appreciate everything you’ve done for me.”
If I were a smarter man, I would have taken the out she’d just given me and not let the door hit me in the ass on the way. I couldn’t though. Not with her. I took two strides forward. Jillian turned at the last second and put the full coffee pot between us. Water sloshed over the both of us.
“I told you,” I said, nipping at her but not kissing her. Jillian’s eyes flashed with lust and a flare of heat ran through me. I could have taken her then and there. God, I wanted to. I wanted to throw her over my shoulder again and haul her back to bed. “I’m coming back tonight. We’ll talk. Or … whatever.”
She blinked hard and clutched the coffee pot in a death grip. “You’ll find I’m a man of my word, Jillian.” Then I did kiss her, hard and deep. Her lips were hard at first, then she yielded, sinking into me with a moan.
I left her then. The new deputies were waiting for me at the door. Jillian stayed at the kitchen sink, clutching her coffee pot, when I finally turned and walked away.
Chapter Fourteen
Jillian
The Marshals Service decided I needed two officers stationed with me at all times from here on out. I felt Huck’s absence as a palpable loss. In the weeks since he’d been at my side, I’d grown to count on him in ways I knew were dangerous. Last night brought that sharply into focus. When I closed my eyes, I saw flashes of what we’d done together. Huck’s hands as he skillfully brought me to climax time and again. I felt the heat of his breath against the back of my neck as he turned me and entered me again and again from behind. Warmth flooded through me and my breath hitched. I snapped my eyes open and pressed my back hard against the car seat, straightening.
“When we get there, ma’am, make sure you keep pace between us.” Deputy Marshal Sally Moore was in charge of my detail now. Her partner, Marcus Drake, pulled up to the valet entrance. He waved to the attendants and flashed his badge. They pointed us toward the VIP lot.
My heart skipped. Since the bomb blast yesterday, I’d wanted nothing more than to sit at Rhonda and Gemma’s sides. Now that we were here, my throat went dry. Guilt seeped through me. Huck could say all he wanted, but those women wouldn’t have been hurt if they hadn’t been working for me. It didn’t matter whether I was the target or not. Though a cold sense deep in my heart told me I was. It was too much of a coincidence. I knew Huck’s line of thought. The white powder letter was pulled off by someone who knew how to get inside the courthouse mailroom. Yesterday’s bomb went off in the direct path of our evacuation route. Only someone fluent in courthouse security procedures would know that.
I followed Drake and Moore to the orthopedics floor. Gemma had already been released with some stitches along her cheek and a mild concussion. I’d spoken to her on the phone and her spirits were good. Her boyfriend was with her and she made me swear not to worry about her.
Then there was Rhonda. Her man Howie stood at her bedside and leaned in to kiss her on the forehead as we approached. Howie looked huge and strong next to Rhonda. He squared his shoulders and turned to face me as Rhonda’s face lit up. Her right leg hung in traction and was wrapped in a soft cast. She’d have a second surgery later in the week.
“Hey, Your Honor,” Howie said. He had a smooth, velvety voice. He did play-by-plays for one of the local radio stations when his former team, the Lions, took the field. I leaned in and gave him a quick hug. “She’s pretty much out of it. They’ve got her on the hard stuff for the pain. But she’s been asking about you all night. Man, I’m glad to see you’re all right, Judge. The news was just awful.”
“Hey, Howie.” He had me in a bear hug that made even my marshals look like they were about to step in. Howie stood back and pulled up a chair for me alongside Rhonda’s bed. Her eyes went in and out of focus but she gave me a big smile that warmed my heart.
“I hear you’re drunk,” I said, squeezing her hand.
“Awe, yeah. I’m feeling no pain right about now. But it’s so good to see you.”
“You too, Rhonda. I’m so sorry.”
She tried to lean up and Howie was right there, helping to fluff the pillows behind her back. Rhonda winced a bit from the effort and it tore at my heart. She was lucky to be alive. We both were. I knew that. But her injury was significant. She may never walk without a limp again. No one would say it, but I knew there was a chance she’d never work in my courtroom again. I hoped to God she’d want to. I couldn’t imagine going into that building every day without seeing her smiling face and having her constant, unwavering support.
“Don’t you worry about a thing, Judge,” she said. God, even now, Rhonda’s first thought was about my well-being. I didn’t deserve her and I damn well told her so.
“Just focus on getting better. You’re stuck with me one way or the other, Rhonda. That’s a promise.”
“Oh, she’ll hold you to that, all right.” Howie answered for her. Rhonda was starting to fade on me. He hadn’t been kidding about the potency of her pain meds.
“I’ll let her sleep,” I said, pulling away from the bed and standing. “In the meantime, if she needs anything, and I mean anything, you let me know. You hear me, Howie? Day or night. I’m not as big a deal as the president or anything, but I do know people. This woman is gold. I’ll make sure she’s treated that way.”
Howie’s eyes got a little misty and I leaned in to hug him again. “You take care of you,” he said. “Rhonda’s too stubborn to be kept down for long. And I’m looking forward to having her at home for a while all to myself. I’m going to baby her so well she’s going to be good and fat by the time you see her again.”
“I’d like to see you try. You and I both know that woman is going to want to be up running a damn 5k before the year is out. Knowing her she might just succeed.”
Howie and I laughed together and he squeezed me one last time. As I left Rhonda’s room, my heart felt so much lighter and my head clearer. I hadn’t realized how deeply worried I’d been. Just seeing her worked on me like a miracle drug. I felt like I could take on the world.
“We need to get you back home,” Sally said. “There’s an investigator coming from the FBI right after lunch. They’ll want to take your statement about the bombing yesterday.”
My heart tripped. Of course they’d need to talk to me. I just wasn’t sure I was ready to relive any of it so soon. But the fresher my memory was the better. Although I wasn’t looking forward to it, it would be good to get it over with.
As we walked back down to the car, I checked my phone. I had two messages from an unidentified number. One went to voice mail. As I scrolled through, my heart sank a little that none of the missed calls were from Huck. They wouldn’t be though. He was probably knee-deep in his own debriefings. He’d promised he’d come back to the house tonight so we could talk. I honest to God wasn’t sure how I felt about that.
A strong part of me wanted to get a message to him not to come. I could make a clean break for both of us. If he were assigned to the investigation and away from me, everything would simplify. But the idea of not seeing him every day left a hollow space in me that startled me almost as much as everything else that had happened. I’d grown to need him. That just couldn’t happen. I couldn’t allow it.
Sally’s eyes flicked to mine as she checked her rearview mirro
r. If the deputies outside my house suspected anything amiss last night, they kept their poker faces in place. I did what I always do. I made my face a mask and straightened my back. I clicked on my voice mail and brought the phone to my ear. Sally smiled back at me through the mirror.
“Jilly, I hope everything is all right. Please don’t be angry with me for trying to reach out to you again. I’m worried about you. I saw what’s been happening at the courthouse. It’s crazy. I’m coming to town again tomorrow. Please call me back. I want to see you.”
I clicked the end button and dropped the phone on the seat next to me. Ross. He would have to pick today of all days to try and worm his way back into my life again. I truly thought Huck scared him off enough last month for good. I looked at my phone again. His number hadn’t come up. How had he gotten mine? I was fairly certain the only people who had my personal cell were a few members of the court staff, some friends back in Petoskey and the President of the United States. Everyone else reached me through the court. My first thought was to bring it up with Huck but I stopped myself. I wasn’t Huck’s job anymore if that’s what he decided.
I stared out the window and tried to distract myself with the long list of things I could try to do from home. It didn’t look like the courthouse would be open again for at least a week. The ripple effect on my and everyone else’s docket would be fierce. Well, I could use the time to catch up on some cases and research. I wondered if I could hold an offsite office meeting with a few of my law clerks at least. I would have to ask Sally if we could work that out.
She pulled into my driveway. Sally exited and stood by my car door while Marcus went up to the house to check in with the two deputies stationed outside my door. Part of Huck’s orders upon leaving were to beef up security at the house even more. Now, even when I wasn’t at home, he wanted men watching the place.
Marcus went in with one of the other marshals and did their check of the interior before Sally would even let me out of the car. It was specially equipped with bullet proof glass. Now I wasn’t even allowed to step outside in front of my own house for more than a few seconds. Once Marcus gave her the all clear, she’d open the door for me and I’d be allowed out.
I had one demand that so far, they permitted. Once I was inside, the house was mine alone again. The Marshals Service would now have a command central in a specially outfitted van across the street. I can’t help that part of me knew I’d miss the company of having someone in the house even though I was the one who asked if it was possible. Little by little, I wanted to get my life back to the way it was before all of this started.
“You’re good to go, Your Honor,” Sally said, smiling as she opened the car door.
I thanked her and sprinted up to my front door. Marcus held it open for me. He relayed a message to the deputies in the van through an earpiece he wore.
The minute I shut the door behind me, I felt bone weary. It had been a long, stressful day and this was the first time I’d been alone in weeks. I wasn’t truly alone in any event. There were two agents standing at my front and back doors and the team still across the street. God, I wanted to talk to Huck. I wanted to talk to someone who could tell me when this nightmare would stop.
I slipped off my heels and headed into the kitchen. One of the marshals had left a pile of mail for me on the table. Some of it was personal, the rest had been sent from the courthouse by courier. I sank down onto one of the kitchen chairs and started opening it. Most of it was junk. I opened a few bills, and my formal invitation to a PAC fundraiser at a luxury resort in Virginia called The Maples in a few days. The president was going to be there and before all of these threats grew serious, I had every intention of attending. Now I wasn’t sure what I’d be allowed to do.
The last piece of mail was a thick manila envelope. I shook my head and sighed as I slid my fingers beneath the flap. It felt like another prisoner letter. They were always thick like this, handwritten on multiple pages. It had probably gotten through since Gemma wouldn’t have been there to filter through it. I had to make sure and give her another call before going to bed tonight.
A stack of 4 X 6 color photographs spilled out of the envelope. They landed face down on the floor. One of them had a purple Post-It note sticking to it so I leaned down and grabbed that one first. When I flipped it over, another kind of bomb went off in my life. This one left me sweating and unable to breathe.
Chapter Fifteen
Huck
Terry stood hunched over with his hands on his hips. FBI would take the lead on the task force and Terry absolutely hated taking orders by committee. Half the time I wondered why he took the supervisor job. I knew his wife, Marie, probably goaded him into it and she was probably right. He was too old for chasing fugitives. But the minute he took that desk job, some of the life went out of him. Sure, it was better for his ulcer … sometimes. He got to spend more time at home, but the man was a straight-up adrenaline junkie just like the rest of us. Any chance he could find to get out from behind that desk, he took. He was bouncing on the balls of his feet now, eager to quit talking and start doing.
After I’d given my statement, we finally broke and Terry called me into his office. He’d heard everything I had to say to the FBI, now he wanted to grill me his way.
“Gut feeling, huh?” he said. “A hell of a thing. God, I wish I could have been there.”
I raised a brow. “Well, that’s a unique take, Terry. I’m glad you weren’t. Marie would have come after me with one of your twelve gauges.”
Terry couldn’t sit. He paced back and forth. “You said your friend Ben Killian had just left the building. Did you track him down? He have anything to add?”
I took a seat on the edge of Terry’s desk. As keyed up as Terry was, I was feeling it too. He hadn’t come to the point of the other reason he called me up here. No one had explicitly offered me an investigative role, but I knew it was coming.
“I talked to him this morning. He already gave his statement. He was a few blocks away when the car bomb went off heading for the Washtenaw County Trial Court. He ran back and helped the first responders but it doesn’t sound like he saw anything helpful.”
“Man, we’re lucky nobody died. That girl, the burn victim, they say she’s going to be okay too. Her injuries weren’t as bad as they feared.”
“That’s good. That’s real good.”
Terry scratched his chin and stopped pacing. “Tell me what you’re thinking. I know what they’re trying to rule out there. I wanna hear what your gut is telling you. So far, you’ve been spot on. Judge Key owes you her life.”
“That’s what you’re paying me for, Terry.” My answer came out a little sharper than I meant. Terry gave me a slight eye raise, but nothing else.
“You think this was aimed at her or something more political?”
I picked at a piece of lint on my shirt. “I’m not a counter-terrorism expert. That’s why it’s good there was inter-agency cooperation on this from the get-go. But just before it happened, I don’t know. That gut feeling you’re talking about. Whoever’s after Jillian knew enough to get court administration letterhead for that white powder stunt. And that car was parked directly in the path of where all those judges were about to walk by. It went off right when Rhonda Powell walked by it. People in that courthouse know who she’s assigned to. And from a distance, well, Gemma’s a blonde. She was wearing a dark suit. So was Jillian.”
“You think the trigger man mistook her for Judge Key?”
My gut twisted, voicing my fears again. I’d told the task force the same thing. We decided telling Jillian or her staff right now wouldn’t serve the investigation. But yeah, I was more worried than ever about what could have happened if I hadn’t been there.
“I think we can’t rule that out. The forensics guys are sure it was a remote detonation?”
Terry nodded. “One hundred percent. Cell phone probably. So, assuming the trigger man had eyes on that crowd, I tend to think how you’re thinking
. I know I don’t have to remind you how important it is to keep these theories under wraps.”
“Above my pay grade,” I said. “I don’t talk to anyone.”
“Good. Now let’s see about getting Judge Key’s detail reassigned. You like Sally Moore? She’ll be good.”
My heart lurched. Words flew out of my mouth before I really had a chance to think about it. “Yes, Sally’s top notch from what I hear. When Rhonda Powell is feeling a little better I want to pick her brain. In the meantime, I’m not sure I’m ready to leave Judge Key’s side.”
Terry snapped his jaw shut and turned to face me. He leaned forward and cocked his head to the side. “Well, shit, Raymond.”
“I just mean, I think a smoother transition is in her best interests from a security standpoint.”
“You fucking her?”
Terry’s blunt question hit me right between the eyes. I should have seen it coming and kept my damn mouth shut. I came into the office with every intention of taking the task force assignment. But the second it came down to it, I wasn’t ready to leave her. I could stand there and tell myself it was because of the very real threat still out there. That was part of it, but Terry and I both knew I didn’t belong in judicial security. Hell, if it weren’t for the Marvin Wayne shooting, I never would have set foot in Ann Arbor. Fuck. I’d outed myself with a single careless sentence.
“Terry …”
He put up a hand. “Don’t answer that. Shit, Huck. Shit. I don’t want to know.”
“She’s the target. You asked me for my gut about yesterday. I gave the task force the facts. You and I both know how this is going to go. Nobody wants to jump to any conclusions and that’s the right way to look at this from an investigative standpoint. But, Terry, I know. I can feel it. Just like I knew something didn’t smell right yesterday. That bomb went off too close to Gemma and Rhonda. Too close to Jillian. This shit is escalating.”