I winced. We had tried to hurry it along.
The judge pounced on his keyboard. “I can’t write it for you, but you can dictate. And then you sign it and so will I.” His eyes got a faraway look. “I’d like to end a major drug operation while I still, you know, can.” He started typing. “It’d be a nice way to go out.”
Nick paused by the door. “Anna? Maybe you should come with me?”
“Oh.” The judge’s face fell. “Well, okay.” He looked around the large and very quiet room. “You can redo the affidavit at your office and then come back. I have some good floral tea from Hawaii.” He glanced down at his grass skirt as if surprised.
I faltered. We had tried to take advantage of him. “We’re under a bit of a time crunch.” The lab might lead us to the one shipment that had been let loose. Who knew how big it was? “The Judge and I will fix this affidavit while you get the deal and information from the bunny. You should only be an hour or so, Nick.” Maybe I could talk the judge into getting some help.
Nick shook his head. “No. Devlin and that Spider are still out there.”
I snorted. “Come on. Nobody followed us down this private, one-way street.” I cocked my head and mouthed to him, ‘I’m armed.’ My gun was right back where it should be at my waist and beneath my jacket.
Nick’s eyebrows lifted. “Well, all right then.”
The judge danced toward Nick and the door. “If it makes you feel better, I’ll engage the alarm.” He pointed to what looked like a brand-new faceplate with numbers and pretty colors.
Nick nodded. “I’d appreciate that. I’ll be back quickly.” He opened the door and walked onto the porch, heading into the storm.
The judge shut and locked the door before engaging the alarm. He turned around and smiled through his dentures. “I’ll get us some tea before we work on the affidavit.” Humming, he walked out of sight and down a long hallway. “It has been a while since I worked on an affidavit other than signing one,” he called out. “This might even be fun.”
It seemed like the guy was really lonely. Maybe I should introduce Thelma to him. Or Georgiana. I looked around the impressive office. His diplomas, bar certificates, and judgeship certificates had been framed and hung in free areas on the walls. Law books squeezed out more law books, all looking well read.
I moved for a table by the corner that held more books along with a few framed pictures. The first was of the judge holding his diploma with a couple of older people smiling behind him. His hair had been dark brown, and he’d looked young and energetic. The next picture was of him with a very pretty blonde woman, captured probably in the early seventies, if the clothes were to be taken seriously.
A framed photo of four boys at the lake caught my eye. I pulled it out, looking them over. The judge had to have been around ten years old with scrawny arms and wild hair. He had his arm around a kid who looked like him. I brought it closer. It was Sal. His brother.
I grinned. They’d been all knees and elbows.
The kid on the far right caught my attention. He looked familiar. Hey. “Scot,” I murmured. I’d seen pictures of him from summer camp in his office just a month before. The blood roared through my ears, pounding between my temples as I studied the fourth kid.
That nose was unmistakable. It was Melvin Whitaker.
I dropped the frame and turned to see Judge Hallenback at the doorway with a gun pointed at me. He’d changed into black pants beneath his Hawaiian shirt. His hold was imposingly steady on the weapon. He cleared his throat. “So. I’m not really crazy.”
Chapter 41
I backed away until my butt hit his desk. “Judge.” Wait a minute. The wind howled outside, and I shivered. “You knew each other as kids.” Then it hit me. Right between the eyes. I slapped my forehead. “The car dealership. Those odd cities circled on the map are car auction cities.”
He nodded. “I thought you were smart from the first time you stepped into my courtroom.”
Once. I’d only been in his courtroom once. “I thought you were nuts.”
He lifted a shoulder. “Yeah, that was the plan. Just in case.”
“Okay.” Why was it so hot in there? Sweat rolled down my back and pooled near my gun. “Melvin manufactures Beast, Scot was supposed to keep the law off you guys, Hallenback’s Used Cars distributes the drug with cars at auctions, and the Lorde’s do what? Deal?”
“They helped finance and have the connections to the dealers in various cities once we get the drugs there.” The judge shrugged. “It’s a good drug. Pain killer. Opioid made at home from yeast. Melvin has always been a genius and they were just taking advantage of him at that seed company. He was meant to do great things.”
“Like start a new drug epidemic?” I tried to look scared, which wasn’t hard because my knees were trembling.
“Yeah, well, nobody is perfect.” The judge flashed his dentures again. “Melvin was a moron for bringing samples of pot home with him, and his even dumber nephew tried to deal that. Jackass.”
“Did you kill them?” I whispered.
“No. I’m not a killer.” He glanced down at the semi-automatic in his hand. “At least, I haven’t been. Do what I say, and I won’t have to kill you.”
My stomach rolled over.
He reached for a phone on the table and dialed. “Hey. Guess who I have?” He leaned away from the phone. “We have men out looking for you, and you came right to me. Spider thought we’d have to take you from the cops, and he was geared up to do it.”
“Most of Spider’s gang is in custody,” I retorted.
“Not all,” the judge said, returning to his phone call. “All right. I’ll bring her.” Then he clicked off and widened his stance. “Take the gun out of your waist with two fingers and set it on the desk. I’ll shoot you in the arm if I have to, and believe me when I say that I’m a crack shot.”
I did believe him. He had the trophies in the corner to prove it. I gingerly removed my gun and put it on the desk, keeping him in my sights.
“Good. Now walk this way.” He motioned with the gun. “Don’t try anything.”
Like what? I moved for him, waiting for an opening. He motioned me ahead of him down the hallway and through the fifties-styles kitchen to a garage, where he had me flip on the light. An older Chrysler waited.
“How can you be all right with Spider having killed Scot?” I asked. “You and Scot go way back.”
The judge sighed. “I know, but Scot had second thoughts, and he was going to turn us in.”
I looked at the car. Okay. He couldn’t drive and keep that gun on me the whole time. If he made me drive, I’d smash into the nearest building when we got close to town.
He reached for a set of keys on a hook and pushed a button. The trunk opened.
“No way.” I started to back away, and he lifted the gun barrel to the center of my forehead.
“Get in the car,” he said. “We want you alive, so you should probably cooperate. I’d hate to kill you. I really would.”
The car was older and didn’t have the safety features of new cars. I wouldn’t be able to kick out the lights. My legs wobbling, I moved for the trunk. He shoved me hard in the back, and I fell inside, scrambling for purchase. The lid came crashing down, and I screamed, rolling into a ball to keep from getting hit with it. The sound echoed all around, and darkness surrounded me.
I kicked and punched the sides, trying to knock out the lights. Nothing. The old car was solid. And quiet. I lost track of the time as I lay in the dark, trying to hit different points to get free. Even punching what was probably the back seat didn’t help. Where was the judge?
Finally, the car roared to life. I froze. Completely.
Then we were driving.
I lost count of how many bumps the judge hit driving, finally curling into a ball to keep from bouncing off the trunk’s lid and sides. He truly sucked as a driver. The car smelled like old golf socks. I tried to pay attention to twists and turns and pauses, but my ears rang
, and my entire body hurt. Where had he been while I’d been locked in the trunk?
And where were we going?
It didn’t make sense that he wanted me alive. No way would the DEA give him the drugs from the lab in exchange for me. He had to know that. So why?
Finally, he slowed, and the sound of the rain increased in pitch. He drove up something, and then…silence.
I could do this. It might be my only chance. I rolled to my knees to charge when he opened the trunk. Heavy footsteps sounded, and then the trunk opened. Light flashed into my eyes, and I shut them, attacking with fists and fingernails. I hit him beneath the jaw, and we went down.
My elbow smacked concrete, and I cried out, trying to scissor my legs around his waist.
“Damn it.” Fingers leeched into my hair and dragged me off him. “Quit it.” Spider yanked me to my feet.
I kicked his knee hard and punched for his soft gut, impacting surprising muscles.
“Stop.” He twisted and backhanded me so hard I fell to the ground. Pain exploded in my cheekbone. My good one. I leaped up, and the cocking of a gun stopped me. I turned, panting, to see Sal Hallenback in a greasy T-shirt and overalls holding a silver pistol pointed at me.
Spider grunted and half-bent over, catching his breath.
I swiveled, my hair still a wild and wet mess. We were in a well-lit empty metal shop with a couple of cars parked at the far side. One of several garage doors was open to a lot containing a few scattered wrecked vehicles. “Where are we?” I huffed.
“Storage garage outside of town,” the judge said, slamming the trunk door closed. “We keep some of the wrecked vehicles here for parts if we need them.”
Great. There was nobody near to hear me scream. He didn’t need to say it.
Spider straightened, murder in his eyes. “I get ten minutes with this bitch before we end her.”
“Original,” I muttered. What a moron. “You’d better hope he doesn’t drop that gun,” I threatened. Boy, would I love five minutes and a chance to kick his balls through his temples. Adrenaline left a bitter taste in my mouth while fear heightened my senses.
Spider shoved me, and I fell against the car, my ribs smashing into the trunk. Agony slashed deep inside me. I gasped and slid to the ground, my eyes wide.
“Stay down there,” he hissed.
I sat, putting my back to the car and hugging my knees to my chest. Everything hurt. There wasn’t a good option between Sal with the gun, Spider with the fists, and the judge with the sharp eyes. But he was my best bet. My only option. “Judge? You know the lab is blanketed by cops. The techs there, the workers there, the drugs there…are all out of your reach.” It hurt to breathe. “Melvin Whitaker is probably giving up all three of you right this second.”
“No. He won’t give me up.” The judge stood right inside the garage and out of the rain, which splashed across his boots. “I’m his best chance of getting out of the system.”
Only if he didn’t get caught with me. I felt the heat slide out of my face. Panic tried to grab me, and I dug deep. There had to be a way to reach him with the law. “You kidnapped me. If I’m dead, you’ll be charged with murder. This is bad enough.”
“I wrecked my place but good. Looks like we gave up quite the fight.” The judge’s chin lifted, and he looked almost regal.
It would appear like we both had been kidnapped.
I wiped blood off my cheek that I hadn’t realized was there. Had Spider cut me? That jerk. “You haven’t killed anybody. Your only option is to let me go.”
Spider chuckled, and his beard moved. “I have killed people, so it’s too late for me.”
I struggled to breathe out without wincing. “You’ve killed a lot lately. Randy and Cheryl.” At the thought of those two young kids being murdered, anger took me. Along with a healthy dose of fear.
“Didn’t have a choice,” he muttered, not looking sorry in the least.
“What about the two guys from the van? The ones horning in on your drug business?” It was obvious now why he’d killed them.
“Don’t forget that they tried to hurt you. Said they made you climb a tree.” Spider looked down, a smirk darkening his face. “I shot them for you, and yeah, you owe me. You’re gonna pay me back real good.”
“Not a chance,” I spit out.
Spider pulled a gun out from behind his waist. “You know what I don’t get? How did Devlin get free the other day? As well as from the Diablo raid years ago?” He shook his head.
I’d been wondering the same thing. Plus, during the gunfight, Aiden moved like every trained guy I’d ever seen. Sure, he could’ve trained on the streets, but it hadn’t seemed that way. Not at all. Also, he’d taken out a trained DEA agent with one punch.
Spider twirled his gun in one hand. “I think he’s a snitch. An informant.”
“Based on what?” the judge asked. “Him hitting a federal agent? Has he ever informed?”
“No, but none of us have known where the lab is,” Spider said. “He might’ve been waiting for that.”
Good point. I bent my knees in more case I had to jump up quickly. “What are we waiting for?” Not that I wanted to get shot or anything. But this was weird, and it was difficult to breathe. I thought my ribs were bruised, but who knew.
The judge angled his neck. “Your boyfriend stole something of ours for leverage, and we’re using you to get it back.”
I blinked. “Huh?”
“Aiden stole the first load of drugs—the only batch we have that’s not in the hidden lab right now. He took them right from my dealership,” Sal confirmed, grease across his chin. “We called him and said you’d be in pieces if he didn’t bring it all back. Right now and by himself.”
My head pounded. In pieces? My skin pricked everywhere in a sharp reminder of the adrenaline rush. “What makes you think he’ll come for me?”
The sound of a truck down the lane cut through the rainy night.
Spider grinned. “We might’ve lost our chemist and lab, but we have enough Beast coming this way to sell and set up again.”
Great plan. It included both Aiden and me being dead, however. I angled more onto the heels of my feet.
The outside floodlights flicked to life. A long car hauler drove partway by with eight used cars, all different types, lined up on it. The number of pills they might contain was staggering. The hydraulics protested when the driver halted it.
The door opened, and Aiden Devlin jumped to the ground, his arms out to show he was unarmed. His gaze instantly sought mine. “You okay, Angel?”
Chapter 42
Fear now tasted like acid in my mouth. “I’m fine.” Then I listened. Was there any way he had backup? Only the storm cut through the night. “You okay?”
“Yep.” He kept his arms out as the judge rather expertly patted him down and found no weapons.
I stared at him. Light jeans, dark T-shirt, scruff over his jaw. Stress lines cut into the sides of his eyes and mouth, but his chest was wide and his gaze direct. Nobody had ever looked better to me. He’d come for me. Into certain death, he’d brought those drugs to save me. Maybe our moment years ago had shaped us both.
Sal moved toward him, gun out. “Stand over there.”
Aiden stood to the side of the garage, his hands at his sides.
Sal gave the judge the gun and ran out into the rain to jump on the hauler. He lifted the trunk to an older Ford Taurus and then looked up and smiled. “Drugs are here.” He slammed it shut.
Spider stayed close to me; his gun steady in his hand. “Devlin? You a cop?”
“Nope,” Aiden said, sliding his left foot back so slowly it was barely discernible.
“Then you’re a snitch,” Spider sneered.
The judge held the gun on Aiden. “I’ve looked through all the case files and haven’t seen your name anywhere. It’s odd with your rap sheet that you’re out of prison. It’s almost as if your history is made up perfectly.”
“Good to know,” Aiden
said evenly.
“Judge?” I ignored the pain in my ribs and flattened my feet beneath me. “You haven’t killed anybody and can still get out of this. Heck, you’ve acted insane the last year or so and probably can plead insanity. That was the plan, right?”
His gaze flickered my way.
Aiden kicked for the gun. The second I saw him move, I jumped up, chin down, and charged Spider right in the gut. My head plowed into his stomach, and we flew across the cement to land hard and skid. His gun skipped farther into the garage. He threw me off him, and I landed on my arm, crying out at the shocking pain.
Then I scrambled for his gun on my hands and knees. Small rocks and cement shards sliced into my already damaged palms.
Spider grabbed me around the waist and threw me to the side. I kicked out, nailing him in the knee. It buckled, and he went down, swinging.
I moved for the gun, and he grabbed my shoulder, twisting and throwing hard. Pain shot down my arm, and I tumbled head over tail, hitting the rear tire of the car.
Spider got the gun.
Panicking, I threw myself under the car, rolling until I got to the other side. He fired, and bullets pinged off the metal. I crouched next to a tire, looking frantically around. The judge lay prone on the ground, where Aiden must’ve slammed him. Right now, Aiden and Sal traded punches, Aiden definitely winning.
Until a bullet shot from Spider hit him in the upper thigh.
“Aiden!” I yelled, crab-walking to the front of the car.
He slammed Sal’s head into the side of the garage and then went down, clutching his leg. Blood welled between his fingers, pumping out a dark red. He shook his head like he’d taken a blow to the temple.
The clicking of a gun echoed through the small space. Spider needed to reload.
“Run, Anna,” Aiden groaned, pulling himself up to sit by Sal. He started searching the unconscious guy’s pockets with the hand not plugging what looked like an artery.
Disorderly Conduct (The Anna Albertini Files Book 1) Page 28