Trust

by Riley Edwards

  She knelt down and started picking up the larger shards of glass.

  “Stop, Harper, you’ll cut yourself. Why are you here?”

  “We need to talk,” she said, completely dismissing my command as she continued to pick up the broken pieces.

  “Think you said it all, babe.”

  “I didn’t say the important stuff, the stuff I meant to say.” She stood and walked past me to the kitchen. She tossed the glass in the trash and turned to face me. I braced for the onslaught of criticism but when she spoke again, I was shocked. “I forgot to tell you thank you for helping me at the truck stop. Thank you for protecting me. Thank you for making the deal with Nico to save my life. I should’ve trusted you. I know you would never hurt me and I said some shitty things I hope you can forgive me for. Thank you for loving me enough to put your life in danger to save mine. But most of all, thank you for not giving up on me when I was pushing you away.”

  Was this a trick? I felt like I was in the Twilight Zone or maybe the little midget was going to walk in the front door and escort me to the plane to Fantasy Island. When I left Reid’s, Harper had made it clear we were done.

  “I think you meant what you said when we were at Reid’s. I did make a deal with the mob and just because you’re standing here now saying flowery shit doesn’t change that. I’m not going to renege on my agreement because you find it distasteful.”

  “I know. I’m sorry.”

  “What happens the next time you find out I’ve done something you don’t like? You gonna turn your back on me then, too?”

  “No, that was wrong.”

  I wasn’t sure what game she was now playing but I needed to leave before I said something ridiculous like I love you and I cannot live without you.

  “I got shit to do. I’ll leave so you can pack or do whatever it is you came here to do.”

  “No, Aiden, please. I came here to talk this out. I’m not packing. I’m not going anywhere.”

  “There’s nothing to talk about, Harper. You proved today you’ll cut and run when shit goes bad.”

  I was being an ass and I knew it, but it was better this way. Better she left now before we got in any deeper. Who the fuck was I kidding? I was already in deep. She was so encased in my heart there’d never be any hope of evicting her. I was pissed about that, too. The promise of her had proved to be so great that I was forever ruined. No other woman could compare. She was it for me and she’d turned her back on us.

  “That’s not fair. I was shocked and scared. You know my history. I admit I reacted poorly, worse than that actually. But it took me less than thirty minutes to realize my mistake and come after you. I’m sorry.”

  She was right; it had taken her less than an hour to come over, but I couldn’t risk it.

  “It did. But it’s too late. There will be other things you’ll find out. Things that are worse than putting out a hit on your piece of shit brother and when you find out about them, you’ll run.”

  “Try me, Aiden.”

  I had to hand it to her. She stood her ground with her little arms crossed over her chest, looking like she was ready to go toe-to-toe with me.

  “Not a chance. I don’t trust you.”

  “It’s not that you don’t trust me; it’s because you’re scared.”

  “What the hell does that mean?”

  “This has nothing to do with what I said. You’re pushing me away because you’re scared. Today was a reminder of how much you love me. How much it would kill you if we didn’t work out. Today I hurt you and now you’re scared and you’re going to punish both of us. I can handle anything you throw my way, Mac. I’m not leaving.”

  “Is that so?”

  “Yep.”

  She stayed perfectly still and smirked at me.

  “You know, it’s cute when you act all tough and strong. You want to know how I know you’ll run a mile when I tell you the things I’ve done?” I didn’t wait for her to answer before I continued. “Because the things I’ve done disgust me. I killed the man who murdered Jacob.” Harper’s face was devoid of any emotion. “I didn’t kill him in the line of duty, Harper. Remember months ago when I texted you out of the blue and told you to get home, that I needed you? I came to you to fuck my guilt away. I used you. I’d just finished putting a bullet in Jimmy Kelley, Jacob’s brother, and came to you with blood on my hands. I’m a murderer.”

  Harper now had tears streaming down her cheeks. I was finally getting through to her.

  “I don’t believe you,” she whispered.

  “You should. I shot him in the forehead execution style.”

  “No, I mean, I don’t believe that you murdered him.”

  “Well, then what the fuck would you call taking someone’s life?”

  “Protection. Love. Loyalty. Defense. All the same reasons you had Frankie taken out.”

  “You make me sound better than I am. I killed Jimmy out of revenge. He killed my best friend. My partner, Ava’s husband, JJ’s father. I killed him because he destroyed a family and I fucking hated him.”

  “No, you didn’t. You killed Jimmy because he was a threat to Ava and JJ. I remember what happened. Jimmy showed up drunk at Ava’s. She was nice enough to let her brother-in-law spend the night. The next morning someone had shot up her front yard, Jimmy had pulled a gun on JJ, he’d had money and drugs on him. Reid lost his mind, too. Jimmy was dangerous and a gangbanger that had killed his own brother. He had no problem hurting Ava and JJ. You killed him to protect them.”

  “Whatever you need to think to make yourself feel better. But I know the truth. I know what type of man I am. I’m not good for you. I’m not your happily ever after.”

  It was time to face the truth about myself. I hadn’t been able to protect Jacob and he was gunned down in an alley alone. I didn’t protect Ava and she’d been stalked and kidnapped. Hell, I hadn’t even been good enough for my money-grubbing ex-wife; she needed to fuck her yoga instructor to get all the things she was missing from our marriage. I’d been a shit husband, putting my job first. After she’d left, I used every woman in the greater San Francisco area to fuck away my shortcomings. I was an asshole. Harper deserved better.

  My phone vibrated and I pulled it out. Checking the caller ID, I was relieved Quinn was finally getting back to me.

  “Mac,” I greeted.

  “We have a meeting with Judge Fox at his home in Presidio Heights. Can you be there in thirty?” Quinn asked, not wasting any time.

  “Absolutely. I’ll call Reid. Text me the address.”

  “Bring everything you have, even the wiretaps. Judge Fox will want to hear them.”

  “You think that’s wise? Reid’s guys didn’t exactly follow procedure,” I reminded him.

  “Positive. My partner Owens is a personal friend of Judge Fox. He’s already filled him in.”

  I wasn’t entirely comfortable with Quinn and his partner telling a judge Reid had illegal wire taps on the district attorney and the police chief but I had to trust Quinn knew what he was doing. If Quinn trusted Owens, and Owens trusted Judge Fox, I had no choice but to roll with it. Quinn was my only hope of getting the warrants.

  “Copy that. We’ll see you in thirty.”

  Quinn didn’t offer a goodbye and disconnected. Before I could pocket my phone, a text from an unknown number came through with an address. I needed to call Reid and get going. Presidio Heights was a thirty-minute drive with no traffic and I still had to deal with Harper.

  “I have to go,” I told Harper, sharper than I should’ve.

  “Please stay. We have to talk.”

  “I can’t, Harper, I have to work. There’s a break in my case.”

  I waited for her to bring up Nico and ask if I was going to meet with him, but it never came.

  “Be safe. I’ll be here when you get back.”

  “You shouldn’t be. Pack your stuff, move on, and find a nice man to settle down with. You’ll be better off. Trust me, I can’t be what you need.”


  I grabbed my holster and secured it on my belt before I swung my leather jacket over my arm and headed for the door.

  “You already are what I need. I don’t want you to give me happily ever after, Aiden. I’m willing to fight for it. I’ll claw, bite, and bleed for it as long as it’s with you. We can have it all; the babies, the white picket fence, a beautiful life. All I need is for you to fight with me.”

  Her words almost made me stop. I wanted nothing more than to pull her into my arms and take what she offered. But I couldn’t. I was right; she deserved better. After everything that her brother had put her through, she’d earned herself a nice safe life. I couldn’t give her that.

  I love you, Harper. The sentence never left my mouth as I closed the door behind me.

  After firing off a quick text to Reid about our meeting with Judge Fox, I was on the road to the address Quinn had sent me. The thirty-minute drive felt like five as I replayed Harper’s heartfelt plea over and over in my mind. Was I being completely unreasonable? By the time I pulled in front of the house and saw Quinn standing outside, I had begun to doubt myself. What if we could make it work? The agony on her face when I left was flipping around in my gut, making it hard to concentrate on the meeting that was about to take place.

  I had to stop thinking about Harper. I made the right decision. It didn’t matter how much I loved her, I had to let her go.

  24

  she was determined

  Mac

  “Thanks for coming on such short notice,” Quinn greeted when I met him on the sidewalk.

  “I’m the one who should be thanking you. Before we go in, what can you tell me about Fox?” I asked, looking over Quinn’s shoulder at what was more than likely a twenty-million-dollar home.

  “I know what you’re thinking. Judge Fox comes from money as did his late wife. Owens says Fox can be trusted, but I still looked into him. Called a black-ops friend in Tampa who works with one of the best hackers around. The guy could probably tell you every digital footprint Fox has ever left, plus what time he takes a shit every day. Everything Owens told me checked out—the judge is clean.”

  I didn’t know if it was simply good instincts that made Quinn a good marshal, or if it was hard-earned from years on the job. Either way, I felt better knowing that he’d looked into the judge’s background.

  Reid pulled up and both of us watched as he got out of his Rover and made his way over to us.

  “Quinn, this is Logan Reid.” I made the introductions remembering they’d never met in person.

  “Pleasure,” Reid said and offered Quinn his hand.

  “Nice to meet you,” Quinn greeted.

  “What can you tell us about Fox?” Reid asked.

  Quinn chuckled before he answered. “Damn, you two think alike. I was explaining to Mac before you got here—Fox checked out. The money’s from family. I had a black-ops friend, whom I trust implicitly, discreetly dig through the judge’s financials. He’s squeaky clean. As far as we can tell, he doesn’t even take all the tax deductions he should. Either his accountant sucks or he doesn’t mind paying the extra money to the government. Owens—my partner—his mother was good friends with the judge’s mother, and both were members of the American Legion Ladies Auxiliary. Mrs. Fox has passed away but the families are still in touch.”

  “How are we gonna play this?” Reid asked, but before I could answer another car pulled up. Both Quinn and Reid turned to scrutinize the driver.

  “Is that Larry Barnes?” Reid inquired, pulling his sunglasses off to get a better look.

  “Sure is,” I told him.

  “Your ace.” He laughed.

  “Yep.”

  “Care to fill me in?” Quinn turned to me, obviously not pleased with my surprise.

  “Judge Barnes is here to guarantee our warrants,” I told him.

  “Larry,” I greeted when he joined our huddle.

  “Afternoon, Detective.” Larry was less than pleased to be here. However, he had no choice. His only hope now was to beg Judge Fox for leniency.

  “Why don’t we take this inside,” Quinn suggested and turned toward the long walk up to the house. “Owens is with the judge.”

  Without bothering to knock, Quinn let himself in the house, the rest of us following down a long corridor. So this was how the other half lived? The inside was even more impressive than the exterior. Mahogany wainscoting paneling gave a rich warm feel to a hall which opened into a library that was equally impressive. An older man sat behind an ornate desk, assessing us as we entered the room. Both him and another man, I assumed was Owens, stood to greet us.

  Once the formalities were complete, Judge Fox sat back down and without any unnecessary pleasantries began.

  “Deputies Alexander and Owens gave me a preliminary outline. However, before I can issue an arrest warrant for the district attorney of San Francisco, I need more than assumption and conjecture.” The judge raised a bushy eyebrow and looked between me and Reid. “You do understand the implications of your accusations if you’re wrong? It won’t just be you, Detective, on the receiving end of a reprimand. I, too, will be held accountable. While my interest is certainly piqued, and I’ve heard rumors over the years, I will not risk my career or Graham Cartwright’s, based on rumor. Please tell me you have solid evidence to back up your accusations.”

  “I do, your Honor. Judge Barnes?” I turned to Larry, motioning him to come forward. The man seemed to have aged twenty years in the last week. I felt bad for the man. A onetime moment of weakness after his wife had passed away had ruined him.

  “You have to know I am deeply ashamed of my actions,” Judge Barnes began. “Ten years ago, I paid for sexual favors from a woman that was provided by an escort service. Shortly thereafter, I was approached by Graham Cartwright.” Barnes took a moment to gather his thoughts. The agony that crossed his face was painful to witness. “He had photographs of me in compromising positions with the prostitute. Cartwright began blackmailing me. In the beginning, it was small things like dismissing evidence a defense attorney presented. As the years went on, his demands increased.” Barnes stopped and held Judge Fox’s stare.

  “And what are his current demands?” Judge Fox bit out.

  “His latest request was to charge Jason Riggers with aggravated assault and attempted murder.”

  “And?” Fox questioned.

  “Graham had no evidence to substantiate his allegations. He requested a bond hearing in my chambers, which I heard and denied ROR and bond. Riggers is currently being held at California State Prison.”

  “Where was Mr. Riggers’ attorney?” the judge asked.

  “Cartwright failed to notify the defendant’s counsel,” Barnes answered.

  “So, the case will be thrown out. Right?” Fox questioned.

  The room was silent for a moment. This was the part of the story that told the level of corruption that was running rampant in the DA’s office.

  “Not if it is brought before me. Cartwright demanded I allow the case to be heard and do everything I can to make sure Riggers is found guilty of attempted murder. Then I’m supposed to give the maximum sentence allowed.”

  “Jesus Christ, Larry.” Fox ran a hand down his face in disbelief before pointing an angry finger at his colleague. “I want exact clarification; San Francisco’s District Attorney, Graham Cartwright, told you outright, and in no uncertain terms, to fix the trial so the jury has no choice but to find Jason Riggers guilty of attempted murder in the first degree, even if the evidence didn’t support the charge?”

  “Yes. And Riggers is only the latest.”

  The anger rolling off Judge Fox was palpable. His face was a shade darker than fire engine red and his hands were clenched into fists on his desk. I looked to both marshals standing off to the side and they mirrored the judge’s irritation.

  “How many others?” Fox asked.

  “Countless.” Barnes cleared his throat again and continued, “I asked my clerk to bring ten boxes filled
with case files to my home. Each box contains a year’s worth of cases that Cartwright prosecuted in my courtroom. You’ll have to subpoena the actual transcripts, but this will give you a head start. I’ll save you the trouble of a search warrant and give you permission to enter and search my home. You’ll find everything you need in my private office. I’ve already given Mr. Reid consent to wiretap my home, cell, and office phones and I’ve turned over voice recordings of conversations between Cartwright and myself, dating back to almost the beginning. Once I realized how bad it was going to get, I started recording everything. I knew it was only a matter of time. I know there’s no excuse, but, at first, I was terrified my children would find out about the prostitute. It would have killed them after losing their mother. By the time I came to my senses, I was in too deep with Cartwright. I should have come clean a long time ago.”

  “But you stuck your fucking head in the sand and hoped it would just go away, but it didn’t,” Owens said distastefully.

  Barnes bit his lip and nodded. “And I’m not the only one. I know of fourteen other judges, past and present, Cartwright has had in his pocket.”

  He pulled a folded piece of paper from the jacket of his sport coat and placed it on the desk. Wide-eyed, Fox picked it up and scanned a list of names. “Son of a bitch. There’s proof?”

  “I have enough to get you started on search warrants.”

  No one spoke while Judge Fox processed the information that now-disgraced Judge Barnes had presented. Fox broke the silence, and when he did, there was no mistaking his intent.

  “I want Cartwright behind bars within the hour. I will not stand for malversation. Anyone with any involvement with Cartwright’s dirty practices will answer for their malfeasance.”

  “What do you want us to do about Chief Brown?” Reid asked.

  “Get Cartwright to flip on the chief, and I’ll give you your warrant. I want every last charge to stick. Same goes for the names on this list—I want every T crossed and every I dotted. This is by the book. We cannot bend the law by the slightest fraction. I want ironclad arrests.” Fox opened a manila folder that’d been sitting on his desk, pulled several forms out, and plucked a gold pen from its perch on a marble stand. After signing his name with a flourish to the pages that included search warrants for Cartwright’s home and office, he tucked the papers back into the folder and handed it to Mac. “Does anyone know if this has to do with Brown’s daughter’s disappearance?”