by Dave Daren
“You don’t need to,” the young man said with a sneer.
“What can I do for you?” I asked.
I leaned back a little on the bench and put my hands on either side of me. I would be able to easily launch myself at the thin kid if he pulled a weapon on me, and there were plenty of witnesses to see that I’d only been defending myself, though I doubted the young man was stupid enough to try anything right in front of the courthouse.
“You need to back off,” the goon said as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other.
If anyone looked over they would think we were just an attorney and a client, but if the kid’s gun had a silencer, then he could shoot me and walk off as if nothing had happened. I might even bleed out before anyone noticed that I’d been shot. I took a deep breath to calm myself, and decided that if it even looked like he was about to shoot me, then I would throw myself at him and try to restrain him so that the nearby cops could take him.
“Back off?” I asked with a smile. “Back off of what?”
“Gryffon,” the young man snarled. “Or else.”
“I’m afraid I don’t catch your meaning,” I said with a glance toward the uniformed officers a few feet away.
The kid narrowed his eyes at me, but I don’t think he’d realized how close the cops were. He took his hands out of the pocket of his hoodie, flexed them like the cold had made them stiff, and then shot a look toward one of the policemen. He ground his teeth together, huffed, and then shrugged.
“You know what will happen if you don’t,” he said before he strolled off down the steps.
I watched him go and then turned my attention to the two nearby cops. They didn’t seem to have noticed the kid or our tense conversation, but I couldn’t trust that they weren’t working for the Serbians or the chief. I picked up my empty paper coffee cup with the sandwich wrapper stuffed inside of it, nodded to the officer that looked over at me, and then casually made my way closer to the front doors.
The kid had been too nervous to be a real threat, but he’d still been brave enough to threaten me right on the courthouse steps. He might’ve been hired on the street just to deliver a message, but I was more concerned with how Galic had known that I was coming after him. I had filed the RICO case less than twenty-four hours ago, and he already had someone trying to get me to back down.
The creepy smiling security guard flashed across my mind, and I was sure that it had been him that called the Serbian mobster. I couldn’t completely rule out the judge or the receptionist, but there was just something eerie about the old man that made my skin crawl.
I kept my eyes open as the doors were unlocked and the crowd was let inside. I was grateful for the warmth of the building as I followed everyone toward the security check, but the throng of people made it impossible to pick out any potential assassins.
What had Hank said about the plastic knife? He still wasn’t anywhere to be seen, but it was only a matter of time before he found me. He had installed the Find My Friends app just in case someone grabbed me like they had taken Rossi.
I made it through security with a smile on my face despite my nerves, and then I hurried toward the judge’s chambers without even bothering to check the crowds for possible killers. I had promised that I would be there early in the morning, and I wanted to make sure that my face was the first thing that he saw.
“Good morning,” I said to the receptionist who stood outside of the office door with a cup of steaming black coffee in her hands. “I can bring him that. He’s expecting me.”
She was in her late thirties with freckles across her pale nose and down her arms. She had her bright red curls pulled up into a tightly braided bun with a few hanging loose to frame her round face. She wore a dark red dress that accentuated her large breasts and then fell to sway around her calves.
“Come in,” Judge Rivers’ voice called from inside.
The woman hesitated for a moment, as her eyes took in my expensive suit and my Tom Ford briefcase. She waited for another few seconds before she handed me the heated porcelain mug.
“I’ll be right outside,” she warned me.
I gave the woman a bright smile and then pushed open the door.
“You’re not Aisling,” Rivers said as he looked up at me.
“Sorry to disappoint,” I chuckled. “But I do have your coffee.”
“And the affidavit with proof of enterprise?” the judge asked as he accepted the coffee from me.
He blew on the dark liquid for a moment before he took a tentative sip. He gestured for me to take a seat as he set the coffee down.
“How was dinner with your wife?” I asked while I pulled out the affidavit.
“Good,” the older man said.
He took the papers from me, nodded his head, and then pulled out the file with the RICO case.
“Are you still sure about this?” he asked. “There’s going to be a lot of trouble for you.”
“I’m used to that,” I said with a shrug.
“Alright,” the magistrate said. “I have to admit that I look forward to seeing what shakes out.”
He pressed a button on the phone and the voice of his receptionist came through to ask what he needed. He passed the file on, warned her not to stop to talk to anyone before it was scanned and in the system, and then smiled at me as the woman did as she was asked.
“There was a man out front today,” I said as I sat back in my chair. “He warned me to back off. You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”
“Are you suggesting that I’m a dirty judge?” Rivers asked in a tight voice.
“Of course not,” I said. “Just wondering if you knew how my plan to file a RICO case could’ve gotten out so quickly.”
I didn’t think that the man was corrupt, especially since he’d been so willing to file the paperwork, but I couldn’t take any chances. I needed to see his reaction if I was going to be sure that I could trust him.
“The city has a lot of ears,” Rivers sighed. “And the courthouse has even more. It was bound to get out at some point. Though, if someone came to you outside of the courthouse, then that’s a bigger problem.”
“It wouldn’t be the first time,” I said.
I remembered the story of a man that had been shot after he’d been found innocent of murdering a young woman. The girl’s father had pulled the trigger in front of a crowd of reporters.
“It wouldn’t,” the judge said. “All the more reason to get this ball rolling before anyone has any bright ideas.”
“I’ll need a subpoena for all of their records,” I said.
“You’ll be allowed to join the search,” the older man said. “But I’ve already called in a federal investigator to be in charge.”
I nodded my head, since it was standard practice to have the feds in charge of investigating RICO cases like this, and I’d been prepared to work alongside whoever it was. I had researched enough to know that I would have access to everything the investigator found, though I’d hoped that I would be able to take a look before them.
“Do you trust this investigator?” I asked.
The judge gave me a smile as he took another sip from his cooling coffee.
“I do,” he said. “I’ve worked with them before. They’re very good at getting the information that they need.”
“When does he get here?” I asked.
“I’m already here,” Hisashi’s voice said from behind me.
I grinned as I twisted in my seat to see him standing in the doorframe with an irritated Agent Monroe right behind him.
“I knew you were keeping something from me,” the older fed said as he stepped into the office.
Chapter 7
“I didn’t hide it from you,” I said with a shrug.
My palms were sweaty, but I refused to wipe them on my pants and show any signs of nerves.
“You didn’t tell us, either,” Agent Monroe growled as the two men came into the office.
“Aisling, will you shut
the door for us?” Judge Rivers asked through the speaker on his phone.
“Yes, sir,” the busty woman said before she rose from her desk and closed us in.
The two agents strolled across the office. Hisashi claimed the chair next to me, and Monroe was left to stand behind us like a sullen teenager. The younger agent shoved his hands in his pockets and settled me with a glare that could peel the skin off of a lesser man.
“You wanted information that could help your investigation into city officials and corrupt police,” I responded.
“Are you trying to tell me that they aren’t connected?” Hisashi asked with a lifted eyebrow.
“I’m sure we’ll find out once we go through the company files,” I said.
Monroe huffed and rolled his eyes but miraculously managed to keep in whatever retort he had on the tip of his tongue.
“I’d say that we’ll keep this under wraps until you get there to serve the subpoena,” Judge Rivers said. “But according to Mr. Morgan, someone already paid him a visit outside of the courthouse?”
“Nelson?” the younger agent asked with interest.
He pulled his hands out of his pocket and walked closer to us with an eager look in his eyes. He was still young enough that bringing down corrupt cops and politicians was more exciting than frightening.
Though, if I was being honest with myself I’d admit that I had enjoyed beating up Nelson when the corrupt cop had tried to take me out in an alley. I’d also loved bringing down the backwoods politicians that had threatened my life and kept the small town where Anthony wanted to buy land in their clutches.
“No,” I said. “It was some kid. He barely looked eighteen. Someone probably paid him to give me a message.”
“And what was it?” Hisashi asked.
“The usual,” I said with a shrug. “Stay away.”
“That means we’re on the right path,” the youthful agent said.
He was so giddy that he was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet.
Judge Rivers rolled his eyes at the inexperienced agent, but the corners of his mouth tugged up into a small smile. He turned away from us as he began to type into his computer, and I realized that it was probably almost time for him to start his first court session. I studied him for a few heartbeats, but he didn’t seem like he was going to kick us out.
“What made you look into Gryffon?” the older agent asked as he drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair.
I turned back to the bald man with a smile. I didn’t need to tell him everything, but I could give him something so that he wouldn’t look too closely. I would be surprised if Galic had reported the break-in at his home, but the missing laptop would probably come up during the search, and I needed to have a reason why I had looked at the company that had nothing to do with our stolen information.
“Detective Gage,” I said. “She said that she found the names of the two men who’d kidnapped Rossi.”
“And she told you that they worked for Gryffon?” Hisashi asked.
“No,” I said. “But all I needed was the names and a quick Google search.”
“I doubt that Gryffon has their employee list on Google,” Monroe said.
The angry man’s smile had faded as suspicion clouded his face again. He frowned at me while he stuffed his hands back in his pockets.
“You’d be surprised what a simple search can find,” I said with a shrug.
“It’s more like your boss went and hired some hacker to get into their company files,” the fed said.
“If I had that information, then I wouldn’t need the subpoena,” I countered.
Judge Rivers held up his hands as he turned back to look at us.
“That’s enough, gentleman,” the older man said. “For the moment, you’re working together. You can duke it out once this is all over, but until then, I expect you to behave.”
I shrugged and gave the magistrate my best smile while Monroe huffed and rolled his eyes.
“When are we going to Gryffon?” I asked. “They already know that we’re onto them. We need to get there before they get rid of all of the evidence.”
A knock on the door interrupted the judge’s response. He had just enough time to look up before Aisling came in with a file in her hand.
“I have the subpoena, Your Honor,” the young redhead said.
“Perfect timing, as always,” Rivers said as he held out a hand.
The buxom woman strolled across the room, and I watched as her hips swayed underneath her dress. I wondered if she was actually good at her job, or if the judge had hired her as a pretty face outside of his office, though he had seemed like he actually liked his wife. It wouldn’t be the first time that a man in New York had cheated on his spouse with his secretary, and it wouldn’t be the last.
“She seems… efficient,” I said when she’d left.
The older man narrowed his eyes as if he could read my thoughts, and then handed the file to Hisashi.
“She is,” Rivers said. “And don’t let her pretty face fool you, she’s a third-degree black belt in Taekwondo.”
“Your secretary?” Monroe laughed. “That woman couldn’t defend herself against a ten year old.”
“You’re more than welcome to find out,” the judge said.
“Why do you need a fighter like that as your assistant?” I asked.
I knew why my own paralegal would need to fight, but I couldn’t imagine why the judge would have to have protection.
“I don’t,” the older man said with a shrug. “I hired her because she’s fantastic at organizing my schedule, but it helps that she can keep intruders out if necessary.”
“Do you have a lot of people trying to force their way into your office?” Hisashi asked as he tapped the file on his knee.
“I mostly handle white-collar crimes,” Rivers said. “Men like that usually expect to be able to push their way into whatever offices they want.”
I looked toward the office door as if I could see through it to the redhead outside. I still wasn’t sure if the judge actually needed such a skilled fighter to protect his office, but I had more important things to worry about than whether or not the older man was having an affair with his secretary.
“We should go now that we have the subpoena,” I said as I pushed myself out of my chair. “I don’t want to give them any more time than they’ve already had. Their building is only a couple of blocks away.”
“And how do you know that?” Monroe asked. “Let me guess, another Google search.”
“It’s amazing what you can find on the internet these days,” I replied.
I grabbed my briefcase and then looked at the older agent who was still sitting in his chair. He sighed, glanced at the judge, and then got to his feet with a groan that made him sound like a frail old man.
“Alright, alright,” Hisashi said. “Monroe, leave him alone. We have work to do, and he’s right, there’s no telling what they’ll delete before we get there.”
“Our tech department will get it back,” the young federal agent said.
“Have a good day, gentlemen,” Rivers called as we walked out of the office.
I grinned from ear to ear when we opened the door to see Hank outside of the office. He had a smile on his face as he talked to Aisling, and the beautiful woman’s cheeks were bright red as she blushed all the way up to her ears.
“Good morning,” my bodyguard said while he straightened.
He gave the redheaded receptionist a wink when she handed him her number, and then he turned his full attention to me.
“Good morning,” I said with a smirk. “We’re just on our way to Gryffon.”
“About time,” the Italian man said.
“Your bodyguard is coming?” Monroe sneered. “What do you think is going to happen when you have a whole team of federal agents with you?”
“You can never be too careful,” I said with a shrug.
“Wherever Mr. Morgan goes, I go,” Hank said with
a placid face.
The large man was in a tailored suit and tie, but his muscles strained against the fabric, and the bulge at his hip was in the unmistakable shape of a gun hilt.
“It’s always good to have extra hands,” Hisashi interrupted the younger agent. “Our team will meet us there. I just sent them a text to let them know we’re on our way.”
“Perfect,” I said. “I’ll follow you over.”
Monroe looked between each of us as if he wanted to object, but Hisashi gave a small shake of his head, and the younger agent pursed his lips together with a sigh. He didn’t say another word as our little group made our way through the courtroom and out into the chilly day.
“So, did you get a date?” I asked Hank as the federal agents climbed into their Crown Vic.
“I did,” the big man replied with a grin. “You know she’s a third-degree black belt?”
“I did hear that,” I said.
“It’s so damned sexy,” he said.
“A woman that can kick your ass?” I teased.
I shook my head as I walked over to my car and opened the driver’s side door. I shouldn’t be surprised that the bodyguard would want a tough woman, though I didn’t realize that he would date outside of the Febbo family and their associates.
“Not many can,” Hank said with a shrug.
On anyone else it would’ve sounded like boasting, but we’d sparred a few times, and I knew first-hand how hard the man could hit. He also moved remarkably fast for someone of his size.
“I hope it works out,” I said before I slid into the driver’s seat and closed the door behind me.
The feds had already driven off, and I didn’t want to give them too much of a head-start. I knew that they had to share whatever they found with me because I was the one who’d filed the RICO case, but I wanted to watch Galic for his reactions as the agents did their search.
Traffic in the Bronx was already bumper to bumper, but I’d driven around the courthouses enough that I’d learned all of the shortcuts. I weaved through the side streets while I dialed Anthony’s number. I wanted to let him know that we were about to join the FBI raid at Gryffon, and that I’d have all of their files in the next few days so that I could compare them to what was on the laptop.
