Justice
Page 26
“I think twelve years in this profession has sanded away a lot of edges, put things into perspectives I never would have thought possible.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning, I don’t know if there is such a thing as justice anymore, not in the world we now live in, with everybody having their own agenda. All there is is right and wrong, and we all have to do our best to navigate that as best we can.”
Deep in the recesses of her brain, the place where she thought things that were to never be said aloud, Rye couldn’t help but feel the resonance of his words.
Remember feeling the same way on more than one occasion.
“We never would have got these guys without you,” Mattox said.
Nodding, Rye could feel the pieces of what he said fitting into place, her gut clenching once before releasing, her mind reasoning that if he was going to do anything, it would have happened long before now.
“Never even would have known they existed,” he added.
“And that’s why you didn’t bother making a bigger deal that night at the house, after it was over?”
“Yeah,” Mattox said. “And that’s why I never mentioned that Deke scribbled on the bottom of the printout he gave me that the agency you worked for had gone defunct before really even getting off the ground.”
Any surprise Rye might have felt was short lived, replaced by suspicion she’d had for days, especially after learning who he worked with, the fact that hiding most anything from somebody like Deke would be impossible.
That, and it had been pretty clear he wasn’t entirely sold on her line of bullshit from their first encounter.
Not that she gave a damn either way at this point.
“You’re not half bad, you know that Mattox?”
Giving no response to the compliment, he looked over at her, he and his partner both rigid.
“Any idea where you’re headed next?”
Turning her attention toward the gravestone, Rye focused on the words found there, on the way Nora Heatherington had entered her life, both originally and just days before.
“Depends on who gives a call, needs a hand.”
Across from her, she heard as Mattox slapped at the side of his leg, Billie rising to her feet beside him. Together they began to drift off, leaving her alone to say goodbye.
“And what if one day that call comes from me?”
Thank You For Reading!
This being the fifth iteration of Reed & Billie, I know it was a bit of a departure, and for good reason. While the duo is very dear to me as an author, I didn’t want to fall into the trap of letting the series become stale, or even worse, repetitive.
For those unfamiliar, Sydney Rye is a character on loan to me from Emily Kimelman, a very nice lady and wonderful author that extended me an invitation to work within her KindleWorld universe. As the only other character I could think of that also features a canine sidekick (outside of the Alex Kava novels, which are much different), I jumped at the chance to have a juxtaposition to both Reed as well as Billie.
Intensely helpful throughout, I cannot say enough nice things about Emily and her work, and strongly urge you to check out the entire Sydney Rye series HERE. (New release coming soon, and all other works are currently on sale!)
As for Reed & Billie, thank you all so much again for your continued support. This series has been endlessly entertaining for me to write, and I have no intention of slowing down any time soon.
For many of you that have been reading me for a while, you know what I will say in closing, and please know it is as true now as it was the first time I wrote it. If you would be so kind as to leave a review, I would greatly appreciate it, and do take all of your feedback very seriously. Though I may occasionally be tardy in replying, I assure that is only in response to my own busy writing schedule.
I read every word posted/sent in, and take it all very seriously.
As always, as a token of appreciation for your reading and reviews, please enjoy a free download of my novel 21 Hours, available HERE. Please also enjoy a free copy of the first in the Sydney Rye series, available HERE.
Best,
Dustin Stevens
About the Author
Dustin Stevens is the author of more than 25 novels, 20 of them having become #1 Amazon bestsellers, including The Debt and the Hawk Tate and Zoo Crew series. The Boat Man, the first release in the best-selling Reed & Billie series, was recently named the 2016 Indie Award winner for E-Book fiction.
He also writes thrillers and assorted other stories under the pseudonym T.R. Kohler, including Shoot to Wound and Peeping Thoms.
A member of the Mystery Writers of America and Thriller Writers International, he resides in Honolulu, Hawaii.