“Excuse you.” She held out her hand and he looked at it blankly. “It’s generally polite to offer your guest a beverage.”
“I don’t see any guests,” Johnny replied, sliding the whiskey under his desk again. “I see a pain in my ass about to exit my club.” He gave her a hard stare. “I’ll reinstate Clutch. But don’t ever come back in my club and try to tell me how the dynamic works. These guys aren’t your lackeys and you’re not presiding over a courtroom.” He made a circular motion. “This is my domain. I am judge, jury and executioner here.” He pointed to the door. “Out there,” he shook his head, “Out there don’t mean a damn thing, not in here. It’s a whole different world in here, Judge Judy.”
Her eyes narrowed, and I hastened to interrupt whatever blistering retort she had planned. “Now that we’ve got all that settled, I’ll walk you out. Ma’am.” I gestured to the door and she dipped her head a scant inch, her gaze still locked on Johnny.
Her tongue touched her upper lip as her mouth curved. “Next time.”
He tilted the empty whiskey tumbler toward her, but didn’t respond, a hawk like look on his face. “Noah.” I paused, glancing back at him as she slipped through the door. “Don’t go home tonight. Find a place to lay low.”
“You think,” I stopped and his gaze flicked to mine.
“I’d rather you didn’t take any chances,” he answered, lowering himself into the leather chair with a groan. “You have something he wants and he’s backed into a corner. Nothing good comes from that.”
I nodded, knowing he was right. “My mom.”
“I’ve got eyes on her.” Johnny shook his head. “I don’t think Cal will hurt her. She’s the only person he’s ever actually cared about.”
“Thanks.”
“It’s been a long road getting here,” Johnny muttered, leaning back far enough to make the chair give a warning squeak as he closed his eyes. “I’m too old for this damn shit.” He opened his eyes enough to glare. “Get the hell out of here.”
I hustled through the door, shutting it behind me. The woman stood in the hall, staring at a framed picture. I glanced at it, noticing the picture must have been twenty years old, as I asked, “Ready?” She nodded and started walking, moving fast in her heels and I hurried to keep up.
“What’s your story?” She glanced pointedly at my uniform, but didn’t say anything more.
“I uphold the oaths I was sworn to take,” I replied, opening the door for her. “Have a nice evening, Ma’am.” She dipped her head, her expression almost approving.
***
“POPO in the house!” Nico flapped his wings excitedly. “POPO in the house.” I heard the unmistakable sound of a round being chambered in a shotgun.
“It’s me,” I shouted, raising my hands above my head. “Noah.”
There was no corresponding unloading of the gun.
“How do we know you’re not under duress?” Leroy yelled back.
I groaned. “Nico, 220 means all clear.”
“220,” he squawked, flying to the back. “220.”
“Fine,” Leroy grumbled and I lowered my arms. “But if your uncle had been with you, I would have shot you to get him.”
“Fair enough,” I agreed, walking to the back. Cadence darted forward, surprising me when she threw her arms around my neck. I hugged her back instinctively, tension draining from me at feeling her in my arms. “You okay?” I whispered and felt her nod against my cheek.
“I am now.”
The honesty in her voice gutted me and I knew I was a lost cause. I would beg her to stay, and if she left, I would follow her. “Did you have a good day?”
“It was something.” She glared over her shoulder. “Leroy spent the entire day questioning whether I knew how to do my job.”
“I don’t know how you get anything done with all those weird symbols and letters you were typing,” he objected. “Looks like Greek to me.”
She sighed. “It’s coding language. It makes sense to me.”
“I guess. I don’t see anything wrong with my pencil and paper.”
Cadence looked at me and shook her head. “There’s no reasoning with him.”
I bit back a smile, smart enough not to tell her they’d met their match in stubbornness. “We need to find a place to stay tonight. I don’t want to go back to the house with my uncle unaccounted for.” She nodded, packing up her computer. Nico flew over, settling on my shoulder. “Bacon,” he pecked at my nameplate. “Bacon.”
“He’s hungry,” Cadence explained. “We both are.”
“We’ll pick up something to eat, then head over to Creed’s place. It’s crowded, but should be safe.” I told her.
“You can stay with me.” I turned, surprised at Leroy’s offer. “Your uncle would never think to look for you at my house. Hayes’ boys on the other hand….”
“You have a point,” I admitted slowly. “I don’t want to put them at risk.” I nodded at him. “You either.”