better. If you know a place you can disappear for a while, that’d be a good bet.”
“What about the case? My career? A judge can’t disappear. People will be looking for me,” Sasha argued.
“And you don’t know who can be on his payroll. I say tell who you need to that you are taking an extended vacation for a family emergency. Recue yourself from the case and leave.”
“If I step down, then he will leave me alone. Why not just do that then?” Sasha asked.
“Because we both know that you have publically said you would not be backing down without a fight. You’ve attacked Ice’s pride, and he won’t forget. It won’t matter that you won’t sit on the case. He’s going to get his pound of flesh. You need to disappear.”
“If he won’t stop then you’re saying I can never come back home. Never pick my career back up.”
“It’s better than dying. If you want to take your chances, fine by me. All I can do is warn you,” Thomas finished and stood. He left her house while she was still sitting there, lost. She hadn’t meant to argue, she knew that the detective was doing her a great service by coming to her. He didn’t have to tell her. Hell, he didn’t have to let her know, someone who could have his badge, that he had an illegal wiretap going and that gave him the information that could save her life. But he had, and she couldn’t stand there and toss that back in his face.
She poured herself a glass, a tall one, of scotch and walked the detective out of the house before she made the necessary call. Her clerk knew how to handle her affairs while she was gone. The idea that she was running stuck in her craw, but she didn’t have a choice. Once that was done she packed some clothes as quickly as she could, drinking the whole time. She needed to numb her fear, her pain. Never had she imagined this happening to her. She would never have dreamed that her career would end like this, in her midthirties, and with no end in sight. She gritted her teeth as she picked up her phone again. She had to make one last call. Her best friends, Maddy and Selene, had moved in with each other in Selene’s fiancé’s mansion the year previously. The women had been happier than a fiddle with their men, Connor and Pietr, since they’d met that girl’s night out that seemed like ages ago. Sasha was happy for them and went to visit them often. But now she would be staying away from them, to keep them safe as well.
Tears clogged her throat as she dialed. She would miss them.
“Hey, Sas, long time no hear. What happened to you coming over the house last week?” Selene said in greeting.
“Worked late, and then I was too tired to take the drive,” Sasha answered, sniffling.
“Uh-oh. What’s wrong? Whose ass am I kicking?” Selene asked. Noise on the other end of the line crackled and then Maddy’s voice came over the line.
“What’s up? Where do we need to meet you?” Maddy asked. Sasha smiled through tears. Maddy was barely five feet tall, a pip-squeak. But she’d be ready to stand beside her friends through anything. Selene, at five foot ten and tenacious, would probably do better.
“Long story, but I can’t get into the details. It’s for your safety,” she rushed to say when Selene grunted. “I need to disappear for a while but I want you guys to know that I’m okay and I’ll be checking in with you while I’m gone.”
“Sas, you’re scaring me. What’s going on? You know you can trust us,” Selene argued.
“Selene, really. I can’t tell you.”
“You know my fiancé is rich, right? The security we have is top-notch. If it’s that bad, we can protect you,” Selene said.
“I don’t know about that. Selene, don’t make this harder on me than it has to be.”
“Screw this,” Maddy said and a knock sounded. Sasha figured she’d dropped the phone. Selene continued to argue with her and Sasha was just about to hang up when a gravelly voice came over the phone.
“What is
“What about the case? My career? A judge can’t disappear. People will be looking for me,” Sasha argued.
“And you don’t know who can be on his payroll. I say tell who you need to that you are taking an extended vacation for a family emergency. Recue yourself from the case and leave.”
“If I step down, then he will leave me alone. Why not just do that then?” Sasha asked.
“Because we both know that you have publically said you would not be backing down without a fight. You’ve attacked Ice’s pride, and he won’t forget. It won’t matter that you won’t sit on the case. He’s going to get his pound of flesh. You need to disappear.”
“If he won’t stop then you’re saying I can never come back home. Never pick my career back up.”
“It’s better than dying. If you want to take your chances, fine by me. All I can do is warn you,” Thomas finished and stood. He left her house while she was still sitting there, lost. She hadn’t meant to argue, she knew that the detective was doing her a great service by coming to her. He didn’t have to tell her. Hell, he didn’t have to let her know, someone who could have his badge, that he had an illegal wiretap going and that gave him the information that could save her life. But he had, and she couldn’t stand there and toss that back in his face.
She poured herself a glass, a tall one, of scotch and walked the detective out of the house before she made the necessary call. Her clerk knew how to handle her affairs while she was gone. The idea that she was running stuck in her craw, but she didn’t have a choice. Once that was done she packed some clothes as quickly as she could, drinking the whole time. She needed to numb her fear, her pain. Never had she imagined this happening to her. She would never have dreamed that her career would end like this, in her midthirties, and with no end in sight. She gritted her teeth as she picked up her phone again. She had to make one last call. Her best friends, Maddy and Selene, had moved in with each other in Selene’s fiancé’s mansion the year previously. The women had been happier than a fiddle with their men, Connor and Pietr, since they’d met that girl’s night out that seemed like ages ago. Sasha was happy for them and went to visit them often. But now she would be staying away from them, to keep them safe as well.
Tears clogged her throat as she dialed. She would miss them.
“Hey, Sas, long time no hear. What happened to you coming over the house last week?” Selene said in greeting.
“Worked late, and then I was too tired to take the drive,” Sasha answered, sniffling.
“Uh-oh. What’s wrong? Whose ass am I kicking?” Selene asked. Noise on the other end of the line crackled and then Maddy’s voice came over the line.
“What’s up? Where do we need to meet you?” Maddy asked. Sasha smiled through tears. Maddy was barely five feet tall, a pip-squeak. But she’d be ready to stand beside her friends through anything. Selene, at five foot ten and tenacious, would probably do better.
“Long story, but I can’t get into the details. It’s for your safety,” she rushed to say when Selene grunted. “I need to disappear for a while but I want you guys to know that I’m okay and I’ll be checking in with you while I’m gone.”
“Sas, you’re scaring me. What’s going on? You know you can trust us,” Selene argued.
“Selene, really. I can’t tell you.”
“You know my fiancé is rich, right? The security we have is top-notch. If it’s that bad, we can protect you,” Selene said.
“I don’t know about that. Selene, don’t make this harder on me than it has to be.”
“Screw this,” Maddy said and a knock sounded. Sasha figured she’d dropped the phone. Selene continued to argue with her and Sasha was just about to hang up when a gravelly voice came over the phone.
“What is
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