his head against the rain and increased his steps, almost jogging until reaching our offices. “You’ve been attacked, shot at, and now kidnapped.” He unlocked the door and held it open for me.
I walked into the quiet interior and turned to face him, having to look up. Way up. I shook the water from my hair, spraying us both. “I’m in this, and I’m not going away. It’s my decision.”
His light brown gaze wandered over my battered face. Standing there in his dark T-shirt and even darker jeans, he looked solid. Kind of pissed. But definitely strong. “You’re right. It is your decision.”
Triumph filled me. I liked that about him. A lot.
We quickly drafted a search warrant with the accompanying affidavit from me about the kidnapping and discussion with Melvin about his lab losing electricity. I read it over again. “This is weak. Whitaker’s statement about lost power doesn’t tie to this one building out of the rest of the buildings.” We needed something more.
Nick leaned over my shoulder to read the screen, his scent of smoky wood filtering around. It was comforting and something more. “I’d rather not make a deal with Melvin, if we can help it. Let’s get to this place without his cooperation.”
I swallowed and printed it out. “Judge Hallenback,” I sighed. “We kind of suck.”
Nick took the papers. “We surely do. I’ll drive.”
I had no problem with that. We finished the paperwork and ran back outside. The clouds had turned even darker and the rain more insistent as dinnertime passed. I dodged into his car and sighed in relief, watching him start the engine and drive. Nick had pushed his shirt sleeves up. The rhythmic sound of the windshield wipers added an intimacy to the warm car.
He followed Main Street toward the historic section. “Did Pierce ever ask you out?”
I peered out at the empty sidewalks. “Sheriff Franco in Silverville had a barbecue that we were supposed to attend, but work got in the way.”
“Cops and lawyers. Never a good combination,” Nick mused.
I didn’t feel like reminding him that he’d kissed me. Obviously, he knew that. I sure as heck wasn’t going to tell him that I’d slept with Aiden. “Jealous?” I tried to lighten the mood.
“A little.” He drove quickly, heading back toward the west end of the lake and the historic homes. We reached the gate on the private drive, and he pressed a button.
“What do you want? It’s after dinnertime,” Judge Hallenback mumbled.
“It’s Nick Basanelli. I need a warrant signed,” Nick said.
I looked at the beach on the other side of the road. Whitecaps tossed waves toward the sand, which was being pelted by the rain as night strengthened and banished the day. Nobody was around for miles.
The buzzer rang and the fence lifted.
Nick drove past the other three silent mansions to the Judge’s. “I hate taking advantage of him like this, but…”
I nodded. “I get it. I really do.” Then I jumped from the vehicle and jogged to the safety of the porch to ring the old-fashioned bell.
The judge opened the door wearing a Hawaiian shirt, grass skirt, and combat boots. “Morning, Alberto.”
I blinked. “Evening,” I murmured. “I mean, good evening.”
He scrunched up his gray eyebrows. “What happened to your face? It looks even worse than the other day.”
“Long story. Part of it is in the affidavit,” Nick said, handing over the papers and not looking at the judge’s hairy legs. “We need a search warrant for a building we think is being used as a drug lab, Judge.”
“Hmm.” The judge gestured us inside, where it was about a thousand degrees. He led the way to a darkened study with Cherrywood desk, walls, and ceiling. He skipped around the wide desk to an executive style leather chair, reading the papers. Finally, he looked up. “You don’t have enough here. An off the cuff statement about power, which could be anywhere, doesn’t lead to this one building. You need a better connection in order to search it. People have privacy rights, you know.”
My hopes plummeted. Worse yet, I knew he was right. “Judge? We have to get out there before these drugs are put on the street.”
The judge looked over my shoulder. “Tell me the police are watching this building and waiting for a warrant.”
“Of course,” Nick said. “DEA, FBI, State, and even the ATF. We’ve got the place covered.”
“Then get a proper warrant.” The judge shoved the papers across the desk. “You don’t want this whole thing thrown out of court