stop.
“And here we are.” He doesn’t bother disguising the pleasure of a job well done. And why would he? They’ve delivered the bad guy to justice.
Paul is sitting on the precinct stairs when we pull over at the curb. His familiar face is a very welcome sight. Walking inside with him next to me allows some of the knots to loosen in my gut. It feels a hell of a lot less like I’m striding toward a guillotine. I might have a decent chance of leaving by this afternoon with my pride intact.
“My man. I’m damn glad to see you in one piece.” My trusted confidant and lawyer extends a hand for me.
I accept his offer with a single pump of my wrist. “You’re a sight for sore eyes.”
His gaze shifts to the officers parked idle behind us. “Did those assholes treat you well?”
A limp shrug prefaces my response. “They left me in peace for the most part.”
“I’m pretty peeved that they required you to have a police chauffeur.”
“Why am I here, Paul? Shouldn’t I be free to go about my business?” Such as hauling ass back to Blakely’s bedside. A sour thought sweeps in—she’s probably on her way home by now. I have no fucking clue where that is. Her number threatens to burn a hole in my pocket. The bubbling beneath my skin could be soothed if I had a damn phone to call her on.
Paul scrubs a palm across his smooth jaw. “I wish your case was that simple, Halder. You’re not the typical victim of a successful search and rescue. Technically you skipped out on parole.”
A muscle leaps in my cheek. “That’s bullshit, and you know it.”
“I do, but there’s more to your complicated story. Let’s go in, okay? Someone has been waiting to meet you.”
With a mutter of expletives, I follow his lead as we wander past rows of crowded surfaces piled with paperwork and raised voices pointing in all directions. The stuffy building appears to be in organized chaos, but I expect little less for what these folks are dealing with. Paul motions to a corner office with the door propped open. I amble over the threshold while squaring my shoulders.
A man waits behind a polished desk. His tie is already tugged loose, and it’s barely mid-morning. What I’m assuming is his suit jacket occupies one of the available chairs. The way it’s haphazardly dangling from one side reminds me of a hectic movie scene. He’s clearly not kicking his feet up anytime soon. A sly grin made for stereotypes tilts the edges of his mouth.
“Halder Rane, I presume?”
“That’s me.” I remain rooted to a spot along the far wall. Paul chuckles, but I ignore him.
“I’m Detective Wyllis.” He gestures to the open seats. “Take a seat, please.”
My lawyer nudges me forward. We collapse into the vintage wingbacks with a creak of leather. A combination of dust, sweat, and cheap aftershave assault my nostrils. It smells worse than chasing terrible leads in this joint.
“Good to see you again, John.” His flat tone suggests the opposite.
The agent flicks a glance at him before focusing on me. “Thanks for coming in. I hope the ride wasn’t too bad.”
I feel my upper lip twitch. “Eh, who can complain about a cramped squad cruiser for eight hours? Practically a chariot.”
He shakes a meaty finger at me. “Funny guy. I’m glad that stuck with you.”
I blink at the roundhouse compliment. “Not sure I’ve ever been known for my comedic relief.”
“We appreciate humor in this job. It gets real low hunting criminals around the clock.”
“Yeah, real hilarious. How about we get to the point so my client can see to his neglected affairs.” Paul picks at some dirt under his nails.
John glares at him. “Still a dick, huh?”
“Isn’t that your title now? Swanky digs, by the way. I bet the pension is solid.”
The detective steeples his fingers. “All right, I can tell we’re a bit testy this morning. How about starting with the good news?”
Paul shoots him a bland look. “Do you drag this shit out on purpose?”
John ignores him, turning his eyes on me. “Well, you’ll be happy to know that Mr. Pompetto and his entire operation has been shut down.”
That news makes my head spin. Talk about a shock to my system. Maybe I blacked out for a second. “Wait, what?”
His smile grows at the slack in my features. “After your disappearance, a large raid was executed due to a massive federal investigation. Their involvement made it all