Total pages in book: 29
Estimated words: 26361 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 132(@200wpm)___ 105(@250wpm)___ 88(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 26361 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 132(@200wpm)___ 105(@250wpm)___ 88(@300wpm)
“Cops swear up and down that he refused his phone call.”
My mood darkened, and anger burned in my belly. I wasn’t a sunshine and rainbows type of guy. The girls in the club often called me grumpy. Since it was a pretty accurate description, I just shrugged it off. But the only people who’d seen the truly dark side of me were my brothers. The Silver Saints weren’t Boy Scouts. We lived by our own law, but injustice was something I’d never been able to tolerate—even if it was abusing the criminal justice system.
I wasn’t a tortured soul or anything pussy-ish like that. My childhood had been normal and even a bit boring. But I’d seen enough of the underbelly of the world to be more than a little jaded. Plus, I’d always been a man of few words. It was one of the reasons I’d stopped including a woman in my thoughts about the future. Even if one had actually piqued my interest—which hadn’t happened for a long fucking time—I wasn’t the type to say sweet things and make love to a woman. And what were the chances I’d be as lucky as my brothers and meet a woman who would accept my lifestyle and how fucking dirty my hands were?
“Judge gave the lawyers less than twenty-four hours for discovery, so Gary was scrambling, which was why he only just contacted us,” Scout explained acidly. He obviously thought Gary’s excuse was bullshit, and I had no doubt Scout would rough him up a little to make sure it didn’t happen again.
“When is the preliminary hearing?” I asked, wondering how much time I had to get this mess untangled before it went to trial.
Mac slammed a fist on the desktop and shared a look with his VP before facing me once more, his eyes filled with rage. “He produced a document with Rom’s signature that waived his right to the hearing.”
“And he told the lawyers during a sidebar that if this proceeded to trial, Rom would most likely end up with the max prison time,” Scout spat.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” I practically shouted. “It’s his first offense of any kind. Rom’s never had even so much as a speeding ticket. I don’t give a fuck if the weapon was reported stolen. It’s a misdemeanor at best.”
“I agree, but the judge escalated it to a felony. Suggested a bullshit plea bargain of nine years,” Scout informed me, his expression twisted with disgust. Which I completely understood since the max sentence for this crime was ten years in prison.
My hands balled into fists, making my knuckles crack. “Let me guess, he also had proof that Rom confessed.”
Mac nodded. “Yup, it’s supposedly why he denied him bail.”
I shook my head in disbelief. “This can’t all be the Devil’s Jesters. They don’t have this much pull.”
Running a hand over his beard, Mac grunted in frustration. “Gary thinks the judge is on the take.”
Scout rolled his eyes. “He’d know all about that.”
Yeah, Gary wasn’t loyal to us for any other reason than we paid him a fuck ton of money for it.
Scout handed me another paper, this one with all the information they had on the crooked judge.
“Trial?” I asked.
“Next fucking week,” Mac growled. “Don’t know who this motherfucker is banging to be able to skirt the rules, but we need to find out.”
“You need me to find proof that he’s taking bribes?” I clarified. “And that the documents were forged?”
“And prove Rom’s innocence,” Mac added.
“Done.”
2
Oakley
Pulling the throw blanket over my lap, I adjusted my glasses and aimed the remote control at my television as I settled into the corner of my couch. Then I stretched my legs out on the cushions next to me and scrolled through the options on my favorite streaming service. Snowball, my Persian cat, curled up on my lap with a purr.
As a sophomore in college, I should have more exciting things to do on a Friday night than watch shows with my cat. I’d overheard a couple of girls in my ethics class talking about a big party at one of the frats, but that definitely wasn’t my kind of thing. Neither was hanging out in a bar, which I couldn’t even get into since I wasn’t old enough and didn’t have a fake ID. Since I was already a week ahead on my homework, I didn’t need to hang out at the library like usual.
Instead, I planned to catch up on a few of the newly released shows I had missed out on because I’d been too busy studying for a couple of exams over the past two weeks. Now that they were done—and I had aced them—I was looking forward to getting a little rest and relaxation this weekend.
After selecting a reality dating show about people who fall in love and get engaged before they actually see each other, I set the remote control on the side table. I was hoping the third season was as entertaining as the two that had come before it and planned to devour all twelve episodes before tomorrow night, even though it would take a dozen hours.