Chapter Twenty-five #2
“I’m getting there. It seems I was taking my new position too seriously, asking for too much information.
For the original random case-assignment documents that the final case calendars were built from.
They were afraid I’d dig deeper, notice a pattern in the change in assignments, changes made to facilitate judicial bribery.
My first show of interest in the assignments triggered the attempt to run me off the road, and then my follow-up requests this past week must have panicked them.
Hatchett even caused the fender bender involving Bernard’s wife so he wouldn’t be available to walk me out to my car. ”
“It sounds like this Nick Hatchett has gone from bagman to hitman.”
“We’ve both seen it,” Tess replied. “What some people will do to protect a lucrative endeavor.”
“Who all is involved?” Bree wasn’t stunned. “Who was this guy working with in our courthouse?”
“I know you’ve got a stake in this, but one thing at a time.
” Tess pointed at her scar. “This was the result of a big bribe in a drug case. A case initially randomly assigned to me. After the case assignments were already set, a person with more money than ethics decided to make a very big bribe to help his repeat-offender, drug-dealing son avoid his third strike. There was a sudden need for me to be out of the picture, off the case.”
“So you were shot? Extreme.” Bree’s tone was now incredulous. “Same guy as last night?”
“It seems Hatchett took it into his own hands to solve the problem.”
“But what’s his connection to the court?” Bree asked.
“He’s Alan Larkin’s stepbrother. He receives a significant bankable cut. I did notice when I was reviewing calendars yesterday that after I was shot, Alan picked up the case thanks to some interesting juggling.”
“Holy smokes, I didn’t see all this coming.” Bree paused and Tess watched her as the gears were obviously turning. “Was Huffington throwing cases too then?”
“Not according to Hatchett.”
“So, Huffington’s just an asshole, but not a crook,” Bree replied, and they both chuckled.
“And Vera’s involved in the voiding of traffic violations. And guess who else is tangled up in this?”
Bree spent a moment thinking. “Someone had to be fixing the case assignments. I can’t believe this, but I’d have to guess that Helene’s in on it.”
“You’d be guessing correctly, according to Hatchett. She’s the one who sounded the alarm on my calendar requests.”
“Is that it? Alan, Vera, and Helene?”
Tess nodded. “The Commission can remove the judges from their jobs. And Helene…well, oversight of her position falls to the presiding judge.”
“That’s you.”
Tess nodded again. “The FBI is stepping in. This is way beyond the Commission’s or my oversight. The FBI investigates public corruption and will pick up the criminal investigation and prosecution. Job loss and possibly prison time are in the future for the three of them.”
“I’d guess it was Alan who voted against you becoming presiding judge, but that would mean that Vera voted for you, even though she’s involved. And that Helene didn’t lie about the vote results,” Bree said.
“Apparently Huffington wanted an assignment shift—to take over more cases in the traffic department,” Tess replied.
“Vera didn’t want to lose them to him, so she chose to try to limit his power as presiding judge by voting for me.
Alan wanted an inattentive presiding judge, Huffington. There was division in the ranks.”
“And Helene had an ounce of integrity when reporting the vote?” Bree didn’t sound convinced.
“We could have compared notes on how we voted—falsifying the results would not have been so easy. I think Helene was caught off guard and didn’t have much time to plan,” Tess replied. “Heck, I was completely caught off guard that day.”
“I’m blown away. And now we’ll have to weather the bad press. Front page headlines, undoubtedly.”
“I predict we’ll all end up with some collateral damage,” Tess replied.
“But you took a bullet and a knife attack for the good guys. You’ll be a hero.”
“And you’ll be the hero’s girlfriend. So stick by me, darlin’.” Tess loved everything about that declaration.
“I will. But at this moment, I’m here for other perks.” Bree waggled her eyebrows.
“Dessert?” Tess injected as much innocence into her voice as she could manage, but the husk leaked in. “We can share if you want.”
“The apple pie can wait. But not me. I want you, Tess.”
“Well, it’s about time.” Tess led the way down the hallway to her bedroom.
The memory of their last night in Tahoe hadn’t diminished for Tess. It had been a night of passion she’d shared with someone she’d only known as Bree, and Bree had been a woman she hadn’t been able to forget. But tonight was so much more.
The pale warm skin beneath Tess’s mouth offered her an aromatic bouquet—a mix of fragrant florals and Bree’s unique scent.
It was all Tess needed for the full force of her hunger to reignite, a craving that had already been sated multiple times in their coupling tonight but had also proven to be so easily rekindled from ember to blaze with minimal provocation from Bree.
Coaxing Bree to the edge of the precipice, holding her there until she begged for final release, then finally watching her lose control—this was going to be one of her favorite pastimes.
Right up there with her own climb to completion.
The rise, the soaring, the slow fall back to earth, and with the recognition that it was so much more than sex.
It was lovemaking…and yes, it felt like flying.
“Uh-uh. It’s your turn for some more attention.” Bree rolled out from under Tess and faced her.