18. Jax #2
First, Nevada’s had strict wiretapping laws that rendered any illegally obtained recording completely inadmissible in court. Which meant that our game couldn’t be to use these recordings to help my case.
Instead, the recordings would be used as pure blackmail against Kit.
Once we were armed with his own voice admitting to setting me up, Beth planned to back him into a corner—forcing him to use the very same political leverage and judicial influence he used to frame me into making the District Attorney quietly drop all my charges instead.
That was her backup plan at least. She had yet to confide her real plan to any of us. She claimed that was in case it didn’t work out. She didn’t want us to be disappointed.
“I find that sort of thing fascinating,” Nova said after a moment. “As fascinating as all this construction around us.”
“Maybe later I’ll tell you more,” Kit said, and my gut twisted.
“I want her out of there,” I hissed, and looked at her mother. “Make the call.”
“Hold on.” She held up her hand. “She hasn’t given the safe word yet.”
“I hate this whole thing,” Nova’s dad groaned.
I closed my eyes and listened as Nova tried again.
“What about the kid? I mean, was it really an underage girl?” Nova asked. “Is she okay?”
“Yes,” Kit said, then there was a long pause. “If I tell you a little more, will you come upstairs so we can forget all about Jax Mylonas?”
He said my name like it was a curse.
“I’d like that,” Nova purred. “Very much.”
“Fine.” Kit sighed. “She’s just…” There was another slight pause. “From an escort service. We keep them on retainer for situations like this.”
“Wow, like keeping a lawyer on retainer?” She giggled.
“Yes, but strictly off the books.”
“How does that happen? I mean, I’ve heard that saying before, usually in mob movies. How does someone actually keep things off the books?” Nova asked.
Kit chuckled. “My dear, I run a casino. How much cash do you think comes in and out of the doors in a single hour?”
“Oh, I guess I never thought of it like that,” Nova said, just as our hotel room door burst open. More than half a dozen men dressed in black quickly surrounded us.
Sofia squealed and wrapped her arms around Rick as he shielded her with his body.
Nova’s mother groaned while her dad jerked to get to his wife’s side. I froze in place, flashing back to the other day.
Nova and Kit continued to talk through the speaker as a man dressed head to toe in black strolled into the room.
“Son of a… Beth, I thought I told you this wasn’t a good idea.” he said, taking one look at Nova’s mother.
“Hi, Jonny.” Beth smiled “Everyone, meet my younger brother, Agent John Forrest, FBI.” She beamed up at the man. “He was my first option and my quiet move.” She grinned.
The man, Nova’s uncle John Forrest, was a bear of a man. Not fat. Muscular. About one hundred percent of it, from what I could see. He looked nothing like his older sister, except for the smile. There, I realized, they were identical.
John rolled his eyes. “I see you’re still playing too much chess, little sis.” He motioned for his men to get out. “When I got your message, I told you it wasn’t a good idea to plant the bugs.” He eyed Rick and me. “Jacob and Richard Mylonas, I presume?” he asked.
We both nodded dumbly.
“You can put your hands down, son,” he told me.
I realized I had them raised and dropped them, feeling stupid.
“This is Rick’s fiancée, Sofia Ferreira,” Beth said. “Now everyone has been introduced.”
“You could have told me where you were staying, instead, we had to trace the radio signal,” he said to Beth. It wasn’t a question but a statement.
“I wasn’t going to hand you all the chips, besides, you know your job better than I do.” she laughed. “Besides, I had hoped we’d get what you needed from Sterling first,” she said, standing up and planting a kiss on her brother’s cheek.
“Okay, it’s time to pull your girl out. We’ve got this,” John said firmly.
“She hasn’t—” Beth started to say, but John glared at her.
“That’s not a request,” he added.
I watched Nova’s mother sigh then pick up her phone. Through the speakers, we heard Nova’s phone ring.
When Nova answered, her mother hung up the phone. Then we listened while Nova faked an emergency phone call.
“My mother fell down a flight of stairs at the hotel. They’re taking her to the hospital for X-rays. They think she broke her foot.” We could hear Nova standing up, the chair scraping against the floor.
“Of course,” Kit said, sounding annoyed. “I’ll have you delivered to the hospital.”
“That would be wonderful,” Nova said. “I hope we can pick this up later?” Nova said softly.
“Let me know and I’ll send a limo. If you want, you can move back into the Apex.”
“Let me get my mother situated first. She was supposed to be on a flight back home in the morning, but I’ll let you know.”
“She’s good,” John said, listening in.
“Two years of drama class,” I said without taking my eyes off the speaker.
“We are supposed to pick her up when the limo drops her off at the hospital,” Sofia said to John.
“We’ll get her,” he said, listening as Nova left the space.
To our surprise, Kit continued to talk to a man name Don.
Was this the skinny balding man I’d seen before?
“He’s ours,” John surprised us all by adding.
“What do you mean by that?” I asked.
John looked amused. “We’ve been watching Christian Sterling for bigger transgressions than setting you up, which, by the way, we suspected instantly.”
“From the sounds of it,” I said dryly. “Still, I’d like to see that my name gets cleared.”
John nodded. “We’ve already been in contact with a few women who swear up and down that you were busy shopping at their stores minutes before you were arrested. Plus, with this”—he motioned to the speaker—“I’d say your case is officially dead.” He turned back to the speaker.
“See that it’s done,” Kit was saying firmly.
Just then, all hell broke loose over the speaker. Men shouted and several shots were fired.
John frantically pulled out and dialed his phone.
“What in the hell happened? I said to take him in peacefully,” he barked into the phone.
He listened and then quickly relaxed. “We’ve got him in custody.”
“And Nova?” I asked, my eyes glued to the speaker.
“She’s in front of the building and in our protection.” He listened on the phone some more. “And, apparently, demanding to speak to you.” He held up his phone for me.
“Jax?” Nova’s voice sounded worried on the line.
“I’m here.” I laughed. “We got him, baby. Your uncle is here.”
“Uncle Jonny?” Nova asked, then laughed. “Damn, Mom called in the quiet move.”
“What does that mean?” I asked, holding in more laughter.
“That’s my uncle’s famous move in chess. He’s the last move before calling checkmate,” she said. I was quiet. “We really need to play more chess together.” Nova laughed. “I’m getting a ride to you. See you soon. I love you.”
“I love you.”
“So, you and my niece, finally, huh?” John said when I handed him back his phone.
“Yes, sir.” I held out my hand and shook his.
He laughed and looked over to Brian. “You owe me a hundred bucks.”
Brian groaned. “I’ll write you a check.”
I turned toward Nova’s dad, who was sitting next to Beth. “I planned on asking you for her hand when this was all over, but I guess now is as good as any time.”
“Yes,” Brian blurted out, earning him an elbow from Beth. “Now you owe me a hundred,” he said to John. “What?” he said to Beth when she elbowed him again. “We’ve known those two were going to get married since the first day they met. They were just too stupid and young to realize it themselves.”
Beth laughed. “Okay, but that doesn’t mean you couldn’t have made the boy sweat a little.”
“He’s done enough of that the last few days. I figured he deserved a break.” Brian gave me a wink. “You have our permission,” he said, sounding official.
“What happens now?” Sofia asked. “I mean, Beth explained how our recordings of Kit’s confession couldn’t be used in court.”
“No, but we have just cause to hand over the recordings to the FBI,” Beth replied.
“Since we acted on our own, federal agents can use our tape as raw intelligence. They can’t base a trial on it, but it gives my brother and his team the exact roadmap they need to tear Kit’s operation apart from the inside. ”
“Then my case?” I asked.
“Consider it dropped,” John added. “Beth will deal with the paperwork. I think using Judge Conger would be a big mistake, seeing as he’ll probably be in custody or at least disbarred soon.”
I laughed and headed out the door to wait for Nova to arrive.