Page 56 of Take the Bait

“Don’t do it,” she warned Alex under her breath.

“Sorry, Ms. Wellford. I have no choice. None at all.”

He’d steadfastly refused to tell her anything about why he was so insistent on going to jail. Zoey had failed to uncover any reason in Alex’s past, or present for that matter, to explain why he was so adamant about wanting to go to jail.

She’d even broken down and asked Cam on one of their late-night calls if he’d found anything to explain Alex’s refusal to accept a plea deal and avoid jail time. He claimed to know nothing and said the D.A.’s investigators hadn’t found a reason for her client’s strange behavior, either. Surely, Cam wouldn’t lie to her about something like that…

…No. She trusted him. Cam didn’t know what was up with Alex, either.

Her client didn’t seem self-destructive or suicidal. But she became steadily more alarmed as the hearing’s preliminaries progressed and Alex grew more and more tense beside her.

The hearing was declared in session.

A bailiff came over to remove Alex’s handcuffs so he could approach the bench before entering his plea. The judge apparently wanted to have a conversation with this unusual prisoner for himself.

Dani noticed that the bailiff gave the metal cuffs a rather vicious twist that was uncalled for as he took them off Alex. She opened her mouth to tell the guy to take it easy with her client, but Alex moved so fast she barely saw his hand whip out and chop, knifelike, into the bailiff’s throat. The guy went down like a rock, gagging and gasping.

Two more bailiffs leaped forward, and Alex put them on the ground with such brutal efficiency that Dani gaped in shock. Who the hell was he? Alex fought like the freaking Terminator.

Cam leaped protectively in front of her, and her heart expanded in gratitude at the same time panic finally reached her brain. The judge surged to his feet, shouting for more bailiffs.

As quickly as it had erupted, the scenario froze. The courtroom was completely still and silent for several endless seconds.

Then, as the bailiffs groaned on the floor, Alex walked calmly over to stand beside her at the defense table. She and Cam stared at him in disbelief.

“Sit,” Cam bit out. “And if you touch Dani, I’ll kill you myself.”

“You can try,” Alex said calmly as he sank into the chair. “You’ll fail. But I have no intention of harming my attorney or anyone else who doesn’t attack me first.”

“Are you going to attack me if I put the handcuffs back on you?” Cam asked Alex tersely.

Alex merely held out his wrists and waited patiently as Cam cautiously snapped on the cuffs.

Several more bailiffs charged into the courtroom just then, Tasers brandished.

“The situation—and the prisoner—are under control, gentlemen,” the judge said. “Thank you for your quick response, however.”

Alex announced, “The bailiff I struck in the throat will need a trip to the hospital and possible surgery to repair his larynx. The big one over there may have a few cracked ribs but should be fine. And that one,” he pointed at the nearest bailiff, “is a pussy. He went down without me having to hardly touch him.”

And with that pronouncement, Alex leaned back in his chair, his hands clasped across his stomach.

Dani sank into the chair beside Alex. “Who are you?” she muttered in disbelief.

“I’m just a guy trying to disappear into the system for a good long time.”

To disappear? That was the closest he’d ever come to giving her a reason for his strange behavior. “But why? From whom?”

“You’re a decent attorney. And I like you. That’s why I’m not going to answer your questions. The less you know about me, the safer you’ll be.”

“Are you some sort of spy like your father?”

“No comment,” Alex bit out.

There was a commotion as the second batch of bailiffs assisted the inured ones to their feet and ushered them toward medical care elsewhere.

Then, as she turned toward Alex to demand more information from him, the judge snapped, “I trust you have control of your client now, Ms. Wellford.”

“Yes, Your Honor. There will be no more outbursts from Mr. Koronov.” She tossed a glare over at Alex to emphasize the point.

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