Page 72 of Where Secrets Lie

“I’ll take it,” Hez said in a mild tone. “What time?”

“At ten. Fifteen minutes,” Boswell warned again. “That’s it.”

“That’s all I’ll need.”

A black SUV pulled up, and Boswell gestured for the other two attorneys to join him. They didn’t look back as they departed the courthouse with heads high in triumph.

Hez’s arm came around Savannah as she watched them drive off. “I’ve got one final shot tomorrow.”

She yanked her gaze from the black SUV’s taillights. “I’m coming with you to New York.”

His lips flattened and he shook his head. “No, babe, you need to stay here and take care of Simon. He’s still so sad, and he’d worry if we were both gone.” He hesitated and glanced away. “If things... go south, people will need you. We can’t run the risk of leaving Simon alone.”

She gasped as his comment soaked in. “You think Hornbrook might k-kill you?”

“He’s unscrupulous. He wouldn’t want to be indicted for murder, but he could arrange for an accident. I’ll be on my guard.”

She grasped the rough material of his coat sleeve. “I need you, Hez. What if he makes sure you never make it to his office? I can’t lose you. I just can’t!”

His fingers tipped her chin up, and he stared intently into her eyes. “You’re stronger than you know, Savannah, but I have no intention of dying tomorrow. I’ve been dreaming ofour future together for too long to let it slip away. I’ll be on guard.”

She swallowed down the thickening in her throat. “You can’t go by yourself. I don’t trust Hornbrook, so take someone intimidating. Maybe Jimmy?”

“There’s only one person who might scare these guys. I’ll take Bruno Rubinelli, if he’s free.” He pulled out his phone and launched his travel app. “There’s a flight in three hours out of Pensacola. I’ll be back tomorrow in time for dinner. I’ll text Bruno and ask him to meet me.” Hez tapped out a quick text and his phone pinged a few seconds later with a reply. “Awesome, he can make it.”

Bruno had done great work in setting up the fake website they used in taking down the smuggling ring. But how could a computer whiz protect Hez? God could, though, and she would try her best to lean on her faith in the next twenty-four hours.

Chapter 39

A gust of wind funneled down the glass and steel ravines of Midtown Manhattan and knifed through Hez’s suit coat. He shivered and stepped behind one of the massive columns outside Hornbrook’s building. Late March meant spring in southern Alabama, but winter still held sway in New York.

Where was Bruno? He was supposed to meet Hez ten minutes ago, and the meeting with Hornbrook started in five. Had Hornbrook’s minions somehow learned that Bruno was coming and intercepted him on his way from the airport? Hez wished they’d had more time to plan this out.

A cadaverously thin man of about thirty-five rolled up on a skateboard. He wore a black beanie and baggy jeans that flapped around his bony legs. An ancient Metallica T-shirt showed through his unzipped snowboarding jacket. Hez smiled with relief and stuck out his hand. “Bruno! It’s great to finally meet you in person.”

Bruno popped up his skateboard and grabbed it with his left hand while he gave Hez a perfunctory shake with his right. “Hey, Hez.” He craned his neck and looked up at the tower in front of them. “So this is it, huh? Think there’s a chance things’ll get rough in there?”

Hez pressed his lips together and nodded. He and Bruno hadn’t had a chance to discuss the danger in detail. “Things could get very rough.”

Bruno considered that for a long moment, and Hez was afraid he might back out. But Bruno just shrugged. “Not my first rough situation. Besides, if they kill us, they may regret it.”

That wasn’t the most reassuring thing to hear, but at least Hez wasn’t going in alone. He took a deep breath and pushed back at the fear rising in his chest. “Let’s go. We don’t want to be late.”

They checked in at the security desk and then rode up in a gleaming brass-and-marble elevator they had to themselves. It had no buttons for different floors, just a slot for a key card. The building’s tenants apparently didn’t want any surprise visitors.

The doors opened, and they stepped into the lobby of Hornbrook Finance, LLC. Steel letters inlaid in expensive-looking walnut paneling announced the firm’s name, and black leather furniture surrounded a glass table in a small waiting area. The receptionist, a muscular man with sharp brown eyes, waved them over. Two more very fit men emerged from a door behind the reception desk. They gave Hez and Bruno a quick but thorough search and confiscated Bruno’s skateboard. Then one of the men led Hez and Bruno through the door, with the other Hornbrook minion bringing up the rear. Hez hadn’t seen a gun, but he had no doubt all three men were armed.

They walked down a short, windowless hall to a conference room with a large table and south- and east-facing floor-to-ceiling windows. Allen Boswell sat on the table’s far side next to a silver-haired sixtyish man. James Hornbrook. Neither ofthem rose when Hez and Bruno entered. “It’s 10:02,” Hornbrook said without preamble. “You have thirteen minutes left.”

The door clicked shut behind Hez as he and Bruno sat opposite Hornbrook. Their chairs were squarely in the glare from the sunlight pouring in through the windows. It was an old power move designed to distract opponents and make them uncomfortable. Fortunately, Hez was prepared. He pulled out a pair of sunglasses and slid them on as he took his seat. “Are we being recorded?”

Boswell’s mouth quirked in irritation. “Why does it matter? New York is a one-party state. My client can record any conversations that take place in here.”

Hez furrowed his brows. “Hmm. He can legally record any conversation that he’s a part of, which isn’t quite the same thing.”

Hornbrook gave a contemptuous little chuckle. “Thank you for the free legal advice. Now make your offer. You’ve got ten minutes left.”

“I’m getting to that, but the recorded conversation thing has bugged me ever since Jess Legare warned me about it. In fact, that was one of the last things she said before she was murdered. And it really bugged me once I realized you were recording conversations you weren’t part of.”

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