Page 48 of The Prey
“I’m going to be just fine, sweetie. I promise.”
“Where’s Daddy at?” Ryan asked.
“He’s in the kitchen with Calvin’s daddy now, telling them what happened today at the court. He’ll be up in a few minutes to check on you, Ry,” Genny told them. “I want you guys to go back to Calvin’s room and wait for me, okay? I’m going to help Aunt Gia change into her jammies and get her something to drink with her medicine, first. She’s going to be just fine, I promise.”
“And the bad guys aren’t going to come back?” Calvin asked. “To get Aunt Gia or you or my new mommy?”
“No, baby. The bad guys are in jail forever now,” Gia told her nephew. He had been so afraid, after everything that had happened to Chantal and to Genny. And then Aubrey, Ayla, and nowher.How could a pair of four-year-olds understand any of this?Giadidn’t understand it herself. “I promise.”
“The policemen took him away,” Hudson said behind them all. “Everyone will be safe now. Come here guys.”
He leaned down and scooped both boys up into his strong arms, looking utterly perfect in that moment. Gia wanted him to hold her forever, too.
“I’ll tuck them in and answer any questions, then I’ll be back,” he said looking right at her.
That sounded perfect to her.
Unfortunately—whatever they’d given her at the hospital had other plans.
All she really remembered was him coming back, telling her he was never letting go of her again—and his strong arms going around her as he leaned over her in the bed that she had had in this room since she’d been a teenager.
“Stay…” It was all she said.
And he did.
37
Hell,he hated this little fucking hole in the wall town. All he’d heard for days had been about the Hiller family and about everything that had happened to them recently. And howlovelyit was that romance and love had come out of it. He didn’t even know what they were talking about—other than something to do with one of Giavonna’s brothers, the pastor or something. And a cult had been mentioned.
Something about a waitress at the diner. Or something like that. All he knew was that no one was talking about the fire at Hanan’s any longer. Or who might have set it. Just like Jason had suspected—the rumor mill only worked for a little while.
“This shouldn’t take too long. Then we will head back to the office andtalk.” Walters walked beside him as they entered the courthouse fifteen minutes before the judge wanted them there. “Change of venue, change of counsel. You want to keep representing Fullman? It’ll probably mean Finley Creek County or Garrity County.”
“I fucking hope it’s not Garrity. Talk about a shithole. I don’t want to have to drive there every time there’s a motion. How many judges are they down to now?” Collins had come fromGarrity—he’d researched her more thoroughly in the little break on the Fullman case.
“One. Pitiful. But…it’s a small county, they do the best they can. I’m not going to complain that Judge Collins relocated.”
“Have a real thing for her, don’t you?” Walters was a so-called good man. He had just liked screwing around on wife number two. But he would outright tell people he made mistakes. Like he was owning up to his sins or something.
Jason thought that was a bunch of shit. He had plenty of sins of his own. Didn’t see him shouting about them from the rafters. “Can we request Finley Creek County?”
“We can try. But…I’m guessing the ball will be in Hanan’s court for this one. I did notknow he and Hiller were romantically involved. Two have fought like a pair of cornered pit vipers for years. This shocks the hell out of me. Suspect he’ll be even more vicious after what happened, considering.”
“Giavonna’s a beautiful, highly attractive woman. And right there in front of him…hell, yes. I wouldn’t be shocked to learn they’ve been screwing around for years. Where there’s smoke, there’s flame.”
“Yeah. I suppose. Still, let’s get this case off the table. We have others that are far more pressing.”
Well, Jason agreed with that. The sooner Fullman was taken care of, the less likely it would be to blow back on Jason.
Jason had a plan now. He just had to make it through the next few days, and everything he’d ever done, all of his sins, would be erased forever.
Giavonna wouldn’t be able to prove a damned thing now.
38
Hudson knewit was going to be a long session by the look on Tom Walters’s face when he accompanied Clarke and the defendant into the courtroom.
Hudson tensed—he didn’t like Gia in the same building as those two men. He wanted Gia out of the damned courtroom as soon as he could make it happen. But he knew how things worked. They weren’t going anywhere.
