Page 56 of The Prey
No corner in this building would go unsearched.
Hudson was going to find her, and when he did, he was never letting her go again.
53
Shit.Total fucking shit.Jason didn’t know what to do now. He just didn’t. The judge was staring at them both now.
“Explain yourself.”
What was it with women around this fucking town thinking they had the right to make demands of men like him? To give orders like they ruled the world or something? “Fuck off, bitch.”
The judge’s eyes widened. “Excuse me?”
He didn’t know where the words came from but he just kept spewing shit. “I said ‘fuck off’. Stay out of this. This is between me andher.”
“In case you’ve missed it, these are my chambers. And Ms. Hiller doesn’t look like she’s really that into the conversation.” She turned to Giavonna. “Tell me, did he do that to your neck? Did he hurt you somehow?”
“Yes. And it’s not the first time.” Giavonna was pulling herself to her feet. Behind the judge. Like that little bitch judge could protect her. Collins was nine inches shorter and twenty years older. She wasn’t exactly a threat to a man like Jason. “I’m pressing charges. For today and for two years ago.”
Like hell she was.
Jason justacted.
He grabbed her, and slammed her against the wall. “No. You’re not. Why can’t you just keep your mouth shut? This is all Hanan’s fault. You should have just kept your mouth shut and he should have minded his own business. The two of you have screwed me over again. Just like before.”
“Your actions, your consequences. Not that hard to understand.”
She just kept shooting fire at him. Why couldn’t she be reasonable? Didn’t she understand…? Why did she just keep taunting him? “Can you just talk to me for once?”
“Maybe she’ll talk to you, if you keep your hands off of her,” the judge said. Jason turned to the other woman. This wasn’t any of the judge’s business.
She had her phone.
He just lashed out, and knocked it from the woman’s hand. “No.She’s going to fucking listen to me for once. Before she ruins everything.”
But he wasn’t stupid. Jason had ruined everything all ready.
Now he just had to find a way to get his ass out of here before it was too late.
54
Gia startedto keep herself up on her feet; she faltered. Her shoulder hurt, her arm was tingling. She felt like she was going to vomit. Judge Collins was demanding answers. Jason wasn’t giving them.
“What is this about?” Judge Collins demanded.
“He attacked me two years ago and choked me unconscious. I reported him to the city police—my reports just disappeared. As if they never existed.”
“Funny, I have heard of that happening to people I know around here before.” The judge came to her side. She held out a hand to Gia. “Come on, you need to be seen at the ER. Your shoulder is probably not supposed to look like that. Come on, lean on me. Let’s get you downstairs. I’m sure there is probably someone waiting on you somewhere nearby.”
“Several someones, actually. I think he re-dislocated it.” And it reallyhurt.She was trying not to vomit all over the judge’s chambers. Her phone—she’d lost her phone somewhere when she’d been running from him. “I think my phone is still in the hallway.”
“You scared the life out of me. I found that corridor a week ago. I wasn’t sure it had ever been used. I wasn’t brave enough to look too deeply into the darkness.”
“My brother George showed me a few times. He’s a local history nut, especially if it involves this courthouse. Our ancestor was the first judge to sit the bench here. There are quite a few family legends about this building.”
“I’m sure they are.” Judge Collins looked at Jason. “You aren’t to move, or I will ensure that things go very badly for you. Do you understand me?”
Gia just looked at the man who had attacked her. And knew…
