Page 117 of Badges
Protect me.
Punish me.
And I love him for it.
Calling in favors
Wade
“Well, calling in afavor worked.” Pete sits back with a smug smile, his fingers interlaced over his belly. “Kicked the rat out from his hole and cut ‘mommy dearest’ off before she could get him out.”
I’m still salty I couldn’t interrogate Max, but he went directly to wanting a plea deal.
“Gonna share your secret?” I grumble. My thumb traces the brim of my hat where I have it perched on my knee.
“I have a friend in the U.S. Marshals. High enough that he could open an investigation into Judge Simmons and her using her position to keep her useless children out of jail. She’s temporarily off the bench until the investigation is over.” Pete’s glasses catch the glimmer of the morning sun. “We don’t even need the vandalism and extortion charges since Max is denying them. Preliminary testing is showing a match to the rape kit from the murder case six years ago.”
I hate how flippant he is about something that devastated so many of my close friends, especially Ford.
“So we aren’t pursuing those charges at all?” Everything Elena had to go through is meaningless? It’s frustrating to know she was forced to do such awful things, and he won’t even pay for it.
I guess in the end, it brought her to me. And my daughter.
“They’re a lot harder to prove. It’s a ‘he said, she said’ situation at that point.” Pete shrugs.
Elena shouldn’t have to suffer over a crime that isn’t even going to be tried.
Speaking of.
“So what do you think about lessening the monitor on Elena? Maybe make the rest of her sentencing probation?” The way I see it, she cooperatedflawlessly.
Or maybe I’m just antsy because we both agreed not to have a wedding until she’s free.
Pete waves his hand idly and sits up, dropping his elbows onto his desk. “I can make that work. You know you’re pushing for favors now? Gonna run for judge soon?” His smile doesn’t quite reach his eyes.
“This’ll be the only one.” I shake my head. I’ll call in any advantage I have to make her happy.
I guess I’m pretty well smitten.
“Fine. We’ll remember this the next time one of your ranch buddies gets in a bar fight.” He jabs his fingers against the keyboard of his computer for a few strokes. “It’ll likely take a week or two with the holidays coming up.”
“Thanks. Don’t hurt yourself bending over backwards.” I set my hat back over my ears and stand. He knows I’ve never asked him for anything before. And I do damn good at my job.
“Wade, I’m sorry,” Pete sighs. “The judge makes me cranky. This is going to be a huge win getting Max put away.”
I think it has more to do with Max not wanting to have Ford waiting in the parking lot when he gets out.
But I’ll take the apology.
“I’m glad that fucker is gonna pay. There’s only one thing that still bugs me, though. When he was trying to take Elena, he told her there was someone else. Is that part of the deal? Will Max reveal who ‘he’ is?” I’ve gone over it with her a dozen times in the last few days, hoping for some small tidbit that she may have forgotten.
Pete shakes his head. “And we may never know. I’m going after the crime that will stick. He’s off the streets, that’s all that counts.”
I nod, then step into the hall.
Why does getting the bad guy not feel satisfying in this instance?
Is it because I couldn’t exact my own justice on him? Should I be pissed that Sawyer was watching that night, or grateful that I don’t have more skeletons to bury?
