Page 67 of Bastard Prince
“Oh, babe,” I laughed. “You are gonna hate it here in July.”
We had just crossed back into the city limits, traffic still light enough to not slow us down, when the sound of a siren came up from behind us. Looking in the mirror, I could see the black and white SUV behind me, blue and red lights flashing in the sunlight.
“Oh, fuck off with this shit,” I snarled, hitting my signal light and pulling over to the side.
“Is the car clean?” Francesca asked, reaching for the glove compartment where I had previously stored my gun.
“Yeah, babe,” I said. “Didn’t want to leave anything in it while it was parked at the airport for a few days.”
“Well, then. There should be no problem.” She sent a questioning frown my way. “Unless you have any warrants out for your arrest.”
“Fuck, no.” I hadn’t been on the books with the cops since I was seventeen, and that had been mostly Rocco’s fault anyway. “With the amount of money Idonateto these guys every year, there’s no way.” But as the SUV pulled over behind me, I couldn’t help the feeling of dread that settled in my gut.
This seemed too damn coincidental.
Francesca pulled the registration out of the glove compartment while I fished out my wallet, ready to hand it over. Glancing again in the mirror, I watched as the driver—a man I very clearly knew—stepped out of the SUV, his tan-on-tan uniform looking a little tight around the middle. Reaching up to his shoulder, he spoke into his radio before signaling for his partner to join him.
“Francesca,” I said quietly. “Don’t say a word, you hear me?”
Turning wide eyes to me, she simply nodded, but I could see her clenching her fists against her thighs.
A rap against my window drew me back, and I pressed the button to lower the glass.
“What can I do for you, officer?” I asked, my tone bored.
“That’s Sheriff to you, Argenti,” he drawled, emphasizing a good ol’ boy accent like it made him more trustworthy. The piece of shit was born right here in Las Vegas, so he wasn’t fooling me with that garbage.
“Of course, Sheriff,” I replied, keeping my voice level. “I simply didn’t recognize you in uniform and without a hooker on your arm.” Which was how he usually looked when he came toWrath, but we both knew that. Sheriff Ralph Bradford never even tried to hide his actions when he was down in my pit. “How is your wife, by the way?”
“You gettin’ smart with me, son?” Bradford growled, reaching up to switch off his body cam before placing one hand on the roof of the car and leaning over so he could glare in at me over his stereotypical mirrored aviators. “I don’t think you’re in a position to be testing me, boy.”
Out the corner of my eye, I could see his partner had taken up position outside Francesca’s window, and while I couldn’t see the face of the cop standing beside my wife, I could see that he had his hand resting on the butt of his gun.
I had to play this smart, no matter how much I wanted to punch this puffed-up prick in the face.
“Is there a reason you pulled me over, Sheriff?” I asked, trying to get back on track.
Bradford exhaled a heavy breath, his mustache flapping against his lip, then tilted his head and gave me a greasy smile.
“Why, you’ve got a taillight out, son. That’s a traffic code violation here in Clark County.”
“There’s no way,” I insisted. I had my vehicles detailed every month. I knew they were in top shape.
“You callin’ me a liar, Argenti?”
Grinding my teeth, I replied, “I’m saying you’re mistaken, Sheriff.”
“That so? Well, then. I guess I’ll just go check again.” Straightening up, Bradford made his way to the back of the Audi, and I watched as he pulled his night stick out of his duty belt and casually cracked it against my taillight, the smashed pieces falling to the road.
“Son of a bitch!” Tossing my seatbelt off, I threw open the door, only to come face to face with the business end of the Sheriff’s weapon.
“Stop right there, you fucking asshole.”
Raising my hands, I froze. “That how we’re gonna play this, Bradford?” I asked. “You really think pullin’ this shit is gonna work out for you in the end?” I had clearly become too lax in the last few years; my circle of trust had grown too big, if a man like this, a man who paid money to play in my playground, thought he could do something like this and get away with it.
“Shut the fuck up,” he snapped back at me. “I’m in charge here, not you. Now, seein’ as how you’re resisting arrest, I’m gonna have to bring you in for questioning.” He gave me that greasy smile again. “Turn around and place your hands on the vehicle, Argenti.”
“You’re making a mistake, Bradford,” I tried again, but I could see he was not backing down. The son of a bitch had a taste for power, and now that he had a modicum of it over me, he wasn’t gonna let it go. Turning to the car, I placed my palms on the roof and waited. I could see Bradford’s partner over the top of the vehicle, looking a little doubtful, but too young and green to do anything other than follow orders. There would be no help coming from there.
