Page 81 of Ren: Warlord Brides
Ah. Bugs. Their conversation might be recorded.
“I don’t know,” she said, a bit too stiffly. “Pashaal insisted I wear something ‘decorative,’ and that was the least gaudy option.” Emry ran a hand through her hair, knocking loose the last of her hair from the ponytail. “I barely remember taking it off.”
“Well, Ren kept you occupied.” Wink, wink.
“Okay, gross. You don’t get to joke about my sex life. The only person who can is my sister, and you ain’t Gemma.” Even then, gross.
“Fair enough,” Thalia said, full of good humor and not the least bit offended.
This woman was so damn likable it was aggravating. Gemma would love her and want to know all about life in the alien big house.
She’d insist on matching tattoos.
“I worked Pashaal’s dinner party,” Emry said, redirecting the conversation, “which means my day started about twelve hours before the guests arrived. I was exhausted. It was all I could do to shower before I fell asleep.”
“Why is she so hot and bothered about this necklace? Seems sus. I mean, there was so much incriminating evidence on her tablet, and she didn’t even have a password set. 1234 is not a password. Sloppy. She deserves to be robbed blind.”
“She is a lead member of the Sangrin Council.”
“Ah. That explains why the guards were tripping over themselves to obey.”
“I need a lawyer.” She had no idea how she could afford one. Her bank account was rather light, and she didn’t want to spend Ren’s money. Technically, he was her spouse, but it didn’t feel right. So, would she rather spend hours, maybe days, in a holding cell because of, what, her pride?
Maybe? She was too proud to take Ren’s money, even though he told her to get whatever she needed.
He probably didn’t mean bail and a retainer for a lawyer, though.
“This is embarrassing,” she said, slumping against the wall and sliding down until her butt hit the floor.
“Don’t worry. I know a guy,” Thalia said.
That did not fill Emry with confidence.
* * *
“The councilor’s allegations are preposterous.”The lawyer’s image flickered over the display, her voice echoing off the harsh cinder block walls.
“Your client was in possession of stolen property,” the guard said.
Thalia did not, in fact, know a guy. She had a loose association with the spouse of a friend of the husband of her husband’s ex-wife. Yeah. Emry did not want to untangle that mess. What mattered was that Nakia Sykes was an actual attorney, from Earth, and willing to take her case immediately.
“It was a loan. Ms. LeBeaux was instructed by her employer to pick a piece of jewelry and wear it for a dinner party.”
“And then she ran away with it!” Pashaal pointed an accusatory finger at Emry.
“I didn’t run—”
Nakia spoke over Emry. “Let me remind my client to remain silent until I advise her to answer a direct question.”
“Right. Sorry,” Emry muttered. For a person not even in the room, or on the same planet, Nakia had a way of commanding the space.
“First, I must protest Councilor Pashaal’s presence. This is witness intimidation,” Nakia said.
“This is mediation,” Pashaal said. “We cannot have mediation if I am not present.”
“Mediation, my ass,” Emry muttered. Then added, “Right, remain silent.”
Her temper got her in a lot of trouble and she needed to keep it in check now. Pashaal wanted to intimidate her, to make Emry slip up and possibly spill all the intel Ren had gathered investigating her. This was a tricky situation and running her mouth would only make it worse.
