Hers To Protect. Catherine Lanigan

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СКАЧАТЬ not answering another question until I talk to my lawyer. That’s the law, Officer Hawks,” Josh said bluntly. He’d already figured out that threats didn’t dent this woman’s disposition. Neither did his charm. She was a rock. A government robot. She was the kind of powerless bureaucrat who validated her position by exercising her influence on innocent citizens.

       Like me.

      He’d seen plenty of people like her. His parents had been killed when their car had been hit head-on by a drug addict. As an only child and with no other family, he’d been shuffled by state officials from one foster home to another.

      This cop made him think of his best friend back then. Diego Lopez had had such a severe distrust of authority. He’d also barely spoken English, but Josh had enjoyed teaching him.

      “Give me your attorney’s number and I’ll place the call for you. What’s his name?”

      “Paul Saylor.”

      “In Indianapolis?”

      “Yes. You know him?”

      “I went to a seminar he gave when I was at the police academy in Indianapolis.”

      “And that was when?”

      Her eyes narrowed. She was instantly on the defensive.

      Josh had guessed she was young, twenty-three or twenty-four. She carried herself stiff, like a rookie. She was out of her league with him. That was for sure.

      “I can look up the number if you forgot it.”

      “Actually, he’s in Europe...” Josh checked his watch. “Just my luck. He’s back tomorrow. He’s always around for my time trials and the race Memorial Day weekend.” He smiled pleasantly, without too much force.

      She glared at him.

      He dropped the smile. Nothing worked on this woman. “I’ll call Harry instead.”

      “Harry?”

      “My manager.”

      Silence.

      Josh swallowed and then rhymed off Harry’s cell number, and Violet dialed.

      Once it started to ring, she handed Josh the receiver. She went back to typing, but she didn’t leave him alone.

      Josh turned his back to her and held the receiver close. His manager answered on the fourth ring. “Harry. It’s Josh. I need your help.”

      “Sure. What’s up?”

      “I need you to find Paul Saylor when he gets back tomorrow.”

      “Why would you need Paul?”

      “To bail me out of jail.”

      The long pause segued into a low groan. “What for? Drugs?”

      “For Pete’s sake, Harry! You know me better than that. I was ticketed for speeding.”

      “Where are you?”

      “Indian Lake. I told you. I was here to see Austin and Katia McCreary.”

      “Right, the antique car guy. Did you buy anything?”

      “Harry. Focus. I’m in a jam here.”

      “No big deal. Paul can clear this up... Wait. You said jail. Why jail for speeding?”

      Josh lowered his voice to a whisper. “They’ve got me for threatening the officer. I resisted her arrest.”

      “Her? Well, that explains it.”

      “Thanks a lot,” Josh retorted. “Look, I want to get out of here.”

      “I want you out, too. Mainly so I can wring your neck!” Harry blasted him. “Has anybody seen you?”

      “Seen me?”

      “Yeah. Like the press. Some kid on social media? This kind of thing can really hurt us. Bad publicity only weeks before the Indianapolis race. Just what I need, Josh.”

      “Hey, this is my career we’re talking about here.”

      “Precisely. And your career affects my career and my life. You have responsibilities, Josh. To the sponsors, the crew, the advertisers. You’ve been on a glory roll for nearly three years. No crashes. No bust ups. Not a glitch. Now you go out joyriding in some backwater town. Who knows what the locals think of you.”

      Josh’s head inched downward with each of Harry’s accusations. He was right. Josh was a man of duty and massive commitments. His sponsors put up hundreds of thousands of dollars for him to spend his life screaming around a raceway in some of the most expensive cars on the planet. His entourage depended on him to do everything right. Eat right, exercise, train and make lightning-quick decisions on the track. His job was to stay alive and be a good guy while doing it.

      Today, he’d let everyone down.

      “I’m telling you, Josh. This may have been fun for you, but it can cost us. If that cop has you on resisting arrest, that tells me you let your mouth run away with you. Again.”

      “It wasn’t that bad,” Josh muttered.

      “Yeah? Tell it to the judge. And believe me, you will. In the meantime, shut your trap. You got that?”

      “Got it.”

      “Good. Be as polite as you know how. I don’t know anything about this Indian Lake, but I’m going to find out. These little towns take small infractions seriously. It’s not Indianapolis where you can buy or autograph your way out of just about anything.”

      “I’m seeing that.” Josh’s eyes tracked up to Violet. He watched the hard set to her jaw as she banged away at the computer. She scrolled the mouse over a section of writing and cut it. Then she licked her bottom lip and went back to work. The harsh light shone on her heart-shaped face, and he noticed the long, dark lashes that cast shadows over naturally pink cheeks. She had expressive dark brows that pinched at the bridge of her pert nose when she found another section to cut. Until this moment, he hadn’t thought about what she must think of him besides the fact that he was a criminal. He was curious to know her thoughts. And that surprised him.

      To Harry, he said, “So, how do I get out of here?”

      “I can post the bail for you. Is there anyone there who can tell you how much?”

      “Hold on.” Josh turned around, put his palm over the receiver and asked, “Officer Hawks, how much is my bail going to be?”

      She stopped typing and pointed to a poster on the far wall. “Five hundred dollars.”

      Josh went back to his call. “Five hundred.”

      “Great. I’ll get in touch with the bail bondsman there in Indian Lake. Just chill. Make the best of your afternoon.”

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