Page 16 of Free to Judge

“But Dad, there’s absolutely no reason I can’t?—”

He interrupts again, his tone steely. “No, don’t argue. And don’t, under any circumstances, accept any favors the chief offers. Stick to the damn book, sweetheart.”

The call ends abruptly, leaving me alone with the receiver and a storm of conflicted emotions. My pulse thunders in my ears as I realize the full weight of what I’ve done. My father isn’t just angry because I got arrested; he’s furious about who I hit—and part of me isn’t even sure why that matters so much to him.

I’m left questioning everything. What exactly have I done?

Deep down, I know my father understands all too well who Declan Conian is. I feel the full burden of the trouble I’ve stirred up—a burning conflict between what I thought was justice and what might actually be my downfall.

Pushing my phone back, I inform the officer of what will be occurring.

Then, I just wait.

Knowing my godfather, the fun’s really going to begin when he arrives.

CHAPTER NINE

“I can’t believeyou fucking jackasses couldn’t avoid dragging my daughter into your op!” Keene roars, his voice slamming into the room like a sledgehammer. Jon and I aren’t simply being harangued by every member of Hudson Investigations’ executive team; we’re being ground into the carpet like worthless insects instead of the elite agents we are.

In the room with us are Caleb—Jon’s father—and Liam. Via teleconference, Keene brought in Calhoun Sullivan.

Cal is one of the five owners of Hudson and oversees the command of the Missing Persons division personally. He outranks Jon and gives two fucks for the fact he deals with the heir apparent. From the moment we met, I’ve had mad respect for him. Now, his seething anger and crushing disappointment weigh on me like an unyielding anchor dragging me to a suffocating depth.

Jon, as if his Ivy League education never covered the nuances of diplomacy, explodes, “I thought someone would’ve handled it before it got so far!” His voice cuts through the tension.

Caleb fixes a venomous glare on his son. “How? Kalie went off assaulting a ‘private’ citizen for no damn reason.”

“That’s not how the court of public opinion will see it,” Jon shoots back.

“It’s how the law sees it!” Keene barks, jabbing a pointed finger in my direction. “Declan was merely walking through a lobby—a state building, mind you. He ran into your cousin, my daughter, who decided to disconnect her brain. Then she swung at him?—”

“Still don’t get how that’s on me,” Jon grumbles, head dropping in defeat as if carrying the weight of his imagined culpability.

“Because you ought to have predicted her reaction,” Caleb interjects in a level, cold tone.

Jon’s slump makes it painfully clear he’s accepting blame for something that wasn’t his fault. It forces a single burning question out of me: “How?”

All eyes zero in. I press, “How? He de-escalated the situation the best he could. We had our cover. So, how on earth was Jon supposed to do anything more?”

Keene’s lips press into a tight, angry line, “Because she vocalized her displeasure about anyone involved in Laura’s case—including and up to causing bodily harm if given the chance.”

“When did this happen?” Cal questions.

“Not long after Laura’s involvement. Why?”

“The timelines don’t add up on my end,” Cal declares bluntly.

But I’m stuck on Kalie’s intentions. “She’s that unpredictable?” I’m aghast.

Before Keene can finish the job his daughter started, Caleb relents enough to explain, “When you know people’s triggers, you avoid them. We all share the same one.” Seeing my bafflement, he continues, “Family first. There’s nothing any of us wouldn’t do for our own blood.”

“Still…,” I murmur, caught between disbelief and frustration.

Cal chimes in, “Enough, all of you. Kalie’s safe. We have a bigger problem.”

“What now?” I snap, exasperation lacing my voice.

There’s the frantic clicking of keys on Cal’s side before our phones erupt in pings. “Sam found a way to put a speed bump on their human trafficking highway because of the contracts Dec’s been having them sign. Their newest target is an enormous problem.”