Page 18 of Free to Judge

Cal mutters, “Thank God someone in that room is thinking straight. Good job, Jon.”

“Thanks, boss.”

Caleb wraps up with Cal before pivoting back to me. “Jon will shadow you as much as possible, but you know there are going to be moments when you’re blind in the field. Your prime directive is still to take down the human trafficking ring. Not to protect Kalie, not to dismantle the Byrnes’ empire.”

I protest, “But…”

“Leave that to us,” Liam placates me. “She won’t be alone. She’ll have her own detail.”

“Still…” I hesitate.

“Still, nothing,” Keene snaps with surgical ruthlessness. “You have a job to do. Now do it.”

I’m aware that my intimate knowledge of this criminal enterprise is a prized weapon. I’m well-versed in the seedy underworld and its revolting inhabitants—having dwelled in their cesspool of twisted ambitions.

Now this family expects me to ignore that expertise while they guard their own. They’re not asking me to sideline my personal vendetta. No, in fact, they’re telling me the exact opposite.

Stay the course.

It’s easier to concede to their decision and if it so happens I’m in a position to protect Kalie, I’ll take my chances. “I’m in.”

Jon claps me on the shoulder, his grip firm. “Then let’s get to work—starting with figuring out how you’re going to spin not pressing charges.”

The deathly look Keene fixes on me makes my insides clench. “May God rest your soul if you can’t figure that out,” he mutters with a venomous finality.

CHAPTER TEN

After I was releasedwith all charges dropped and I was made to feel like I should genuflect to not only the Darien Police but to Declan, my godfather waited approximately two minutes inside his limousine before he demanded, “Tell me what really happened today, Kalie. Why do I sense there’s more to the story than what your father told me?”

Jared Dalton, not just my godfather but also a partner at Watson, Rubenstein, and Dalton, is a man to be feared in most legal circles. The fact that he’s discussing Declan in hushed tones causes tingles to quiver along my skin. I waste no time divulging every sordid detail from my law school graduation until I saw him earlier today. I hesitate before finally adding, “There’s just one thing, Uncle Jared.”

“What’s that?”

“You might not believe me?—”

He cuts me off. “You know better than that.”

That’s when I let out what I held back to my father over the phone. “Jon was there. He…helped him.”

His eyes narrow as he reaches into the mini fridge, its interior aglow with soft blue light, and pulls out two cold bottles of water. He hands one to me with deliberate care. “Care to repeat that?” he asked, uncapping his own bottle and taking a long, deliberate sip as if steeling himself for the next revelation.

“You heard me.”

Jared pauses mid-sip, lowering the bottle slowly. “Was he just trying to smooth things over? Keep you protected?”

“That’s what you’d think,” I reply, my brows knitting into a sharpVas memory surged back. I remember, in painstaking detail, phones held high, recording every second. “Hold on.” I yank my phone from my jacket pocket and frantically enter search terms into the engine, recalling every surveillance detail from earlier that day. I know they were focused on three distinct faces amid the clusterfuck at the courthouse.

Still, despite looking up my name, Jon’s, hell, even Declan’s, I find nothing.

Not a single video.

“What the hell?” I murmur, my voice barely above a whisper as disbelief mingled with dread courses through my body.

“What’s the problem?” Jared asks, peering over at my screen with furrowed brows.

“Uncle Jared, at least forty people were recording us using their phones. I set the search parameters to capture everything, but nothing is showing up: no trace of me and nothing of the case. It’s as if today never happened. Nada,” I explain, tapping the screen to highlight the empty results.

He retrieves his own phone in a brisk yet measured motion. Within moments, he too was deep in a search, his thumb scrolling relentlessly. Every article and clip dissipated into digital ash. With each flick, confusion deepened in his eyes.