Page 105 of Hush

“Back up, Villegas. Before I make you back up.”

Villegas kept staring, not moving, before he finally stepped to the side.

Mike turned and stormed out, fleeing, really. He felt Villegas’s eyeballs pierce his shoulder blades with every step.

He raced up to the fourth floor, praying he wouldn’t run into Winters. Meeting up with Tom when he’d been ordered to leave wouldn’t look good. Luckily, he only saw Danny, Tom’s clerk, flipping through a law book and scribbling in notepad that he leaned against the wall. “Hey, Mike,” Danny called out, not looking up. “Judge Brewer is in chambers. Said to tell you to come right in.”

Mike slipped in and shut the door behind him. Tom looked up, wide-eyed. “Everything okay?”

“Kind of. I’m being sent home.”

Tom paled. “What? Why? Did they—”

“It’s regulations. Winters thinks I haven’t had a night off in over a week. That I’m spending too much on-duty time with you.” He shrugged, a helpless smile on his lips. “He doesn’t know that off-duty or on, I’d still choose to be with you. That I want to be with you.”

Smiling, Tom visibly relaxed. “So, he doesn’t suspect anything?”

“Don’t think so.” Mike pulled out Kris’s keys and the badge to his parking garage. “Villegas’s taking over for today and tonight. He’ll stay with you at Kris’s place. I told him you had the keys and everything.”

“He’ll see your stuff there.”

“He won’t know what’s mine or what’s Kris’s. If you see anything out, tuck it away, but he won’t be able to tell my boxers or toothpaste from Kris’s stuff. It’ll be okay.”

“You’re right. But… I won’t see you until tomorrow?”

Mike shook his head. “I have to prove to Winters that I’m rested and can take you back. And I will. I’ll be here for the pre-trial hearing tomorrow. I swear.”

“I’m going to miss you.” Tom reached for him, grabbing his fingers. “We haven’t been apart for…”

“We kind of rushed in, yeah.” Mike grinned. “Spending every day and night together.”

“I like it. And I needed it. Needed you.”

“I’m not going anywhere.” He sighed, huffing. “Text me. I’m going to be a mess. I’m not going to rest at all. All I’ll be doing is pacing and thinking of you.”

“Don’t do that. I will be okay.” Tom squeezed Mike’s hand and let go. “I will be. And I’ll text you.”

“See you tomorrow.” Mike leaned across the desk and kissed Tom, gently.

Tom spent the rest of the day researching every angle he could possibly imagine that Ballard would try to use. The pre-trial hearing the next day promised to be a bitter, acrimonious battle between Renner, Ballard, and himself. Renner’s requests for information were targeted to hurt, playing, clearly, on the Russian documents.

How would Ballard respond?

What were the rules of evidence, to the atomized level? What could he allow into the trial?

Whatwouldhe allow into the trial?

How could this entire thing be fair, if it had been a sanctioned black op from the start? And now the government was trying to point the finger and avoid their reflection in the mirror?

He wished Mike were still there. He’d like to go back to Kris’s place and relax on the couch, kick back with Chinese take-out and watch something on TV, just let his mind go as Mike held him close.

But, Villegas walked into his office at five PM, not Mike. “Judge Brewer? What time would you like to head out?”

His brain hurt. “Now is fine. I think I’ll make it an early night.” He tried to smile.

Villegas gave him a wan grin in return. They headed down to the garage in silence, and he spotted Mike’s empty parking space near Villegas’s blacked-out SUV.

“You look tanned, Judge Brewer. Spend some time at the beach?”