Page 82 of Hush

“Yeah, I’m fucking worked up! I protect my judges!” Mike turned to Villegas, squaring his shoulders.

“Yourjudges?” Villegas dropped his nonchalant attitude and rose, facing Mike. “All right, what the fuck is going on? First you demand to take Brewer’s case from me and nowthis? Have you crossed the line, Lucciano?”

“Crossed the line?”

“You’regay. You’re attracted to men, and now you’re all up in this judge’s business! Are you going after his dick?”

“You motherfucker—” Mike lunged. Villegas sidestepped, falling back and bringing his fists up.

“Enough!” Winters’s bellow was loud enough to shake the walls. Mike and Villegas froze. “This isnotthe behavior I expect from my JSIs. Both of you arewayout of line.”

Villegas and Mike faced Winters stiffly, almost at attention.

“Lucciano. I’ve spoken with headquarters. We concur with your assessment that Judge Brewer will need extra protection, beginning immediately.” He handed over a manila folder, but didn’t let go when Mike reached for it. “I expect you to conduct yourself above reproach, Inspector Lucciano.”

“Yes. Sir.” Mike let a little daylight between the two words, a pause that was just a half beat off disrespectful. He stormed out of the office, glaring at Villegas.

“Inspector Villegas,” Winters growled. “That was uncalled for.”

“Sir, there’s something fucked-up going on.” Villegas pointed at the door, and Mike’s exit. “He’s hiding something. I swear to God.”

“Do you have any proof?”

“My gut tells me it’s true.”

“Your gut isn’t good enough here, Villegas. You know that, better than anyone. Don’t make accusations you can’t back up with solid evidence. You’re already asking for a write-up and a visit from HR.”

Villegas held up his hands, a silent surrender.

“You’re taking the lead on courthouse security. Coordinate with the backup deputy marshals headquarters is sending over. Make sure we have all our bases covered.” Winters passed a second manila folder to Villegas.

“Yes sir.”

“And, come back to me if you find something solid about Lucciano and Judge Brewer.”

Hours later, Mike burst back into Winters’s command office. “Sir, I’ve completed the preliminary security protocols.”

Winters stared at him from behind his desk, not saying a word.

“Headquarters has set up a suite at the Hyatt and they’ve booked the rooms along the hallway for our use. The whole wing is secured for Judge Brewer and our uses. Teams will rotate through the hotel, one providing constant protection, with two additional on standby. Brewer will rotate between the suite and friends’ residences. I don’t want to establish a pattern or give away his location. We’ll move him covertly between several different locations and the courthouse. And we’ll keep knowledge of his actual location limited to his direct security team.”

Friends’ houses. Namely, his own apartment, and possibly Kris’s, if he could twist Kris’s arm into letting them crash there. But Winters didn’t need to know that. And, his direct security team, if Mike had his way, was going to be him and him alone.

“I’d like to clear my schedule, sir, and focus all my effort on this trial. I feel Judge Brewer will need close, personal protection. I’ve discussed my concerns with him already, and he says he feels comfortable having me provide body protection.” The marshals weren’t bodyguard types—that was more the Secret Service’s lane—but as JSIs, they acted as bodyguards when things got majorly hairy. It was a worst-case scenario play, and he was playing it a little early, but…

Mike watched Winters carefully. Would Winters call him out on his protection plan? Press him on the heavy-handedness? What if he wasn’t allowed to be the man to protect Tom? Jesus, how could he let someone else take that? He’d go insane. He’d lose his mind, frantically worrying about Tom and his safety every second.

Winters blinked. “You discussed your concerns with Judge Brewer already?”

His ace. If a judge requested personal protection, the marshals were obliged to respond. He’d teed up Winters for the approval, but he’d done it in a sneaky, shitty way. “Yes sir.”

Winters’s eyes narrowed. “Is there something you want to tell me about you and Judge Brewer, Inspector Lucciano?”

Mike swallowed. “No, sir.”

“Are you sure?”

He clenched his teeth. Ground his molars together. “I want to make sure Judge Brewer has the best security we can provide, sir. He’s a new judge. This trial will be huge. He needs to spend all his time focusing on the trial, not worrying about his security or his safety. That’s our job.”