Page 20 of The Proving Ground

He didn’t turn around to look at me when he spoke.

“Fuck you, Haller,” he said.

“You sure that bow tie isn’t on too tight?” I said. “You don’t want to be cutting off blood flow to the brain. That’s not good.”

Now he stopped and turned. I almost walked into him.

“You know what you are, Haller?” he asked.

“I have a feeling you’re going to give me your take,” I said.

“You’re an asshole,” he said. “So fuck off.”

I smiled at him until he turned and went to catch up to the others.

9

WHEN CISCO AND Igot back to the warehouse, I pulled the Bolt into one of the garage bays and lowered the door behind us.

“Cisco, you got your magic wand with you?” I asked.

“In one of my saddlebags,” he said.

The magic wand was a bug detector that picked up magnetic-field and radio-frequency signals.

“I want you to sweep the car and your Harley,” I said. “Then do the whole warehouse.”

“You think Marcus was lying to the judge about surveillance?” Cisco asked.

On the drive from the courthouse I had filled him in on what had been discussed in Judge Ruhlin’s chambers.

“I’m just not taking chances,” I said. “Mason spoke for himself and his firm. That doesn’t mean Tidalwaiv isn’t up to some shit.”

“Right,” Cisco said. “I’m on it.”

“And let’s cut the feeds on the cameras outside the cage. I knowyou won’t be able to watch Lorna and McEvoy, but too bad. She deserves your trust anyway.”

“I know. I know she does. What about the Wi-Fi in your office?”

“We’ll need that. But let’s turn it off until we do.”

“You got it.”

McEvoy had left the courtroom when I was called into chambers. I could see him already back in the cage. I first went to my office to check in with Lorna and put my jacket on a hook. She was in my seat at the desk, staring at the screen of her laptop. As I stripped off my tie, I came around the desk and saw that she was watching a news feed from KTLA Channel 5 and had her earbuds in.

“What’s up, Lorna?” I asked loudly.

She pulled out one of the earbuds.

“We’ve got some strong Santa Ana winds coming tomorrow,” she said. “They’re saying up to a hundred miles an hour.”

“No way,” I said. “That’s hurricane wind.”

“I know, but it’s what they’re saying. You want your desk?”

“No, I’m going to go talk to McEvoy.”

I hung my tie over the office’s doorknob.