Page 55 of Babydoll

He turns, blinking at me with a frown. “No, now I’m wondering who his tailor is, thanks to you.” His lips turn scowly a second before he scratches his tidy beard. “And maybe what his workout routine is. We have a wedding to think about. And I want to look that buff in my tux.”

Smirking, I poke his arm. “These are plenty buff enough. And his routine probably includes bench pressing Harleys.”

“Probably.”

“Seriously, though. Are you okay?”

Taking my hand, he gives it a squeeze. “Yes, I’m fine. My private investigation firm makes me a hell of a lot more money than a sergeant's salary. And I’ve got the girl.” He shrugs. “I win.”

“Well, there’s that.” I snort a laugh and we rise, noticing Case heading toward us. “You ready?”

Jeff gathers a breath. “I am.” He looks down at me. “Are you?”

I nod. “I trust him. He did his best to take care of me while keeping his cover. That could’ve cost him his career, or even his life.”

“Okay. That helps.” He pulls my hand to his lips and kisses it.

“Jeff, Lulah, how are you?” Case holds out his hand for Jeff to shake.

“We’ll be better once this trial is over, but we’re good.”

“I know this was hard being here, not knowing whether or not the crown attorney would need you to call you to testify, but we appreciate it. Now, onto Jon Fathers…” He pauses, then corrects himself. “Preacher. His trial is scheduled for June, and Jeff, we’ll definitely need you for that one, for both the trial and the victim’s statement, since we’ve charged him for Lisa’s murder. My testimony is solid, but yours will impact the jury more, which will help us get him put away for good.” He claps Jeff on the shoulder. “You’re almost done.” He waves us to follow him. “Let’s go somewhere more private.”

He takes us to a small conference room down the hall and Jeff and I take a seat.

“How does it look?” Jeff asks, leaning his forearms on the table, eager for Case’s opinion on the jury.

Case unbuttons his expensive suit jacket and sits. He looks just as comfortable in his suit as he did in his leather cut.

“This should be a fast one. After closing arguments tomorrow, I doubt the jury will take more than a few hours. This fucker’s going down.”

I bite my lip at his language, wanting to smile because I prefer him more candid.

“And you’ll get them all?” Jeff prods.

“Five years, Jeff.” Case nods his head. “I’ve got five years’ worth of evidence. Even the lowest-level member is going down,I promise you that. And if they’re not going down, they’re flipping on their brothers and will be just as vulnerable to backlash. No one’s going to be bothering you.”

“Okay. That makes me feel better,” I say and gather a breath. “And what about Gage?”

“His successful time in rehab and his cooperation with the investigation went a long way.” He nods again. “He’s been given immunity for his testimony, but in his case we’ll be relocating him, giving him a new name and a fresh start.” Case leans back in his chair. He’s so large he looks like an adult sitting in one of those kindergarten chairs.

“So I’ll never see him again?”

“I can pull a few strings, get you in if you’d like to say your goodbyes.”

“Thank you. I would. I owe him a lot.”

“You’re welcome. But funny, he says the same thing about you.”

I swallow the lump in my throat that Case’s words caused and watch as Case looks down and opens his suit jacket. I catch a glimpse of the tattoos on his hand as he pulls out an envelope and slides it across the conference table.

There’s a shift in mood as we all stare at the envelope. It’s time to talk about Reece and her biological father.

“DNA test,” Case says. “I haven’t opened it yet.”

His words have Jeff’s eyes snapping up, but I squeeze his knee under the table. He relaxes and nods.

“Okay.”

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