Page 101 of Brutal Kingdom

That pisses me off and loosens my tongue. “So did I. Yet I stepped off the elevator to find you all in here waiting to pounce.”

“That’s not…” Mr. Hansen starts.

“It is. Why else are you here with a lawyer a piece. To force me to sign some document? To threaten me? Or to blackmail me into going away?”

Noel’s father tries again. “We’re on the town council and we just wanted to talk to you about your petition.”

I look at him. “And it takes three councilmen and theirlawyersto do that?”

“Well, no. They’re just here to uh, for um. Well, you see, anytime anything that might potentially be litigated happens, we…”

I nod as if I understand the words stumbling out of his mouth. “Oh. So these are town council lawyers.”

He looks for help, but nobody else answers. “No, they’re our personal lawyers.”

“You use your personal attorney for official town business?” I ask, letting the journalist out to play. “How often do you do that and who covers their costs? Is the city’s taxpayers picking up the bill?”

“Now look here, young lady. We’re not here to talk about all that.” Mr. Thorne says.Young ladyis said in such a way that I’m supposed to be properly chided, and put in my place. It doesn’t work.

I give him the weight of my stare. “Okay, but just so we’re clear. Are you here in an official town council capacity? And if so, can you please explain how my petition affects council business, and do you often intervene in civil or criminal matters to which the city is not a party?”

I look at each of them, waiting for an answer. When I get none, I turn my gaze to their lawyers. “What is the policy for representing personal clients in city matters? Or do you gentlemen also represent the city, and if so, how do you document which capacity you fill from one minute to the next? Is there an overlap? Is it paid by government credit card or purchase order? And who submits the bills? Is there a special allowance for split purchases?” I smile at them. “I’d really like to the see the memorandum of agreement between the city and each of your firms. Does that fall under FOIA?”

One of the lawyers finally speaks up. I think the part about the money finally struck a nerve. “No, we’re not here in any official capacity. These gentlemen just have a few questions.”

“So, this is a private matter?”

Come on, lawyer number one. Say it is. Just say it is…

“Yes. That’s correct. None of these gentlemen are here in an official capacity. This is a private matter.”

Looking at Pepper, I nod and stand. “Then in that case, I do not wish to, nor do I give my attorney permission to discuss my case with any of you. Mr. Kellett, shall I call to reschedule?”

He gives me a kind smile and says, “Yes. Ms. Felding. I think you should.”

I lock eyes with Pepper and nod. I don’t need to be here to listen to whatever she’s about to tell them. I walk to the door, with Kassidy beside me, Rocco bringing up the rear. We ride the elevator in silence and once outside on the sidewalk, Rocco makes a call. He’s a few feet away from us, and from the tense set of his shoulders, I’d say whatever he’s hearing isn’t good. He disconnects the call and walks over to us.

I ask, “Everything okay?”

“No. But I guess it will be. I told Graham that Thorne was here, and he went berserk.”

“You told him it was Craig Thorne. Not Frankie, right?”

“I did, but sometimes the sins of the son fall on the father.” He says, his mouth set in a firm line.

Dread settles in my stomach. “I don’t really want to know any of this, do I?”

He tries to reassure me. “No. It’ll be fine. And you won’t have to worry about Thorne trying to intimidate you anymore.”

“Hansen, either.” Pepper says as she approaches. Emmett opens the door to her town car. She slides into the back seat and pokes her head out, addressing Rocco and Kassidy. “Young lady, young man. Thank you very much for showing up for my girl.”

They’re not the only ones owed a thanks. “Pepper, I’m sorry my drama dragged you away from whatever you had planned for today.”

“Child, don’t be foolish. The minute Archie called and said those fools showed up in his office, there was nothing I had to do other than come here.”

I love how she thinks it’s her job to protect me. “How did they even know I had an appointment today?”

“Archie’s name is on the court documents as your representative. My guess is someone in the office let them know what day your appointment was.”

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