Page 54 of Breaking Conviction
As soon as she stepped into the threshold that marked the living room in the open concept design, their whispers quieted. She paused and eyed them both.
“What’s goin’ on, y’all? Is there somethin’ I need to know?” They met her with silence and she felt a frisson of irritation. “I know I’m not one of y’all... but T and I are here for the foreseeable future. At least until I figure out what to do next. I don’t want us here if it’s dangerous. I also don’t want to hide out without doin’ my part. If I can help, I want to know. So, y’all don’t have to tell me everything, but anything would be appreciated.”
Wes and Hawk glanced at each other like two men who’d been working together for so long they could read each other’s thoughts. Their faces were expressionless, but apparently still saying enough in their silent code. Finally, Hawk dipped his head and Wes turned his gaze to her before clearing his throat.
“Is Princess T around?” he asked and Naomi’s heart skipped that he’d think of her.
Dang, Nay. Get a grip.
“She’s got headphones andBraveon.”
It was all she’d needed to say. Wes knew Thea’s obsession with Merida. His smile reached the crinkle in his eyes. “Can’t compete with that Mary-duh.”
Naomi snorted at the way he copied Thea’s emphasis on the Pixar princess’s name, but quickly sobered. She didn’t want to get distracted. Wes must’ve seen the seriousness in her eyes because his face cleared.
“Mitchell Strickland is dead.”
“Oh god. What? From when Devil shot him?” Naomi’s heart stuttered and she pressed her hand up to her chest.
Wes shook his head. “Ashland County officers were guarding the door, but we think someone helped him on his way to meet his maker, so to speak.”
Naomi clumsily felt for the back of the couch with her hand before collapsing onto a cushion close to Wes. “Shit. Then do y’all think it’s linked to Dmitri Rusnak?”
Hawk’s lips tightened, but Wes continued. “Yeah... we do. We think whoever is actually behind this bullshit is picking off the players one by one. The only other person we know for sure is involved is Andrew Ascot, the third partner in the law firm with Rusnak and Strickland. The police have a warrant out for him but they haven’t been able to find him.”
Worst-case scenarios ran rampant through her brain. “But what if someone else finds him first?”
Wes dipped his chin again. “Yeah, that’s what we were discussing at the meeting earlier. We think we’re gonna have to... um... help the authorities out.”
“Take this shit into our own hands. If you want something done right...”
At Hawk’s statement, Naomi nodded before realization about what he was saying dawned. “But what about the police? Don’t they need to be involved?” Even as she said it, doubt crept into her mind.
The same cops who’d help Dean in a heartbeat if I called them? The sheriff’s office that hid an officer who was neck deep in the entire operation.
Even though the Ashland County Sheriff’s Office had developed a lot of distrust over the years, she’d never wanted to give in to the rumors before. Despite Dean’s treatment and threats to sic his cop buddies on her, it had always felt like a betrayal to her father to not trust the police.
But now one of the most influential inmates in Ashland history had been murdered right under their noses.
Or by one of them.
She blew out a breath. “This is a mess.”
Hawk snorted. “Who you tellin’?”
Naomi closed her eyes, warring between the need to know everything and the peace of plausible deniability.
“I’d like to be kept updated... sort of. I don’t need all the details, just need to know for me and Thea to be safe.”
Wes nodded. “Of course. We’ll share what we can. Right now... we’ve got something in the works, but don’t stress, okay?”
A sardonic laugh escaped her at the absurdity of his statement. “I’ll try my best.”
A buzz in the room set Naomi’s nerves on fire and she patted around her baggy sweater and leggings for her phone but couldn’t find it.
“Hello?” Hawk’s deep voice resounded in front of her, silencing the alarm bells in her mind. “Yeah, hold on...” Hawk held up his hand to both of them as a signal goodbye and left the living room, talking in hushed tones on his phone.
She closed her eyes and took a relaxing breath in and out of her nose.
