Page 77 of Fighting Conviction
Clad in her normal athleisure wear, Ellie left her apartment, opting to get a snack from the residence floor kitchen before she went to the first floor and worked out on one of the treadmills in the gym.
On her walk to the communal kitchen, the halls were eerily quiet. Even though the residence floor of BlackStone was homey in a masculine, industrial way, the concrete and steel design made the silence so profound, it felt like she was the only one in the building. It even had a weight to it, like a hot lazy wind before a storm in the summertime.
When she reached the kitchen, Ellie grabbed two bacon and cheese egg bites from the fridge and popped them into the microwave. When the bites were warm enough, Ellie hopped on the same black concrete counter that was in every apartment kitchenette and scarfed the protein down.
When she was finished, she grabbed a banana and tucked it into the pocket on the side of her leggings. Pockets and leggings were truly gifts from God, and whoever combined them deserved their spot in Heaven. She didn’t know who that genius was, but in the meantime, she’d thank Kate Hudson for the pair she was wearing.
While Ellie made her way down the halls to the center stairs, she felt the ridiculous urge to tiptoe. Giving in, she took the stairs slowly until she reached the first floor. She carefully pushed the door open and looked around. There were finally voices to the left of her as she emerged from the stairwell, and she helped the door close behind her without a sound. Tiptoeing around had been a weird impulse at first, but now that she knew she wasn’t the only person left on the planet, she wanted to see if she could sneak up on some of the stealthiest men alive.
Ellie followed the voices to one of the rooms she’d never visited. She and Dev had passed it a thousand times, but she hadn’t thought to ask what it was.
A metal door, stronger looking than every other bulletproof one in the place, was cracked open and Ellie crept closer and pinned herself against the wall so she could surprise whoever was in the room. Getting the drop on any of the BlackStone Crew would be hilarious, so long as Hawk wasn’t in there. If he was, she’d pass. The guy was too serious to function.
“—head into the hotel tonight for the scholarship party—”
All thoughts of playing a prank left her mind completely and she listened in on what Hawk was saying.
“—we’ll be able to intercept the room before they can leave with the girls. From what we can tell, that big bastard from last year came in with a few full canvas bags early this morning.”
“I’ve been in and out of there all day ever since we saw them arrive,” Snake spoke up. “Under the guise of security and making sure we have every possible eye and ear we can in there. No one’s been in or out of that room except the big guy and another one who looks like a minion. I’ll be here but online with you guys tonight. Marco, you’ll be there as an expected guest—”
“Yep. Like I said, I’ve made it to the Ashland elite apparently.” Ellie vaguely recognized the prosecutor’s voice, but identified with his sarcasm. “I’m sure it’s a keep your enemies close situation and I sure as fuck plan on doing the same. I’ve got my contacts on speed dial when y’all are ready.”
“Yeah, about those contacts…” Phoenix’s drawl had a hint of annoyance. “Why are they sittin’ this one out?”
There was a sigh before Marco spoke. “I’m frustrated too, but the feds can’t send people in on a hunch. They’re on call if you find concrete evidence of criminal activity.”
“So basically we’re gettin’ stuck doin’ all the dirty work?” Phoenix scoffed. “Typical.”
“If we want this done right, we’ll have to do it ourselves. What about you, Henry? You’ll be there?” Hawk’s question came out sounding more like a command.
“I’ll be there too. Burgess has me scheduled for security, so I’ll be hit or miss with helping y’all since I’ll be where they post me.”
“What’s he been saying about all this?” Hawk asked.
“Um… well, we told y’all he’s been kinda off lately…”
“It seems like it’s getting worse.” The prosecutor finished.
“Worse how?” Dev asked. His voice sounded harsh to her, maybe even angry.
“I don’t know, man. He seems like. I don’t know. Tweaky?”
“Like he’s on drugs?” Dev’s question was more of a statement, like he was expecting the answer.
“Yeah. I never noticed him doin’ any or anything but he sure as hell is actin’ like a crazy addict.”
“The sheriff’s been eyeing him, too,” Marco offered.
“No shit, for real?” Henry’s voice perked up. Ellie tilted her head at the door, surprised the officer knew less than the ADA.
“He told me yesterday he’s thinking of pushing Burgess into early retirement. The investigator’s been fucking up royally lately and is now missing whole damn shifts. From what the sheriff was saying, if it wasn’t for government red tape, he’d have been fired a while ago.”
“At least we weren’t depending on him,” Hawk’s deep voice murmured.
There was a pause before Snake cleared his throat. “Right then. Hawk, you, Phoenix, and Devil will be at the hotel—”
“I still say I need to be there.” Ellie’s brother’s growl interrupted, but sounded off for some reason. Still, a shock of apprehension over getting caught jolted her skin like static.
