Page 18 of Bears Behaving Badly
He blinked at her, and if anyone else had had dark circles like that, she would assume they were getting no sleep. But Gomph’s eyes always looked like that. “That’s a lot to take on, Ms. Garsea.”
“I’ll help, Your Honor,” David replied, and Annette did her best not to look astonished.Damn. I was fool enough to forget he was there for a moment. And what’s this? Volunteering?That might be something to think about. David tended to stick to the job description, which in this case was bringing in Caro and Dev. Normally, he would have been long gone by now.
“I myself will not,” Nadia announced, to the shock of precisely no one. “However, I’ll continue to be Ms. Garsea’s in-house liaison and research assistant, around the clock if it proves necessary. With all respect to Young Master Devoss, I wouldn’t take on full responsibility for him under any circumstances. Well”—Nadia’s gaze went to the ceiling as she pondered—“perhaps if I lost a bet.”
“That’s respectful?” Dev yelped. At Nadia’s look, he added, “Okay, well. Fair.”
“I’m considering it,” the judge replied between bites of spinach, kale, cabbage, and romaine. Annette’s stomach rumbled. Dump a pound of grilled shrimp on that with some oil and vinegar, maybe some roasted garlic cloves, and a roll warm from the oven… Nowthatwas a meal. “Mr. Devoss, is there anything you’d like to tell the court?”
The kit, taken off guard, lurched to his feet. “Um. Just that I’ll listen to Annette and I don’t mind staying with her and I’ll do everything she says, Judge.”
Gomph studied him with small, kind eyes. “You understand that your reputation got here before you did, lad?”
“Viam bonam famam habere cupis esse Studeat apparere.”
“Brilliant, but lazy,” the judge quoted back.
Dev let out a happy gasp. “Was that a Peter Parker reference?”
“No, that was an Otto Octavius reference.” To Annette: “This isn’t the first time you’ve moved to take action that under most circumstances would be considered out of your purview.”
“No, sir, it is not.” Was the judge referring to the seal smuggling ring, or the werehyena riot? Or the birthday fiasco? Or the other birthday fiasco? She resisted the urge to ask for clarification. Details would not make her case.
“But if memory serves—and mine always does—you have consistently held up your end. I am remanding Mr. Devoss to your custody for a period of seventy-two hours, at which time you will again come before the court to explain his status, Ms. Daniels’s status, what you have found, and how you wish to proceed. Then I’ll explain how wewillproceed. Am I understood?”
“Yes, Your Honor.”
“Mr. Devoss?”
Dev, who had been gaping at Annette with the air of a boy who couldn’t believe what was happening, wrenched his gaze back to the bench. “Yes, Judge?”
“If you elude Ms. Garsea’s custody, the consequences will be severe.”
“Yes, sir, I get it. Straight to holding, do not pass Go.”
“For her,” Gomph clarified. “Your actions will have a direct impact on her career, among other things. It’s in everyone’s best interest for that impact to be positive.”
“I’d never ditch Net,” the boy declared. “Not like Nadia.”
“Hush, you wretch.”
He ignored Nadia’s irritated squawk. “Not even if I lost a bet.”
“Very well.”
And that was that.
Chapter 8
Except thatwasn’tthat.
“The video feeds all went down. Each and every one.”
“Yeah.”
“At the same time.”
“Yes.”
