Page 113 of Nuclear Option (Owens Protective Services)

“Then tell me why I saw him.”

He frowned. “You can one hundred percent guarantee you saw a shooter.”

“I saw the glint of the gun. I saw—”

“Wait,” he cut me off. “You saw a glint of the gun? Are you fucking kidding me right now? You left the courthouse because of that? Christ!” he exploded. “I’ve had agents combing the surrounding buildings for days, and you’re telling me this is based on a fucking glint?”

“I know what I fucking saw!”

“You put this whole case in jeopardy today. You’re too fucking close to this, Cash. You need to take a fucking step back.”

“The only thing I’m too fucking close to is pulling the plug on this whole goddamn case. We’ve already had one attempt on her life, and now you want to proceed as if nothing happened. You won’t allow me to place my teams where I need them, which doesn’t leave me with very much confidence.”

“Look, I’ll have every surrounding building swept before the trial tomorrow, but she needs to be there. If she doesn’t show up, the case is fucking blown.”

I gritted my teeth, not liking his answer at all. “I will not bring her if there is even the slightest hint of a threat,” I said slowly. “You were supposed to keep the media to a minimum, and we were swarmed the minute we stepped out. Do your fucking job.”

“I am doing my job! This is a fucking high profile case, Cash. What exactly did you think was going to happen?”

“You could have convinced the judge to have Eva do a video testimony. It’s not unheard of.”

“I tried,” he snapped. “I did what you asked, but the judge wasn’t going for it. Can you blame her? It’s the fucking governor. You don’t get to accuse him of corruption and expect that you’ll get to hide your witness from the courtroom.”

I grunted in frustration, running my hand through my hair as I tried to figure out a way for this to work. I had a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach, and nothing he was saying was making it better. I didn’t want to send Eva in there, but if I didn’t, she would never be safe. The governor wouldn’t leave her alone after this. He would send someone after her, and if that failed, he’d just keep trying until she was dead. This had to happen. I just had to figure out how to keep her alive until the end of the trial, and this dirtbag was in prison.

“I know you’re nervous about this, but you have to trust me on this. I’ve been with you from the beginning. I want this guy put behind bars as much as you do. So, let’s finish this tomorrow. Get her in that courthouse and end this thing.”

I knew he was right. I gave a stiff nod before he turned and walked out of the door. Eli turned back to me, his face serious. He trusted my gut when it was screaming, and right now, everything about this was wrong.

“Eli, find out if he’s keeping the same team on protection tomorrow. Find out every last fucking thing you can about all of them. I want to know if any of them could be turned.” Then I looked at Fox. “You don’t leave her side the rest of the fucking day. I don’t care if she has to pee. You follow her and watch her back at all times. Am I clear?”

He shrugged. “That could get a little awkward when I have to pee, but sure, boss. Just don’t blame me when she sees me in comparison to you.”

* * *

“Anything?”I asked Eli as he walked in just before we had to leave for the courthouse.

“Nothing yet. Dash is going over everything again, just to be sure.”

I hadn’t said anything to Eva about what happened yesterday, other than I was pissed about the media outside. I didn’t have time to talk to her, as I was up all night going over every schematic of the surrounding buildings, all possible escape routes, and potential problems inside the building. I’d been through it all before, but there was an issue. I knew it, and I had to figure out what to do before I sent Eva back in. But here we were, the morning of the trial and still no answers.

“Boss, maybe it’s just that bad feeling you get when you don’t want to do something,” Eli said, trying to be comforting.

“This whole thing reeks. Something’s wrong.”

“Look, I went back to the courthouse this morning. I made Hensley take me through all the buildings to check things out. I didn’t see anything to be concerned about. I think we’re covered.”

“You think?”

He shrugged. “It’s the best I can do. I wish I could give you a better answer, but that’s the only thing I have for you.”

I nodded, thankful he had at least gotten Hensley to go along with that. Eva stood at the top of the stairs, looking a little rattled as she walked down. I had to remember to not lose my shit around her. After all, she was in tune with my moods, and if I was uneasy about this, she would be also. I walked over to her with a smile on my face.

“Hey, you ready for today?”

“Are we still going?”

“Yeah, we’re all set to go.”

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