Page 30 of Operation Protector
He nodded, and when he spoke he sounded resigned. “And if Liz figured it out, she’d unleash holy hell.”
“About that,” Quinn said, “Liam did a little digging last night.” A brief grin flashed across the man’s face, and changed him from the very imposing former military Special Ops guy Hayley had told her about last night into a handsome charmer. “He’s very good at it, enough to compete with Ty in St. Louis. But he also knows a lot of local lore, so that helps sometimes. Anyway, after Colby mentioned there had been a change of venue in the middle of their custody case, from here locally to over on the other side in the city, Liam got out his virtual shovel. Turns out the Hollens have…let’s say a lot of influence over the judge it was transferred to. Which explains why it went so hard against him.”
Ali stiffened. She looked at Colby. “So they bribed somebody, or coerced somebody, into making that change happen?”
“Our judicial system, fair and balanced,” he said, and she couldn’t blame him for the bitterness in his tone.
“This,” she said, not caring that thescame out like a hiss, “is seriously making me angry.”
“Can I interpret that as you’re still willing to help?” Quinn asked, looking mildly amused.
“You can interpret it as meaning that as long as Grace isn’t hurt in the process, whatever it takes to bring Liz and her family down a notch, I’m in.”
As if she’d felt his gaze on her, she looked back at Colby. He still seemed astonished at the simple fact that she wanted to help. After a moment he said quietly, “I like the order you put that in.”
“Grace is the most important thing, obviously.”
He sucked in a breath and let it out slowly. “To me. To her, not so much. Winning is the most important.”
“And she’s used to winning against you?” Quinn asked.
He nodded. “She knows I’ll back off because of Grace. That I can’t fight her.”
“It’s more important to outthink your enemy than to outfight him.”
Ali saw Colby blink, draw back slightly at Quinn’s words. “Quoting Sun Tzu?” he asked.
Quinn smiled. “Former occupational hazard. You’re familiar, I gather?”
“Yeah. My dad became a big fan when he was in the service.”
Ali thought she saw something change in Quinn’s expression, as if finding out Colby was the son of a veteran had confirmed something for him.
“What branch?” Quinn asked.
“Army,” Colby said. Then, sadly, “He died five years ago. But at least he never had to deal with…this.”
“So we will,” Quinn said, his voice showing the sympathy he didn’t mention in words. Men indeed had their own ways, Ali thought. “With the aid of our ancient strategist.”
Colby smiled, gave a short nod as if shaking off the grief that had to still linger. “But if you’re going to talk about waiting to take the enemy unprepared, I’ve got to tell you, she never is.”
Quinn smiled back. “I was thinking more along the lines of ‘The whole secret lies in confusing the enemy so that he cannot fathom our real intent.’”
Colby looked thoughtful. “All warfare is based on deception?”
“Exactly.”
“You have something in mind?”
“A few things. And so does Liam, and so will Teague. Plus we have a lot of former clients who dealt with custody situations we can call on.”
Ali sat watching the two men, taking an enjoyment she didn’t quite understand in the conversation. And judging by the slight smile on Hayley’s face, she was, too. “It’s a good thing you twoare in charge, getting all philosophical about it,” Hayley said, obviously teasingly.
“A very good thing,” Ali said. “I’d be planning to grab Grace and run. Which obviously, with her family’s pull, would not go well.”
“Don’t think I haven’t thought about it,” Colby said, looking at her rather curiously. “But I wouldn’t have expected you to feel that way.”
Ali shrugged. “Neither of my parents were prizes, but given the choice, if my father had been half the man you are, I’d have gone with him gladly.”
