Page 44 of Griffin
Tonio’s crew took the house in less than two minutes.Four of his men in black, their masks up.They handled Marlin with surgical efficiency, bagged him, wrapped him in a tarp, and carried him out like he was nothing more than a box of wine.
“My father will get the answers we need from Judge Marlin.”Tonio’s gaze cut to me.“Including the whereabouts of Miss Garrison’s sister.”
She looked at him, gaze hollowed out, nothing left but need.“I want to be there when you do it.”
He nodded once.“If that’s your wish.Of course.”
The rest was cleanup.We moved out fast, leaving the house the same way we’d come in, erasing any lingering evidence of our presence.Marlin’s guard never woke up, just snored in his shack.No doubt he’d still taste the GHB tomorrow morning.
The whole drive back, Veda didn’t say a word.I wanted to hold her hand, but didn’t think she’d accept the comfort.Not yet.Besides, she’d need to be hard for what came next because I didn’t think Seth Miles intended to treat the judge with kid gloves.
Thirty minutes later, at the Miles family warehouse, Tonio’s crew unloaded Marlin like so much dead meat -- a perfect simile if ever there was one.Seth waited, this time in person, his eyes even colder than on the screen.
He nodded to Tonio.“Did you get him?”
“Yeah, Dad.We got him.He’s here.”
Seth turned to Veda.“I hope you find your sister.If he knows anything, my men will get it for you.I have to discuss… sensitive matters with the Honorable Judge Marlin.Then, once he’s compliant, I’ll call you.You can be present when we question him about Miss Tessa and Iron.”He gave Veda a slight dip of his head.“You have my word.I just can’t have you here for the first part.”
I could tell Veda didn’t like being denied, but she didn’t protest.Instead, she stepped forward and stuck out her hand to Seth.“Your word, sir.”
At first, I thought Seth might scold her or patronize her, but he didn’t.Seth Miles might be a bastard, but he didn’t harm innocents.In any way.“You have it, Miss Garrison.”
He took her hand immediately and squeezed.The two of them stared at each other for a long moment.Veda finally saw what she needed and nodded at Seth in acknowledgment and dropped his hand.
I walked her back to the cage, holding her upright.Veda was one of the strongest people I’d ever met, but she’d reached her limit.There were more fights ahead.But for tonight, we’d scored a big victory.
Once we reached the SUV, I opened the passenger door for her, then slid in after.Hawk and Knuckles soon followed.Hawk started the engine and we all headed back to the compound.I waited for Veda to look at me, but she stared out the window, lost in disappointment that she couldn’t bring her sister home tonight.
That was OK, because I would move a mountain if it meant Veda got her sister back.This time, I did take her hand.Veda clung like I was her lifeline.I wanted to be her lifeline.
When we finally pulled up to the compound, Veda remained quiet, lost in her thoughts.Without a word, I gently squeezed her hand, offering her a silent gesture of support.She looked at me, tears glistening in her eyes, and for a moment, the pain seemed to lessen.
After Hawk parked, we made our way to the entrance of the compound, where Veda finally spoke, her voice barely above a whisper.“Thank you,” she said, her words filled with gratitude and a hint of hope.“For letting me go.I know you didn’t want to, but I needed to be there even if I didn’t learn anything.”
“Yet,” I clarified.“You didn’t learn anythingyet.”
With a nod, Veda met my gaze, her eyes reflecting a newfound sense of strength.Together, we would face whatever challenges lay ahead, knowing that we had each other to lean on.
And as we walked into the compound, the night enveloping us in its embrace, I knew that no matter what obstacles we encountered, we would overcome them together.
Chapter Sixteen
Veda
I’d waited two days for this moment.Two long, excruciating days of pacing Griffin’s apartment and pretending to sleep while my mind raced.Now I stood at the back of the underground warehouse, arms crossed over my chest, watching as Judge Isaiah Marlin squirmed in the metal chair they’d zip-tied him to.His suit jacket was gone, his collar soaked with sweat and not a small amount of blood.Blood dripped from one corner of his mouth from whatever Tonio’s men had done to him before we arrived.I didn’t feel an ounce of pity.I’d have done worse if they’d let me.
Tonio and Seth Miles stood near the wall, their faces blank as they watched Marlin with bored indifference.Knuckles and Hannah looked on a few feet from me.Griffin stood at my shoulder, close enough that I could feel the heat of him through my jacket.I kept my eyes fixed on Marlin.
Knight worked from a folding table covered in my printed ledger pages, pen-cam stills, and decoded buyer lists, all organized and weaponized.
“The money went through the Vossberg account on the twelfth,” Knight said, voice flat.“But the girl wasn’t delivered until the fourteenth.Iron’s usual time lag for special handling merchandise.”
Marlin shook his head, a drop of sweat rolling from his temple down to his jaw.“I already told you.I don’t know anything about the transportation schedule.I just hosted --”
“You paid upfront,” Knight cut in.“Twenty-two thousand, routed through Vossberg Catering LLC.That’s not a hosting fee.That’s a purchase.”He tapped a line on the ledger printout.“Buyer code I, March 14th, special handling, twenty-two thousand dollars.That’s your signature on the agreement contract, Judge.”
My jaw clenched so hard I thought my teeth might crack.Every time Knight read a line with Tessa’s coded designation, something hot and vicious twisted in my chest.I’d spent months staring at those ledgers, at the cold, mechanical record of what had happened to my sister.Hearing it read aloud made it real in a way I still wasn’t prepared for.
