“Not particularly, but that’s never seemed to stop you before,” I huffed, shaking my head to clear it.
“Jenna isn’t cutting it anymore. She obviously didn’t work out all your kinks. Maybe it’s time to move on. I think you should find someone a bit more stable, like a commitment. Hell, you and the Reaper both should. The two of you are getting old,” he teased with an easy grin.
“And you’re an authority on commitment, huh? You’re just pissed Mother called you out for bringing a different girl to dinner each week for the past two months. You’re just trying to take the heat off yourself, asshole,” I shot back.
“I’m just trying to help a brother out. What gives, then? You’re entirely too distracted today.” He shoved me.
“I have several meetings and court at one. There’s something in the air. I can’t place it, but I know it’s there,” I explained, trying to dodge his next blow.
He nodded. I often got strange premonitions, and he trusted me enough not to press. It had been that way since I was young. They would start like a whisper from the future, faint echoes of events yet to unfold.
It was the lingering sense of unease or anticipation that ate at me today. Something was in the air, and like the butterfly effect, it would create a ripple in the fabric of reality. All I had to do was wait it out.
As I said, he understood, but it didn’t prevent him from kicking my ass for another half hour before he called it quits.
“We’ll pick it up tomorrow. Your head is not in it.” He snickered, giving me his hand to help me up.
The salty scent of sweat hung in the air as I dragged myself out of the ring. Each step felt like a Herculean effort. My breath came in ragged gasps, my body already sore from the workout. With a heavy sigh, I trudged toward the office. I peeled off my sweat-soaked gear, the fabric clinging stubbornly to my skin.
After adjusting the water temperature, I stepped under the massaging stream. I closed my eyes, letting it relax me. The tension seeped from my muscles. But a frown tugged at the corners of my lips; Ivan was right. My mind wasn’t in it today. He was also right that I needed a distraction, but a commitment wasn’t it.
As private investigators—among other things—my brothers and I followed select cases in and around the Seattle area. But lately, the day-to-day operations had been wreaking havoc on me. However, my mistake was I should have spent the night with Jenna and one of the new girls we’d hired. Two was always better than one. I washed up, my mind focused on a do-over.
A wild, dirty ménage à trois would provide exactly the distraction I needed. I dried off and grabbed my phone. After pulling up Jenna’s number, I sent her a message, telling her to make the arrangements and meet me at the club tonight.
Making my way to the courthouse, I walked along Third Avenue. It functioned as Seattle’s main transit thoroughfare. The distant rumble of traffic mixed with the sound of car horns blaring, and the chatter of pedestrians surrounded me.
The air was thick with the scent of rain, and the gray skies overhead cast a somber tone over the city. The narrow sidewalks and empty storefronts weren’t conducive to a leisurely stroll. Not that I had time for that today, anyway.
Quickening my steps, I scanned the busy sidewalk for the courthouse entrance. The sight of the imposing stone building, its entrance guarded by security personnel, did nothing to soothe my earlier apprehension. Walking in and through security, I made my way to the elevators, my footsteps echoing in the cavernous space.
Oxygen filled my lungs as I took a slow, deep breath before stepping out of the elevator and into the courtroom. I took a seat in the back so as not to disturb the proceedings. If this court couldn’t deliver justice for the family, then we would.
My gut sank as the attorneys presented their cases. A technicality? The man standing accused of raping a twelve-year-old girl was going to be let off on some stupid technicality. The victim had gone home and showered.
She’d kept her secret hidden for days before telling her parents. A medical examiner claimed there wasn’t enough physical evidence. What there truthfully wasn’t enough of was people willing to stand up to the rich. The sick fuck had bought the medical examiner’s testimony.
My jaw clenched as a dark-haired angel flashed in my mind. She slept angelically, or at least that was what I told myself to soothe the pain of losing her, but her face was forever ingrained in my brain. Her story was similar in that she’d kept her secret hidden, and when it finally came out, our lives were never the same.
And now she was gone. Although her memory lived on, it was only a lingering echo in the halls of our memories. Her ashes rested beneath solemn earth in her favorite spot, where time stood still. Her life forever etched on our souls and never forgotten.
The judge read the verdict, saying his hands were tied. Misery weighed heavy on the father’s sagged shoulders, and his wife’s body shook as she cried. From beginning to end, the proceeding only took ten minutes. I was so tired of watching families be torn apart by the shitty justice system. But this was where we come in.
The father stood and turned; he looked completely defeated. I took out the burner phone and sent him a text message, letting him know we would take over where the system left off. He squared his shoulders and stood taller. Giving him back a little hope was one of the reasons we did this. I slipped unnoticed from the room and made my way to the office.
Fifteen minutes later, Elena greeted me with several folders. I laid them down on my desk and looked out the window. The weather today matched my mood—gray and bleak. Throwing myself into the day, I got lost in one of the newer cases. I was reviewing the surveillance information when Elena buzzed.
“Mr. King, your three o’clock is here,” she announced over the intercom.
Three o’clock already. Where had the day gone?
“Send him in, please.” I grabbed a pad of paper. The man was adamant about not giving any prior information before the meeting. Not even his name. I wasn’t too fond of meetings like this. I enjoyed having as much information beforehand as possible.
“Mr. King, Pavel Lenkov.” He thrust his hand out.
He looked to be in his early to mid-twenties, which surprised me a bit. He stood about six feet, with a powerful build. But, truly, it was his name that intrigued me. I glanced at his hands. No tattoos.
“Mr. Lenkov, it’s good to meet you. Please, have a seat. Would you like something to drink?” I offered, looking him over.
