Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 100853 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 504(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100853 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 504(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
Hawk picked up the picture of our mother, studying it. “I’ve never heard the name Paul Williams before in relation to the Sawyer family or your mother.”
“Neither have I,” Griffen said. “But someone must know something.”
“Someone always knows something,” Hawk said, putting the picture down. He came around the side of the desk and sat in the chair Paige had vacated, propping his ankle on his knee. “The situation with Paige and your mother is interesting, but it’s old history.” He looked to me. “Right now, we have to focus on Cole Haywood. I just got off the phone with Emmett.”
“Did he pinpoint who’s coming for Ford?” Griffen asked.
Hawk shook his head. “Nope. But Cole has a bail hearing Monday morning.”
“I thought he was denied bail,” Griffen said. “He pled guilty and they put him in the state prison.”
“True,” Hawk said. He tapped three fingers on his knee. “But Cole knows the law, even if he’s dumb enough to act as his own attorney in this. Sometimes your legal system here is a good old boys club.”
Ha. Truer words, and all that. It shocked me not at all that Cole was getting special treatment.
“We’re aware,” Griffen said, looking at me and then to Hawk.
Hawk raised an eyebrow and met my eyes. “You would be. You’ve hit both sides of it.”
I knew what he meant. There had been times—many of them, working with my father and his cronies—when that good old boys club had been very profitable for us. And then there were times, like me getting thrown in prison for a murder I hadn’t committed, that the good old boy network could turn on you. Cole was plugged in deeper than any of us on the legal side of things, and thanks to his business with my father and Edgar, he had influence with the money people.
“So, he did what?” Griffen asked. “Finagled a new hearing?”
“Something like that,” Hawk said. “Emmett wasn’t clear on the specific legalities. What we know is Haywood withdrew his plea on the grounds that the first judge should have recused himself. Now there’s a new judge and a hearing tomorrow, which could result in him getting out of prison.”
“He admitted to murdering the jewelry designer who made that necklace Quinn found,” I said, “and he kidnapped Avery and tried to kill her. He can’t just make all of that go away.”
Hawk shrugged. “He can’t. But it’s possible he can talk his way into withdrawing that guilty plea and getting out of prison temporarily.”
“Did Emmett find out who the hearing was with?” Griffen asked.
Hawk thought for a second. “Judge Hemmings.”
I let out a gust of air, my gut going tight. “That’s not good.”
“Why? Who’s Hemmings?” Griffen asked.
“A friend of Edgar’s and Dad’s,” I said. “Which means he’s probably also a friend of Cole’s.”
“And if not friends,” Griffen said glumly, “I’d bet Cole knows the skeletons in his closet.”
“Yeah,” I agreed. “That would be my guess.”
“Well, fuck,” Griffen said.
Hawk leaned forward. “Don’t get distracted with Haywood getting out. Haywood’s not your problem. This bounty is your problem, and he called this in while he was still in prison.”
“How the hell does Cole Haywood know how to find assassins on the dark web?” I asked, trying to merge that kind of knowledge with the suit-wearing, fastidious man that I knew.
“It seems like Haywood has his fingers in all sorts of shit he shouldn’t,” Hawk said. “Cooper’s expecting our call. He’s already talked to Emmett this morning. He’s trying to figure out what he can do for us, because we’re going to need a lot more manpower. Anyone who leaves Heartstone needs a guard. That means the brewery and the Inn, unless Tenn and Royal can work from home. Ditto for Sweetheart Bakery. I don’t want anybody out there on their own. Fuck, I’m not even sure we should be sending the kids to school.”
Griffen leaned back in his chair and looked at me. “Ford’s never shown any interest in the kids, not in a way that would draw Cole’s attention.”
It was another gut punch—one I was getting used to—that I was the cause of danger to everyone in this house. I hated it, but I was glad for once about my lack of family involvement over the last year. It meant Cole and the people he’d sent to kill me would have less obvious leverage.
“And if we post guards at the school, we’ll be shining a light on them,” Hawk added.
Griffen set his phone on the desk, screen facing up, and called Cooper Sinclair, putting the call on speakerphone.
“Griffen,” Cooper answered. “You just can’t keep out of trouble up there, can you?”
“Not so far,” Griffen said. “Can you spare us some help?”
“Not as much as you need,” Cooper said, “but with the way you’ve got Heartstone wired, I think we have an opportunity. How many people can you keep in the Manor? Putting guards on anyone outside the gates is part of what makes this complicated.”