Page 79 of Necessary Evil

Chapter 18

Evil was just about to leave for Lucy’s when the Judge called him.

“I told you to leave the lawyer alone.”

“It couldn’t be helped,” Evil replied.

“Yeah? Well, now your job just got harder.”

“No shit. Bradford is her brother. That would have been helpful information.”

The silence on the line was testament to the fact that the Judge had had no idea. That didn’t bode well for the rest of his information. What else had he missed?

“You can’t harm the attorney. She’s someone I’d like to bring over to our side in the future.”

Evil snorted. “Good luck with that.”

“I heard about your visit from Internal Affairs. She’s his girlfriend, you know.”

“The hell she is,” Evil said, a rush of anger filling his gut. Like he didn’t know Travis and Lucy would make the perfect couple. Like he didn’t know Lucy deserved someone who was as much of a straight arrow as she was. Instead she got Evil, a killer whose friend had choked her until she fainted. Fuck.

Sentinel walked in. “They’re all gone,” he said before he realized Evil was on the phone.

“Have an alibi when Bradford goes down. If you could be with the attorney, even better,” the Judge said.

“I’ll see what I can do,” Evil said, and hung up. He looked up at Sentinel. “My face hurts, you dick.”

“Your bitch hit me with a chair,” Sentinel said with a grin. “That took some balls.”

“Is she now square in your book?” Evil couldn’t care less, but it would make running the bar together less volatile.

“Shit yeah. That and she squared off on Munson to defend us.”

“You’re going to apologize to her, and to Jenny as soon as you’re allowed within a hundred feet of her.”

“I’ll get back on Jenny’s good side,” Sentinel said. “She’s not one to hold a grudge.”

Evil crossed his arms. “How much of this is because she’s banging Bradford?”

Sentinel rolled his neck, and it cracked several times. “I think I need to go to the chiropractor. Did you have to body-slam me to the ground?”

“You threw the first punch.”

Acknowledging Evil’s point with a nod, Sentinel sat on the barstool. The bar was closed and it was just the two of them. He reached under the bar for a glass and poured himself a beer. “If she was screwing anyone but Bradford, I wouldn’t care. I don’t want her involved with a shit-heel like that. She’s a nice girl. She reminds me of Sarah.” Pain flashed across his face. Just saying his sister’s name made Sentinel’s entire body slump like an old man’s. Her killer was still walking the streets. Evil knew it ate at him. It ate at all of them. Sarah had been a baby doctor. The sweetest person Evil had ever known. She hadn’t deserved what happened to her.

“Jenny’s too good for me,” Sentinel said. “Kind of like Lucy is too good for you.”

“The difference between you and me is I’m not about to let Lucy get away from me, even if it would be in her best interest. She could have stayed away. She didn’t, and now she’s mine. And the sooner you fuckheads get that through your thick skulls the sooner I can stop buying spare tables and chairs.”

“Ryder left,” Sentinel said.

Evan closed his eyes. “I was afraid of that. Is there a tracker on her bike?”

“She took your car.”

“What?” Evan looked at him.

“She’s seeing how long it takes her to drive to California and back.” Sentinel sipped his beer. “She wants to prove Bobby could have done it.”