Royce(59)

~~~

Royce looked up when Mike White was brought into the room. He grinned when Mike staggered a couple of steps, but moved to his seat next to his lawyer after that. Royce was very happy to see that the prick was afraid of him.

“Behave or I’ll send you home.” He looked over at Kasey when she spoke. “I mean it. You behave or I’ll make your brothers take you home and lock you in the closet until this is over.”

He snorted, a nice little habit he’d picked up from Kasey. She raised her pretty brow at him, something he was sure she’d picked up from him, and nodded. He felt rather than heard someone move behind him.

“I wouldn’t if I were you.” He did glance behind him and saw Jared Stone standing there. “Jared, you know I’ll kick your ass if you touch me right now. And that pretty little wife of yours will be working that new site all on her own for a little while.”

“Then don’t make me have to kick your ass. Besides, she brought in the big guns. My mom and dad are both here.” Royce looked over at the Stones and nodded while Jared laughed. “My mom said to tell you that as far as she’s concerned, she and your mom can bring you to heel in no time.”

Royce thought he was right. Mrs. Stone terrified him as much as his own mother did. He’d never tell her that, but he was reasonably sure she knew it already. Jared sat down next to him and stretched out his long legs.

“You’re so going to pay for this, you know that, right?” Jared grinned and nodded. Royce leaned closer to Kasey and whispered in her ear. “And you are as well. Keep it up, love, and your bottom will be nicely pinked up when you go to the doctor tomorrow.”

Royce rubbed his hand over her belly. She was nearly due now and he was getting more and more excited every day. They were married now, had been for about five months, and they were having a blast. And as soon as their son was born, they were going to have their honeymoon. He wasn’t even considering this trial an issue for them. She put her hand over his, moved it around her swollen belly, and he felt his son kick.

“He thinks you’re full of shit too. Now I mean it. Behave yourself or I’ll go into labor right now and you’ll not get to see this bastard squirm.”

He moved back in his seat, but didn’t move his hand from the baby. He really was putting up a ruckus there and he loved to watch her belly move with his antics. He couldn’t wait to hold him in his hands, cuddle him close. When the judge came in, they all stood up. Kasey moved a bit slower, but no one seemed to mind.

The special duty cop that they’d had watching over White stood up and told the judge how they’d gone by to pick up Mr. White and he’d ambushed them with a gun. White had stood screaming that it was a lie, that he’d never gotten the chance to get to his gun before they burst in on him, but the judge told him to shut up.

White apparently didn’t know that shutting up meant not saying anything else and the judge finally told him that he’d put tape over his mouth if he said one more word.

“My courtroom is no place for you to be ignorant as well as a moron. And before you open your mouth again, know that I could put you away for more than your miserable life expectance if you say one more word.” When White sat down again without saying anything, Judge Delaney said they’d have a separate trial for possession of the fire arm after this one. After that, they all settled down for what Royce thought was going to be very entertaining.

Opening statements were said and the trial began. Royce settled back to listen and as much as he wanted to laugh a few times, he did behave himself.





Chapter 21



Kasey remembered Elizabeth Black. When she was sitting up there on the witness stand Kasey remembered everything about her. She’d been called plaintive number four on the list of women.

Beth had been working there for six months when she’d simply quit. Kasey hadn’t known why until this whole thing had started. She wondered about a lot of the others too and had been able to give Curtis all the names of the other women when he’d asked her. White had cornered Beth twice before she’d come to Kasey.

“He’s making advances that make me feel creepy.” Kasey had never been sure why the girl had come to her, but did try to help. “And he keeps touching me inappropriately.”

Kasey pointed to the gun on the other girl’s hip. “You could always use that on him. I don’t mean shoot him,” she hastily pointed out when the girl looked ready to explode. “I just mean hit him with it. That should tell him you’re not interested quicker than just saying it.”

“But I really need this job. There’re not a lot of places that will hire a female guard, especially one that carries a gun. They think we’re going to go all PMS on them. Not that it’s not tempting sometimes, but I’d never do that.”