Chapter Fifteen

Olivia had explained where she liked to park on court days and how she left home early in order to get her coveted spot by the trees. Other than this small public lot, there wasn't much in the way of quick-access parking once the courts and local businesses got going for the day.

Iniquus Automotive Department had sent two vehicles over early that morning to hold spots for Candace and Nutsbe. Whenever a tactical team was on protective duty, automotive performed this function to ensure their principals had the least possible exposure.

Now that Beowolf had weaved his magic and calmed Candace enough that she was willing to go to court, Nutsbe waited for Candace to back out of her driveway. He had Automotive on the line, letting them know they were en route. Drivers would stay in the placeholder vehicles and pull out just as Candace and Nutsbe drove in.

Nutsbe had been right about needing the two spaces. He would have gladly driven Candace to and from, especially if sitting in the vehicle and petting Beowolf would have helped calm her nerves. But Candace wanted the control. If the need for flight arose, she wanted her keys and her wheels with no attachments to someone else's agenda.

Nutsbe got it. He even agreed with it. That's why he'd made the arrangements as they were this morning. And why he didn't put up the fight that he could tell she was expecting.

Candace followed her GPS to the lot, pulling in slowly as instructed. And with Nutsbe on the phone, giving her the go-ahead, she pulled into the newly-opened space, then waited in the car for him to park next to her and unload Beowolf from the back.

Nutsbe rounded to Candace's door. She was clinging to the steering wheel, staring straight ahead. After a moment, he knocked lightly. She visibly swallowed and pushed the door open.

As Candace climbed from her car, Nutsbe took a moment to scan the parking lot. Everything looked quiet. The people who had left the courts for lunch and those on the afternoon dockets were making their way up the sidewalk to the front entrance for the afternoon sessions.

Nutsbe pulled a couple of clean rags from the side pouch on the go bag he had hooked over one shoulder. He used a rag to clean inside and out of Beowolf's slobbery lips, then tucked the cloth in his belt and handed a second one to Candace. "Precaution." He smiled and tried to project confidence to help Candace feel safe. "I didn't tell you before, but you look very pretty. I think the jury will better understand what happened to you without the spikes." He touched his ear. "That's one man's opinion. I'm sure that when you get home, putting on your steel shoes is going to feel good."

"I can't remember the person who bought this dress. She is so remote from me now." Her frown tugged long, and she held her eyes wide.

"Whale eyes" was the term when a dog held their lids that way, a sign of mounting anxiety.

Beowolf lowered his head, pressing Nutsbe out of the way to get over to Candace.

Crouching, Candace wrapped her arms around his head. "Hey, buddy. Thanks."

Nutsbe had a tickle on the back of his neck. He lifted his head and did another scan as he said, "You have your driver's license?" Woods to the left, parking garage to the right, roadway to the rear, and straight in front was the side door to the courthouse. They'd have to go round to the front to gain entry.

"Yes."

"Do you have anything with you that might be considered a weapon?"

She came to her feet. "You and Beowolf."

"Okay, yes." That didn't sit quite right with Nutsbe. Yeah, sure, if this Offsed guy or anyone else was coming after Candace, he'd interfere. Beowolf—beyond his breeding of tackle and squash? It wouldn't be great if the court dog suddenly bit a chunk out of someone's leg. "No knives, even like a box opener or a multitool?"

"No."

He pointed to her bag. "You'll need to leave your phone in the car."

"I will not. My phone is always in my pocket. I'll just put it on airplane mode."

"They'll stop you from going in and tell you to take it back to your car. I'd just leave it in the car, to begin with. As a matter of fact, you might want to consider leaving your purse in the trunk and taking only your keys in with you. It would simplify things at security. If you don't have a pocket, I could hold on to them for you." He patted the strap of his pack.

She sighed.

"I know. It feels bad. I get that. I had to leave my phone, too. It's such a part of our existence. Not having it readily handy is strange. But we play by the rules. We go through the motions. You answer the questions, and then your part is over. This part, anyway."

"Over will feel good."

***

Nutsbe followed Olivia's instructions and arrived at the courtroom door without mishaps or extra stress taking Candace and Beowolf—in his work vest emblazoned with a blue "COURT SUPPORT ANIMAL" patch—through the security check. The "WORKING DO NOT TOUCH" Candace knew, was a directive for others. They didn't want Beowolf to be distracted from his job, focusing on Candace. She could touch Beowolf as much as she wanted.

After giving their names, the bailiff opened a door to the left. "You can wait here until the witness's name is called."

It was a closet of a room. Almost all of the floor space was covered with a table and chairs. The dark green walls made the space claustrophobic, making it feel like they were trying to hang out in a storage closet. Nutsbe had to put one of the chairs on top of the table and signal Beowolf under to make room for the three.

After a moment, there was a tap at the door, and Olivia poked her head in to identify herself before she fully opened the door to join them.

"Everyone doing okay? Nutsbe? Candace?" Olivia leaned over to look under the table. "Hi, Beowolf."

Olivia looked cool, polished, and professional in her navy blue suit with a matching blouse. "Before the lunch break," Olivia said, "the jury received instructions about a dog in the courts. Candace, while you testify, I'm just reminding you that Beowolf will be with you on the stand, and Nutsbe will be right in front of you. He'll be there to handle Beowolf should any handling be necessary. Candace," Olivia wrapped Candace's cold, white fingers in her hands, "this is hard. I want to acknowledge that. You are brave. You are strong. You are supported. You can do this."

"I feel safe with Beowolf in with me. If he's not in with me, I feel like I might have a severe case of amnesia and not remember."

"Okay," Olivia squeezed Candace's fingers again, then pulled her hand away. "We talked about the consequences of that."

"I'm aware of the consequences. I'm not an idiot, Ms. Gladstone. I'm trying to do the right thing and to stay alive." She hid her hands under the table. "If Kyle Offsed is put in prison for life, what would it matter if he killed me right here on the stand today? He'd still go to prison for life. No difference."

"Well, luckily, that's not a problem. Beowolf and I are going to be right there with you." Nutsbe turned to Olivia. "The judge knows Beowolf is a bullmastiff?" Nutsbe asked, hoping that his size wasn't the thing that would make everything go haywire for Candace's testimony.

"I did tell the judge that it was a mastiff. I'm just not sure that he understood. He strikes me as a cat person." She smiled, then turned back to Candace. "Since you'll be called first thing, I'd like for us to go ahead into the courtroom. That way, when the judge comes in, you're just moving from that seat to the witness chair."

"Is he in there?" Candace"s shoulders came up to her ears.

"Offsed?" Olivia asked. "Not yet. So this would be a good time for you to move in and get settled. Remember, besides Beowolf and Nutsbe—and me—there is an armed bailiff in the room, and there will be physical space between you."

Candace's face drained of color.

"You've got this." Olivia squeezed Candace's arm. "Once this is done, it's done. You don't have to anticipate it anymore." She stood and opened the door.

When Candace got reluctantly to her feet, Beowolf scrambled out from under the table and pressed through the door at the same time she did. He seemed to be signaling that he'd stick with her no matter what. And from the look of resignation on Candace's face, she accepted that and was ready to face the Devil.

Together, they moved up the carpeted walkway.

At the front of the courtroom, Olivia's paralegal stood up and vacated the protected seat.

"Thanks, Gail," Olivia said. "I'll see you at the office later."

And there they were. Beowolf taking up the side aisle, Candace holding onto Beowolf's ear, and Nutsbe bracing for the kryptonite assault that was surely coming.

For the moment, there was calm.

Nutsbe focused his attention on Olivia, organizing herself at the prosecutor's table in front of him. Her demeanor was different here—how she held her body and her facial expression. She had to be wicked smart and badass to have risen to her position. Even so, even here, there was something approachable to her attitude.

Nutsbe—from his experience in the courts as a witness to the many cases that involved Iniquus security's interventions—found these qualities played out better with a jury of one's peers. No one wanted to feel like someone looked down on them. Friendly but professional, respectful, and capable—these attributes made a difference in a case.

Nutsbe turned his attention to the door opening behind the judge's bench.

A woman moved into the courtroom and walked over to the bailiff. There was a whispered conference. The woman waddled back through the door to the judge's chambers, shutting it firmly behind her.

The bailiff moved to the front of the judge's bench, looking first at Olivia and then at the defense attorney.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Judge Madison was called away to a family emergency. Court is in recess. Please check in with the courts by seven o'clock in the morning to see if the trial will continue tomorrow."

Candace whipped her head toward Olivia. "That's it? No court today?"

"No. I'm sorry. I know this is hard, but we—"

Without letting Olivia finish, Candace turned on her heel and hustled from the courtroom with Beowolf trotting beside her.

Nutsbe flipped a wave toward Olivia and started after them. He was this side of jogging to keep up.

Breathlessly, Candace reached her car and turned to Nutsbe, her palm up, waiting for her keys.

He dug into his go bag. "I'll call the courts and talk to Olivia. How about I call you with the plan for tomorrow?" he asked. Holding the keys over her outstretched hand, Nutsbe paused to catch her eye. He wanted some kind of commitment from her.

"Yeah, sure. Tomorrow." That didn't have the sticking power he'd hoped for. As soon as Nutsbe dropped the keys into her hand, Candace jumped into her car, slammed the door, and peeled out of the parking space.

Nutsbe stood in the middle of the parking lot, watching Candace drive like a bat out of hell out to the road, taking the turn so fast that the rubber screeched as they tried to grip the roadway. He wondered if she'd just keep going or if she'd be there when the trial started up again.

Beowolf stood beside Nutsbe and thrust into his hip, turning Nutsbe to the side. "Okay, normally that would have dumped me on the ground, but this new equilibrium software system seems to have worked."

Beowolf shuffled to the side, then thrust his head, pushing Nutsbe again.

"Cut it out," he said. When he looked up, he saw Olivia coming into the lot. A gust of wind roared up. Her hair blew into her face, and she tried to capture the strands in her hands so she could see.

A last shove from Beowolf and Nutsbe headed over to her. "Dude, that wasn't necessary. And you're in vest. That's not very professional. When I saw her, I'd have gone over." Nutsbe raised his hand as a hello.

As Olivia came to a stop by her car, Nutsbe reached her, and luckily, Beowolf was walking like a gentleman on a loose lead. "You didn't get your favorite spot under the trees today," he said.

"Yeah, I started out later than I'd hoped, and this was the last spot. I was lucky to get it, though." With her keys clasped in her hand, she lifted her wrist to her forehead, shielding her eyes from the sun. "Hey, do you happen to be heading home?"

"I can be, why?"

She looked down at Beowolf, then gave him a scritch. "You are so handsome. Do you know that?" She looked up to find Nutsbe's gaze. "I have a big ask and feel weirdly damsel in distress saying it out loud."

Nutsbe grinned.

"On my way over here this morning, something sounded wrong with my car. It felt a little scary. Whew!" She laughed as another gust rose up and whipped at her suit. "That's strong!" With her purse on her shoulder and her hair held in a fist, she leaned against her car. "My mechanic said I can bring it in the morning."

"Did any of your dash lights come on?" Nutsbe looked at Beowolf who had become rigid with concentration. His eyes were on the parking deck that Nutsbe was facing. A quick flick of his attention told him nothing unusual was happening. Maybe a cat or bird was up on the wall.

"No. The noise started up as soon as I hit the highway." She explained. "It was the strangest whacking noise coming from the back of my car."

"A tire?"

"My thought. But it didn't affect my steering. My tire pressure readouts didn't go down. Once I got here and parked, I walked around and looked. Nothing stood out to me as odd. The noise, though, was unnerving. After last night and everything." She flicked her hand through the air. "In the back of my mind, Mickey did something to my car to put me in danger. Hey, did you change your spotlights to keep an eye on my yard?"

"I did. Lots of raccoons." Nutsbe smiled.

They stopped talking while the next gust blew through. It lifted the drool from Beowolf's mouth and sent it flying like a loogy onto Nutsbe's suit. Good thing that Iniquus fabrics were all treated and most anything that got on them could be easily wiped off.

"You want me to take a look at your car?"

"Thanks, but I have that appointment with my mechanic. It's right around the corner from my—well, our houses. If you're headed home anyway, maybe you wouldn't mind following me? If I end up having to pull over on the shoulder to call a tow truck, I'd rather not be on the side of the road alone."

"Why don't you drive mine? And I'll get yours home to you."

"Oh." She looked startled by the idea. "I can't drive your car. I don't know how."

"You don't know how to drive a car?"

"Like with my hands." Olivia held out open palms as if that gave him more information.

"Ah, O.K. Well, this one is from the Iniquus pool," he pointed over to his vehicle, "and it operates like any other."

Beowolf gave an exaggerated yawn and was panting as he focused forward. His scruff lifting. Nutsbe scanned again—nothing.

"It's a normal car, then?" She pressed.

"It's not a normal vehicle, no. It's an Iniquus vehicle equipped for me with hand controls per the law, but that doesn't affect the pedal control. There are a number of vehicles in the Iniquus pool that can be driven with hand controls. Our operators can get banged up on the job, and it just makes sense to have vehicles available while they recover. Or for me. Besides those controls, Iniquus does special modifications on all of its fleet, so none of the vehicles are what you might call normal."

"Like what?" Olivia asked, curiosity painting her voice.

"Run-flat tires, for example."

Beowolf was on his feet, a low warning rumble in his chest. Nutsbe followed his line of sight. "What have you got, buddy?"

Beowolf stomped his foot.

"I don't see it, boy." Nutsbe slowed his breath as he methodically scanned, and sure as shit, a flash of reflecting light winked at him.

See that once, and it locked into the brain as a death signal.

Sniper.

Nutsbe spread his arms protectively as Beowolf bit into Olivia's sleeve, dragging her down to the ground.

Nutsbe threw himself on top of them, shielding the two with his body.

As they hit the ground, a man behind them screamed with horror-filled surprise.