Read Online The Price of Disrespect (Gray Spear Society Book 6) by Alex Siegel - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Alex Siegel
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breath. "I have nothing to say."
"Ms. Williams, you stand accused of serious crimes. One of your victims lost a kidney, and another may be permanently crippled. Your statement will eventually be read to the jury at your trial. This is your opportunity to explain yourself. I strongly suggest you don't waste it."
She hadn't known about the injuries but didn't feel guilty. All of her "victims" had victims of their own.
"What's the point? I'm fucked. My lawyer will be a punk public defender who couldn't get me out of a speeding ticket. A black woman like me never gets justice in Chicago."
"That's a very poor attitude," the detective said. "I know you're not a regular criminal. You could make a pretty strong case for yourself in court. You'll be convicted, but you have a shot at a light sentence. You're young enough to build a new life after you get out of prison. It all starts with cooperating now."
Tawni wasn't as optimistic. She had seen the legal system grind up other people from her neighborhood. Minor convictions often turned into long prison terms. The system was stacked against her.
He put his notepad and pen away. "Your arraignment is tomorrow. I'll be there. You can make your statement to me afterwards if you want. Think about what you want to say." He stood up. "There is another man here to see you. A lawyer from the National Guard. Maybe he can get through to you." He left the room, and the door closed with a metallic clang.
A moment later, Aaron entered. She instinctively jumped up and tried to slug him in the jaw. He grabbed her arm, twisted her around, and thumped her face against the table. His grip was painfully strong.
"That was a warning," he whispered in her ear. "If you come at me again, I'll break something you don't want broken. Do you understand?"
She nodded. Her shoulder felt like it was about to dislocate.
"Are you calm now? Can we have a polite conversation?"
"Yes," she said through clenched teeth.
"Sit." He released her.
Rubbing her sore cheek, she sat down. "I hate you."
He wore a sharp gray business suit and a black tie. It looked perfectly tailored for his broad chest and chunky biceps. Polished, black shoes shined under the lights. It was difficult for her to admit, but he was a fine looking man.
He took a plastic eyepiece out of his pocket. He put it against the one-way window and looked through it, obviously peeking into the room beyond. He examined several locations.
Tawni cocked her head with puzzlement. "What are you doing?"
"Just making sure we can talk openly," Aaron said. "This isn't the best location for a sensitive conversation. I had to call in some favors so we could have privacy."
"What are we going to talk about?"
"Your future."
Finally, he sat down. For a long moment, he just stared at her, and she stared back. She refused to be intimidated.
"You're in a lot of trouble," he said.
"Thanks to you," she shot back.
"You were going to get caught regardless. I made a few calls to contacts on both sides of the law. Your short career as a vigilante irritated a lot of dangerous people. Even small-time crooks can have big-time friends. They intend to make an example out of you. A public, messy example. Being in jail won't save you, either. If I were a betting man, I'd say the over-under on your life expectancy is a week, maybe less. Don't worry about standing trial. You won't survive that long. Tell me I'm wrong."
She desperately wanted to argue with him, but he was correct. She had tried to ignore these inconvenient facts until now, but the reasonable tone in his voice made further denial impossible.
"Maybe," she muttered weakly.
"You have two choices. You can continue down the road you're on and hope for a miraculous rescue, or you can let me rescue you now."
"What the fuck can you do for me?"
He took out his phone and placed it on the table. It was very thick. The surface was made of a gray metal with a rainbow sheen, and there were no markings.
"This is a very
"Ms. Williams, you stand accused of serious crimes. One of your victims lost a kidney, and another may be permanently crippled. Your statement will eventually be read to the jury at your trial. This is your opportunity to explain yourself. I strongly suggest you don't waste it."
She hadn't known about the injuries but didn't feel guilty. All of her "victims" had victims of their own.
"What's the point? I'm fucked. My lawyer will be a punk public defender who couldn't get me out of a speeding ticket. A black woman like me never gets justice in Chicago."
"That's a very poor attitude," the detective said. "I know you're not a regular criminal. You could make a pretty strong case for yourself in court. You'll be convicted, but you have a shot at a light sentence. You're young enough to build a new life after you get out of prison. It all starts with cooperating now."
Tawni wasn't as optimistic. She had seen the legal system grind up other people from her neighborhood. Minor convictions often turned into long prison terms. The system was stacked against her.
He put his notepad and pen away. "Your arraignment is tomorrow. I'll be there. You can make your statement to me afterwards if you want. Think about what you want to say." He stood up. "There is another man here to see you. A lawyer from the National Guard. Maybe he can get through to you." He left the room, and the door closed with a metallic clang.
A moment later, Aaron entered. She instinctively jumped up and tried to slug him in the jaw. He grabbed her arm, twisted her around, and thumped her face against the table. His grip was painfully strong.
"That was a warning," he whispered in her ear. "If you come at me again, I'll break something you don't want broken. Do you understand?"
She nodded. Her shoulder felt like it was about to dislocate.
"Are you calm now? Can we have a polite conversation?"
"Yes," she said through clenched teeth.
"Sit." He released her.
Rubbing her sore cheek, she sat down. "I hate you."
He wore a sharp gray business suit and a black tie. It looked perfectly tailored for his broad chest and chunky biceps. Polished, black shoes shined under the lights. It was difficult for her to admit, but he was a fine looking man.
He took a plastic eyepiece out of his pocket. He put it against the one-way window and looked through it, obviously peeking into the room beyond. He examined several locations.
Tawni cocked her head with puzzlement. "What are you doing?"
"Just making sure we can talk openly," Aaron said. "This isn't the best location for a sensitive conversation. I had to call in some favors so we could have privacy."
"What are we going to talk about?"
"Your future."
Finally, he sat down. For a long moment, he just stared at her, and she stared back. She refused to be intimidated.
"You're in a lot of trouble," he said.
"Thanks to you," she shot back.
"You were going to get caught regardless. I made a few calls to contacts on both sides of the law. Your short career as a vigilante irritated a lot of dangerous people. Even small-time crooks can have big-time friends. They intend to make an example out of you. A public, messy example. Being in jail won't save you, either. If I were a betting man, I'd say the over-under on your life expectancy is a week, maybe less. Don't worry about standing trial. You won't survive that long. Tell me I'm wrong."
She desperately wanted to argue with him, but he was correct. She had tried to ignore these inconvenient facts until now, but the reasonable tone in his voice made further denial impossible.
"Maybe," she muttered weakly.
"You have two choices. You can continue down the road you're on and hope for a miraculous rescue, or you can let me rescue you now."
"What the fuck can you do for me?"
He took out his phone and placed it on the table. It was very thick. The surface was made of a gray metal with a rainbow sheen, and there were no markings.
"This is a very
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