Lawful

GIA NOVELLA

CHAPTER ONE - JARROD

Barging into the large foyer of my home, fear creeps up my spine. I glance up the stairs and shout, "Gia," unable to keep the distress out of my voice.

Leaving the front door wide open, I take the stairs two at a time in one hell of a rush to get to my daughter's bedroom.

Thirty minutes ago, a call on my private line at my judge's chambers has sent me running home to check on Gia, who isn't answering her cell. I've no idea if she's being stubborn after we'd had a few choice words before I left for work five hours before or if she can't. The thought causes my air to catch in my lungs at what could be happening to my Gia.

The caller was very specific about what he intended to do to Gia when he got his hands on her. There were no if's—just when.

"Gia, goddammit."

As I rush down the landing toward Gia's room, one thing that I haven't realized on my mad dash is how quiet the house is. The house is never so quiet. There is always someone here. My housekeeper never misses anyone coming up the drive and will always be at the door by the time they arrive—but not today.

The hairs on the back of my neck prickle with unease as I stand facing my daughter's bedroom, a cold sweat breaking out on my forehead. I should have called the police as soon as the call had ended, but I'd just wanted to get home to make sure that Gia was okay.

About to face my fear, the samurai swords on the wall catch my eye. Without making a sound, I manage to retrieve one from the grip holding it to the wall and unsheathe the blade. Any weapon will be better than none at all.

Taking hold of the doorknob, I push the door open.

For a split second I freeze at the scene before me. My daughter isn't slaughtered, but she's sitting on her bedroom floor, bound and gagged, eyes panicked with a piece of paper attached to the front of the rope—until next time...

CHAPTER TWO - HUNTER

"Hunter, I really need this favor and you're the only one I trust with this." Colin paces back and forth in his office as I watch him through narrowed lids. He keeps trying to explain to me why he needs me to do the protection gig. But in the past thirty minutes that he's been talking he hasn't once told me the real reason that he wants me specifically. I'm more used to undercover work than that of bodyguard and Colin knows this. As well as he knows my right eye twitches when I'm pissed, which it's doing right now.

"I still don't get why me? You trust any of us out there to have your back so why trust only me with this assignment? You're not making any sense. And I'm not going in somewhere without knowing everything."

As I listen to my boss go on and on about the favor he needs from me the unease in my stomach has started to grow. Colin has been avoiding the issue and has circled around the truth about this assignment. It isn't like him, he's usually upfront about the details. This is going to stop. There is no way I'm going to say yes until I have all of the information. I've never known him to be so fucking evasive.

"Fuck," Colin says dropping his ass into the chair behind him. "The protection is for a friend's daughter." He runs his hands through his hair before he finally meets my stare. "He's a Judge. Jarrod Carrington." He sighs. "I've known him since college. He's a good man and the only person I'd consider asking a personal favor for." He pauses until the importance of that hits me. "The only family he has is his twenty-two year old daughter, Gia. He found her bound and gagged in her bedroom yesterday with a note pinned to her chest saying "until next time." As you can imagine, she was pretty badly shaken and so was Jarrod. He isn't working any big cases right now so he has no idea where this threat is coming from. But he's terrified that they're going to come back for Gia, and that's where I need you to come in."