Chapter 15 - THE JUDGE
Judge Alden Pierce had sentenced half of Queens from a bench polished by taxpayers.
He had looked fathers in the eye and called them dangerous.
He had shaken my hand once at a charity dinner and told me men like us understood order.
Now he stood in the basement of an abandoned school, protecting traffickers with a pistol in his hand.
Mara’s jaw was bleeding where Dr. Bell had struck her.
Tony lifted his gun.
The judge pressed his weapon harder against Mara’s side. “Drop it.”
Tony looked at me.
I nodded.
His gun hit the floor.
Marco held Matteo behind him, shaking.
Dr. Bell looked worse than the judge. Sweaty. Panicked. A coward dragged too far into darkness.
“This is over,” I said.
Pierce laughed. “No, Mr. Romano. This is adjustment. Harlan was one investor. There are others.”
“Red Hook is on every screen in America.”
“America has a short memory.”
Mara spat blood. “Not this time.”
The judge smiled. “Detective, you still believe institutions save people. That’s adorable.”
His eyes moved to Matteo.
“Give us the boy.”
Marco snarled, “No.”
“He is evidence,” Pierce said. “Evidence disappears.”
Bruno growled.
Dr. Bell flinched.
That was the opening.
Mara slammed her heel into Bell’s foot and drove her head backward into his nose.
The gun went off.
The bullet hit the ceiling.
Bruno launched.
Pierce fired once.
The shot struck Bruno in the side.
The dog did not stop.
He hit the judge chest-first and drove him into the wall.
Tony grabbed Bell.
Marco covered Matteo with his body.
I ran to Bruno.
Blood darkened his fur.
He stood over Judge Pierce, teeth bared, refusing to fall.
“Bruno,” I said softly.
His legs trembled.
Police flooded the basement seconds later.
Mara took Pierce’s gun and shoved him onto the floor.
“You’re under arrest,” she said.
He laughed even with blood on his mouth. “You have no idea how high this goes.”
I looked down at him.
“Then we climb.”
Bruno collapsed against my knees.
For the first time in years, I prayed.
May you like
Not for forgiveness.
For my dog to breathe.
