Hush by Tal Bauer

Author:Tal Bauer [Bauer, Tal]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Tal Bauer
Published: 2017-07-12T04:00:00+00:00

An hour later, he pulled into the underground garage beneath his building. He’d taken a circuitous route, checking and double-checking and triple-checking for followers and tails. Nothing, and no media, either. For now, at least, they were off the grid. He pulled into his assigned spot and cut the engine.

They didn’t speak as they climbed out. Tom held Etta Mae’s leash and kept her close, even though she wanted to sniff all the new smells of the garage. Mike carried all of Tom’s bags, his duffels and a garment bag stuffed with ten of Tom’s suits. He led them up the internal stairs to the second floor, and then to his unit. No one was in the halls. Mike never saw his neighbors.

Tom unclipped Etta Mae’s leash as the door opened. She trotted inside, her tail wagging, and made a beeline for the living room and the piles of boxes, his kitchen crap still strewn everywhere. His kitchen was bare concrete flooring and stripped walls, a tarp-covered sink and fridge. He had ducked under the tarp to the fridge enough times that there was a permanent cave opening to it. A stack of paper plates and plastic forks sat on his end table.

“Sorry for the mess. The kitchen is still a disaster zone.” Tom smiled weakly. “Let me show you to the bedroom.”

He took Tom back to his bedroom, setting the duffels in a line by the door and hanging Tom’s garment bag next to his own suits in his cramped walk-in closet. His place was smaller than Tom’s, much, much smaller, and older. He’d done what he could with it, adding trim and drapes and painting the walls, but it still looked like a cheap condo next to Tom’s stately Victorian. His bed took up most of the master bedroom. He didn’t have a stylish sitting area and a chaise lounge beneath a window in his bedroom. He had a cheap full-length mirror from Ikea and two cherry nightstands beside his sleigh bed. A simple chest along the wall, with blankets for winter and a few toys tucked deep in the bottom. “It’s not much.”

Tom sat on the edge of his bed and leaned over, scrubbing his face. The garnet bedspread made his pale skin glow against the rich fabric.

“I can sleep on the couch. We don’t have to—”

“Mike. Please.” Tom’s voice pleaded with him, pulled at his heart. “I’m trying to hold it together. Please. Just…”

“Just what? Anything, Tom. Whatever you need. I’ll give it to you.”

Tom closed his eyes and held his hands up, as if he was praying. He pressed his lips to the sides of his fingers. “I am being shredded apart.” He barely spoke, practically whispered. “As a judge, my entire professional life, my career, will be in this trial. I will be on trial just as much as Desheriyev. Every word I speak, every decision I make, every moment of the trial that I direct will be dissected around the world. My history, my legal philosophy, every choice I’ve ever made.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.