Last Stand (Jessie Black Legal Thrillers Book 11) by Larry A. Winters

Author:Larry A. Winters [Winters, Larry A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-09-07T16:00:00+00:00

The next morning, Leary took a sip of his coffee and leaned back on the couch, Jessie’s arm warm against his. It was a pleasant morning and he wished he could linger, but duty called. Hannah O’Sullivan had arranged a meeting with Finn Mahoney, and she was waiting for him outside.

He finished his coffee and sighed. “I need to get going.”

“Where are you headed again?” Jessie said.

Leary waved his empty mug. For her own protection, he didn’t want to tell her the truth—that he was actively helping Rivera investigate the photographs. “Just work stuff. Nothing interesting.”

Jessie gave him a skeptical, scrutinizing look, but kept her thoughts to herself. “Be safe.”

“I will.” He leaned in and kissed her. “I’ll see you later.”

Outside, the sky was blue with only a few clouds. Hannah, standing beside the SUV, smiled as he approached. “You can take the front.”

Leary nodded and climbed into the front-passenger seat as Hannah settled into the back row. Franklin waited in the driver’s seat, tapping his fingers impatiently on the wheel. His jaw was set, eyes fixed straight ahead.

“Morning,” Leary said.

Franklin said nothing, just shifted into drive and pulled away from the curb with more force than necessary, then maneuvered the SUV through Center City traffic.

Leary shifted in his seat and looked at the man. “Are you angry at me about something?”

Franklin’s grip tightened on the wheel. “Angry at myself.” Franklin briefly met his eyes. “It was my idea for Hannah to ask for your help. I thought you’d keep her safe.” His jaw clenched. “Not ask her to set up a meeting with gangsters.”

Leary absorbed this silently. He wasn’t feeling so great about the decision himself, but he was running out of options. “I’m not a babysitter, okay? And Hannah doesn’t strike me as a child.”

“This is reckless, Leary. This is bad for her and you know it.”

“Guys.” Hannah leaned forward from the back seat. “I’m sitting right here.”

Franklin shook his head with a look of exasperation. Leary leaned back in his seat. They drove on in silence.

When Franklin eventually pulled the SUV to the curb, they were still in the middle of the Center City business district. Leary peered up at a high-rise building.

“You’re not serious.”

“What?” Franklin said. “This is the address.”

“Finn Mahoney rents office space here?” Leary had imagined that the Irish mobster would operate from some grimy hole on the outskirts of the city, not from one of Philly’s swankiest office towers.

Hannah hooked her arm around his headrest and leaned into the front of the SUV. “Selling dirt is a lucrative business.”

“Hannah, this is not a joke,” Franklin said, his face etched with worry as he turned to face Leary. “Try not to get her killed, okay? Or worse, injured so she can’t compete.”

“It’s reassuring to know your priorities are in the right place,” Hannah said dryly.

She and Leary climbed out of the SUV. Franklin stayed behind in the vehicle. Leary took another doubtful look up at the skyscraper and then followed Hannah into the building’s lavish lobby.

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