N.O. Justice by C.W. Lemoine

Author:C.W. Lemoine [Lemoine, C.W.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: alex shepherd, thriller, vengeance, c.w. lemoine, mover
Publisher: Mover Media LLC
Published: 2021-07-26T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirty-Two

The inner sanctum of the church looked a lot less like one of Saddam’s palaces and more like an executive office suite. There were at least a half dozen lavish offices guarded by receptionists sitting out front. I still couldn’t quite understand where all the money had come from to build a facility like this. There was just no way the little community could afford one, much less two, mega churches.

Dr. Houston led the way with his goons bracketing me as we walked to his office. A few receptionists looked up and waved to him as we walked by. If I didn’t know better from interrogating his goons, I would’ve thought he was just another charismatic televangelist with a cult following.

We walked into Houston’s office and one of his bodyguards closed the door behind us. He walked around a large wooden desk and took a seat in his plush leather chair.

“Please, sit,” he said, indicating one of the two leather chairs across from his desk. “Let’s chat. Would you like anything to drink?”

“I’m fine, thank you,” I said as I made myself comfortable.

“Very well,” Houston replied. He leaned forward and smiled, placing both hands on his desk. “What’s on your mind, Mr. Shepherd?”

I paused to take in my surroundings. The office was at least 500 square feet. There was a fireplace off to the right of Houston with a poker that could be used for a weapon. To my left, there was another sitting area with a coffee table and two couches and dark curtains covering what I assumed to be a window to something – maybe a courtyard.

As far as potential weapons went, I noticed an engraved letter opener by Houston’s right hand, a sturdy-looking ashtray next to a humidor against the wall, and, of course, the firearms from the guards that were watching over the proceedings. One had remained by the door while the other was standing behind Dr. Houston, opposite the fireplace. It wasn’t ideal, but it was at least a workable situation.

“Well, for starters, let’s cut the bullshit,” I said. “If you know who I am, then you know why I’m here. I’m guessing those cameras outside and in the lobby had facial recognition software and at least one of the entrances had body scanners, which is how you knew we were armed and our real identities. Right?”

“Security is paramount here.”

“What exactly are you protecting?”

Houston grinned. “The flock, of course. Is that not the job of your namesake, Mr. Shepherd?”

“About that,” I said. “What makes you think that’s my name?”

“Our security methods are privileged information, I’m afraid. I am not at liberty to discuss them with an outsider.”

My jaw clenched as I eyed the letter opener and considered the various ways I would take care of the smug son of a bitch across from me and his two lap dogs. I had grown tired of the façade, knowing full well that he was likely responsible for the death of Cynthia Haynes, framing me, and possibly more.

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.