Michaels was already half-out of the truck, swaying a little when he got to his feet. Judge gripped Michaels’ thick bicep and moved him towards the room. He was mad for so many reasons. Mad at those bastard thugs for coming for them like that, mad that Michaels had been so reckless, mad that Judge had almost lost his mind when he thought Michaels had been hurt.
When they got in the room, Michaels shrugged Judge off and took the first aid kit from his hand. “Get him situated, I’ll take care of this.”
Judge reluctantly watched Michaels go. He had an overwhelming need to take care of him. Gritting his teeth, he refocused his attention. He knew they had to be careful with their target. One slip up and Switch could be gone. “Go use the bathroom,” he ordered.
“Are we staying here all day? How do you know we weren’t followed?” Switch stood and Bookem was close on his heels as he made his way through the spacious living room that separated the two bedrooms. “You guys are fuckin’ nuts. I see I’ma’ have to press charges.”
This asshole was grating on his last nerve. This was all his fault. Michaels was hurt because of him and Judge couldn’t even be in there tending to him… because of Switch. If he didn’t shut up fast, Judge was going to put his fist in his throat. “Get in there and use the fuckin’ bathroom. Shut your idiot mouth and do what I say.”
“You can’t touch me.” Switch jutted out his chin. The twerp was maybe five-foot-six or -seven. A decent enough looking guy with his buzz-cut blond hair and sideburns that connected to his immaculately trimmed goatee. But he was a criminal, a murdering-drug-dealing scum, which made him look like the ugliest man alive.
Judge walked closer, growling almost as loud as Bookem. “Have you ever been bit in the ass by a dog?”
Switch’s eyes widened.
“That’s right dipshit. I’m not gonna do anything. Not until my dog has a piece of you first.” Judge shoved Switch towards the bathroom. “Now get in there.”
Judge left the door open while Bookem stood right next to him. He turned his head towards the other bedroom when he heard the shower turn on. He was relieved that there were separate bathrooms for each bedroom, and finally took a quick look around. It was like an apartment, sitting area with a large television on an oak TV stand. The kitchen was in the back and one bedroom on each side. It looked nicer than most of the places Judge holed up in. A person could live here quite comfortably. Man, how long did God think they were staying? He’d told them to lay low until he could scope out the activity in Buckhead. If it wasn’t one hundred percent safe to bring Switch back, Judge would have to wait for God to make it safe. Under normal circumstances, this would’ve pissed him off. He captured his bounties and got rid of them as quickly as possible. He wasn’t a babysitter. But as much as he hated to admit it, being here with Michaels didn’t seem so bad. His arms burned with the need to check for himself that his detective was indeed alright. “Hurry up,” Judge bit out angrily, popping Switch in the back of his head when he took his time washing his still-cuffed hands.
“Damn, man. Alright.” He walked the way Judge pointed but paused when they turned away from the kitchen. “I’m hungry. Y’all can’t starve me.”
“I’ll bring you a couple protein bars and some water. Eat it or not, I don’t care. After I wake up, I’ll decide if you can eat.”
“That’s some straight-up bullshit. I don’t want to sit in this room.” As soon as he said that, Switch’s head turned toward the one window covered by dark green drapes.
Judge smirked. He hoped Switch did try to climb out the window. When they were in the small bedroom Judge replaced Switch’s cuffs with a new pair. These were metal as well but the chain connecting them was longer, giving the captured a little more room to move. He didn’t need to secure the cuffs to anything. This is where Bookem came in.
Judge tilted his head towards the window. “Go ahead. Try to open it.”
Switch’s eyebrows dipped down in confusion. “What? Is it sealed shut or something?”
“Not at all. Just go ahead and give it a try.” Judge smirked nastily.
Switch took about three steps towards the window and Bookem went crazy. His bark was so loud and vicious, Switch jumped back behind the only chair in the room. Judge was holding on to Bookem’s harness as he came up on his hind legs, trying to see Switch behind the chair. He held him back, but he still let Switch see just how angry Bookem could get. When Book was on his hind legs, he stood as tall as Judge, and it made him so proud.