Free Convicted: A Mafia Romance by Jacee Macguire

his eyes like a rolling chaotic river breaking free from its bed.
    Davis and I held a meeting with the team, instructing them to travel in pairs; that safety was of the utmost importance. Davis spoke privately with Hackett and Eamon about our trip to the orphanage, where we hoped to find more information about Theron. We knew it was a shot in the dark that the employees at the orphanage would know anything about him or the man he was now, but we had to try.
    Hackett had not been at all happy with our plans to travel alone but had agreed in the end. Davis had only needed to mention the need to protect the team members from any attack Theron might have planned to get Hackett to agree.
    I was still scared of traveling alone with a chubby old lawyer that couldn’t run if he wanted to. Just as well I suppose. If Theron wanted to kill us, he would. He hadn’t feared attacking Meg, even with two large beastly looking men like Eamon and Hackett around.
    The trip to Shiner was only an hour and a half from Austin, and I was ready to get it over with. Grabbing my laptop, I shoved it inside my bag and slung it over my shoulder before digging my purse out from under the edge of my desk. Hackett gave me a strange look as I padded across the room, passing him on the way to the door where Davis waited. He reached out, grabbing my arm, pulling me to a dead stop. His grip was a little snug, but not painful. “Be careful. The man we seek is dangerous. Keep your eyes open for anything unusual.”
    “I will, Hackett. You make sure all of these people stay safe and alive.” I kept my voice low and even, waving my hand at the people working tirelessly to help Sebastian.
    “We will.”
    The trip to Shiner was nice and quiet. The bluebonnets were in full bloom all along the highway, as if leading somewhere special. It was such a majestic sight. Horses grazed the ocean-like fields of bluebonnets, bright green grasses bursting forth in clusters, only making the colors more vivid – more magical – like a painting.
    We rolled into town, sticking out like a sore thumb amongst the beat-up farm trucks and extended cab pick-up trucks lining the sidewalks all through town. I’d only visited Shiner once before. The history and tradition of the town came to life in every building and person you came across. Being here was a far cry from life in Austin. Things were much slower and happier. Life was what it was here; nothing more, nothing less. A smile worked across my lips as I watched a young mother walking with her young daughter hand-in-hand.
    “The orphanage is just on the edge of town. We should be there in a few minutes,” Davis said.
    “Good.”
    Second Chances Orphanage was a two-story home that had seen better days. The once-gorgeous residence needed a good bit of loving, and from the looks of the chipping paint, it had been years since anyone had shown it the least bit of care. We parked under a large shade tree and headed for the front door. Before we could ring the bell, a tall woman with long salt-and-pepper hair twisted into a tight bun exited.
    “Well, howdy there. You must be the lawyers from Austin.” Not a question. As I said earlier, we stuck out like sore thumbs in a place like this. We might as well have been naked for how much our stark black business suits screamed city folks.
    “Yes, ma’am.” Davis drawled, his words barely audible for the wheezing.
    “Come on in. This heat is enough to kill ya.”
    I couldn’t help but let a giggle loose at her words. It was pretty damned hot. The old saying about it being hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk was more than true today. We followed along behind the woman into the house and down a dimly-lit hallway to a large living room.
    There was a large mahogany desk in the corner. The woman motioned towards the two chairs in front of it as she walked around and sat down. “Have a seat, please. I’m Rosie Holloway. I’ve been with the orphanage for going on forty years.