Justifiable Read Free Page B

looked down at himself. What? Where’d she come off dismissing him out of hand?
    An “uh oh” sound whispered through the press conference room, yanking him back to the present problem. When Riley turned around, Biddy had already dropped his camera and lens bag, heading for the newspaper pig. Tossing the bag strap over his shoulder, Riley stepped forward and lifted the camera.
    “You’re in our spot, Henry.”  Biddy glared the rest of his thoughts, but to his credit he’d been semi-polite in spite of a short night’s sleep.
    Henry answered with a pissy shrug.
    No survival instincts in that gene pool.
    As a former Navy SEAL, Biddy wasn’t boasting or joking when he said, “Move your fat ass or I’ll move it for ya.”  He took another step toward Henry.
    Biddy got the same shrug...no, it was worse.
    Henry chuckled.
    Big mistake. Riley took a step inside the room to diffuse the situation, but he didn’t move fast enough. For all Biddy’s bulky muscle, he moved with the lithe speed of a panther and cupped both hands under Henry’s sweaty armpits. He hoisted the pig and walked him backwards like a rag doll with shuffling cartoon feet.
    Then let go.
    Henry stumbled. Momentum took over. When his feet lost traction, the only thing to slow his backwards velocity was a forty-plus-year-old window with a thick wood frame.
    If his ass went through that window it’d make one hell of a splat on the sidewalk four floors below.
    But even Henry’s elephant butt couldn’t break glass that thick. Right?
    Henry’s body slammed the window.
    A loud crack rent the air.
    DA Investigator Massey marched into the room with an arm full of files just as Henry’s grimy nails started dicing window trim like a carrot through a Vegematic.
    She took in the scene with a horrified gaze.
    The room froze. Wood cracked and splintered.

Chapter 4
     
    Shedding camera equipment, Riley dove toward Henry. The window cracked again and every newsman in the pressroom made the sound of sucking air and scrambled to help, but Riley and Biddy were closest.
    Riley grabbed a handful of belly fat as the big man kept sliding out.
    Dammit. He hooked his fingers through Henry’s belt, planted his boots against the wall and stopped the fall. Barely. Biddy clutched a handful of loose skin that might be Henry’s neck, which he used to help haul him back to safety.
    Henry wheezed and coughed. His face glowed heart-attack red, wimpy hair scattered in all directions. Steam should be coming out of his ears to match the snarl he turned on Biddy and Riley. “I’ll...see you bums...in court – ”
    Useless threat .
    “ – and tonight’s paper.”
    Bigger threat .
    Riley swung around, calculating damage control as Henry stomped out. That’s when he noticed that every newsman in Philly – except him and Biddy – had the episode on tape.
    Investigator Massey stood with one hand clutching file folders and the other fisted at her hip. The imperturbable calm she wore like a new accessory fractured with a hint of anger in her jade-green eyes.
    Biddy’s chest heaved twice more, an adrenalin rush clear in his sharp gaze, then his eyes quieted with realization of what had transpired. His shoulders drooped. He mumbled, “She’s going to kill me.”
    Riley felt for the guy. Biddy wasn’t talking about the hot DA Investigator standing with chilled silence between them and the door to the hallway. His cameraman would have to explain to his wife how he got canned with Christmas a too-recent memory and credit card debt eating up every free penny already. Trouble like this piled on marital problems and laid the groundwork for a nasty backlash.
    But from the way Biddy talked about his wife, she at least cared for the cameraman and not just his paycheck.
    She hadn’t married with ulterior motives the way Riley’s ex-wife had. 
    Biddy thumped Riley on the shoulder and cocked his head at the DA’s stuffy male assistant who rushed into the room apologizing that DA Van Gogh