Flint by Fran Lee Page A

know that if they were holding her on charges of grand theft and attempted murder, she wasn't going anywhere any time soon, unless they shipped her back to her step dad in Garfield, which she highly doubted, considering this had moved out of the range of family court and conservatorship issues to attempted homicide. At least she'd have her day in court this way. She'd be able to tell folks what the bastard had done.
    If anyone would listen to her...
     
    "I'm real sorry, Mr. Calderon, but until she comes up before the judge, she can't have any visitors except her attorney." The Deputy at the reception counter of the Travis County Central Booking office smiled up at him and let him know with silent urging that she wouldn't mind him asking her to go for coffee.
    He whipped out his phone and speed-dialed Max. Turning away from the desk, he walked away a few paces and said tersely, "I take it that Max isn't in this early?" The answering service said they could take a message.
    "Tell you what, ma'am...you get him on his damn private phone and tell him Flint Calderon is waiting for him at the 10th Street Jail booking facility in Austin. And I'll make it well worth his while if he gets his lazy ass out of bed and meets me here." He closed his phone and sank onto one of the less than comfortable wooden benches that lined the outer office walls.
    Five minutes later, his phone rang, and he opened it with a "Where the hell are you?"
    The attorney's voice was sleepy. "Where the hell should I be at 6:03 a.m.? I turned my damn cell phone off so I could get some sleep. And what the hell are you doing in jail? You get picked up driving drunk or something?"
    "They arrested Lily early this mornin', Max, and they won't let me see her unless I'm her lawyer. Can you get her the hell outta this place?"
    "Shit, Flint...it'll take me at least an hour and a half to get there. I have to make a couple of calls. You damn well better have coffee waiting."
     
    "Miss Thomas?" Lily jerked awake from the half-sleep she'd fallen into, and sat up groggily, worn out from worrying and going without sleep for so long.
    "Yeah?" Her voice was dry, and she blinked up at the female office who held out a bottle of spring water and a packaged sweet roll.
    "You were supposed to be on your way to Del Valle Correctional right about now, but there's been a hold-up. I thought maybe you'd be hungry." The woman came as close to a smile as she could probably manage, and Lily nodded eagerly and took the offering, quickly tearing the cap off the bottle and drinking it down thirstily before ripping open the cellophane wrapper on the roll that had probably come out of a vending machine.
    "Thanks so much! Why was I supposed to be headed for Del Valle? I thought they were going to arraign me or something, according to the officer who arrested me last night."
    "I can't say. But it looks like your attorney has arranged bail for you, so they won't send you there if they just have to turn around and let you loose again."
    Lily had just shoved a huge bite of roll into her mouth and she stopped chewing, staring in shock at the officer. Managing to swallow, she squeaked, "My attorney?" Her mind went blank.
    "It'll be a few minutes but I'll be coming back to take you upstairs to one of the conference rooms. Better eat and use the john while you can."
     
    Max read the digital case file that was on the laptop in front of him, and when they brought Lily into the room in shackles, he frowned up at the officers. "Get those off of her. She isn't going anywhere. At least, not until I get word back from Judge Layton. I'll vouch for her behavior until notice comes to release her."
    The female deputy unlocked the chain from the shackles around her ankles and wrists, but left the shackles on. "Sorry sir, but until we get her release order, she's still a flight risk."
    When Lily sank onto the chair across the desk from the man, he smiled at her and his grey eyes took in the bruises that could be seen