Chapter 76: Running the Red Light

"That’s outside our work, sir," she said, cutting the topic off cleanly. "Did I say anything else?"

"Nothing," Jude said, heading toward the stairs. "Make some coffee. Your bike is still with the valet at the Sovereign Plaza. I have a 9:00 AM meeting near the Conservatory; I’ll drop you off on my way into town."

"Understood."

Once Jude went upstairs, Anna stepped into the side pantry and took out her secure phone. Her thumb hovered over Silas Vanguard’s contact.

Looking at the time she locked the screen and put the phone back in her bag. She adjusted the strap of her bag over her shoulder.

An hour later, dressed in a charcoal suit, Jude drove the Koenigsegg Jesko into Manhattan.

He dropped Anna at the hotel to pick up her bike, then headed uptown toward the Manhattan Conservatory of Music to finish the music licensing agreements for Apex Studios.

Two blocks south of the school gates, traffic slowed along Amsterdam Avenue. Jude pulled up to a red light.

Ahead, the walk signal turned white.

A student in a wool coat, with a violin case strapped to her back, started across the street on a commuter bicycle.

From the cross street, the sharp rev of an engine cut through the intersection.

A white Maserati MC20 Cielo sped toward the crossing, accelerating to beat the yellow. Realizing the bike was in the lane, the driver hit the brakes hard.

Tires squealed as the car swerved left, its front bumper clipping the front wheel of the bicycle.

The bike slid out from under the rider, sending her onto the pavement. Her violin case bounced across the lane, and she scraped her palms catching herself as she hit the ground.

As the bike went down, a pedal dragged across the Maserati’s front bumper, leaving a deep scratch through the paint.

The driver’s door swung open.

A woman in designer clothes and dark sunglasses stepped out into the street, looked down at the scratch on her bumper, and immediately lost her temper.

"Are you blind?" she yelled, walking right up to the student. "Do you have any idea how to ride a bike?"

The student pushed herself up, checking her bruised hands. "The walk signal was green. You blew through a red light."

"Don’t talk back to me," the driver snapped. "When you see a car like this coming, you get out of the street. Look at what your bike did to my bumper. Apologize right now."

A few people on the sidewalk stopped to watch.

The student stood up, brushing dirt from her coat. "I’m not apologizing for crossing on a walk signal. If there’s paint damage, give me the repair quote and I’ll pay for the fix."

The Maserati driver looked at her and laughed.

"You’ll pay for it?" she said, looking at the student’s worn coat. "On that bike? This is custom paint on a $300,000 Maserati. Replacing and repainting the panel is $50,000. You couldn’t cover the tax on this car."

The student stopped. "$50,000? For a scratch? That’s ridiculous."

"That’s what the work costs," the woman said. "If you can’t pay the $50,000, apologize and ask me to drop it, or I’ll take everything you have in court."

"I don’t have $50,000," the student said, keeping her ground. "And I’m not begging for anything when you ran the light."

"Then I’ll handle this myself—"

The driver stepped in and swung her hand to slap her across the face.

The student flinched, pulling back.

The slap never landed.

The student opened her eyes.

Standing between them was a man in a dark suit. His left hand was in his pocket, and his right hand held the driver’s wrist firmly in mid-air.

"Traffic issues go through insurance," Jude said, his tone flat. "Hitting people in the street just makes you look careless."

Jude had watched the light turn from the front of the line and stepped out the moment she raised her hand.

He recognized her as well...

The day before, outside the Conservatory, he had seen Marcus Thorne dropping off his daughter, Vanessa Thorne, who had a reputation for causing scenes around the campus.

"Let go of my arm," Vanessa demanded, trying to pull her wrist free.

__________

Jude kept his grip firm on her wrist. "Step back and drop your hand," Jude said. "Then I’ll let go."

"She ran her bike into my bumper and refused to apologize!" Vanessa snapped, pulling against his grip. "Why shouldn’t I hit her?"

"Because you ran a red light," Jude replied. "The intersection camera caught the whole thing. She doesn’t owe you for your paint. You owe her for a damaged bicycle and torn clothes."

Vanessa glared at him. "Are you serious? You didn’t see anything!"

Jude nodded toward the traffic camera mounted above the crosswalk, then toward 2 NYPD officers walking half a block down Amsterdam Avenue.

"The camera recorded it, and there are 2 officers right behind you," Jude said. "If you want to argue it, I can call them over to pull the footage and write the ticket for reckless driving."

Vanessa went quiet.

She knew she had pushed through the light.

Getting the police involved meant points on her license and a citation before she even got to campus.

Jude let go of her wrist. Vanessa rubbed her arm, glaring at him.

Seeing the patrolmen heading in their direction, she turned, reached into her car, and pulled $500 from her wallet.

She tossed the bills onto the pavement in front of the student.

"Take it for the bike," Vanessa said, stepping back toward her car. "Stay out of my way next time."

She got back in, shut the door, and accelerated down the street.

Jude picked up the bills along with the violin case and handed them to the student. "Your compensation."

The girl took the money and her case, her face red as she looked down. "Thank you, Mr. Lawson."

Jude paused. "You know who I am?"