[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
appropriate term at that moment because the look he was giving me would have made the KL
conference room seem like the Tropics.
And I offered to put her witness protection, he replied icily. She didn t want to leave your
brother. I take it that no one ever mentioned that part to you.
Actually, they don t really discuss it much to be honest ... I back-pedaled. I didn t like the cold
Boy Wonder. I wanted to go back to flirty Boy Wonder.
You think that I didn t care if the mob bumped off my ex-girlfriend, or any witness for that
matter?
Okay, you look really offended. What do I know? I m just some defense lawyer who represents
old people who bare their asses and dress like dog droppings. Hey, why was I putting myself
down? WTF?
And who obviously cares about her clients. But you think I m a person who only cares about my
career. Don t you? People s lives mean nothing me. Right?
Well, not that you didn t care at all, I just thought that maybe you cared about the conviction
more. And why do you care so much what I think anyway?
If we have to work to together, we should treat each other with respect. How are you going to do
that when that s what you think of me?
I don t even know you! I m sure you re a very nice guy. I was nodding like a crazed bobble
head doll. How had he managed to get me this disconcerted?
I don t want to have to deal with the same crap I got from your brother. He had no respect for me
whatsoever.
Adam has no respect for anyone. He probably mocked the other babies in the nursery the day he
was born. And now I was throwing my brother under the bus. What was wrong with me? But from
what I understand, though, you re no fan of his either.
Because he doesn t respect me! And he didn t respect how important the Moretti trial was. It
wasn t about my career. It was about justice.
Well, I get it. Mobsters are really bad guys. Profound, Abby. I can understand why you would
want to put him away.
I didn t want to see Lily get hurt anymore than he did. I cared. I would have protected her. Oh
Great! I associated him with orgasm and he would now associate me with feeling emasculated. This
was going well. And why did the way he said, I cared bother me a little? Wasn t that your
freaking concern, Abby?
While my brother and I may be a lot alike, I am not Adam. For one thing, Adam doesn t want
to see you naked. Look, I m sorry. I shouldn t have assumed anything, I said consolingly.
I wouldn t have asked her testify without offering her protection, he said sounding calmer but
still looking like his feathers were ruffled. I happen to value people s safety, which is why I don t
think you should get involved in this.
Thank you for thinking of my safety, but I m just going to be a helping you to handle Trog and
making sure that someone is there as his advocate. I promise not to do anything potentially dangerous
on your watch. I gave him my best trust me smile and we sat there for yet another full moment of
silence.
I suppose that I can t deny your client his right to counsel, he said and then added, but if we re
going to work together, there must be mutual respect.
Of course, I said quickly.
And there also must be no question that I am in charge. Ah HUH. Alrighty then.
Fine, you re in charge, I agreed, fixing a smile on my lips, and silently vowing to myself that I
would at least try to follow that dictum. I ll let Trog know that if he helps you to find Deon Flux, you
will not file federal criminal charges against him for the DocuKeep thing. That is the deal, right?
Right, he agreed, still sounding a little reluctant. I wondered vaguely if his reluctance was more
about not wanting to deal with a potential pain in the ass than about said pita s health and safety. But
I told myself that I was not going to judge or be a cynic or assume anything. Anymore.
Looks like we re on the same side this time then. Looking forward to working with you, I said,
hoping that my smile looked calm and professional even though underneath it I was turning cartwheels
in my head like a cheerleader on crack. As I got up to leave, a thought crossed my mind. I just wanted
to ask ...
What? he asked, reading my expression.
I was just wondering why you didn t just work with Dana. She s the computer expert. Or even
Lena, she has more criminal defense experience than I do.
Please confer with your client, Ms. Roth, he replied, not answering my question. My secretary
will set up a meeting. He paused a beat and then added, At a time that s convenient for you.
That was obviously a dismissal, as he immediately picked up his phone again and spun around in
his chair. Something that I had seen flash for just a second in those beautiful eyes made me suspect
that, whatever his reason was, it hadn t been because he had considered me the weakest link.
I smiled and felt that familiar flutter in my tummy as I turned to leave. What I was feeling still
wasn t that mind you, but this was, admittedly, going to be a hell of a lot more fun than circling
numbers and fighting off frostbite at KL.
Chapter Eight
My meeting with Sachs had taken place on a Friday afternoon and Trog and I would not be seeing him
together until Monday. That left the weekend for me to get myself organized.
I spent Saturday in the office with Dana and Lena, who had graciously agreed to take over several
of my cases while I became Trog s consigliore. We also reviewed everything we could find out
online about both DocuKeep and Randall Greene, which wasn t very much unfortunately. I got the
distinct impression that neither one was all that fascinating a subject or the source of any titillating
tidbits.
Trog stopped by for a while and we carefully briefed him. When he found out that Deon had
betrayed him, he got a look on his face like a lost puppy. Rather than being angry, he wanted to get her
side of the story. Apparently, she still had not responded to his messages. How shocking. He was
continuing to try to reach her through various channels and he did recall that she had once mentioned
Temple University. So it looked like that would probably be our starting point on Monday.
Lena had plans that evening with her family, but Dana and I went out to dinner and a movie later.
Dana didn t discuss her love life, and I didn t want to pry, but I must admit that I was a bit curious.
She was almost always available to hang out on a Saturday night, but I still had a feeling there might
be something going on that she kept to herself. There were occasionally afternoons when she
disappeared for a couple of hours and reappeared looking mysteriously happy, and dare I say,
glowing? I had also seen her texting with someone who made her smile in a rather telling way. Maybe
that was another mystery for me to solve eventually, The Riddle of the Raunchy Rendezvous.
Sunday rolled around and I found myself at the Metro Grill in Center City nibbling on a French fry
and watching my brother, Adam, annihilate a club sandwich. My siblings and I had always tried to get
together for Sunday brunch when possible, but my eldest sister, Hannah had a new baby to take care
of, and my middle sister, Sarah, had accepted a teaching position at a university in New York City.
That left Adam and me, which was fine. He and I were only 18 months apart in age, and of all of
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]