“I told you that you can’t use that move.”
“Who’s going to stop me?”
“So what are you going to do about this guy?”
“What should I do?”
“Do you know what he wants?”
“Are we back to twenty questions?” I sank down in the booth.
“Not if you answered mine.”
“He says his son isn’t guilty of what he’s been accused of. If I had a million dollars for every time somebody came into my office and said that—”
“Oh wait. You do.”
Smarty pants. Though it was true.
“You want the best, you gotta pay for the best.”
“Call the cops.”
I sighed. “I’m afraid that’s what it’s coming to.”
“You believe him. Or at least you think there’s a chance he might be telling the truth.”
My phone buzzed. That was fast.
You can’t hide
Unknown number. What the hell did that mean?
My phone buzzed again with the text I’d been expecting.
He’s gone
“Gerard says he left. And yeah, something about the guy gets to me.” And I really wished he didn’t. That made it difficult to change my career path.
“Why’d you go into law anyway?”
I broke a chip in half and dunked it in the salsa. “I wanted to help the helpless.”
She snorted. “I’d hardly call your clients helpless.”
“Do you want to hear something stupid?”
“About you? Definitely.” A mischievous smirk graced her lips.
“The first client I ever took on . . . I found him.”
She didn’t appear surprised like I thought she would. “You were fresh out of law school. I’m sure you didn’t have clients beating down your door.”
I made a face at her. “I’d seen him on the news. He insisted someone else had murdered his mother. I believed him. I believed that the cops had taken the easy route and pegged it on him.”
“What’s so stupid about that?”
“I believed in his innocence through the end. Was so sure that I was able to convince the jury of it too. Not guilty verdict. Gavel pounds. He looks at me and says ‘Bitch got exactly what she deserved.’”
That moment was cemented in my brain. It should’ve completely jaded me. Instead, I’d become more determined.
“Whoa.”
“More like holy shit. I’d gotten a murderer off. I’ll never forget what that felt like.” Rotten. Like a damn fool.
“Why keep going?”
“You know what it’s like when you’re young. It’s easier to let things roll off. He put the first chip in my faith in people, but he didn’t destroy it by himself.”
“Is it now?”
I shrugged. “After I won that case, I was in high demand. I didn’t turn down the work because I was sure that one of them was innocent and I could help free them. I’ve never backed down from a challenge either.”
“Were any of them innocent?”
“Not a damn one. What happened with Trish . . . she could’ve been killed because I got that asshole out on bond. That was it for me. All I keep thinking is how many other people have been hurt because of what I’ve done.” The guilt was almost too much to bear. I couldn’t ever make up for what I’d done but was determined to give it a shot by helping the women at Paths.
“Have you ever lost a case?”
“Nope.” I arranged my knife and fork. “I used to be proud of that. What a fool, huh?”
“You did what you thought was right.”
“No, I followed the money trail. Got high off the power I had from winning.”
She reached across the table for my hand. “I’m sorry for what I said before. About your career.”
An apology? And one she meant? I wasn’t sure what to do with that. She constantly shocked the hell out of me.
“I lost my way. Forgot why I got in this to begin with.”
“Sounds to me like you’ve remembered.”
I threaded my fingers with hers.
A voice I didn’t recognize came from behind me. “I didn’t know my daughter had moved on. I’m sure Jack would be so happy for you.”
Marlow yanked her hand out of mine.
“So you are speaking to me.” She glared at the woman who moved to the end of our table.
“I never stopped. Though it seems like the rest of the family wants nothing to do with you.” Her mother touched her shoulder. Marlow shrugged it off. “You did the right thing giving me the details of Andrew’s wedding. A mother should be there for her children’s momentous occasions.”
Marlow’s jaw worked. Seeing Marlow angry was an everyday occurrence at the moment, but right now, she was furious. Her mother was lying. I hated very few people, but that woman had shot her way up near the top of the list.
“A mother should be there for every moment of her child’s life,” I said.
Wicked looked at me in surprise. I wasn’t going to let this bitch speak to her this way.
“Are you going to be there for yours?” She smiled innocently at me.
“I don’t have any children,” I said.
She patted Marlow’s stomach. “She wore this exact shade of putrid when she was pregnant with Blake. How’s the vomiting this time? Easier with the third pregnancy?”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Marlow
“Stay away from all of us. You’re toxic.”
She smiled at me. Smiled. How could she so casually throw that out there and mention the baby I’d lost? The one I never let myself think about because it was too painful.
“You’ll feel differently once your hormones settle.” She squeezed Blake’s hand.
I had let this woman into our lives. I thought she was out. Looked like I would have to figure out some way to make sure of it.
As she slithered away, my lip curled in disgust.
Patrick was pale.
“Is she right?”
“I didn’t tell her about the wedding plans. We’ve been through this.” I despised having to continuously defend myself about that.
“About the pregnancy?”
I waved my hand in the air. “She’s just spewing shit to get a rise out of me.”
“But you have been nauseous a lot lately.”
“Like you said, I’ve got a stomach bug.” I popped a chip in my mouth.
“When’s the last time you had your period?”
“That’s personal,” I said, grateful when
