Total pages in book: 224
Estimated words: 215705 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1079(@200wpm)___ 863(@250wpm)___ 719(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 215705 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1079(@200wpm)___ 863(@250wpm)___ 719(@300wpm)
“What?”
“They never found the right man. Do you know what they say about any man over thirty-five, say thirty-eight, like yourself, who hasn’t married? He has something wrong with him.”
“Do you have a point?”
“No point. I have fifteen messages for you. Only three matter, therefore I’ve emailed those to you with notes.”
“I’ll be in the DA’s office and then headed to court. Text me anything else important but make it real damn important.”
“Got it. Don’t text you. Wait. Don’t hang up. Why did I just get a note that Carrie West is holding for me?”
“Good question,” I say. “Put me on hold and take the call.”
She does as I say and quickly comes back to the line. “She wants your cellphone number.”
And she hunted it down. I do like this woman. “Give it to her.”
“Will do. See you tomorrow.” She disconnects before I can because it’s Connie. She knows when I’m done.
I wait for my line to ring with a call from Carrie, but it doesn’t. She doesn’t call. Interesting. She went out of her way to get my number but does nothing with it. This woman keeps me guessing. The car pulls up to my destination and I exit to meet Cole Brooks, my client, and a top criminal attorney in the city, at the door. He’s also the man who with his wife, and co-counselor, got an innocent man charged in a serial murder case off, only to have the DA refuse to look for the real killer. Not only did someone else end up dead, but the brother of one of the murder victims attacked Cole’s wife in a public bathroom.
“What’s this meeting about?” he asks.
“I hope it’s the money meeting,” I say, “but feel no pressure to settle. Your wife was attacked. We’ll settle when you feel like she’s safe and not a second sooner.”
“Attacked because the DA let the attacker believe that we got his sister’s killer off when the real killer ran free,” he says as if he just needs to make sure I know this. “I might punch the man if I go upstairs. You need to handle this.”
“Oh come on, man,” I say. “You’re a hell of a criminal defense attorney. If you punch him, you can defend yourself and we’ll call it mental distress and get those victim’s families more money. I’m in for the beating if you are.”
“You handle it,” he repeats. “But the man who attacked my wife is under psych evaluation. Make sure I get word if he’s set free before he’s set free. I trust you to handle this.”
“And I will,” I assure him.
He offers me his hand and we shake. “Thanks, Reid.” He gives me a weak smile. “Everything your sister said about you wasn’t true.” He intends this to be a joke but I’m damn glad when he turns and walks away before seeing my flinch.
I forcefully shove aside my history with my sister and focus on Cole’s need to protect his woman, and I get it. He’s tormented by the idea that he was the indirect cause of her attack. He fell in love and then found out how easy it is to have someone close to you come under fire, which is just one of the reasons I took this case. I know what that feels like. I know, and I will never know again. Ever. I don’t do relationships or anything that resembles a relationship. I do, however, apparently do obsession, since I can’t stop thinking about Carrie, but then I half fucked her, and I never do anything halfway. I clearly need to be inside that woman to get her out of my head.
Carrie
It takes me all of fifteen minutes to find out what Reid meant about my decision on the Japan property being the right one. The company we would have been in bed with is now being investigated for a long list of international crimes. I didn’t know and should have known, but I didn’t follow the deal once it became ammunition for a war with my brother. No. I didn’t follow it because my father blamed me for losing the deal, and that cut and cut deeply.
I stare down at Reid’s number now in my phone thanks to his assistant, not him, and all because I wanted to call him and tell him I figured out Japan. And why? Why do I want to call him? I have nothing to prove to him, only it feels more like he proved something to me. He proved I was right about Japan. He’s such an asshole, and yet, he’s the one who told me I got it right. He’s the one who says he’s behind me, but he’s also the one who took down my company, even if he would claim it was my father. Deep down, though, I know it was my father. Not even deep down. My father let this happen. Reid just happens to be the kind of man that takes advantage of poor decisions.