Total pages in book: 29
Estimated words: 30055 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 150(@200wpm)___ 120(@250wpm)___ 100(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 30055 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 150(@200wpm)___ 120(@250wpm)___ 100(@300wpm)
“Look.” Lucas lets out a sigh. “I’ve decided to get my sons their own private counsel. They’ll each have separate lawyers.”
“Why?” I ask. “It’d be easier if I represented them, too.”
“Not if they take plea deals,” he says, frowning. “We may have to go with a different approach, given how things are starting to look.”
“Come again?”
“Let’s just say I have an inside tip,” he says. “We can’t all be in prison.”
“That’s literally my plan for you, Mr. Hunter.”
“But if some of us have to make special arrangements—in order to save the business—it’ll have to be them instead of me.”
“What the hell are you even saying right now?”
“I doubt I have to spell it out word by word for you.”
“What happened to you saying, ‘I don’t want to see any of my sons in prison for what I asked them to do?’”
“I still don’t,” he says. “But I need to be prepared for a worst-case scenario.”
“What does your wife think about this?” I ask.
“I don’t ask my wife for permission on anything.”
“What about Scarlett?”
“What about her?” He grits his teeth at the very mention of her name. “I don’t even know where she is. As far as I’m concerned, she might be the one who fucking snitched on me to the feds.”
“I highly doubt that.”
“You ‘doubt’ it, or you know for sure?”
I don’t have an answer for that.
“Anyway, if my sons get fifteen to twenty years, they still have a lot of life to live when they get out. I won’t.”
“With all due respect, I would like to stay on as their lawyer,” I say. “It’s what’s best for them.”
“I’m not concerned with ‘them’ right now, Mr. Tate.” He looks me dead in my eyes. “I’m concerned with myself, and since I’m paying you, you need to do what’s best for me.”
“So, you’re going to abandon your sons on a sinking ship? Just like that?”
“I’m not abandoning them,” he says, signaling for the officer to take him back to the holding area. “I’m just deciding who deserves the last life jacket.”
GAG ORDER (N.):
A JUDGE'S ORDER PROHIBITING THE ATTORNEYS AND THE PARTIES TO A PENDING LAWSUIT OR CRIMINAL PROSECUTION FROM TALKING TO THE MEDIA OR THE PUBLIC ABOUT THE CASE.
JAMESON
Later that night
How the hell did I not see through Lucas before now?
I flip through the official indictment, feeling my blood boil with every page. Nothing here is impossible for me to finesse in a courtroom, but I was counting on playing the family card.
Not the solo-kingpin card.
Circling a line under the attempted murder charges, I write “Very circumstantial. No true evidence.” I manage to make notes on the next four charges before tossing my pen across the room.
I need someone to talk to right now, someone to actually distract me from this nonsense, so I scroll down to Scarlett’s name.
No.
I move past it and call Rachel instead.
“Yes, Jameson?” she answers on the first ring.
“I need to talk to you.”
“About what?”
“Anything,” I say, standing up. “Tell me what’s going on in the news.”
“You can turn on the TV and see for yourself.”
“I’d like to hear it from you.”
The line goes silent.
“Hello?” I ask. “Hello?”
“I’m not Scarlett, Jameson,” she says, sighing. “That’s your person, remember?”
“She’s not a part of my life anymore.”
“So, I don’t need to track her down and find out what she’s been up to for you?”
“I asked Damien Carter to do that, not you.”
“Well, he passed it on to me, so…”
“So…” I mock her last word and begin pacing my floor. “Have you found anything yet?”
“I can only work on one secret mission at a time, Jameson.” She groans. “I’m still not done with the first one you gave me.”
“There’s no time limit on the Scarlett one. It’s just a request.”
“So, I can hold off on finding out where she is for two more weeks?”
“Absolutely not.”
“She’s staying in a Holiday Inn that’s right outside of Santa Monica.”
“Has she landed any roles?”
“Jameson…”
“Just say yes or no.”
“Yes. Yes, she has.”
“Which ones?”
“Seriously?”
“You might as well give me the details.”
“I don’t know all of them, but she’s just been cast in a lead role in Moulin Rouge. As of today, she’s accepted a job at a restaurant that puts on private dinner shows on the weekends—and yes, it pays pretty well.”
“Is she dating anyone?”
“No,” she says. “And even if she was, I would never tell you.”
“Why not?”
“Because I just managed to get you back to being somewhat normal, so I’ll never give you news that would break you down.”
“So, you’re saying she is dating someone?”
“I’m literally saying she’s not. Call me whenever you want to talk about a case.”
“Do you think she would pick up if I called?”
Beep!
You hung up on me?
Rachel
I saved you from yourself.
Fine. You’re still taking extra precautions while you’re stalking the estate, correct?
Yes. Thank you for sending me an extra security team.