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)
“This means you’re dropping him as a client, right?”
Possibly.
“Why the hell would I ever do that?”
“Because you’d be standing in open court telling the judge and jury he isn’t a murderer when you know damn well he is.”
“Then I’ll tiptoe around that line,” I say. “You know how I operate.”
“Please tell me you’re joking.” She looks at me like I’ve slapped her across the face. “Right now. Tell me.”
“I’m going to do the job he hired me to do,” I say, because I’m still working on my plan and need to figure out my final play on my own. “I’m going to give him one hell of a defense and do my best to keep my winning record.”
“Your winning record?”
“Yes,” I say. “That thing that you and Scarlett seem to forget that I care about.”
“Scarlett left you over this, remember?”
“Her loss.” I shrug. “When I win this case, I’ll be at—”
“Nine hundred and sixty-fucking-seven, I know.” She crosses her arms. “And I know that also happens to be the exact number of clients Peter Hansel had, including your father when he was convicted. I know you hold that number close to your chest, and you feel like you’re doing the world a favor by trying to balance the scales of justice—”
“That’s exactly what the fuck I’m doing—it’s what the fuck I’ve always done.” I interrupt her. “And if you were ever in my position, you’d do the exact same thing.”
“No.” She shakes her head. “I wouldn’t.”
“You didn’t feel this way when I helped your mother beat her charges.” I stand. “Did you?”
“My mother never murdered anyone, Jameson.”
“That’s not the point.” I’m tired of letting her—and Scarlett—pretend like they’re on the high road. “You wouldn’t bat an eye at the chance to fuck over the system that fucked you over first.”
“With limitations.” She narrows her eyes at me. “You would never—ever—help a sex offender or a predator, but you’re willing to help a murderer? Make it make sense.”
“Have a seat, and I’ll do just that.”
“That’s okay, I’ll pass.” She heads to the door. “I’m going to take a page from Scarlett’s book and take a break from you for a while.”
“Are you expecting your job to still be here when you get back?”
“If it isn’t, it’ll be your loss.” She steps into the hall, then she looks over her shoulder. “Scarlett has moved on from you, by the way.”
“What?”
“Yeah.” She nods. There’s someone new. His name is Cole Meyers. He’s an actor, too, and he just landed his first major film role. It’s Spider-Man’s best friend, so he’ll get an entire trilogy out of it.”
“You’re lying.”
“I have no reason to now.” Her face reddens. “I don’t care if you fall apart anymore. He brings her flowers every Tuesday and Thursday, picks her up from her restaurant show job whenever she gets off, and they go on long rides on the outskirts of the city until long after dark.”
“She’s taking things slow since her last boyfriend did a pretty good job of fucking her up emotionally—you know, defending her murderous dad and all, but Cole has already told all his friends and family about her,” she says. “It’ll only be a matter of time before he asks her to be exclusive, and shortly after that—six months or so—he’ll probably propose.”
She’s not lying at all.
My chest is seconds away from caving in. I can’t bear to hear any more.
“She’ll probably get his family heirloom with four to five carats, and by that time, you’ll still have your unbeatable winning record.” Rachel smiles. “It’s a win-win for everyone, isn’t it?”
She slams the door before I can answer.
PERFORM (V.):
1) TO FULFILL ONE'S OBLIGATIONS UNDER A CONTRACT. 2) TO COMPLY WITH REQUIREMENTS OF A COURT ORDER.
SCARLETT
Scarlett Winters Dazzles in Opening Night Previews
A Star is Born: Scarlett Winters Is One to Watch For
Where Has Scarlett Winters Been Hiding?
My heart swells with every great review I read, but there’s only one person I’d love to hear “Good job” from, and he’s hundreds of miles away—defending the devil.
“Hey, Beautiful.” Cole presses a kiss to my forehead. “What are you thinking about?”
“Nothing.” I smile at him. “Just taking in my debut.”
“Well, it’s nothing short of incredible.” He winks at me. “But unfortunately, you’re about to see the worst part of working in theater.”
“I know some negative reviews are bound to come in eventually.”
“No, not that.” He laughs. “Fundraising.”
“What?”
“You heard me.” He pulls me close. “I just donated one hundred dollars to the theater in your name. So, now you only have fifty thousand and four hundred fifty to go.”
“They said fundraising was optional.”
“They lied.” He grabs my bag. “Dinner before they hit you with reality tomorrow?”
“I guess.”
“Did you finish this one already?” He points to a copy of Peter Hansel’s first novel I bought the other day. “What did you think?”