Charged

I snorted and leaned forward so that I could put a forearm on the glass tabletop. “Right, the brother and the sister and my client are all conspiring to set your client up and to send him to jail. Sounds like there is witness testimony available that backs up my client’s story that your client ripped off his suppliers and was desperate for money, leading to my client being shaken down and roughed up. The robbery was clearly his idea.”

“This witness isn’t on the prosecution’s list and hasn’t been vetted.”

It was my turn to smirk and flash some teeth. “It’s called discovery for a reason, Tyrell. I’ll be sure to send Townsend this new information, as soon as we leave.”

We had a vicious stare-down for several long minutes until Larsen moved forward and closed the file in front of him with more force than the task required. “I think that’s all for me today, Ms. Walker.”

Avett let out an audible sound of relief, but I could see by the predatory look in the other man’s eyes he was far from done with her or with me.

“Thank you for your time. I want to remind you that when you are on that stand, nothing, and I do mean nothing, is off-limits. I can ask you about your past, including the men in it, and I can ask you about your current circumstances. I’m sure McNair and Duvall will be thrilled to have their firm’s name tied to a felony robbery case when it hits the press that one of their top litigators is sleeping with one of the witnesses. I can discredit both of you, with the right innuendo and the right wording. We both know exactly how to do that, don’t we, Jackson? You’ll have no chance of making partner when this trial is over. That’s a promise.”

The other attorney swept out of the room and before I could tell Avett not to give a second thought to his idle threats she was on her feet and moving out of the conference room after him. I called her name but she didn’t even look back as her small body artfully moved in and out of the rush of people coming and going in the busy courthouse. She hit the glass entrance doors without slowing down and only stopped when I caught up to her a few hundred feet from the entrance. I put my hand on her elbow and spun her around to face me and felt my heart had split open when I noticed she was crying and that her lush bottom lip was quivering.

I didn’t think. I didn’t deliberate the pros and cons. I didn’t rationalize that it wasn’t the time or place. All I could do was react. My girl was hurting and I wanted to make it stop, so I pulled her to me and put my lips over hers and tried to kiss the pain away.

At first, she yielded soft and sweet, her return kiss a delicate surrender. Unfortunately, it quickly turned from something warm and comforting into something that felt more like combat. She jerked her head away from mine and then her hand cracked across my cheek with enough force to have my head snapping to the side. She gasped in shock at the same time I barked her name. She lifted the shaking fingers of one hand to her mouth and put the others on what I was sure was a violent red welt that was rising on my cheek. I could feel her shaking and remorse all the way through my body.

“I’m so sorry, Quaid. Oh, my God, what is wrong with me?” She took a step back and I saw fresh tears start to spill out of her wild and terrified eyes.

“Avett.” I said her name with patience I wasn’t feeling, especially when I caught sight of a familiar blonde woman watching our interaction with open curiosity as she talked on the phone pressed to her ear.

“No, Quaid. I’m super sorry I hit you. I’m shaken up and heartsick but that isn’t an excuse. I never seem to be able to do the right thing or react the right way, even when I really want to. I feel terrible but maybe it’s for the best. It looks like we’re having an epic breakup and that means your bosses won’t get on your case and maybe it’ll keep that viper of an attorney off of your back. Walk away from me, Quaid. Walk away from this entire mess before it’s too late and your entire future is gone.”

I reached for her again but she evaded my grasp and shook her head violently from side to side. “I’m serious. I’m always going to be the girl that jumps, Quaid. I’m going to jump not knowing what’s below. I’m going to jump even when I know the water is cold and that it’s dangerous. I’m going to jump when I know the risks and when I don’t know them. I’m going to jump even when I know the landing is going to hurt. You said yourself that you’re not the kid who jumps anymore because it lost its appeal. You know better and maybe I do, too, but I’m still going to jump because that’s who I am. Who I am is not going to ruin you, Quaid. I won’t let it.”

She looked like she was ready to bolt after she tossed her revelations at me. I put my hands in my pockets and studied her thoughtfully. “Did you ever think that I was ruined when you found me and that you’ve been instrumental in reconstructing me? I wasn’t living any kind of life before you blew into it, Avett. My wife left me after starting a family with someone that wasn’t me, even though I gave her everything I was capable of. My parents practically disowned me because they didn’t approve of the way I wanted to live my life. I have a job that is getting increasingly difficult to stomach, and all I have to show for it is a nice wardrobe and a killer view. Everything was all for show and there wasn’t a single real thing until you. I told you that your chaos doesn’t scare me.” But her wild terrified me because I knew there was no way to harness the wind and she looked like she was getting ready to blow out of my life as quickly as she had careened into it.