Black Rainbow (Rainbows 1)

lly.

“It doesn't matter whether I believe you or not, I just needed to make sure you that you didn't crack under pressure—”

“It matters to me!” she hollered at him, jumping to her feet again. “I can’t have a lawyer who doesn't believe in me. If that’s the case, I’ll have to find someone else.”

“And you will go to prison,” he said simply. “My fee doubles when you’re in prison… if I choose to take on this case again.”

“Does this look like a joke to you?”

“No, but you’re the one clowning around. Your husband is dead, and your stepchildren want your head on stick. You don’t need a lawyer that believes in you. You need one that can win. So my question to you, Mrs. Nash, is; do you want to win? Do you want to stay out of prison?”

Once again she sat back down. “I didn’t kill my husband, and I don’t like you. But I would like to stay out of prison.”

“Good choice,” he told her. “My associates will brief you on what I want you to do, and say, until the trial,” he said to her, nodding towards Raymond, before taking his leave.

“I want to be him,” Atticus whispered.

The world can’t handle two Levi Blacks.

“She’s guilty,” Vivian whispered, more to herself than to us.

“One of you, go get us some coffee,” Raymond pointed at us. “We’ll be here for a while.”

No one moved, so I took the initiative and headed out, even though I had no idea where I was going. Asking someone seemed like a given, but the look they were all giving me…

“Don’t mind them, they’re taking a trip down memory lane,” Tristan said as he appeared beside me, causing me to jump.

“A trip down memory lane?” I glanced back at a few of the people who had gathered to laugh at something as I walked by.

“Break time already?” he asked them, and they rushed back to where they were supposed to be. “At one time, they were like you, under the thumb of the great Professor, Levi Black.”

“Aren’t they still?”

“Yeah, but they get paid to put up with him. Coffee is over there.”

I paused in the middle of the hall, my arms crossed. “Why are you helping me?”

“Can’t I just be nice?” He grinned and his brown eyes seemed to light up.

“No.”

“Fine, you know my secret.”

I thought for a second before smiling. “You mean your eyeliner wearing, alter ego.”

“We were short staffed that night. My wife owns the bar,” he glowered at me.

I turned my back to him and began to prepare the coffee.

“Don’t worry, I won’t say anything.”

“Why thank you—”

“But that comes a price,” I cut him off before he could finish praising me.

“A price?”

“Help me impress Levi with this case.”