When We Touch

“Jack.” Brice leans back before rising from his buttery leather chair. “What an interesting surprise.”

His office is the largest corner in the building. It faces southwest. Alex Bancroft is on the northeast corner in the mirror office to this one. I’ve only had limited dealings with Alex in the eighteen months I’ve been here. We never worked together on a case, so I don’t know if he’s as shady as his partner. Still, I have to believe if they’ve come this far together, they support each other’s decisions.

“Is it?” I watch him for any indication of what’s to come.

He holds out his hand, and I sit in the low leather chair. It’s the same setup as my dad’s office—it’s the same as every office I’ve ever been in where the balance of power is determined by whoever has the higher ground.

He returns to his chair. “What brings you in today?”

It’s been less than a month. The ink isn’t dry on the court papers. “My name is attached to a situation where fraud and dishonesty were used to cover up evidence. I’m here to make matters right.”

Brice’s thin lips curve into a smile. “Is that so? And to what situation are you referring?”

He knows damn well what situation, but I’ll play along. “Our last case together.”

He has the nerve to act confused. “You mean the case where we successfully defended Big Traxx against a multi-million dollar lawsuit that would have put them out of business?”

“The one where I found suppressed evidence the driver took medications provided by his employers. Amphetamines that allowed him to drive longer than is legally permissible, which resulted in the death of a child.” Coco’s little head on my shoulder, her hand on my back flashes through my mind. “I’m here to make it right, to be sure the family receives restitution, and yes, if it means Big Traxx has to go out of business, then that’s what it means. At least no other children will be killed.”

The room falls silent after my speech. The only sound is the ticking of the clock facing me on Brice’s desk, the squeak of his chair as he moves in it.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Jack. I’ve already told you such evidence doesn’t exist.”

My jaw clenches. I see clearly where he’s headed with this. “I saw everything.”

Rising out of his chair again, he walks over to the window facing the city skyline. “Jack, you’re exhausted. You worked so hard to earn your place at this firm. You worked so hard straight out of law school.” He clasps his pale, meaty hands. “Tiffany came to me quite upset. She told me about the little drive you two made down to the lake, how you forced fellatio—”

“Tiffany? What?” My throat tightens. What the fuck?

“Oh! Not that I blame you.” He holds out a pale meaty hand. “Tiffany Rogers is one heck of a pretty girl, but still, we can’t condone such behavior among our partners. Times have changed.”

Panic rises in my chest. Emberly… “I never touched Tiffany. We had a few drinks. We went for a drive—”

“Drinking and driving?” His eyebrow cocks. “Not a good combination. But I know, I know. We were celebrating a big win… you’d been celebrating quite a bit. When I heard Tiffany filed a sexual assault complaint with the police, it was all I could do to keep them from putting out a warrant for your arrest—”

“That’s a lie!” I’m out of my chair now. “You have no proof of any sexual misconduct on my part with her because there is none.”

His congested laugh makes me nauseated. “And you have no proof of any wrongdoing on the part of our client. Because there is none.”

Blood runs cold from my face down my neck into my arms. My hand goes into my coat pocket, and my fingers tighten around the thumb drive as Brice continues.

“We’re prepared to make this entire matter about you and your inability to conduct yourself in a professional manner, start to finish. Sexual assault, driving under the influence, making slanderous accusations of suppressed evidence…” He pauses, and levels his cold blue eyes on mine. “Or you can tender your resignation and admit you were suffering from exhaustion. We’ll chalk it up to a misunderstanding, get the charges dropped, and you can c

rawl back into whatever hole you’ve been hiding in for the past few weeks.”

These guys don’t just want to end my career, they want to end me. They want to send me to prison.

“I guess you’ve got me,” I say quietly.

“We’ve got you.” Brice smirks. “It’s possible a lenient judge might drop the other charges, but sexual assault means you’ll have to register as a sex offender.”

I’m having difficulty swallowing. Coco… A pain in my temple tells me I have to fight. If I back down now, they’ll destroy me. The wheels have already been set in motion, and I had no idea.

“Sounds like I have some packing to do,” I say giving what I hope is a defeated smile.

His brow relaxes, and he thinks he’s won. “I’m glad you’re seeing reason.”

“I’ll be in touch.”