Fall From Grace

CARSON

“How are things with you and Grace?” Noah asks me as we sit at the usual dive bar for a drink. Something I rarely agree to but have to after what I found out today.

I chug my beer then flag down the bartender and order a shot.

“Dude, did you guys break up or something?”

I snort. “If only it were that simple.”

“What the fuck, Carson?”

The bartender brings me a shot and a fresh beer. A lethal combination for me but I could give a fuck right now.

“We didn’t break up.”

“Then what the hell happened because you’re acting like the girl of your dreams just broke your heart.”

I laugh out loud at that as the alcohol hits me. “She did break my heart. Just not in the way you think.”

Noah grips my shoulder and forces me to face him. “You know you aren’t making any sense right now?”

I nod. “Oh, I know. Because none of this makes sense right now. God, I am a fucking idiot. How did I not see through her the whole fucking time? She is a liar and a cunt. She didn’t come here because she needed a job. She came here to get information on me. To expose me. And send me to prison with all the other corrupt lawyers, businessmen, and politicians in the world.”

“What the hell are you talking about, man?”

I take a large sip of my beer then turn to Noah. “She wrote an article. She wrote an article exposing a sex ring and trafficking ring deep within the government.”

“And what the fuck does that have to do with you?”

I shrug. “You know what I do, Noah. You know my moral compass is slightly askew.”

“What the fuck, Carson? I told you to stay out of that shit.”

“I have. Mostly. These days I work my ass off to win a case. Yes, I may pay a few people for information but it’s all true. It’s not lies. But my past is my past. And there are things I can’t change.”

Noah looks at me, and I can see the disappointment on his face. It will be even worse when he finds out the repercussions. When he has to explain to my family why I am being arrested.

“Grace started acting weird. She was acting overly into us. And she never has been. She’s always been cautious. But the last week has been different. At first, I just thought maybe she was rethinking everything we talked about in Wilmington two weeks ago, and she was ready to tell Owen. But I had this hunch. Owen told me about a talk she had with him. Looking into Pennington, the lawyer I worked for right after I graduated.

“So she was at my house last night and she took a shower. I pulled her personal laptop out of her bag and somehow got into it.” I reach for my drink and take a large gulp. “She wrote the article I encouraged her to write about the sex ring, the trafficking with politicians and businessmen in DC. Well, the main senator she was investigating was the one I helped Pennington get off, scot-free.”

“So what does that mean for you?”

“My name is in that article. I’m mentioned a few times. Enough to bring all the shit I used to do to light.”

“All of it?” Noah asks. And I know he is worried about the shit with his divorce.

“Not all of it. But a lot. Anything that has to do with politics.” I drop my head to my chest. “I’ll go to prison, Noah. For a long time.”

“Shit. Fuck. Goddammit.” He waves the bartender down and orders four shots.

“Noah…”

“Dammit, Carson, I told you to stop doing that shit.”

“I did.”

“I warned you it would catch up.”