Total pages in book: 52
Estimated words: 52699 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 263(@200wpm)___ 211(@250wpm)___ 176(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 52699 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 263(@200wpm)___ 211(@250wpm)___ 176(@300wpm)
“I’d try to argue for a reduced sentence and some type of education program.”
“And if you couldn’t get that?”
“I would remind myself that the system isn’t fair,” he said. “It would fall apart if it was.”
I leaned against him as we finished the trail.
When we returned to the firm, he tucked me under a blanket on his couch and watched me fall asleep.
Damien was highlighting a document on his desk when I opened my eyes. The daylight was long gone, and the city lights were dancing behind him.
“Did you have a good nap?” he asked.
“Yeah.” I sat up. “Did you get one?”
“I worked on our upcoming deposition,” he said. “Are you ready for me to drive you home?”
I glanced at the three empty liquor glasses and silently calculated how long he’d been awake today.
Nineteen hours.
“Since someone blocked me in, can I drive your car and bring it back tomorrow?”
“Come again?” He looked at me like I was crazy.
“I figured.” I sat up. “You don’t have to drive me. I’ll get an Uber.”
“Please tell me you’re not being serious.”
“It’s not a big deal,” I said. “It’s better than getting a cab at this hour.”
“You can drive my car.” He picked up his keys and stood up. “I’ll have an intern bring me back.”
CITE (V.)
TO MAKE REFERENCE TO A DECISION IN ANOTHER CASE TO MAKE A LEGAL POINT IN ARGUMENT
DAMIEN
Elizabeth pulled my Audi in front of a red light and looked over at me.
You are so damn beautiful.
“Focus on the road,” I said. “I’d like to go the rest of my life without being in another wreck with you.”
She laughed and faced forward again, and I noticed a small tattoo behind her ear. I’d assumed it was a beauty mark before, but it was a tiny drama mask and an entwined legal scale.
“Me and my sister got these together one summer,” she said. “It was her idea.”
“Where is she now?”
She looked away, pulling off as the light turned green.
I clasped her hand behind the gearshift and watched a stray tear roll past her cheek.
After parking in front of her condo, she pulled a binder from her purse and handed it to me.
“Mr. Hamilton brought this up to me again, so I found a pro bono case you can handle,” she said. “You could probably do this in your sleep.”
The irony… I flipped through the files.
It was an assault case, and the crime scene photos—bloodied floors, shredded sheets on a stage, and a jammed revolver—were far worse than anything she’d witnessed with me.
This isn’t even a New York case…
The trial ended in a conviction, but The Innocence Project was currently researching it.
I made a mental note to tell Andrew I was more than capable of picking my own pro bono case, but I played along with Elizabeth.
“Okay, Elizabeth,” I said. “Why should we help this guy for free?”
“Because after looking through everything, I don’t think he did it.”
“You need to give me a better reason than that.”
“Okay. I know he didn’t do it.” She shrugged. “Is that better?”
“No.”
“Just consider it.” She smiled and opened the car door. “I’ll be ready to meet with our despicable thief client, Arthur Jenkins III, tomorrow at nine o’clock sharp.”
She started to step out of the car, but I grabbed her arm.
“Why did you say his name like that, Elizabeth?”
“No reason, just letting you know I’ll be ready to spin the hell out of arguments for him.”
“Tell me the truth.”
“He deserves to spend time in prison for what he did,” she said. “He stole money from charities and school lunch programs. Kids literally went hungry on his watch.”
I let go of her.
“If he gets away with his, he’ll just find a way to get a new high ranking job and do it again.”
I sighed and tapped the dashboard, calling my second-favorite lawyer at the firm.
“Late night, Mr. Carter?” Mr. Yardley’s voice came through the speakers.
“Always. I need a favor.”
“Anything for you.”
“Can I offload an embezzlement case on you and your team?” I asked. “I’ve done all the pre-work, and the prosecutor is willing to make a deal for six years of prison time.”
“You want me to tell your client that he shouldn’t go to trial?”
“He’s your client now,” I said. “But yes, six years is very lenient and he deserves some punishment.”
“I’ll get to work on it.”
“Thank you.” I ended the call and looked at Elizabeth. “Happy, Miss Olivia Benson?”
“It's a start.” She placed a kiss on my lips before stepping out of the car. “Promise you won’t drive back alone.”
“I promise.” I watched her walk away and slip inside the building.
I waited for her to text me that she was safely inside, but my phone didn’t sound for ten minutes.
Are you okay?
Elizabeth?
I called her, but it went straight to voicemail.
What the hell?
Rushing inside the building, I didn’t bother waiting for the elevator; I ran up the emergency stairwell until I reached her level.