Body of Law (Volume 3) Read online

  BODY OF LAW

  Volume 3

  AMANDA LANCE

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 1

  Violet

  Though it was well past sundown, the humidity that had engulfed the city of Chicago failed to dissipate. And while I had enjoyed the evening immensely, the heat wave gave me a great excuse to avoid holding Detective Matt Hurley’s hand.

  “I had a nice time tonight,” he said.

  “I did too.” Like a nervous child, I kicked a stone on the sidewalk. I followed it with my eyes until it disappeared in a gutter before continuing. “I really appreciate you buying me dinner. I hadn’t eaten all day.”

  “You wouldn’t know from how little you ate,” he said with a laugh. “Was the food okay? I go in there all the time; if you want, I could say something—”

  “No,” I insisted with a weak smile. “Everything was great, really. I’m just tired.”

  It wasn’t entirely untrue, but secretly I hoped that Matt would catch on to my subtle yawns and other hints that our night would be ending with dinner. Although we had been dating—in the very traditional sense, anyway—for nearly two weeks, our chaotic schedules and my flimsy excuses had kept us from consummating our newfound relationship. Yet that was anything but Matt’s fault. Not only was I physically attracted to him, but he often made me laugh and had decent taste in movies. Overall, he was the sort of guy most girls would have jumped into bed with after the first date. Admittedly, I had originally gone out with him to get over my mentor, but I quickly realized that he was too sweet to just be a rebound guy. With a firm belief in the justice system and an in-grown sense of honor, he was everything that Sebastian wasn’t.

  Which was probably why I didn’t want him.

  “You know, if you’re still hungry we could go back to my place.” Matt smiled playfully before hitting the button on the crosswalk. “I think the only thing I have to eat is hot dogs and stale chips, but—”

  “I really am tired,” I repeated, cutting him off. “And I have to go in even earlier tomorrow.”

  Though he was visibly disappointed, Matt continued to smile. “Sure,” he said. “I understand.”

  Judging by the sound of his voice, I got the impression that he genuinely did understand—making him all the more annoying. I hadn’t gone into details about my relationship with Sebastian, but Matt did know that we had gone from enemies to friends to lovers and back again in a very short period of time.

  “So what are you doing the rest of the week?” he asked.

  I stared at the rose in my hand—a gift Matt had handed me before we met outside the restaurant. Like the maitre’d at the restaurant that night, the ticket taker at the movie theater, and the heads groundskeeper at Wrigley Field, it was entirely possible that a flower vender had simply given him the flower because of their mutual friendship. Everyone we came across seemed to like Detective Matt Hurley. Frankly, it was borderline sickening.

  “It’s sort of all over the place…” I trailed off and increased my pace down the sidewalk. With any luck, I’d get to the parking lot before he asked me out again.

  “What do you think about a movie on Friday? Or a friend of mine is having a get together on Saturday—”

  “I’ll have to see what the rest of my schedule is like.” I hated the lie, but I found myself getting better and better at them. I looked up and smiled at him.

  “No problem.” He smiled back with the look of hope rejuvenated in his eyes. “We could always—”

  I was still looking at him when he stopped talking mid-sentence. The vague expression of happiness and optimism had congealed to one of anger along with a touch of surprise. Rather than asking him what was wrong, I followed his line of vision to the object he was staring at. There it was, my car bashed in and freshly dented. Worse than the busted windows and flat tires, however, was the word “slut” spray-painted in red.

  I accepted Matt’s offer to go back to his place and clutched the rose to my chest.

  Chapter 2

  Violet

  Despite his insistence to look into the vandalism of my car, I did my best to convince Matt that it was only a case of mistaken identity. I had more than enough to do between the police report and subsequent insurance claim to soothe his worries. Yet even with the brave face I tried to put on, I wasn’t entirely convinced that the damage to my car had been a mistake.

  “There’s a reason they call her Mad Madison, you know.” Those words rolled around in my head as I tossed and turned throughout the night—and not just because Sebastian had said them. I had only met her once, but given the frivolous lawsuit she was leading against Sebastian and the firm, and the obvious viciousness that seethed off of her, I couldn’t help but wonder if his words had some truth to them.

  As it was, however, the absence of Quinn and Sebastian—two top earners with very needy clients—had left much of the firm in a tailspin. Not only were the partners coming in every day to conduct interviews, but they had already met several times in an undisclosed location to try and settle the sexual harassment suit. I was doing my best to pick up the slack for the receptionists, assistants, and other interns who refused to work 14-hour days, but in addition to my own work, it was beginning to pile up.

  I sipped at my coffee again before returning to my research. If I completed my findings about the Lockman Case before noon then I would have enough time to go over the rough draft of that memo…

  “Violet Donovan?”

  I had been so distracted that I hadn’t even noticed the short messenger boy who had appeared before me. I was so startled by his sudden appearance that I nearly knocked over my coffee when I flinched.

  “Y—Yes?”

  “Sign here please.” Handing me a clipboard, he blew a bubble with his gum and popped it. As quickly as I could, I scribbled my name and handed him back his pen.

  “What’s this?” I asked as he handed me a small package.

  “Beats me.” The short messenger boy shrugged and glanced at his clipboard. “Something from a Mister Scott?”

  I relaxed. Between the visits from detectives and ex-girlfriends and my car getting vandalized, I was more than a little on edge. Knowing that it wasn’t a knife-in-the-box or a bomb was a welcome relief.

  Then again, it was from Sebastian…

  I opened the box quickly, eager to rid myself of the anxiety that was invading my reprieve. And though I did feel better that what the box contained wasn’t poisonous or deadly in some other way, I was equally confused to see it held a state-of-the-art Bluetooth headset.

  “For our next conversation.”

  —S

  I smiled despite myself. While probably intended as a gag, the effort Sebastian had put into this gift was genuinely touching. Without the slightest bit of hesitation and with little concern about my to-do list, I picked up the phone at Nicky’s desk and opened an outside line.

  He picked up in less than two rings. “I was wondering when you would call.”

  “Oh? And how did you know it was me? Or that I would even call?”

  “Because you’re slowly growing insane without the wonder of my touch.” The sound of laughter in his voice was downright infectious. “Obviously.”

  “Don’t flatter yourself.” I laughed. “I just—wanted to thank you for the Bluetooth—”

  “You only just received it, eh? Good for nothing messenger service…”

  “I also wanted you to know I can’t accept it,” I said
/>
  Sebastian sighed before continuing. “I suspected you would say something like that.”

  Instinctively, I prepared myself for an insult. “Something like what?”

  “Something ridiculous.”

  “It’s a thoughtful gift,” I tried. “But considering the circumstances—”

  “Just keep the damn thing,” he said, cutting me off. “It’s only a trivial little gift.”

  I fingered the small device in my hand. I couldn’t deny that it made me happier than I would have expected, though I hadn’t expected anything at all—especially after what he had said to me in the graveyard. Regardless, the fact that Sebastian had enjoyed our phone sex adventure and had thought of me afterwards was incredibly flattering.

  “I—well—” The words stuck in my throat. “Thank you.”

  “Hmm” Although he didn’t say it, I had the innate sense that Sebastian was holding something back. Instead of saying it, however, his tone changed and he abruptly switched topics. “So how is everything at the circus? Are you all managing without me?”

  I laughed freely now. In spite of the fact that Sebastian had been on a leave of absence for only a couple of weeks, the lack of his presences was noted by all. “Circus describes it perfectly. Since you’ve been gone, Roger had gone through three assistances, two receptionists have quit, and Burke has fired a first and a second year associate. I’ve been lucky to get out of here before 8 every night.”

  “Out to see your new friend?” he scoffed and I could hear an impatient tapping in the background. “Tell me, do you enjoy riding around in a patrol car?” Though I was sure he didn’t mean to, Sebastian sounded completely disgusted with the prospect. What part of that disgusted him the most, however, I couldn’t tell.

  I rolled my eyes. “He’s a detective, not a uniform. And even if I didn’t like it, that undercover car is the only one I’ll get to ride in for awhile…”

  Again, Sebastian’s voice turned playful. “I take it that hunk of junk on wheels you call a car finally gave out on you?” Instantly, I regretted bringing up the incident at all. Receiving and opening Sebastian’s gift to me had been a welcome distraction from the events of the night before. Now that it had re-entered my mind, I couldn’t seem to shake it loose.

  Sensing my hesitation once again changed the tone in Sebastian’s voice. “What is it, Violet?”

  I considered lying, but quickly rejected the idea. While my skills at lying were improving, I suspected that Sebastian would always be able to see through them. “My car was vandalized last night. It’s—well, it’ll just be easier to junk it and get a bus pass.”

  “Vandalized? How? Why?”

  Without going into great detail, I summarized the damage that had been done to my car. And while he said nothing, I could feel Sebastian’s rising tension over the phone. As a result, I deliberately left out what had been spray-painted on the hood.

  “I have to go,” he said suddenly. “I—look after yourself, Violet Donovan.”

  Before I could say another word, I heard the click of the phone on the other end of the line. Still, I waited until the dial tone began blaring in my ear before I hung up.

  Chapter 3

  Sebastian

  The sound of shattering glass immediately followed the crash of plastic against the wooden floor. Even after the phone began ringing—certainly the building security checking up on me—I couldn’t keep myself from trashing everything in sight. How could she still be seeing that cop—that lame-brained, civil servant? I made more in a week than he did in a year! I could give her a hand-up in her career! I—I…

  With a last kick at the wall, I relinquished myself to the sofa and gave in to my exhaustion. None of my opinions were without merit. I had met this detective of hers on more than one occasion. Though his mediocre attempt to interrogate me after the incident had been less than memorable, I had questioned him on the stand multiple times. He was easily outwitted and hardly clever enough to even know it. Still, it wasn’t hard to see how he might have appealed to a woman like Violet. With his dull mind and high sense of morality, it was probably just the sort of person Professor Donovan would have wanted his daughter to be with.

  I cursed at myself and glanced at my watch. Where in the hell was Roger? Not only had I called him over an hour ago, but I had Nicky pull some strings and cancel his tee time. While it was rare for me to discuss anything of significance with him, he was the only person who also knew Violet. And though he didn’t have the potential to understand my affection for her, I was wary of confiding in anyone else. Luckily, I didn’t have much time to contemplate how depressing this fact was before I heard a hard knock on my door.

  “Finally!” I shouted.

  “Hey there, Killer.” I winced at Roger’s nickname for me. He had been using it since I’d knocked Morgan’s lights out, and it still made me uncomfortable in a way that I refused to show. “What’s the emergency?”

  I sighed and closed the door behind Roger. “I need to know what’s going on with this lawsuit.”

  He shrugged and looked up at the skylight. “Nothing since the last time I saw you.”

  “That’s…discouraging.”

  “Tell me about it,” Roger scoffed, his eyes looking around in search for something. “Say, where’s the booze?”

  “It hasn’t moved since the last time you were here.” I rolled my eyes and pointed towards the bar cart. “It’s just—diminished slightly.”

  Roger picked up an almost empty bottle and laughed. “I’d say more than ‘slightly.’”

  “Yes, well, it’s been a rough couple of weeks,” I said.

  “Yeah…” Roger sighed and quickly emptied the remainder of the bottle into a crystal glass. For the first time in a long time, his disposition seemed more solemn than usual—which did nothing to make me feel any better.

  I cracked my knuckles against the arm of the sofa. “What Roger?”

  “We debated this—Burke and I—he doesn’t want me to mention it, but you deserve to be kept in the loop—”

  “Just spit it out, Roger.”

  “We upped the offer to Madison and her people—”

  I smiled from ear to ear. “And she flat out rejected it?”

  “How did you know?”

  “Because Madison doesn’t want money. She wants to drag this out for as long as possible, get all the female rights activists’ all riled up until you, Burke, and Gates will all but be forced to fire me. She wants to hurt me.”

  “I know you think your pecker is magic, but I doubt—”

  “She trashed Violet’s car.”

  Roger was visibly taken aback. “What?”

  “Took a baseball bat to it or something…”

  As I trailed off, it occurred that the incident with Violet’s car was what really had me so upset. I had known in my shriveled little heart the moment she told me what happened that it had been the doing of Mad Madison Harris. And though I was still frustrated by the fact that Violet was seeing the moron cop, I now understood that it could not be my prime concern.

  What was truly disturbing, however, was the possibility that Violet might have been the one Madison took her anger out on.

  Unfortunately, it made the most sense. Although any decent attorney was competitive by nature, I could recall several incidents where Madison had been more aggressive than most. During her internship at the firm, I frequently heard rumors about her threatening female employees and becoming enraged over the parking spot she thought was hers. At the time I had dismissed it and never gave it a second thought. But combined with her possessive behavior after the first time we’d fucked and the way she acted after I kicked her out of my apartment, it seemed entire possible. I stood up and went to the pantry for another bottle of brandy.

  “I want you to find out everything you can about Madison. Everything.”

  “We put people on that days ago.” He laughed. “We can manage a little bit without you. Unfortunately, we just haven’t found a damn th
ing yet.”

  “Well look harder,” I changed my mind and went for the bottle of whisky instead. “If Madison willing to vandalize a car, I can only imagine what else she’ll do.

  Chapter 4

  Sebastian

  Roger and I discussed strategies further while I made myself a Manhattan. Yet listening to Roger drone on combined with the alcohol in my system, made me feel no better about the situation. Point in fact, my concern for Violet’s wellbeing only increased.

  I sat stewing in my favorite chair long after Roger left, considering my options and wondering how practical any of them were. Unfortunately, I was self-aware of my feelings for Violet—extremely aware. This would make it difficult to give up on her—not impossible, mind you, just difficult. What would make it impossible was the new information that she might very possibly be in danger. Not just the danger of damaging her reputation or starting her career on the wrong foot like I originally had been, but actual bodily harm.

  Violet had made it clear that she no longer wanted anything to do with me—in a biblical sense, anyway. Yet, if my affection for her had put her in Madison’s sights, it would be the first terrible thing I had done that I knew I would not be able to deal with.

  I watched the sun set and considered what to do. Even with the three additional private eyes Roger and I had collectively put on Madison and the rest of the plaintiffs, there was still Quinn Morgan and his latchkeys to worry about. And while I seriously doubted Morgan would be stupid enough to try and physically hurt Violet—at least again—I would have been lying if I said that I wasn’t anxious about his new friends at Baum and Lehrer.

  Though she had just complained about her extended hours, I hoped that Violet might have left the office already. Somehow, a phone call didn’t seem sufficient enough. Statistically speaking, she was probably out with the flatfoot or even getting drinks with Nicky and the girls. Then, even if she was willing to talk to me on the phone again there was the fact that I wouldn’t get to actually see her.