Page 18 of Dirty Rival

I ignore her smart remark, as I do all her many smart remarks. “I need you to coordinate with Carrie West’s secretary, Sallie, to get clearance for you and Gabe,” I say. “Gabe needs clearance in time for a six o’clock meeting. I need you with me by tomorrow morning.”

“Got it,” she says. “I can’t go another day without being ordered around by you in person anyway. I feel lost. How hostile is the hostile takeover?”

“They aren’t as hostile as me,” I say. “You’ll be fine.”

“I was talking about you. How hostile are you to them?”

“I’m only half as nice to them as I am to you,” I reply dryly. “Anything I need to know before I hang up?”

“You know it’s my birthday. Of course, you know. I’m forty today, and single because I have no life but servicing you, and it’s depressing. Thank you for the gift.”

“What did I buy you?”

“Tickets to see Jason Aldean because you know how much I love him.”

“Well,” I say dryly, “that was thoughtful of me.”

“It was, and everyone who thinks you’re an asshole clearly doesn’t have access to your black AmEx.”

“You’re the only woman that ever has,” I assure her.

“You know what they say about women who never marry?”

“What?”

“They never found the right man. Do you know what they say about any man over thirty-five, say thirty-eight, like yourself, who hasn’t married? He has something wrong with him.”

“Do you have a point?”

“No point. I have fifteen messages for you. Only three matter, therefore I’ve emailed those to you with notes.”

“I’ll be in the DA’s office and then headed to court. Text me anything else important but make it real damn important.”

“Got it. Don’t text you. Wait. Don’t hang up. Why did I just get a note that Carrie West is holding for me?”

“Good question,” I say. “Put me on hold and take the call.”

She does as I say and quickly comes back to the line. “She wants your cellphone number.”

And she hunted it down. I do like this woman. “Give it to her.”

“Will do. See you tomorrow.” She disconnects before I can because it’s Connie. She knows when I’m done.

I wait for my line to ring with a call from Carrie, but it doesn’t. She doesn’t call. Interesting. She went out of her way to get my number but does nothing with it. This woman keeps me guessing. The car pulls up to my destination and I exit to meet Cole Brooks, my client, and a top criminal attorney in the city, at the door. He’s also the man who with his wife, and co-counselor, got an innocent man charged in a serial murder case off, only to have the DA refuse to look for the real killer. Not only did someone else end up dead, but the brother of one of the murder victims attacked Cole’s wife in a public bathroom.

“What’s this meeting about?” he asks.

“I hope it’s the money meeting,” I say, “but feel no pressure to settle. Your wife was attacked. We’ll settle when you feel like she’s safe and not a second sooner.”

“Attacked because the DA let the attacker believe that we got his sister’s killer off when the real killer ran free,” he says as if he just needs to make sure I know this. “I might punch the man if I go upstairs. You need to handle this.”

“Oh come on, man,” I say. “You’re a hell of a criminal defense attorney. If you punch him, you can defend yourself and we’ll call it mental distress and get those victim’s families more money. I’m in for the beating if you are.”

“You handle it,” he repeats. “But the man who attacked my wife is under psych evaluation. Make sure I get word if he’s set free before he’s set free. I trust you to handle this.”

“And I will,” I assure him.

He offers me his hand and we shake. “Thanks, Reid.” He gives me a weak smile. “Everything your sister said about you wasn’t true.” He intends this to be a joke but I’m damn glad when he turns and walks away before seeing my flinch.

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