Page 107 of The System

“Well, I need to prepare my argument to get this admitted in, don’t I?” He grabbed his jacket that he’d hung over the back of the booth, slipped into it, and pulled cash out of a wallet for his coffee. “I’ll see you at work.”

“I’ll be over in a few minutes,” Carina replied.

“It’s better than I thought it was, at least,” Kieran said once they were alone.

“Yeah?”

“As far as the trial goes, yes. In reality, though, I… don’t know. I mean, is there going to be something else tomorrow? Is my sister a fucking serial killer, Carina?”

Carina did wrap her arm around Kieran’s shoulders then.

“Hey, I don’t think so. This one is different than the guy in Miami. That one, at least, sounds like it was committed by the same person who killed Nick. A homeless girl in an alley? It’s tragic, but she could’ve been stabbed by anyone for any reason. She could’ve had food that someone else wanted, or a jacket or something, or had just been mugged and fought back.”

“So, you’re with me on this? She didn’t do it?”

“I don’t know who did it, but I do know that Kevin has no evidence to prove that Marin did. He can try to get the judge to allow it, but it’s going to be hard. The statement from a former foster brother isn’t enough to convict her on this crime, at least.”

“What if Kevin does get it admitted in?”

“Frank can argue that no problem. You just came up with a plausible explanation for the bloody clothes yourself. I didn’t read anything in the statement that said they were soaked in blood or even what kind of clothes he saw. It could have just been pants. Maybe a sweater she wore around her waist. Frank can say that and trip the guy up on the stand. Once you trip someone up one time, that’s pretty much it: in the eyes of the jury, they’re not as credible anymore. He just needs to find the right lever to pull. If the guy is arrogant, you challenge his intelligence. If he’s a narcissist, you challenge literally anything, and that’s enough.” Carina laughed. “If he’s got a temper, you make him angry.”

“You are very smart,” Kieran said before she wiggled her eyebrows.

“Oh, my God! Is that your attempt at seduction, Miss–” Carina stopped herself. “Okay… This last-name thing is annoying. I want to be able to call you Miss something when you’re all adorable or trying to be sexy, but I can’t because you don’t want to go by Hart. What was your maiden name?”

Kieran laughed and said, “My full name is Kieran Amalia Walsh.”

“What? Your middle name is–”

“No, I’m just kidding.” Kieran laughed hard. “My middle name is plain. It’s Elizabeth, after my grandmother on my father’s side.”

“Not funny,” Carina told her and laughed anyway.

“What’s yours?”

“Italian mother and English father, so Mom got to pick Carina. Dad wanted me to have an English middle name, so he picked Rose. Carina Rose Whitlock.”

“That’s pretty,” Kieran noted and softened her features. “God, even your name is beautiful.”

Carina laughed and said, “I have to get back to work. Are you going to be okay today?”

“Yeah. I have to get back home and get to work myself. Will I see you later?”

“Your place or mine?”

“Whichever,” Kieran replied. “Yours is probably easier since it’s closer to your office, and I work from home and don’t need to dress up.”

“Oh, there’s a thought…” Carina said as she leaned in. “Dressing up.”

“You want me to… dress up?” Kieran asked, and Carina watched her cheeks turn pink.

“If you want. But I was thinking that maybe one day, I could dress up for you.”

“Yeah, okay,” Kieran replied, nodding a few times. “I think I’d like that.”

“Oh, I know you will.” Carina kissed her before pulling back. “Shit. Sorry. I should’ve asked you if kissing in public was okay.”

“It’s fine,” Kieran said. “It’s nice, actually. It’s been a very long time since I’ve had someone I can just be with like this.”

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