Page 17 of Hear Me Roar

Ring.

“Thank you for calling KC Law, this is Sasha speaking. How can I helpyou?”

“Hi, Sasha,” I said softly. “I was hoping I could speak with Karley for just fiveminutes.”

“She just got back from a meeting. Let me check if she's available. May I ask who'scalling?”

“Maya. MayaPetrova.”

“One second please, MissPetrova.”

Sasha’s voice was promptly replaced with one of those typical call holding melodies. I waited and waited, occasionally glancing to the front door, hoping like hell Karley would be able to spare me a few minutes of her time. I also had to hope she’d have good news for me, should she take my call; otherwise I didn’t know what the hell I was going to do. I wasn’t sure how much more of this I could take, but I knew there was no way I could make it out of here alone. I needed Hazel’shelp.

“Miss Petrova?” Sasha asked abruptly, cutting off the tune mid-crescendo.

“Yes?”

“Karley has about twenty minutes before her next client comes in, so I’m going to transfer you over,okay?”

Thankfuck.

“Sounds perfect. Thank you, Sasha,” I said, mentally preparing myself for what could possibly be a hugeletdown.

“Maya?” Karley’s voice rang through a momentlater.

“Hey,Karley.”

“How areyou?”

“I’m pretty good. Hoping I’ll be better once we hang up. Were you able to speak to Hazel?” The question was almostinaudible.

“I was… however” – she paused briefly – “I’m not sure I have the answer you want tohear.”

My heart dropped a little, but I swallowed down the lump of disappointment and went on. “What did shesay?”

“Well, she vocalized no desire to make first point of contact,but…”

There's abut.

“She asked me to give you her number, if the situation wasdire.”

“Really?” I asked breathlessly,surprised.

“Yes.”

“Wow. Not exactly what I wanted to hear, but at least it's not a firmno.”

Karley hummed. “Exactly. And between you and I, Hazel would never have been able to give a firm no. She may be tough as nails, but she has a big heart, and your father meant a great deal to her. She would do anything for him, even now indeath.”

The words ‘death’ and ‘father’ in the same sentence had yet to truly hit me. It hurt; shit, it hurt like hell, but I hadn’t broken down. I knew it was coming, though, eventually; but in the moment, I was trying my damndest to remain focused on what needed my undivided attention before I could properly mourn the loss of myfather.

Namely, mylife.

“Oh, I know. It's one of the things I want to thank her for,” I murmured, watching a 747 flyoverhead.

“So, I'll take that as you're going to callher?”

“I'm going to think it over, but really, what choice do Ihave?”

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