Page 34 of Trial Run

Shirley merely stared at him with her mouth open, and Reggie didn’t think there was any way she could be faking the shocked expression she wore. She looked down at Brooke and could tell she was thinking the same thing. How did Harry Benton know more about the threat on Brooke than the woman who stood the most to benefit?

“What have you done?” Shirley hissed the accusation.

“What I do best. Fix things. For you, for me. For all the people who depend on us to keep our business growing. I’m not going down, and if you stay in line, you won’t either. Keep yourmouth shut and let me handle the rest. If you decide to talk to the feds, all bets are off. Understood?”

Shirley didn’t respond out loud, but Reggie thought she detected her head nodding in response to Benton’s question. Before she could fully process what she’d just seen, Benton headed to the elevators and a few seconds later, Shirley took the catwalk back to the courthouse. When Brooke turned in her arms, Reggie snapped back into the moment.

“What the hell was that?” Brooke asked, her eyes brimming with indignation.

“Good question. Sounds like you’re not the only one being threatened.” Reggie looked around. More people were starting to enter the garage, probably because other courts were just now taking their lunch break. “We should get out of here.”

Brooke eased out of her arms and backed a step away. Reggie stared into her eyes for a moment, wondering if she shared the empty feeling at the break of their embrace. Or was it just her, imagining an intimacy that was only present due to circumstance?

She shrugged the thought away. Brooke had made it clear she wasn’t interested in her and she wasn’t going to push the point. All that mattered right now was keeping Brooke safe, and to do that, she needed to find Sarah and Lennox to let them know about the exchange they’d just witnessed. “You go on. I’ll find Lennox and tell her about this.”

“I should come with you.”

She wanted nothing more, but she needed a moment alone. “Nah, Leroy will lose it if we’re both late. You go and I’ll be there in a few.”

Brooke looked like she wanted to say more, but she finally turned and headed to the catwalk. She was several steps away when she turned back. “Thank you. For everything.”

Reggie didn’t have a chance to respond before she walked away. Brooke’s words were grateful and kind, but they fell likestones weighing down any feeling between them. Things were about to blow up in the courtroom and when it did, the trial would be over and so would the only thing that bound them together. All the things Reggie had wanted before she’d received the jury summons—peace in her life, freedom from this place, time to study—all faded in the background as she realized she’d never felt more alive than when she was helping, even on the fringe, root out an injustice by the side of a woman who made her feel things she’d relegated to the background of her life. The idea that tomorrow this might all be over, while a good thing for Brooke, left her feeling hollow and lonely.

She took a deep breath. Her feelings didn’t matter right now. What mattered was making sure Benton went down and she needed to make sure that happened. She walked back to the courthouse, but instead of going to Judge Hunt’s court, she went straight to Lennox’s office. The door was open and she could see Sarah sitting across from her desk. Lennox waved her in, and she shut the door behind her.

“We need to talk.”

* * *

Brooke was still trying to process everything that had just happened, but she was distracted by the fact Reggie still wasn’t back yet and Leroy looked like he was about to combust.

“She didn’t say where she was going?”

“No.” It was only a half lie since Reggie hadn’t been specific about the where, only that she planned to talk to Lennox and she truthfully didn’t know where Lennox’s office was.

“Okay, I’ll let the judge know, but he’s not going to be happy.”

Brooke wanted to say she wasn’t happy either, but she merely nodded and walked to the other side of the room to stayout of the line of fire. She was pouring a cup of coffee she had no plans to drink when Mark appeared at her side.

“What happened?” he asked.

“Nothing.” She didn’t want to have this conversation and hoped he’d take the hint and walk away. No such luck.

“I mean she used to work here. You’d think she’d know the rules.”

She whirled on him, ready to deliver a scathing speech about how he didn’t know anything about Reggie and should keep his mouth shut, but she bit back the words when she realized she didn’t really know anything about Reggie either.

Sure you do.

Her brain buzzed through a quick calculation of what she did know. Reggie was the kind of person who thought about other people’s safety before her own. Who dropped what she was doing to help others out. Who took an interest in a stranger who was in distress. She was funny and kind. She knew plenty about Reggie, and Mark’s implication grated on her nerves. “She had an important errand. I’m sure the judge will understand.”

His eyes narrowed and for the first time Brooke wondered if his inquisitiveness was more than a byproduct of awkward social skills. Washesomeone she should be cautious about? Couldhebe the someone that the ominous voice on the phone said had eyes on her?

She shook the thought away. Her fears were getting totally out of hand. Mark seemed harmless and her imagination caused her to spiral. “I’m sure if she’s not here, she has a good reason.”

At that moment, Reggie burst through the door to the jury room. She met Brooke’s eyes, but quickly glanced away, walking over to the far side of the room and pouring herself a cup of coffee. Brooke watched her every move, willing her to look back again, come across the room, and pick up where they’d left off before she’d let things get weird between them. She’d explain toReggie that it had been so long since she’d dated, she’d forgotten how to even deal with the ask, but maybe when this trial was over, they could give it a go.

Right. A hot commodity like Reggie wasn’t going to settle for snippets of time between her job, her studies, and a twelve-going-on-twenty-five-year-old son that consumed the balance of her free time. When thirty more minutes passed without Reggie even giving her a glance, her assessment was confirmed, and she resolved it was for the best.

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