Page 9 of Pulse

“Pulse, don’t say another word.” Jo had her phone in hand, no doubt calling the club’s attorney.

Wallace’s eyes held a twinkle as though she was enjoying this fucked-up game a little too much. Whatever this was, these detectives did not think he’d roughed up some prostitute. Something deeper was going on. And that was more terrifying than if he’d been arrested for an actual assault.

He narrowed his eyes and said what anyone would in his situation. “But I didn’t—”

Jo pointed at him. “Not another goddamn word until the club’s attorney gets there. Got me?”

He only had the chance to nod before the detectives were leading him away in cuffs as he’d done to so many criminals in his former life.

CHAPTER TWO

WAS THERE ANYTHING better at the end of a long, taxing day than being engulfed in warm, fragrant water with candles flickering in the background and a generous glass of wine waiting to be consumed?

If so, Talia had yet to experience it.

Okay, fine, some might argue that coming home to a hunky man who would cook her dinner and give her orgasms all night would be better, especially if they shared the steamy bath first. But she wasn’t convinced those scenarios existed outside fiction and fantasy, so she’d stick with her original claim.

Nothing beat a relaxing bath and a glass of wine at the end of a long day.

Air drifted from her lungs in a satisfied sigh as her muscles unwound. She closed her eyes and settled against the warm porcelain tub, letting the day in court float away. She’d done her best for her client, a nineteen-year-old young woman on trial for stabbing a man, resulting in the loss of his spleen.

Her goal had been to make sure the jury knew the fucker deserved what he got and more. She hadn’t phrased it quite so bluntly, but they learned her client had acted in self-defense by the time she’d been done. She’d saved herself and stopped the asshole from sexually assaulting her. As far as Talia was concerned, her client deserved a medal, not a criminal record.

But, again, she’d schooled her emotions and argued the objective legalities of the case on her client’s behalf.

And she’d won. After only two hours of deliberation, all twelve jury members found her client acted in self-defense and would not spend another day in prison.

Talia became a criminal defense attorney for two reasons. The first was to represent people like her client today, those thrust into impossible situations who faced horrifying choices and did their best to survive. The second was to defend those she truly believed innocent from the horror of wrongful imprisonment.

And she was doing it.

One client at a time.

Suds clung to her arm as she reached for the wine glass perched upon her tub’s ledge. She didn’t bother to open her eyes as she brought the glass to her lips. The chilled, crisp white wine contrasted with the warmth from the bathwater.

Heaven.

“God, I needed this,” she whispered against the lip of the glass.

That was the entire reason her phone rang with her boss’ ringtone. She’d inadvertently breathed her contentment into the universe and now must pay.

She couldn’t ignore that ring.

Water dripped onto the screen as she swiped the call and hit the speaker button. Her phone sat on the side of the tub, next to the wine glass.

Her boss didn’t bother to wait for a greeting before she dove in.

“Sorry to call you this late, but you asked for this, Tal.”

The amused voice on the other end of the line had Talia sitting up straight. Water sloshed down her back, leaving a soapy film from the bubbles.

“The MC?” she asked as her heart thumped with purpose.

“The MC.”

Yes.

“Last chance to back out. Are you sure you want this account? Those boys bring a fair amount of business, and, like tonight, the hours aren’t usually predictable. It can be a lot to handle. Plus, the women’s shelter opens tomorrow, and the club covers all legal fees for the women they serve. All that business will become yours as well. Your workload is about to go through the roof.”

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