Page 59 of Pulse

“You again,” he said as his mouth twisted into an ugly sneer. “Always a pleasure.”

“Likewise.”

His eyes narrowed.

Direct ego hit.

“What can I do for you, Miss Attorney?”

“You can direct me to—”

The front entrance opened. “Get the fuck inside,” a deep, angry voice shouted.

Talia whirled. Her mouth dropped open as she witnessed Pulse being escorted into the station by a large officer withNewtonon his nametag.

Pulse looked like shit. His cheek was scraped and bloody, his clothes were filthy and torn, and he held himself stiff as though walking pained him.

Her stomach plummeted. What had they done to him?

“What the fuck is she doing here?” Newton growled, yanking Pulse to a stop by his elbow.

Pulse snorted even as he winced. “Did I forget to mention it? I called her before I pulled off the highway.”

“Excuse me,” Talia asked, marching forward. “Sheis his attorney, andsheis here to be his legal counsel as is his constitutional right. I think the real question here is why the fuck does my client look like he’s had the shit beat out of him?”

“He resisted arrest,” Newton said with a smirk.

“Did he now?” She folded her arms over her chest. “Why am I finding that so hard to believe?” If it wouldn’t land her in cuffs right alongside Pulse, she’d smack the smirk right off Newton’s cocky mug.

“Don’t know.” His jowls shook as he nodded. “He put up a real nasty fight. Had no choice but to tase him.”

Her chest ached. They tased him? She swung her attention back to Pulse, whose face was a mask of controlled rage. She had to look away. Seeing him hurt and angry twisted her insides and brought forth complex emotions she couldn’t afford to show the cops.

“Take this into a fucking room,” Blasetto barked from the front desk. “For Christ’s sake, this is not the place for a scene.”

“Probably smart,” Talia announced, loud enough so anyone in the lobby would hear. “You don’t want everyone hearing about how you assaulted my client, and the hell I’m going to rain down on this department.” She stepped aside and gave Newton a sweetsmile as she gestured for him to walk. “Please lead the way, Officer.”

When she was younger and would make a face in frustration, her mother would say, “Talia, I hope your face doesn’t freeze that way.” She could confidently say she hoped to hell Newton’s mug froze in that disgusted scowl.

Pulse winked and mouthed, “Dayum, that’s hot,” before Newton shoved him forward.

His ability to joke was encouraging, but she couldn’t get in the same head space yet. How was he not vibrating with fury the same way she was? With as much confidence and authority as she could manage in her flip-flops and loungewear, she marched after Newton while imagining strangling him.

The slap of her sandals mocked her with every step. Would these old-school boys’ club officers take her seriously without her professional attire? If she were smart, she would call Margo to take over. This became personal the moment Pulse put his hands—and mouth—on her. To be honest, it became personal long before that. She could no longer remain objective regarding him and probably everyone in his club. Hanging out with them had been a mistake. They’d crossed the line from clients to friends. How did she properly represent them when she couldn’t step back and view their case without bias?

But she hadn’t called Margo, and she wouldn’t. Instead, she’d flown out of bed in the middle of the night with nothing mattering beyond protecting Pulse.

She followed the officers and Pulse into an interrogation room where a sergeant stood waiting. The sergeant instructed Pulse to sit in the metal chair. Before he sat, Newton unlocked his cuffs. Talia only had a second to feel relief before they cuffed his hands to a metal ring on the table in front of him.

“Seriously?” she asked, going to his side. “Is this necessary?”

Newton grunted. “He resisted. Violently.”

“Bullshit. I followed every damn order you gave me. What a fucking joke.” Pulse shook his head.

“How exactly did he resist?” Her voice conveyed her disbelief.

“He got violent, like I said.”

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