Page 80 of Defend Me

My mouth falls open. “You sly minx,” I say. “Is that why you wanted to keep me on the property?”

She gives her evil Blofeld laugh. “My plans have worked, Mr. Bond.”

I flip her on top of me, pelting her with kisses as she shrieks with laugher. “Okay, okay, enough of that,” she says, squirming out of my grasp. “We’ve got to get dressed and ready. We’re meeting with Judge Warner at two.” She slips out from under the covers, and I watch her greedily, drinking this moment in, her little silk shorts and lacy camisole, her long legs, the way her hips move as she pads over to her enormous closet to slip on her robe. “We should have time to drop your things off at the guesthouse before heading to the courthouse.” She catches sight of me and one corner of her mouth tugs up. “You’re going to have to stop looking at me like that in public,” she warns.

“We’re not in public yet,” I say, reaching out to grab her wrist and pulling her back into bed with me. She giggles and runs her hand through my hair, sending a wave of prickles over my scalp. I caress her breast over the silky fabric and she gasps.

I gaze into her eyes, cupping her neck with my hand. Her chest pitches as she breathes, her face open and guileless. The real Von, shining through. I stroke her cheek and she leans into my palm, closing her eyes. Then she opens them a slit and grins. “Come shower with me?”

Two hours and a couple orgasms later, we’re dressed and ready to head back to Magnolia Bay.

Von has all the motions and case files packed in boxes and secured on a small trolley. Sam takes them from her once we get down to the elevator and Benito holds the door for us.

“Back to Magnolia Bay?” he asks as Von’s driver hurries up to grab my duffel and Sam loads the boxes into the trunk.

“Yup,” I say. “Trial starts soon.”

Benito shakes my hand. “Good luck.”

“Thanks,” I reply.

He glances at Von, folding herself into the backseat of the car, then back at me. “We hope to see you here again soon,” he says with a knowing look.

Von and I take the car to the helipad together for the last time. She looks as flawless as always, hair slicked into a low ponytail, wearing an immaculately tailored mauve dress, belted, with three quarter length sleeves. I let my gaze run over her legs and wonder how on earth I’m supposed to look at her like she’s anything except the brightest star in the universe.

We get in the helicopter and my leg starts to bounce with nerves. Von puts a hand on my knee.

“We’re winning this case, Noah,” she says sternly.

“I know,” I say. And I do. I feel utterly certain of that. I just hate the idea of having to sit in front of Judge Warner while he looks at me like I’m a criminal.

We land at the helipad and Alex helps us get our things into the town car. “It is good to be having you home,” he says.

“What’s the press situation?” Von asks.

“Just that one woman from the local paper so far. She has been parked across the street from the house. But the others will come.”

I can tell Von is narrowing her eyes behind those giant sunglasses. “Of course,” she mutters.

The North Fork is a riot of color as we drive past farms with trees bursting in brilliant shades of red and orange. The sun is warm but an October chill fills the air, scented with woodsmoke and the promise of colder days to come. Just like Alex said, Everly Harris is parked on the opposite side of the street from the lodge, where the tasting room is bustling with people. I guess Alistairwas right—true crime plus wine is a compelling mix. It makes my stomach turn, the thought of these people being here to gawk and ogle the house where a woman was murdered, to sip wine and talk theories like they each have their own podcast.

Everly perks up as we pass by, pulling out her phone and making a call. I try to ignore the prickling sensation in my stomach. We pull up to the house and a new thought hits me. I’m going to be living on Russell’s property. That man has a bullshit detector that goes off from a mile away. Von’s warning not to look at her with hearts in my eyes takes on a new level of urgency.

I wonder what her family would think if they knew about me and Von. What Russell would think. And Caden—would he be happy for me? Or feel betrayed that I had kept this from him?

Then I shake those thoughts off, because first things first. Pop always says you can’t catch a trout if you haven’t baited your hook.

For now, the best thing I can do is get those logbooks from Stan and start finding out who really killed Marion.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

VON

Alex opens the car door for me and I step out into the afternoon sunshine.

Noah and I were quiet on the ride here. I’ve been thinking about what will happen once the trial is behind us. My caseload will pick back up again, that’s for sure, which means more hours at the office. And I don’t think Noah wants to move to the city. But Magnolia Bay is only a helicopter ride away. We can handle that, right?

Daisy waves at us from the lodge. I wave back. It’s good to see the estate doing so well. Autumn is my favorite season on the North Fork, the trees alight with color, the leaves on the vines turning gold. I bet Mom’s garden is ablaze with fall hues.

---