Page 57 of Honorable Convictions
“I’m afraid so, ladies and gents,” Arvandus answered.
“VK, we can’t keep up with this any longer,” Noah stated. “I haven’t had a chance to open files I was assigned a week ago, and I know I’m not the only one with that kind of backlog.”
“You have ideas for how to make this easier on you guys, I’m all ears.”
“Maybe we should consider sending some of the files to their cities of origin. Spread the work around to other JKs,” Cecily suggested.
“No, we get these cases for a reason. We’re the best the fallen knights have to offer,” Noah countered. “What we need is to replace Murphy.”
“How can anyone replace Murphy? There isn’t anyone in the entire Order of the Fallen Knights who is his equal besides Brooks, and he’s already here with as many cases as the rest of us,” Jackson retorted.
“So, we get more than one person to replace him.”
“Cavendish, that’s impossible,” Peter said. “We know what a small number of JKs there are. We can’t yank several from around North America.”
“Have any of you bothered to check Murphy’s log?” Noah demanded.
Raphael shook his head slightly. “Best damn JK on the planet, and he hasn’t touched a case in weeks. It’d be easier to stomach if we weren’t forced to pick up the slack.”
“I understand that he needed a mental break, and I commend him on finally acknowledging that he had to recharge his batteries. We’re immortal and must make sure we’re always capable of doing our jobs, but after nearly five months away from Vegas surely, he must be ready to return by now,” Sophia remarked.
Mitchell said nothing. Aware that the other fallen knight lacked cases, Pierson was enjoying his liaison position, but his complaints were growing in frequency and voracity over his boss’s desire to stop assigning them to him. No one knew Pierson as well as he did, and Mitchell could attest to his state of mind, but he was incapable of betraying him.
“I’m with Sophia, we need Murphy back,” Noah said.
“The RKs have guaranteed Murphy a full year in DC, and I know I can trust you with confidential information, so I’ll tell you that wasn’t what Pierson asked for,” Arvandus stated. “His request was for a permanent transfer, but the DC supervisor understood that her office wasn’t going to satisfy a JK like Murphy forever. She made a deal with the RKs that DC would take him for twelve months. I don’t know how he’ll react to the idea of cutting his stint short, but I believe you’re correct. The caseloads for each of you has reached critical mass. The only thing I can promise is that I’ll take your suggestion that he be transferred to the RKs.”
Stuck between a rock and a hard place, a ball of worry formed in Mitchell’s stomach. Every daily status meeting was considered restricted, so he couldn’t go to their apartment that night and tell Pierson that the RKs might come to him about pulling the plug on his DC experiment. Although Pierson missed casework, he was vocal about how he had connections in cities across North America but that he was still unliked in Vegas. Mitchell understood that while Pierson was unfulfilled career-wise, emotionally he was dragging his feet against the idea of returning.
His muffin now a lead weight in his belly, Mitchell accepted his new cases without comment. The single choice left to him was to wait and find out where the cards fell. Whatever was decided, Mitchell would be there at Pierson’s side. His hope was that Pierson would approach Vegas with the same fresh attitude he brought to the people he’d been working with on the liaison project. If he did, it’d be easy to build bridges with the other JKs and reshape Pierson’s view on headquarters.
∞∞∞
Except for his weekly status meetings, Pierson rarely used any of his office hours at his official space in DC. Mostly, he worked on the move from city to city, and he was flush with success over how well people throughout the Order of the Fallen Knights were responding to the JK requirements. Fallen knights were happy to understand why their files were returned, and JKs were pleased to have the process fully explained, giving them fewer reasons to send cases back. There was a growing ache inside him for his true purpose, but he had months in DC left.
Not that he had any desire to go to Vegas, even if it had his lone friend. While it was the man closest to him and he’d love more time with him, it didn’t negate the fact that it was like entering enemy territory. Pierson had been surprised to hear from his supervisor but welcomed the opportunity to speak with her—perhaps she planned to reverse her decision to leave him without the ability to practice law. Walking purposefully toward her door, she waved him in immediately.
“Good afternoon,” Pierson said with a smile.
“Afternoon, have a seat.”
“Thanks.”
“There’s no way to tell you this other than to be direct. I spoke with the RKs earlier and you’re being sent to Vegas. We argued the merits of offering you a choice, considering your burnout when you arrived, but we reached the conclusion that with your mounting frustration about your lack of casework, it is in your best interest to return. You’ll need to call them to finalize the details and time frame.”
All Pierson heard was her comment about his mounting frustration. There was only one person he’d confided in, and although Mitchell was stressed by his workload, he had no right to betray him to their bosses. “I’ll call them immediately.”
“Please do. It’s been a pleasure having you here in DC, Pierson. I think this liaison project has helped bridge the gap between FKs and JKs. I’m grateful that you chose to use our city as a template, and we’ve already seen what a difference it’s made. If you’d like my advice, ensure in your discussion with the RKs that you continue to be allowed to provide the necessary training around North American offices.”
“Thank you, Ella. I appreciate all you’ve done for me, and I’ll do everything in my power to continue helping implement the JK requirements.”
“I also appreciate you taking care of our backlog. Best wishes in Vegas.”
Knowing he was dismissed, Pierson nodded as he stood. His fingers curled into fists, and anger burned through him. There was next to nothing in his office, but he grabbed his things and shoved them into his bag. Then he teleported to the apartment that had changed his life. Pushing away his fear, he’d let Mitchell in. His mate had taken over his heart, and he’d been proud of what they were building. How could Mitchell interfere when he understood Pierson’s dread at the thought of returning to headquarters?
Pushing it away, Pierson managed to connect with the office manager in Vegas. Although he was ready to find out about his imminent transfer, the RKs weren’t available, so Pierson had to wait for them to return his call. Pissed off about basically everything, Pierson changed out of his uniform and snagged the containers he’d brought with him to DC out of the closet to start the tedious process of packing his belongings.
Thankful that he didn’t have mountains of things, Pierson folded clothes and tossed books into plastic bins. All his awards and commendations had stayed tucked away, so those only had to be added to his growing pile of stuff. Allowing his ire and the hurt to fuel him, he moved quickly but still placed his possessions in an organized fashion into their temporary homes.
