Page 25 of Honorable Convictions
Knowing Pierson was too stubborn not to continue to fight the idea of moving forward instead of his insane idea to separate, he chose to ignore the harsh edge to his voice. Mitchell scooched down farther into the uncomfortable sofa and brushed off the hurt. “Not true. We have this movie in common. The fact is that other than our work reputations and the cases we’ve disputed across the aisle or conference table, we don’t know a thing about each other. That’s why I’m here. We’re going to change that.”
Pierson stared at him for several minutes but didn’t say a word. There was such confusion in his eyes, and Mitchell was okay with that. That colossal intellect of his was engaged, and perhaps with some recalculations, he’d figure out the answer to the equation of them was a shared future—one where the demonic spell was useless by virtue of them finally holding the ceremony that bound them permanently for eternity.
Chapter 14
After an odd Sunday night spent with the person he’d intended to leave in Vegas, Pierson was ready to start fresh in DC. Deciding on changing every aspect of himself, Pierson wore his less-formaluniform since he didn’t have court scheduled. Shopping for it was one of the tasks he’d handled on his vacation. With a quick check in the mirror to make sure he was presentable, Pierson left his apartment and teleported to the Dérive station closest to the office. One thing DC was notorious for was its traffic, and he had no desire to sit in it.
It was a short walk from where he’d shimmered into his recently assigned workplace. When he arrived, he went straight to FK36 Barnaby’s office for a meeting. After greeting her assistant, Pierson was told to go directly in.
“JK Murphy, a pleasure to meet you,” Ella offered, and Pierson hurried to shake her hand.
“The pleasure is mine, FK36 Barnaby, and please call me Pierson.” Although she was his boss, his title was higher, and he wanted to dispense with finery. His plan was to exude casualness and be friendly if it killed him despite his promise of immortality.
“Have a seat, Pierson. As you may already be aware, we have less than a handful of Juris Knights in DC. We do fight for certain cases to remain here and not get transferred to Vegas, but the VKs and RKs have the final say.”
“I understand. I’m not afraid of hard work, but as I explained to the RKs, I need a better balance of life and my cases. I have no intention of demanding special consideration for any files. I leave it up to you to decide what I handle.”
“The RKs are understandably concerned that you’ll grow bored here.”
“I vowed to return to Vegas if I found myself unchallenged to the point of being miserable in my job.”
“I’m glad to hear you say that, because I told the RKs I’ll allow this experiment to go on for twelve months. After that, whether you like it or not, you’ll go to Vegas. You’re on loan here, Pierson. I have a stack of files for you to start with,” Ella said and lifted a hefty pile of folders.
No one had told Pierson that there was an expiration date on his time in DC, and the knowledge sat heavy in his chest, but he wasn’t going to let it deter him—quite the opposite. Pierson had a year to take back his life. His goal was freedom from Mitchell and, Fate willing, to meet his new mate. “Thank you,” Pierson replied.
“We had to kick out a senior-level fallen knight to give you an office. My assistant can show you where it is.”
Knowing that he was dismissed, Pierson nodded and in short order was led down the hall to his space. It was hardly more than a shoebox, but Pierson had no complaints, nor would he worry about the less than auspicious start in DC. His boss wasn’t thrilled to have him there, and that was disquieting. However, Pierson hadn’t earned his reputation by resting on his laurels. Perhaps after he completed this first round of cases, he’d prove that his presence was an asset.
Purposefully, Pierson left his door open and buried himself in his work. It was disappointing not to have the opportunity to be introduced to the other Juris Knights in DC or to some of the many fallen knights who reported to FK36 Barnaby, but Pierson resolved to persevere. When lunch rolled around, Pierson had completed two of his files and sent three to the original people assigned the cases with lengthy notes regarding their lack of evidence. It wasn’t uncommon for a fallen knight to not meet the standard of the Juris Knight who had to make sense of it.
For Pierson, that was one avenue that could be fixed if there was someone who oversaw the Juris Knights specifically instead of them being under the same leadership as the rest of the fallen knights. They had no advocate to demand certain criteria be met before they would sign off on a case and determine the guilt of a suspect. Instead, it varied from office to office, and because the Juris Knights were based in Vegas, the communication was wonky at best.
If someone created a list of guidelines and were able to travel to each satellite city to explain their importance, it’d allow for much swifter and smoother cooperation. Pierson wondered if in his off hours he could put together something to give the RKs that might convince them that a gap existed. Deciding that it’d depend on his workload, he wasn’t going to bury himself in a project that would give him yet another reason not to have a social life.
That thought in mind, Pierson left his office to grab some lunch. There were fallen knights everywhere, as DC was the epicenter for the entire East Coast, and while a few waved at him, no one stopped to introduce themselves on his journey to the cafeteria. It was a large space and a far cry from the meals he used to bring and eat alone in his office. All of it looked and smelled delicious, which meant Pierson put a lot of it on his tray.
In a courtroom Pierson took no prisoners, but in social situations he was shy. Not bold enough to walk up to a table full of people, he chose an empty one, but made sure it was centrally located instead of tucked into a corner. It was a baby step in the right direction and hopefully, there’d be people who chose one of the chairs around him.
Taking his time so that he didn’t return to his desk a minute early, Pierson enjoyed his meal, but he spoke to no one. There wasn’t a single outgoing soul who joined him, but it was only his first day, so he wasn’t deterred. Once back to his beloved files, Pierson’s afternoon flew by as he cleared three more and sent another four to the assigned officers. It reignited his idea of some level of conformity being necessary.
Pierson teleported to his neighborhood and went into the trendy organic market, and although it was pricier than his favorite place in Vegas, he was pleased with the variety. Instead of going weekly as he did in Vegas, Pierson’s goal was to shop daily if possible. It’d force him to be out of the house to improve his people skills. After a chat with the checker, he ventured to his apartment, which was poised above a store that had men’s and women’s clothing. One of these days he was going to buy interesting casual attire, but it wasn’t currently on his agenda.
At his door, Pierson smiled and waved his identification card, which also served as a method of payment, over the lock to get inside. After bringing his bags straight to the kitchen, he dropped them on the island and raced to his bedroom to change into jeans and a T-shirt. Returning to his groceries, he started dinner. It was the fresh vegetables that caught his eye, so Pierson whipped up a fast plate of stir fry.
Turning on the television to enjoy a sappy movie, Pierson ate his dinner and tried not to remember watching the same channel with Mitchell on Sunday. Instead of focusing on ideas about bettering communication between Juris and fallen knights, Pierson should be using his mighty brainpower to figure out how to rid himself of his unwanted mate. It would take something herculean in strength to convince Mitchell that pursuing their relationship was a foolish idea, and he sighed as he jogged out during a commercial to deal with his dishes.
On the couch, he was zoning out when the doorbell rang. Caught between excitement and dread, it was hard to know which to let prevail as Mitchell stood there with a grin. “Can I help you?”
“Yeah, move out of the way so I can come inside.”
Because he was stubborn enough to make it a fight, Pierson walked down the hall without glancing at him. “Make sure you shut the door,” he said, returning to the living area and refusing to be embarrassed that he was watching the Eternal Love Channel.
“Did it just start? I don’t think I’ve seen this one,” Mitchell remarked, making himself at home on the couch. Pierson had wisely chosen the chair again to maintain distance between him and the unwanted Juris Knight.
“About fifteen minutes ago.”
“Go back to the beginning.”
