Ouch.
“I’m sorry for what happened, I truly am. But, Henry, facts are facts, and the truth can’t be bent to fit what you want.”
“You know he didn’t do it.”
“Do I?”
“Really, Sloane?”
“The judge made up his mind, the decision was made, and there’s nothing I can do. My hands are tied on this.”
“You didn’t bring in the third witness, Sloane. You got sloppy, and now—”
“Henry.” I cut him off because the anger inside me bubbled to the surface at his words. I took pride in my work, and I was a damn good lawyer. “Five months, three weeks, and two days I spent on your son’s case. It’s not my fault the defense found a mistake that you made, and one you failed to mention to me. You and the others need to let it go. His days are numbered, so use them wisely.”
“Maybe I should have hired Grant instead,” he snapped before the line went dead.
My head dropped, and my hand reached out to the mantel to stabilize myself. I’d had difficult cases before, but Henry’s had been the hardest by far.
The phone rang again. I didn’t have to look at it; I knew it was him. He always snapped, flipped out, then called me back. He was so draining and heavy, and he always knew just what to say to hit all my weak spots.
Like a battered wife, I answered the call and heard the same song and dance that had weighed me down for the past six months.
“Sorry.” He paused. “I just get frustrated.”
“I know. But, Henry, you need to let this go and move on. Please stop calling. Nothing is going to change. The only person who can put this behind you is you. So, do it.”
“I know.” His voice softened a little.
“Please, I have a meeting with a client,” I lied, “and I need to be able to focus. No more calls, okay?”
“You moved on fast.”
And there it was again. Oh, my God. I can’t win with this guy.
“It’s my job.”
“It was also your job to get him off.”
The ache between my eyes increased, and I pressed to try to relieve some of the pressure.
The loud noise of a chopper filled the house, and I moved to the window to see a black helicopter landing up on the side of the hill.
“Where are you? Because you’re not home.”
That grabbed my attention. “How do you know I’m not home?”
“Because I’m outside your place, and there isn’t a light on.”
“That’s creepy, Henry. You need to go home.”
What the hell?
“I have a file I wanted you to look at, something new I found.”
The office door opened, and Frank was standing there with my coat draped over his arm. He motioned to me that I should hang up.
“Look, go home. There is nothing I can do for you or him. You need to leave me alone. I’m not your lawyer anymore.” I hung up and closed my eyes to gather myself.
“Sloane, you really need to distance yourself from them.” Frank took a step inside the office.
“Yeah,” I tried to clear my head, “I’m trying.”
“Who was it this time?”
“Henry.”
“I really don’t like you talking to him.”
“I’m a big girl, Frank. I’m aware of the dangers, and I’m doing what you and he asked, but you have to let me be me too. I changed my number to the secure line like you both insisted a few weeks ago, and somehow, Henry figured it out, and he’s just hanging on to a hope. He’ll go away soon, and everything will go back to normal.” I sighed. “Do you want me to have a look through your stuff now?”
“Yes, but you will have some minor restrictions.”
“Of course.” I motioned for him to lead the way.
To my surprise, I was led back outside and down a stone path toward a small cabin.
“Things have changed around here a little now that some of the guys have families. There was a time when all our business was conducted in the conference rooms downstairs in the main house. Savannah,” he paused to look at me, “that’s Cole’s wife,” he reminded me, “insisted that since you’ll be here for a while, you should have your own space. Somewhere you can have privacy if you need to hide away at times.”
“That’s really nice.” I so appreciated that. “Are you here a lot now, Frank?”
He laughed a little before he tucked his hands into his pockets. “Now that Mia and Mark have three kids, I am.”
“I bet she loves that.”
“We’ve become a lot closer.” He smiled warmly.
I didn’t know Mia very well. My own parents had traveled a lot, but Frank had always been in my life in some way. I knew he had a reputation for being a hard-ass, but he’d always been kind to me.
“Mark sure seems like a character.”
“It was hard at first. We bumped heads for sure, but he’s a really good guy, and Mia adores him. The ladies do seem to flock to him. I didn’t really get it before, but I think I do now.”
I actually laughed out loud at that comment. “I’m not going to lie, Frank. I wasn’t expecting that to come from you.”
“Yeah, well, he’s a charmer.” He eyed me. “You all are.”
“What, me?” I smirked.
“Sloane, you’re a smart girl, just the type of person who would fit in at Blackstone. Not to mention you’re already vetted, so you’re a perfect candidate.”
“I might be a perfect match, but all it would take is his name to get dropped, and I’d be like poison to the touch.”
“Yeah, about that.” His tone changed. “I haven’t shared anything, but Grant was asking about you.”
Ah, yes, the wonderful ex was asking about me again. I hid my annoyance. “And I would appreciate it if you don’t share anything. I will when I’m ready. Grant can know I’m away on work.”
“And that’s what I told him.”
“Thanks,” I huffed.
“Here we are.” Frank pointed to the small cabin with its tin roof.
He opened the door, and I gasped. It was so pretty. One side of the house had a huge, long, rustic wooden table that looked to be made of a single piece of solid wood. White boards covered two walls, and a long window looked out over part of the lake which could be seen through the tall, thick trees. A cast iron maze of light above the table flickered in all directions, and oversized, dark brown leather chairs sat eight. On the other side was a stone fireplace, flat screen, and a matching couch and two chairs.
“There’s a small bedroom up in the loft.” He pointed to the high ceiling where a bedroom was apparently nuzzled somewhere above in the cathedral ceiling. “Wait until it rains. The tin roof was Savannah’s idea.”
“Wow,” was all I could say.
“Kitchen and bathroom are right through there, and one more bathroom is upstairs. Also, Abigail has arranged for you to have a driver if you need to go to town.”
“Wait,” I was confused, “I thought this was just for my workspace. I thought I was staying in town?”
“Cole and Daniel thought it was best that you stay here.”