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“Thank you for noticing,” she said. “Not many people are able to graduate cum laude from a prestigious university, pass the bar, and be hired by a successful firm so quickly, but I’m a very hard worker.”
I couldn’t help it; I barked out a laugh, crossed my arms and leaned back against my car, grinning approvingly at this firecracker as the tension unspooled. “Lauren Kylin, was it?” I asked.
“At your service,” she quipped. Ooh, I liked that thought. “I heard you explaining your case to my seniors, and I have a keen interest in it. I am fully confident that I can cast reasonable doubt on your father’s arrest and make him a free man.”
I hummed. “A bold claim with such little information.”
“You said there were no drug dogs,” she pointed out. “That alone is a significant red flag. Like you said inside, it indicates that they were already too certain in the results of their search.” I tilted my head, pleased.
“And the international shipping issue?”
“Not an issue,” Lauren responded surely. “Sure, it complicates things, but it also means that the shipment had to pass through many hands to make it to port, none of which can be tracked down and any of which could have tampered with the goods.”
“And if none of them did?” I asked. This was the clincher question; after all, we were guilty. Our lawyer would have to know that. No young greenhorn with a morality complex would be able to do what we needed them to.
Lauren shrugged with faux nonchalance. Still, just enough tension crept its way into her posture to tell me that she knew she was playing with fire and could easily get burned. “They didn’t,” she said simply, eyes not wavering from mine.
I let that gamble hang in the air for a moment. I wanted to see if she would squirm or look away—she didn’t do either. She just kept eye contact with me, and even though I could see the fear creeping in under the surface, she never wavered. I fought back my grin.
“There’s one thing you haven’t told me,” I said. Laurens’s shoulders raised infinitesimally. “Why?”
“Why?” she parroted, seeming confused.
“Why take the case when your senior partners won’t?” I asked. She relaxed.
“Because I need a win,” she said frankly. She didn’t even pretend there was no ulterior motive; we both knew no one did anything for free, and I didn’t have the patience for people who pretended otherwise. “The senior partners look down on me because I’m young and a woman, and I’ve worked too hard to get here to be a glorified secretary.”
“So you’re going to take on a big client and win the case to get their attention,” I nodded in understanding.
“Attention’s useless,” Lauren smirked. “I’m going to get their respect, whether they want to give it to me or not.”
I grinned sharply. Oh yeah, she’d get the job done.
“My dad’s in Cook County Correctional, my mom should be there with him by now. What else do you need from me?”
She shook her head. “I should be able to get everything I need from this point. It’s a pleasure to be working with you.” I chuckled, feeling pulled into her orbit. I got the feeling the experience was mutual.
“I’m so grateful I could kiss you,” I joked, testing the waters. She grinned.
“That would be a conflict of interest,” she said easily, pulling a business card from her blazer pocket for me, “but you can always send me a thank-you gift.” I laughed to myself, plucking the card from her fingers. Oh, she was playful.
Still, I took the hint. I was into her, and she seemed to be into me, but we couldn’t jeopardize my father’s freedom or her position.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” I grinned devilishly. She just smiled back up at me with an exaggerated innocence.
“Just remember my shoe size is an 8.5,” she said cheerily. She didn’t wait for me to be done guffawing before turning and walking back to her building; the whole time she did, I stared at her ass. Mm, what a beauty. My mouth practically watered.
Forbidden fruit was the sweetest, or so they said.
I found myself thinking abouthow to protect her from the worst of my world. She didn't appear to be an easily shaken woman, but I'd seen military veterans crack after watching what I did.
I didn't bother convincing myself it was because she was my ticket to liberating my father. I was not the type of man who hid the more illogical aspects of himself. I liked this one because of her flare and spunk, and I appreciated the ruthless practicality beneath it. I could tell she wasn't hesitant to show her claws if it helped her achieve her goals—but that didn't imply her claws could compete with the lions in my family. If she scratched the wrong person, she would die.
I’d just have to keep her close, for her safety. Something told me I wouldn’t mind.
Chapter Five
LAUREN
