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“That’s not fair, Adam,” I retorted. Because none of it was really true. I may talk a good game, but a lot of it that was just that... talk. Dude talk. I didn’t necessarily mean the stuff I said. But I realized how all those years of guy banter had painted me in a very bad light. Particularly to the brother of the woman I wanted to be with.
Adam crossed his arms over his chest. “It’s not? Tell me I’m wrong. Tell me that’s not how you talk about the women you’re with.”
I couldn’t say anything. Because it was true. And it made me feel lower than low.
“That doesn’t mean that’s how I’d be with Lena.” I needed him to know that his sister was different. But how to make him see that when my history was working against me?
Adam let out a long, agonized breath. “I can’t trust that, Jeremy. Not when it comes to my sister. There’s nothing in the world I wouldn’t do for her. She likes you. I can see that. I’m not blind. I can smell the sexual tension between the two of you a mile away.” He shuddered as if the idea grossed him out. “And maybe things would be different. Maybe the two of you could have a loving, healthy relationship.” Adam’s eyes zeroed in on mine. Cold, hard steel. “And maybe you couldn’t. Maybe you hurt her. Because frankly Wyatt, that’s what you do.”
He was going straight for the jugular. Taking no prisoners. The worst part was... I deserved it. Because he was right. Damn him, he was right.
“And if you hurt her, I’ll have to hurt you. Then what happens to us? To this firm? Because messing with my sister is something I can’t forgive. Not ever. You get that, right? We’ve got a good thing going here. We’re on the cusp of expanding this firm beyond our wildest dreams. I know Lena is special. She’s my sister, of course, I get it. But leave her alone. Don’t risk her heart and don’t risk this firm to whet an appetite that may not have any staying power.”
I wanted to fight for her. For the possibility of us. But in the end, I knew that I had no leg to stand on. This firm was my life. I had put everything into it. If I messed this up, it would be confirming every awful thing my father ever said about me.
That was something I would never let happen.
So, I shook Adam’s hand. “I understand, Adam. And I hear you. Loud and clear.”
**
After my chat with Adam, I reverted to Asshole Number One. I froze Lena out... again. Because that wasn’t the first conversation Adam and I had had about his sister. But I knew, deep down, it would be the last one. There was no way in hell Marlena Ducate would ever give me the time of day again.
She had made that abundantly clear on Friday night. After she had dicked me around a little bit first.
And while I hadn’t seen her yet today to gauge the awkwardness levels after our interaction at Sweet Lila’s, so far, working with Lena hadn’t been as bad as I thought it would be. I knew when we hired her, we were getting a fierce addition to our team. She had proven herself tenfold when she worked for us as a paralegal and I expected nothing less than grade A success from her now that she was an associate.
My answering laughter sounded strained. “History? I think that’s putting more weight on it than is needed.”
Adam didn’t look fooled. He was always too astute for his own good. Nosy fucker. “Just answer the question, Wyatt. Are things okay between you and Lena? There’s nothing I need to know about? No problems to report?”
The dull throbbing in my head morphed into a full-blown migraine. Just super. “Except for the fact that she has obviously inherited the Ducate “know-it-all” gene, all is fine. She’s a hard worker. She has her first case tomorrow. I suppose we can reevaluate then.”
“Jacob Baker’s drug charges, right?” Adam asked, referring to Jacob Baker who was being brought up on his third drug offense. This time the dumbass was caught with a gram of coke and almost three ounces of weed. Police got him for intent to distribute, which carried a hefty fine and possible jail time. Jacob’s dad, Mitchell, was a Ducate family friend apparently, though Adam claimed it would be better for me to handle the wayward son, given my experience with defending and successfully avoiding convictions for drug offenders. It was small potatoes, so I was more than happy to pass it off to Lena when she started.
“Yep, that’s it.”
Adam rolled up the resumes and tapped his knee with them. “She’s arguing for mishandling of evidence. She discovered there was a break in the chain of custody. She’s also using the arresting officer’s history against him. Apparently, this cop has had a few allegations of misconduct.”
