Page 29 of Dirty Judge

I wasn’t—at all, but no one ever needed to know that.

And they definitely didn’t need to know why…

“You want to join me and Mara for dinner this evening?” I changed the subject.“My treat.”

“Depends on what you’re ordering.”

“I’ll let you pick.”

“In that case—I want steak from that five-hundred dollar place on Broadway. With the truffle mashed potatoes, the chef’sspecial arugula, and a glass of wine since I’ll technically be off the clock.”

“You’re pushing it…”

“Only because you offered it.” He smiled. “Is that a no?”

“I’ll have it delivered here after the final arraignments.”

“Looking forward to it.” He winked and left the room.

I picked up the article once more, slowly reading over the second part as the walls closed in on me.

Every sentence was a potential warning—a foreshadowing of what could possibly come if anyone discovered just how far I went to send this man to prison.

Then again…I could make moves now to make sure that never happened.

I picked up my phone and immediately called Mara.

“I’m running late,” she answered on the first ring. “Give me five minutes and I’ll be right there with your first set of arraignments.”

“This isn’t about that,” I said. “Where are we on hiring my new law clerks?”

“There are fifteen decent options so far. They’re giving me three weeks to conduct the final round of interviews.”

“Get it done intwo weeks,” I said. “And hire six of them. I need all the help I can get…”

TRANSFER (N.):

ANY VOLUNTARY OR INVOLUNTARY ACT THAT DISPOSES OF OR PARTS WITH AN ASSET, PROPERTY, OR LEGAL RIGHT. IT ENCOMPASSES ALL METHODS OF CONVEYING TITLE OR INTEREST, SUCH AS SALES, GIFTS, LEASES, OR THE CREATION OF LIENS.

OLIVIA

Two Weeks Later

“Thank you for choosing Happy Burger!” I held out a bag with my biggest fake smile at the drive-thru window. “Enjoy the light in every bite!”

“Ugh, finally.” The customer snatched her food from me. “You guys shouldn’t call yourself ‘fast food’ anymore. I’ve been waiting for three effin’ minutes.”

“Oh, the horror…” I muttered.

“I don’t see my special smiley cake in here.” She looked at me. “Where the hell is it?”

“You didn’t order a smiley cake.” I glanced at her order onscreen. “Would you like to order one now?”

“I’m a freakin’ golden kingdom member!” She narrowed her eyes. “I’m supposed to get a free one with every order.”

“Ma’am, nothing here is free.” I tried to hold my smile like they’d taught me this week. “We don’t have a loyalty program anymore.”

“Well, you used to!” She scoffed. “And I was a top customer foryears, so give me my smiley cake. Now.”