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"Lost track of time," I said, suddenly thankful that Poppy wasn't the sort to wear perfume, because I was sure I would have her scent over every inch of me if she did.
I ignored Gunner's curious look, moving away from him and toward Kai, someone who never pushed.
"Has anyone met the lawyer yet?" I asked as Kai put the scattered paperclips back into the holder on Jules's desk.
"No, Quinn's been tight-lipped about this one. Not like him."
"I heard he's from California," Lincoln supplied. "Bells," he called, waiting for Bellamy to stop trying to ballroom dance with Jules, and make his way over. "Know any exceptional, but somewhat shady lawyers from California?"
"You're implying that there are any lawyers in California who aren't shady?" Bellamy shot back, smirking.
"Fair enough," Lincoln agreed. "Guess we will just have to wait."
"Finn, man," Bellamy said, eyes bright. "You look well-rested. I don't think I've ever seen you well-rested before. I wonder what, or who—" he started, getting cut off by Nia who moved into our circle.
"Bellamy, commit any felonies lately?" she asked.
"If I did, I'm sure you would be the first to hear about it. Since I'm pretty sure you have my house and car and phone bugged," he added, smile bright.
"Right. Because I have nothing better to do with my time than stalk your ass," Nia said, rolling her eyes.
"Aw, come on, Nia," Bellamy said, pressing a hand to his chest. "Who else on this team but me would you want to spy on in the show...oh, damn. Maybe him," he said, shrugging as his gaze moved over toward the door as it opened.
Then there was Quin with our new team member.
Whoever he was, he was tall and fit in a suit the kind of expensive that Bellamy wore. He had short, golden blond hair and light blue eyes in his square face with a wide jaw.
"Good, everyone is here," Quin said, ignoring the fact that Miller and Holden hadn't shown. Miller, because she was in Greece with her man. And Holden, because, well, Holden just wasn't the type to follow rules. "Alright, well, let's get this over with. This is Ethan Roseland."
"Everyone calls me Rosie," Ethan said, waving off the formal introduction. "I've heard a lot about everyone here. Especially you," Rosie said, giving Bellamy an amused look, the kind a bigger brother might give to a younger sibling.
"Don't get your hopes too high, Rosie," Bellamy said, shaking his head. "I already have a lawyer. A whole team of them, in fact."
"None as good as me," Rosie boasted.
"Great, just what this team needed," Nia grumbled. "Another egomaniac."
"Says the cockiest of all of us, love," Bellamy said, nudging her with his hip, producing a Kiss out of his breast pocket to appease her before she lashed into him.
"Oh, good timing," Quin said as the door opened again. But this time, a woman was stepping inside.
"Oh, thank God. Another chick," Nia said, nodding.
And so it was.
She was tall and slim with a warm reddish-brown skin tone, long, glossy black hair, and deep brown eyes in her oblong face with sharp cheekbones and full lips.
"Everyone, this is Amita Puri. Amita, this is everyone you've already heard about. And Ethan Roseland," Quin explained.
"Amita," Nia said, giving the other woman a nod. "What is your skill?"
"Social media," Amita said, moving closer on icepick heels that would make Jules jealous.
"Social media," Gunner repeated, brows furrowed.
"Remember last year when Pilot Garland crashed his billionaire father's Rolls into a police station?" Amita asked.
There was a chorus of confused nos to that, but I could have sworn Bellamy said yes. And given that people like Pilot Garland and Bellamy ran in the same circles, it would make sense that he might have heard about something like that which had somehow not made the news.
"Exactly," Amita said, smile victorious.
"I defended that little prick on another hit and run," Rosie said. "Small world."
"Amita is what some in the industry would call a 'spin artist'," Quin explained. "Since clients are starting to veer younger these days, and young people air all their fucking dirty laundry on social media, I thought it was time to bring someone in who excelled at handling that shitstorm, while we focused on other parts of the cases."
That made sense.
So did having a lawyer on staff.
"I gotta say, I don't like him," Bellamy declared a few moments later, walking up to me while the others talked to the new team members.
"Why not?" I asked, genuinely curious since everyone else seemed to be getting along with Rosie and Amita.
"He's too good-looking. You can't trust a good-looking rich guy."
"Bellamy, you're a good-looking rich guy," I reminded.
"I know," Bellamy said, giving me a big smile as he started away. "And you all know better than to trust me."
"He had my car painted last week," Nia said, moving in at my side.
