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If the police from his home planet are here, chances are that Gaz knows some of the officers. He may have had to deal with some of them on a personal level, and those interactions could have brought up painful memories.
I don’t know how much Izzie knows about Gaz’s past because she’s so discreet. If she realizes how painful Orchidian interactions are for him, she won’t say a word. Then again, she has worked with him daily for years. Chances are that she knows exactly how much this is affecting him.
“Go to him,” Izzie says quietly. She turns back to her computer. “I’ve cleared his schedule for the rest of the day.”
I nod and head back to his office. The hand scanner that controls the door registers my palm print. It’s one of the benefits of being best friends with the guy who runs the joint. Gaz has given me full access to the entire building, which is really, really nice.
It’s also something I don’t deserve.
Gaz defended my brother when Quinn needed him the most. He stood by our sides when the odds were stacked against us. He was able to get the charges against my brother dropped and help put away the man who kidnapped and hurt me.
Gaz is incredible, but I am broken.
Still, I can’t help but reaching out for him when I know he’s hurting or in pain. In this case, I know his stress is probably going to get the best of him. Gaz is an incredible lawyer, but he’s still just one man. He’s still a solo guy on a mission to make the universe a better place.
He can’t do this alone.
I move quietly down the silent hallway, passing the conference room and a couple of empty offices. The building is big enough to house several lawyers and although Gaz prefers to work alone, he definitely has the space and the ability to expand his practice if he wants to.
When I reach the door to his office, I hesitate and take a deep breath. I’m not really sure what I’m walking into, but I know that I want to be here for Gaz. Finally, I press my hand to the sensor and his door slides open.
“I wondered when you’d come,” he says. His back is to me. He’s staring out the window at the lake. It’s shining and shimmering in the sunlight, but all I see is Gaz.
“You were waiting for me?”
“You always come when I need you most, Hayden.” He turns then, and I see the stress on his face, the anxiousness there. I can’t help myself as I run across the office and throw myself into his arms.
“Everything is going to be okay,” I tell him, even though I don’t really know that at all. What if he loses this case? It’s a big one, and with the arrival of officials from Orchid, it just got even bigger. Interplanetary crimes aren’t uncommon, but it’s different on Sapphira.
Our world is called The Hidden Planet for a reason. For years we didn’t communicate with the outside world. We didn’t want any part of interplanetary immigration. We were fine being our own, quiet world. We didn’t need anyone else.
Things are different now, but the attitude remains. Sapphirans often feel we are the center of the universe. We often think the rest of the planets should bow down to us, that we’re the most important ones in existence. This attitude might be wrong, but it’s pervasive on Sapphira, and it will influence the outcome of Gaz’s case.
“You can’t promise me that, Hayden. You don’t actually know that.”
I lean against him, resting my head against his chest.
“I know,” I whisper.
“I appreciate the sentiment, though.”
“Of course.”
I hug him for a long time, long past the appropriate platonic length of a hug, and then I let go.
“You wanna get out of here?” I ask him. “Galaxy is open.”
“Let’s go,” he grabs his jacket. “I could use a drink.”
Chapter 2
Gaz
Fucking Trevor Waters.
I don’t really care when my clients are criminals. It’s not my job to care if they’re good guys or bad guys. What I do care about is the fact that withholding information and blatantly lying to me doesn’t seem to bother them. That is something I don’t want to deal with.
And this means I’m going to be stepping away from the case. I refuse to represent someone who won’t tell me the truth about their crimes and the evidence against them. I’m a damn good lawyer, and my time is precious to me. I don’t have any interest in wasting time on someone who can’t be bothered to keep me in the loop.
