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I was getting used to speaking in front of students with the Women in Law program, and Mrs. Vale had come to Benowitz & St. James, asking for me, because I had spoken at her granddaughter’s school. And when Mr. St. James—Preston—had told me he was going to sit second chair to me, I had been floored. It wasn’t a big case, and I didn’t think it warranted a name partner, but he did it anyway. And it had been worth it because he was there to witness me winning today.
Honestly, Mrs. Vale’s case couldn’t have come at a better time. She had walked into the firm two days after my last encounter with Dominick. It was the distraction I needed, especially while I waited for my test results and period to arrive. Thankfully, all was good there, and I had been officially man-free since then. I took a lot of kickboxing classes, but I did them by myself. I still missed sex—a lot—but at least my heart wasn’t affected adversely.
My phone buzzed in my purse.
Delaney:How did it go today?
Me:We won!
Delaney:I knew you could do it.
Rayne:Congratulations! Celebration drinks later this week?
Me:Yes, please. I need it.
I turned off my screen, feeling guilty that Delaney had been such a great cheerleader and I still hadn’t told her where I worked. How it hadn’t come up yet, I didn’t know. And since she didn’t know where I worked, I certainly hadn’t told her who I had been sitting next to in court during the last week. I felt like an awful friend, but since that was the worst thing going on in my personal life, I considered myself all good.
If only I could stop the occasional thoughts of Dominick, I’d be perfect.
* * *
Slowly, I was pulled from a deep sleep, but I didn’t have much time to assess the situation because my phone was ringing.
“Hello?” My voice was rough. I cleared my throat. “This is Vivian.”
“Vivian Stern?” a male voice I didn’t recognize asked. “The attorney?”
By now, most of the sleep was wearing off, and I saw that it was after two in the morning. I pulled my phone away. I didn’t recognize the number.
“Yes. This is Vivian Stern.”
“This is the Minneapolis Police Department. I have your client down here, and he won’t talk to us without you.”
“What?” I jumped off my bed and looked around for the nearest clothes. “Who did you say is in custody?”
I looked at my cell again, only to see that the call had ended.
“What the fuck?” I yelled.
There had been no introduction, and they hadn’t even told me who I was going to see.
As I raced to get dressed, my high-on-life moment around twelve hours earlier seemed like a distant memory.
* * *
Getting into a room to see clients was always a process. Right out of law school and fresh from taking the bar exam, I’d worked for the public defender’s office. I had been to the police department more times than I could count, so even though it had been a while, I remembered all the steps.
“This way, Ms. Stern,” an officer said and headed down the hall.
I had been racking my brain since I’d left my apartment, wondering who could have called me down there. I wasn’t working on any criminal cases at the moment, so I had absolutely no idea who was going to be on the other side.
“He’s in here,” the officer said with a bored expression on his face and opened the door.
Two men in plain clothes were standing against the wall. They had to be detectives. And my client had his back to me, so I could only see his dark brown hair over broad shoulders. It was the last person I’d have imagined would call me down to the police station.
I stepped into the room to face the detectives, going into full lawyer mode.
“Spencer Reyes, don’t say another word. Detectives, what is my client being charged with?”
