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Bella. We need to meet—today.
The text was from Jose Burciaga, the next few messages letting me know that he wanted to move our meeting that was scheduled for the following Monday morning to that day, which was a Saturday.
I’d responded, telling him that the offices were closed, and that it was too late in the day for any such meeting. Not to mention that I was still processing the small detail that I waspregnant.I was so shocked by the whole thing that it didn’t even occur to me to tell him to cut it out with the “bella” crap.
I wouldn’t be asking if it weren’t important. There are matters that need to be attended to before the day is out. Trust me, I will make it worth your while.
I’d groaned, realizing that there was no way I’d be getting out of it. I’d just found out that I was carrying the child of the most powerful organized crime boss in Boston. None of that mattered. I’d taken on the Burciaga case, and if I were to blow it by not meeting with the client on a weekend, that would about torpedo my career prospects at the firm.
There was a bit of traffic on the drive, and I took the occasion to think about everything that was going on, wondering how I’d ended up in a career where a scumbag like Jose was telling me to jump and expecting me to answer, “how high?”
Melissa was a great lawyer, and I loved that she set aside time and resources for good cases like the Lily Baker situation. All the same, she had no compunctions against taking cases from men like Jose, men who no doubt had blood on their hands and plenty of money to use in their attempt to avoid the justice they deserved.
My mind lingered on the Lily Baker case as the car inched its way through traffic. It had felt so damn good to do the right thing for someone, to help out a young woman who’d found herself on the wrong side of a criminal with money and power.
As I considered it, I came to a realization—I’d been so focused on my career that I’d forgotten why I’d gotten into law to begin with and that was to help people.
I couldn’t do it anymore, couldn’t defend men like Jose while there were good people out there, real victims, who needed help. As the Uber made its way closer to the offices, I made a vow. I’d tell Jose that I was done with the case, that I’d find him another attorney at the firm and that was final. If Melissa was furious enough to fire me, then so be it. I’d never been afraid to make my own way, and I wasn’t about to start then.
The Uber pulled up to the building and I hurried out, the rain from above beginning to come down. I was still scared about the whole motherhood thing, how I was going to tell Connor, how he was going to react. All the same, the only thing I wanted at that moment was to be with him in front of a roaring fire, the two of us snuggled up as the rain came down in sheets.
I stepped into the lobby of the building, the place calm and quiet. After swiping my card at the checkpoint, I hurried into the elevator and made my way up. The doors opened when I reached the main floor, revealing the enormous, empty expanse of the offices. Not a soul was there, the place appearing eerie without the normal hustle and bustle of the hundred or so men and women who worked there.
I didn’t like being alone with someone like Jose. Thankfully, the offices were full of security cameras, a team always on-site to keep an eye on them. All the same, part of me wished I’d brought someone, anyone, to accompany me.
Too late for that. I hurried through the offices, making my way to the conference room where Jose and I were set to meet. As I turned the corner to the hall where the conference room was located, I saw something that caused me to stop short.
Jose was already there. He was seated at the end of the table, his legs crossed and his phone in his hand. He wasn’t supposed to be there yet, a client didn’t have that kind of access to the building.
I approached the door to the conference room with hesitation, Jose’s eyes flicking up to me, a smile on his face. He rose as I stepped inside.
“Bella,” he said, coming over to me and offering his hand. “Such a pleasure to see you, as always.”
“How did you get in here?”
“I spoke to Melissa, of course. Told her that I wanted to have a meeting with you. She was more than happy to accommodate.”
That didn’t sound like Melissa, who was always by the book when it came to such things as client meetings. Part of me wanted to call her and confirm. But the greater part of me wanted to hurry and get the stupid meeting over with.
I sat down, an uneasy feeling coming over me. I only allowed the feeling to linger for a moment; however, before clearing my throat and assuming a more confident posture.
“Alright. You wanted to meet, here I am.”
He nodded, the smile still on his face. “That is right. And please believe me when I say that I’m most appreciative of you taking time out of your weekend to meet me here.”
Silence filled the air, tension growing with it.
“Well?” I asked. “What can I help you with?”
“The case?” he asked. “How is it coming?”
“Same as it was the last time we spoke. I’m doing my research and starting the process of enlisting some paralegals to help out. Sometime this week we should be ready to meet and discuss our next step forward.”
Jose smiled and nodded, reaching into his suit’s inner pocket and taking out a cigarette case made out of what appeared to be solid gold. He opened the case, taking out a cigarette and lighting it.
The sight of someone lighting up like that indoors was so surreal that it took me a moment to wrap my head around what I was seeing.
“Uh, you’re not allowed to do that,” I said.
