AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I did. He confessed to everything—had to, with the proof I had. And just so you’re aware, I shredded the photos from the camera he put in your bathroom and made sure he deleted all the digital files. But with all that being said, I let him go.”
“What?” I shake my head as if I didn’t hear him correctly. “Let him go?”
“Yeah. Harvey and I picked him up and I made him an offer he couldn’t refuse. He agreed to it and it’s going to save your case.”
“Okay, I’m going to need a breakdown, step by step, on what you’re saying. Also, how do you know he won’t just run now that you’ve let him go?”
“We’re watching him. If he so much as makes the first step toward the airport, he knows there will consequences.” He launches into everything, telling me about how Mick agreed to wear a wire and set up a meeting with his contact.
“So when is this meeting?”
“Tomorrow. Harvey and I will tail him, get surveillance, have audio, video, pictures, you name it.”
“And how does that save my case?”
“We made sure he had some key phrases to say to get them talking. He’s going in under the guise of negotiating his pay with them—what he’s getting paid to blackmail you. He’s going to drop your name, the firm’s name, the company’s name, and make sure they acknowledge that they paid him to follow you.”
“What if they don’t? What if they know it’s a setup?”
“We asked him that, and he said his contact either isn’t too sharp or is so arrogant that they don’t give a shit, because according to him, they work at the firm.”
I squeeze my eyes shut. “This is crazy. Someone from Prince, Dune & Bellowshired him on behalf of Delmore? He said that?”
“Yes, and he has proof. He’s smart and has worked with them long enough that he has his own insurance policy, I guess.”
“Okay,” I pace, thinking about what this means, “so then when the cops show up and arrest him, he testifies.” I talk through it, but Alex interrupts me.
“No Jules, no cops. Just Harvey and me on this. Jimmy doesn’t want the cops involved.”
“Then how does that help me? I can’t just have some rogue security team kidnapping a man and blackmailing him into testifying. That can get me disbarred.”
“I’m not talking about testifying. I’m saying we get the proof and go straight to your meeting with the law firm and Delmore and shove it in their faces so they accept your offer.”
“Are you serious?” I can’t help but laugh. “Do you really think that would fly at my firm? This isn’t a TV law drama, Alex. That shit doesn’t happen, and if it does, we end up getting sued or the case gets thrown out.”
“So what? You want to just bend over and let this company fuck you and all their victims over because you don’t want to get your hands dirty?” His tone goes from even to elevated.
“Excuse me, but I didn’t ask you to solve this problem for me. That is quite literally my job as the attorney on this case. And it’s not that I don’t want to get my hands dirty, it’s that getting my hands dirty can have serious repercussions for me and my firm . . . and my family.” I toss the towel on the counter, frustrated.
“Then let me do it. You don’t have to get involved.”
“No, I want to win this case the right way.”
“The right way or the hard way?”
“So now you’re an expert on my job?” I can feel my blood pressure rising. “Look,” I sigh, “I appreciate what you’re doing, I do, but I can’t handle it this way. I can’t risk my reputation, the integrity of my firm, or the deal itself by bringing in information that was obtained illegally. I can, however, allow Mick to testify of his own free will that he was paid to blackmail me by Delmore, and identify the person who paid him.”
“He won’t do it,” Alex says, shaking his head. “This is the only option.”
“Why?”
“Because he’s not an idiot and neither are you. Delmore won’t let him testify. The second they see his name on the witness list, he’s dead.”
“And you and Harvey and Luka can’t keep him safe?”
“For how long? Forever? If you ask him to testify, you’ll seal his death warrant. After he testifies and he’s no longer under our protection, Delmore will ensure he never testifies again.”
He’s right. I don’t think I can live with that on my conscience. “And what about if he rats them out? You think they won’t come after him?”
