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“Wait, back up, they’re dead? Like, not breathing, never coming back dead?” I’m not sad about his passing. He betrayed me, got into bed with someone shady, bringing his innocent wife into his plan. He framed Heaven, and yet the news Penn delivers is shocking.
“Never coming back is the definition of dead, Luca.” His dry response isn’t meant to be funny. “And Tuck is running a deep dive on his financials. Another investigator at the firm is tracking down the witnesses. If they’re cleaning house, I fear they want to shut everyone up.”
“Holy fuck, this is bigger than I’d guessed, Penn.”
His silence doesn’t fool me; there’s more.
“Unfortunately, there’s something else.”
“You mean more than Harry and his wife murdered?” This can’t be our life.
“There’s a payment in an account in the Caymans for the amount of a hundred thousand dollars in Anisten’s name.”
“An account in the Caymans in her name? Penn,” I almost bark, “they’re framing her; you see that, right?” A chill in the air ripples through me.
“Of course I do, and whomever it is has a vast knowledge of the law. But, claiming she’s been framed won’t get these charges dropped.” He pauses, and I wait for more bad news. “Luc, that’s Tuck. Got to run.” He ends the call, and when I turn around, Anisten stands in one of my plain white t-shirts.
“How much did you hear?”
She’s broken. Tears stream down her face, and she falls to her knees, moving her line of sight to me as I fall in front of her. I cup her head with my hands and kiss away the tears. She doesn’t need to answer, but she does anyway.
“All of it.”
* * *
Anisten, along with her mother and sister, lay huddled on my couch. Elaina is stroking her hair, as I’d expect she did when Ani was a little girl.
“Any news?” Bryan asks, his brows knit together, the stance of a frantic father about to throw himself in front of a car to save his little girl.
The moment the Atkins family arrived their fear has been at the surface, just like my own.
“Ani’s lawyer will be here soon to give us an update, and…”
I know a little. All three witnesses have disappeared, and as Penn tries to prove a connection between Harry and Keep it Greene Inc., their corporate lawyers have shot down every legal action taken against them.
“Thank you, Luca. I know you’re trying everything to prove Ani innocent.”
You’d think it would be easier sinceshe isinnocent. I’ll fucking bury each person involved one day, and one day very soon.
Penn rushes into my condo without a knock, his attention turned to Anisten, then to Bristol, but quickly back to us. This can’t be good. He points to the small hallway adjacent to my foyer that leads to my home office. He follows Bryan and me without pleasantries.
I shut the door lightly behind me, the hope of good news fading as he draws his mouth into a fine line and begins to bite his lip.
“Just say it, Penn,” I demand, Bryan unable to breathe, prepping himself for the same bad news I’m expecting.
“The partners met today without me, headed by the son of a bitch Jeffery Mann, and with the votes, they’ve decided to start the paperwork to dissolve Ani’s partnership. Furthermore, they’ve voted to distance themselves from the case, ordering that all firm resources are no longer available to her.”
“What does this mean?” Bryan asks before I can.
“I’ve been ordered to no longer represent her, and they’ve taken Tuck off the case. Caroline was let go this morning. Without Anisten, there’s no need for us to keep an extra paralegal on staff.”
Immediately, I bare my teeth like a wolf ready to attack.
“I’ve tendered my resignation for now. The prime focus is Anisten. I’ll file a civil complaint against the firm for unlawful termination later. You’re looking at the sole litigator for Coultier Law Firm. My two employees will be here shortly. I was escorted from the building without access to my office.”
His phone beeps, and before I can ask who his two employees are, he’s out of the room, all while sweat forms on the back of my neck.
Bryan’s vein on the side of his head pulses, a sign of his own anguish, grinding his teeth and pacing my office uncontrollably.
