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“If you asked me a few months ago I’d say probably not, but since I’ve built up my business, and have a hot neighbor to keep me warm at night, I have no reason to leave.”
She pokes me in the ribs. “I was thinking about you and all those years you worked long hours and it reminded me of my mom a little. Except she was pretty happy and loved her job. Is there anything you miss about being a lawyer? Do you think you’d go back to it?”
“It was a lot of work, and there was a lot of it I did enjoy. The law can feel like a really complex puzzle to solve and that was always interesting to me. It’s hard to separate the puzzle from the real people you are affecting with the decisions you make, though.” My dad expected us to treat our clients and their victims more like chess pieces than real people. “I guess I’m too sensitive, or that’s what my father says. It would take a lot for me to go back to practicing, but I do know I’d never work for a firm like his again. I’m not cut out for defending the indefensible. There’s no amount of money that could sway me.”
“Could you work to defend people who really need it?”
“Sure, and I did pro bono cases as much as I was able. There’s a need for good defense attorneys, especially for people who can’t afford them. I won’t rule it out, but I can’t describe the level of relief I felt when I walked out of that office. Maybe it was because the weight of what that asshole did and was getting away with was pressing on me, but I think a large chunk of that relief was me leaving a job I never really wanted.” She holds my hand and I feel comfort that she understands me. “It’s funny, the person who helped me realize I hated what I was doing was Brian, the guy who was fucking my girlfriend. He did me a favor there too though, and I forgive him.”
“You are a better man than I am, I was a petty Betty after I found Val at my house. I sent her a glitter bomb in the mail, had food delivered to the office that she had to pay for, and I hired a few kids from the high school band to follow her around for a few hours one day. It was awesome.”
“Damn, you are scary,” I say. “I’m also a little aroused by your vengeful nature.”
“Well, if you need the number for the band kids, let me know. They are old enough to travel to the city.”
“Noted.” I laugh. Then I ask her what she asked me. “Do you think you’ll stay here?”
She smiles. “I think I will. After all, I’m selling my house tomorrow, and I’ll be officially free.”
“I like that you’ll be free. You deserve that,” I say and I mean it even though I’d love nothing more than to tie her down and keep her. Mollie being free is exactly what makes her shine. I’d never take that from her.
We spend the rest of the day talking, napping, eating, and worshipping each other’s bodies. It’s the best day I’ve had in a while and I feel lucky to have her back in my life.
The next morning, I watch as she drives back to wrap up her old life and come back here, to me and whatever our future holds. Once I’m back inside my house, my phone pings with a message.
Dad: I have a meeting in Atlantic City tomorrow so I’ll be by for a visit late afternoon.
Me: Okay, do you have anything you require during this visit?
Dad: Whiskey would not go unappreciated.
Me: See you then.
I’m surprised and not to hear from him. We’ve communicated a few times since I left the firm and New York, but it’s always been short and to the point. I haven’t seen him since the day I quit.
CHAPTER 29
A NO WIN
OWEN THEN
“If you win this case, the sky is the limit for you,” my dad says as he pats my back. “You’re looking at instant partner, and then a judgeship down the line, whatever you want.”
I want to throw up but he would not be sympathetic to that, especially as he shoves expensive steak into his mouth at our weekly required dinner. This dinner is my least favorite three hours of each week. It’s when he goes into detail about everything I’ve done wrong, all that I will do wrong, and every other failure in my life. It’s a total treat.
“Dad the evidence is really strong in this case and the public outcry will be strong even if he gets a light sentence.” There are two eyewitnesses to this sexual assault, DNA, and a video—all of which he knows about. “A more realistic scenario would be probation since it’s his first offense. It’s a violent crime so he should be getting a lot more. If we can plea, it could go easier on him.”
‘Him’ is our current client. He’s a 23-year-old rapist who hogtied his victim then raped her, making her watch as he took a video and projected it on a large screen. The two witnesses were his friends who were swimming in the pool but could see the video playing and hear the screams of the girl. Of course, he’s saying it was consensual but not only was the girl 17, she went in for a rape kit the next day and there were traces of ketamine in her system. Her wrist was broken and she had a torn meniscus.
My dad drops his fork and looks at me like I’m the one who did the crime.
“Son, he is the son of a senator, and a CEO, probation is still a stain. You know what to do.” I roll my eyes. The guy is a CEO of a video game company that his dad gave him the money for and is merely a front for selling fraudulent NFTs and cryptocurrency scams. “Discredit the witnesses, make sure the video is inadmissible, and the girl was clearly looking for a good time in the outfit she showed up in.”
“You mean the swimsuit she was wearing at a pool party?” A wave of nausea rolls through me again as I think of the girl, who was a neighbor, showing up at a party hoping to have fun, but instead was so brutally raped she needed stitches. “As a defense attorney, it is my job to get the fairest trial for my client. That doesn’t mean getting him off.”
“Well, it should if you want to be partner. People don’t hire us because we get fair trials, they hire us because we work miracles to clear their name.” He throws his napkin on the table. “Maybe you aren’t partner material after all.”
“Maybe not, but how am I supposed to sleep at night knowing I got a violent criminal out of a crime I literally watched a video of him committing?” Yeah, I’m still not over that.
