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“Fine. Fine.” I held up my hands, though my face said I didn’t believe him. This was serious for him, but I didn’t care one way or the other as long as he was happy. I just couldn’t resist giving him a hard time.
“Just wait until you settle down. You will never hear the end of it from me.”
“I’m not the one vehemently opposed to it.”
“Says the man who hasn’t had a girlfriend since his first year in law school.”
I lifted a shoulder. “Tell me what’s on your mind. We aren’t here to gossip.”
“In this case, I’d rather gab all night than think about what I’ve taken on.” Patrick reached for his whiskey, staring into the amber liquid for a moment.
“I’ve never heard you like this.” I propped my elbows on the table.
“In our work—well, mine—there’s a certain amount of turning a blind eye. I’ve defended guilty people and won, and never felt a bit of remorse. But if this guy did what they say he did . . ." Patrick trailed off, swallowing hard.
“Why take the case when you’re so obviously averse to it?”
He flexed his hand and balled it into a fist, irritation with himself evident. “I owed someone at the bureau a favor.”
I looked at him skeptically. “Defending a case you don’t want to take seems a little excessive.”
Patrick darted his eyes away, his cheeks coloring slightly. “I couldn’t say no.”
“Where do I come in?”
“I need you to help me figure out how to get this guy a reduced sentence.”
“Don’t you mean get him off the charges?” Patrick always went for the win. That didn’t include less jail time for his clients. That meant freedom. But I’d never known him to have such a revolted response to a client. And that was saying something. He represented scum that I wouldn’t want to be anywhere near, yet he didn’t want him to get off?
“No.”No hesitation.
“What the hell is this about? It must be pretty bad for you to react this way.”
“One of the worst things I’ve ever heard of.” Patrick leaned forward at the same time I did.
“I just need something so it doesn’t look like I’ve botched the case on purpose.”
My brows rose.What had he gotten himself into?“Are you going to?”
He cleared his throat. “I’ve thought about it.”
“Can’t you turn the case over to someone else? Come up with a conflict of interest. Hell, even a crisis of conscience. Anything to get you out of defending him.”
“I can’t.” Patrick sagged in his seat, pressing his palm into his forehead. “I’ve gotten murderers off, but this . . .” Though his glass was empty save the ice cubes, he picked it up and tipped it to his lips anyway. “I’m supposed to look out for my client’s best interest, but this is too much even for my conscience.”
“Get yourself fired,” I said.
He brightened before his face fell. “I can’t do that. I have to do my best.”
“That’s why you’re so damn successful.”
“Remind me to never solicit an FBI agent for sex.” He wadded up his napkin and tossed it on the table.
What? “That’s what you did?”
“It was a long time ago. I was shit-faced. She showed mercy on me, even gave me a lift back to my place. Since she let me off the hook, I owed her a favor.”
“Why the hell would she cash it in on this scumbag?”
