Page 3 of Bishop

The entire space was bland and there was no decoration in sight. A single couch was pushed up against one of the walls. A laptop with dual monitors sat on the heavy oak desk, along with keys to my office and the case file the paralegal had mentioned.

Taking a seat in the cushy chair, I picked up the file. It was a standard yellow tinted office folder with a name on the tab.

“Hey neighbor,” a knock came on my door.

Glancing up, I noticed it was the associate from the lobby and put the file down.

“I’m just across the way,” she jerked her thumb towards the other side of the office.

“Umm, hey,” I nodded.

“You know,” she finally strolled in and I began to get a read on her. “I’m still trying to place you.”

I sighed. “Again, I’m not sure we know each other. Where did you go to law school?”

Her lips that were covered in bright red lipstick carved up into a smile as she gave a toss of her blond hair. “Yale, and you?”

Taking a breath, I didn’t return the smile. “Duke. So, I guess that settles that.”

She tapped her lip in thoughtfulness. “No, that’s not it. Wait…I got it…”

It was as if a lightbulb had gone off inside her head.

“You got what?”

“I know where I know you from…you’re that lawyer that got kidnapped by the guy in California.”

How in the fuck,I thought.

Her face turned sympathetic. “They were talking about it on the news this morning.”

I stood up, the chair nearly flying back against the wall. “What and why?”

“He died…the guy, Walter Wallace…. there was a prison riot.”

Relief flooded through my body and the associate whose name I still didn't know began to sashay back towards the door.

“Nice office by the way,” she said with a hint of attitude.

That bitch was going to be a little bit of a problem but it was nothing that I couldn’t handle. Sitting back down, I realized that my hands had started to shake. I took several breaths as my eyes watched them move of their own accord

“Just focus,” I whispered to myself. “He’s dead.”

Picking up the file, I finally flipped it open and came face to face with a mugshot of the man I was going to be helping.

His brown eyes stared back at me from the mugshot.

Holy fuck,the thought tumbled around.

I knew him.

He’d been an asshole to me in high school.

Really a sort of bully…

Zane Bishop had been locked up in county jail for over twenty-four hours, and I was due in court in less than….

“Fuck!”

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