Page 38 of Barristers & Bones

I gave him the silent treatment during dinner. We spent the rest of the afternoon watching football and then played a few hands of poker. I’d said less than five words to him since he’d accused me of flirting.

Roman glanced at me a few times, then finally sighed and put his cards down. “It’s Thanksgiving. Let’s call a truce and enjoy what’s left of the day.”

Ezra nudged my foot under the table, so I set my own cards down and turned to him. “Alright. But if you blame me for something like that again, I swear to you that by the time my internship ends, you’ll think I’ve gone mute.”

He studied my face, his lip tipping up. “Understood.”

Fenn sighed long and loud. “Now that you’ve kissed and made up, can we finish the game?”

When we walked into the offices together the following week, I realized with a start I actuallyenjoyedcoming to work here. Roman still acted like a prick most days, but I liked discussing odd topics with the partners around Gideon’s desk, and they were entertaining, enlightening, and fun to tease. Sometimes I fired off a million random questions just to irritate them. Ivan was still on my shit list, though.

One afternoon, he cornered me by the coffee machine. “Roman mentioned you’re interested in water law. Why?”

I stared at him. “Why do you want to know?”

“I’m curious, which is something you should understand.”

Nodding, I leaned against the break room counter. “My uncle Alistair on my father’s side owns a national wastewater management company. Unfortunately, he has the morals of a snake, just like the rest of his family.”

His gaze went sharp. “What do you mean?”

There was no need to share my father’s sordid past, but I could tell him about my uncle. “Alistair’s company dumped millions of gallons of chromium-tainted wastewater into unlined ponds, and his company was fined afractionof their net revenue. That’s just one example.”

“What about your dad?”

The same old shame and anger slid through me, and I turned to the coffee pot. “My father has been taking bribes most of his career. God and the devil only know what else he’s been involved in.”

Ivan leaned against the counter and crossed his arms. “Luna, what happened when you were young?”

“You already know,” I answered quietly.

“Not from your perspective.”

Turning around, I faced him. “I was too young and naive to be careful. He’d sometimes leave screens up on his computer showing vast sums of money in various accounts. I was curious about how a judge could have accumulated that much money, and eventually I cross-hatched the dates to a few key rulings in his court.”

“Well, shit.”

“You could say that.”

“What happened?” he asked.

“I didn’t understand the ramifications of confronting him. I figured the facts out, but the nuances escaped me.” I glanced at him. “You have an idea of what happened. You already threw it in my face. Anyway.” I turned to leave.

“Why is water law so fascinating to you?”

He seemed sincere, so I stopped and turned. “The economic value of water in the United States alone is around sixtytrilliondollars. People kill for it, steal it, and die without it. Water rights in the Western States are especially critical, but water law is beyond complicated.”

Glancing over, I noticed Roman standing in the doorway. I wondered how long he’d been there.

Ivan blew out a breath. “Fuck. That’s about six times the annual federal U.S. budget.”

I nodded. “And think about it. Whoever controls water also controls agriculture, industry, and development. And there are futures, trading, investments—even water banks.”

“Water banks?” Ivan asked.

“Yes. You’ve heard of oil reserves. They do it with water too. Anyway, I think explains it."

Ivan straightened and glanced at Roman. “She’s teachingusnow.” He walked past me and patted my shoulder.

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