Page 54 of Barristers & Bones

My breath sawed in and out as I fought for control. Luna had been lying half-dead in her own blood and filth, locked in a closet while her parents went out of town so they wouldn’t have to deal with the mess.

Then her father had done to her what he’d done to us, and used his extensive reach and legal influence to lie, bribe, and cover up his crimes. He’d blamed the attack on a random break-in, and threatened Sylvie’s mother to keep the girls quiet. Frustration, bitter regret, and pure rage flowed through me. And hate. So much hate for Luna’s father.

“Fuck. FUCK!” I bellowed. I got out of bed and paced my room, but I couldn’t contain my anger. Stalking out to the back patio, I stared out into the night.

Luna had experienced her own hell at the hands of her father, and I wanted to soothe her hurts, protect her, and then fuck her senseless. Throwing my phone on the lounger, I stripped and dove into the pool, then slowly swam laps while the contents of that report rattled through my mind as my tired arms and brain slowly went numb. Now that I wasn’t her mentor, all bets were off.

Chapter 17

Luna

A few seconds after Roman pushed me into my apartment and closed the door, Sylvie walked out of her room.

She studied my face, then hissed, “What did that fucker do to you?”

The adrenaline had dissipated, and I felt numb and tired. “Nothing.”

“I hung the fairy princess gown in your closet so Carl wouldn’t destroy it. Now talk to me. What happened?” She watched me carefully.

I pulled off my jacket and threw it on the couch, knowing I’d regret not hanging it up tomorrow when I had to pick cat hair off it. I trudged into the kitchen and started rummaging through the cupboards, looking for candy.

“Roman dumped me as his intern.” I found a half-empty box of Red Hots behind the oatmeal and threw a few in my mouth.

Sylvie followed me into the kitchen and stared at me. “What? That makes no sense whatsoever.” She held up a finger. “Wait. This calls for cheap wine. It’ll pair nicely with your cinnamon candy.” She poured two glasses, and we plopped onto the couch. “Okay. Start from the beginning.”

So I told her everything–about the internship and the partners, Lionel and Silas Strack, and Roman telling me he couldn’t be my mentor anymore. When I finished talking, my wine glass and the candy box sat empty.

Sylvie poured us more wine and sighed. “Well, I wasn’t wrong. This internship is a lot more exciting than one with Artie would have been. Do you like him?”

“Of course I like Arthur.” I knew she wasn’t talking about Artie.

“No, dumbass, Roman. Do you like him?”

“Sometimes. And other times, I wish I was an octopus so I had eight hands to smack his smug face with.”

“Don’t play dumb, you suck at it. Do youlikehim?”

I worried if I admitted it out loud, things would go from bad to worse. So I settled for something in between. “I refuse to like him. It’s an unethical, horrible idea. The man is my mentor, and I’m his intern. Or was. He may be hot, but he’s also moody, domineering, into BDSM–which I found out about tonight–and has more baggage than the lost-and-found at JFK.”

Sylvie laid her head on the back of the couch. “Denial is just a lie you tell yourself. You like him.”

“Ican’tlike him.” My voice sounded almost pleading. Carl must have felt my anxiety because he padded over and hopped on my lap, kneading my skirt with his one front paw. I scratched behind his ears as he purred loudly.

Sylvie stared down at him. “That cat is weird. I swear he barely tolerates us until we’re depressed or anxious, and then he’s right there.What’re you going to do?”

“What any smart woman would do. Stay far away from him and pretend he has the plague.”

On Monday, as I walked to Klim’s office before my first class, a sense of déjà vu floated through me. I’d come to Klim a few months ago for the same reason. Back then, I was angry and annoyed. Now I felt conflicted and sad. His door stood open and he sat at his desk, drinking coffee and studying his computer screen.

“Hello, Klim.”

He looked up and pulled his glasses off. “Luna. I thought I’d see you today. What’s going on with you and Roman?”

“We’re ending our internship.”

“Tell me the truth. Did something happen?”

“No, and don’t make it weird. I swear the man hates me and barely tolerates having me around. It’s just… time.”

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