Page 116 of Heist

Patrick’s stomach felt like it was full of rocks. This was the first time he’d ever heard doubt in her tone when it came to his defense. Was there a chance he could go to prison? The bliss of the previous few hours faded away, and he felt like he was going to be sick.

“You think I’m going to prison, don’t you?” he said quietly, unable to keep the pain from his voice.

“Patrick,” Austin breathed. “I didn’t say that. I’m just saying it is prudent to know exactly what the DA has before we make any decisions.”

“You mean before we decide if I should plead guilty or not?”

Austin looked around the room and back to Patrick. “Maybe now isn’t the best time to discuss this.”

“Why not? It’s my freedom we’re talking about. Can we beat this or not?”

“I hear panic in your voice and I’m going to tell you like I tell all my clients, panicking isn’t the way through this. Panic is going to make you say something you’ll regret and in a case like this, saying something you shouldn’t is more likely to send you to prison than any evidence they present. I’m not going to lie to you and tell you I’m not fucking terrified. I am, but I can’t guarantee that they don’t have something damning, and if they do, I have a duty to you as my client and as my partner to advise you to take a deal. If you have to go to prison, I would rather it be for four years than twenty-five.”

Patrick shoved back from the table and jumped from his chair. “Four years?” he said, his voice cracking with fear. “Four fucking years? That’s what they’re offering now? When they first broached the subject of a plea bargain, they said I could be out in months, not years. What the fuck, Austin?”

She put a hand on his shoulder, but he brushed her away and paced the room.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “That’s why I’m telling you they likely have something that can prove your guilt.”

“But I’m not fucking guilty,” he shouted. “I thought you believed me.”

Austin closed her eyes. “That came out wrong. I do believe you but, in a trial, it doesn’t matter what I believe. It matters what both sides can and can’t prove to a jury. Right now, I have a solid alibi for you, but they likely have their own witnesses and enough circumstantial evidence that the wrong jury will buy into and send you away.”

Patrick ran a hand through his hair and tried to tamp down the panic roiling in his gut. He knew he sounded like a mad man right now, but he couldn’t seem to control himself.

“It just sounds like you’re giving up on me,” he said, his voice quieter now. “I need to get out of here. Think for a while. I’m not dealing with this very well.” He pulled the key to the suite from his pocket and tossed it at her.

“Patrick please don’t leave. We need to keep talking about this. I’ve clearly upset you and that was not my intention,” she said, her voice trembling. “Come upstairs with me, let me apologize.”

He couldn’t. The seeds of doubt had been planted, and now he couldn’t get prison out of his mind. Without another word, he turned and walked from the room. Austin called after him, but he forced himself to keep walking. He needed to prove to himself that he could let her go if it came to that.

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