Page 80 of The Confidant

Poe

“I’m sorry, could you repeat that?” I ask in disbelief.

“Because the trial has to be seen by a judge in your county, everything has been delayed.”

I rub a frustrated hand over my face at the lawyer's bland words. This may be a simple case to him, but to me, this is my vengeance for Addie. That compromise I made with her is biting me on the ass.

“With everything in that town in an uproar, I’m not sure when this case will be seen. The likelihood of Mr. Bennet settling is almost guaranteed.”

“I don’t want him to settle,” I grit out through my teeth.

I want to drag William Sinclair out into the street and take a baseball bat to him. The damage he did to Addie’s state of mind is something he deserves to be punished for. I won’t rest until I manage to make it happen.

“It would be best for everyone if he did,” the lawyer cautions. “Do you have any idea what’s happening in your part of the world?”

“No,” I glance up as my manager, Murphy, walks through my office door with a wide grin.

I gesture to a seat with a frown to get him out of my focus. I like the man, but his timing is horrible.

“Judges and lawyers are disappearing all over that county. Whatever is happening is bad news, and none of us wants any part of it. Judge Fullerton? The one assigned to see our case? Yeah, her husband shot her and then killed himself. The lawyer for Mr. Bennet’s defense? Died in a house fire. There have been rumors of some kind of sex trafficking ring getting busted with a lot of high-profile names on the list of clients. Nothing has been substantiated because they’re all vanishing into thin air. And no news reports about it? I’m not going anywhere near Ander Spring. Someone out there is cleaning up loose ends. Have you thought about moving back to LA?”

Of all the excuses to keep a trial from moving forward, this was nowhere on my list.

My shocked silence prompts him to go on.

“Anyway, my best advice is to settle or drop this case. It’s not going to go anywhere right now. And neither are we. Your city is falling apart.”

“It isn’t like you aren’t getting paid regardless,” I grumble.

“Good point,” he chuckles.

I disconnect the call with a heavy sigh.

Between this setback and the random problems that have been cropping up with the expo I have planned, my mood is foul.

I started thinking about a larger gathering of the SoT members after the site got leaked. That one action caused a lot of people to suffer and rethink being a part of the group. Like Addie, everyone assumed that once everything was out in the public eye, the judgments would consume their support.

The idea for an expo came from Addie. A large gathering of like-minded individuals with private access is something I’d never considered before. I’m not the best at being social, but Addie is.

“Problems?”

I glance at Murphy with a scowl. “The justice system here is corrupt?”

He blinks in surprise and then sinks lower in his seat. He knows how I feel about that. With all of the manipulations and bribes my father handed out to keep his image clean in the past, it’s not a surprise that I would want to burn their courthouse to the ground.

“Is any place not a little corrupt?” Murphy tries to defend the unforgivable.

“Why are you here?” I pace away from him impatiently.

“Well, it’s about the rumors running around, actually.” He clears his throat in discomfort at my flat expression. “The higher-ups are asking for you to go out. Be seen in public. An example that not all the rich are scumbags.”

“How flattering,” I deadpan.

“Just a little dinner? At a popular restaurant? Addie would love it.”

“Addie would hate it,” I rebut furiously. “She doesn’t need to be thrown into another media frenzy. The answer is no.”

“Then take her to LA for a week or two. Isn’t the timing perfect?” He offers hopefully.

---