Page 33 of Dial L for Lawyer
"So you're just going to let them destroy her career?"
Over my dead fucking body.
"Why do you think I suggested she call you?"
"Because you knew I'd make your life miserable if you didn’t?"
"That too." He sighs so deeply it practically deflates him. "Look, I can't hand you insider information, Caleb. I'm not going to tank my own credibility—even for family. But between you and me? The tip about the meeting with Victoria Chase came from inside Luminous. C-suite level. I can't say who, but if they're going this far, I don’t see them letting Serena back. Even if you clear her, she's gone."
There's something new in his voice—sympathy that's rare from my older brother. When we were teenagers, our father used to make us debate case law at the dinner table for sport. Loser got a lecture on mediocrity. I always lost. But David never gloated. He’d just find me later, when Dad wasn’t looking, and explain where my argument fell apart. He was always better at the long game. He's playing it now.
"I can't go back to her with that news. She's not the type to roll over and slink away." I pause, thinking of all the ways Serena Morgan doesn't do what she's told, especially when cornered.
My mind immediately returns to our walk after the Golden Dragon, when I had her cornered—back against that wall, breathing hard, pupils blown wide. All I had to do was close that distance and taste her. Feel those lips I've been fantasizing about for months.
"Then I don't know what else to tell you, Caleb." David shrugs.
"If they want a war, I'll happily give them one."
He lifts his gaze, eyes dark with warning. "Don't go nuclear, Caleb. Not unless you have to."
"Not my style," I lie. Total bullshit. It's always my style, especially when someone threatens what's mine.
And Serena is mine, whether she accepts it yet or not.
"Listen, I'll try to buy time for a real investigation. But if you can find something concrete, something that points away from Serena within the next couple of weeks..." He trails off. "It would make my life easier."
His phone buzzes on the desk. When he glances at it, his expression softens immediately.
"Michaela's school. Science fair presentation this afternoon." He looks up at me. "She's been working on it for weeks. The volcano project."
"She'll do great. Kid's got more guts than half the lawyers in this building."
"Seven years old and already smarter than both of us." David pockets his phone. "Look, Caleb, I know this puts us in an awkward position. But I want you to know—again, off the record—I don't think Serena did this."
"Then help me prove it."
David stands, straightening his tie and regaining that practiced authority. "If I find anything, you'll be the first to know."
"Likewise." I get up, my mind already three steps ahead—calculating next moves, sorting through possible leads, always with that background buzz of Serena's scent still haunting me. Vanilla and cinnamon. So damn fucking delicious. I swear, I want to go full motorboat and just inhale it all in.
David opens his office door and we shake hands. It's the most awkward family handshake in history—all mutual pressure and neither of us willing to let go first. Finally David grins and releases. "We'll talk soon."
"Good luck at the science fair," I say. "Tell Michaela I'll take her for ice cream Saturday."
"Sure thing," David calls over his shoulder, already back on his phone.
I'm dialing Bennett before I make it to the elevators.
"Tell Logan it's go time," I say the second he picks up. "Whatever dirt he can find on Luminous security, I want it yesterday." I pause in the glass-walled lobby. "Also, Jenna's background check on Serena's team. I need that immediately."
"Got it. Anything specific for Logan?"
"Badge cloning vulnerabilities, server access protocols, anything that shows how easy it would be for someone to frame Serena." I head toward the elevator bank where I left her. "And Bennett? This stays between us."
"Understood. I'm guessing the meeting went as expected?"
"Worse. They're not even pretending to care about the truth."
