Page 47 of See You There
“A jackass ran a red light when we were in the middle of the crosswalk.”
James’s brow wrinkled. “We? Lia was with you?”
“Dahlia.” Luke corrected him, and when James looked confused, Luke regretted correcting him. “She’s fine. Just a few scrapes. It could have been a lot worse.”
“Where is there a streetlight at the Botanical Gardens?” James narrowed his eyes.
“We grabbed some food from a food truck. She hadn’t eaten, and the heat had gotten to her,” he said when James’s lips thinned. “It was just tacos. This isn’t the government. We take our clients out to lunch all the time. Usually to fancy restaurants, so a food truck is nothing.”
Why was he being so defensive? The voice in his head helpfully chimed in.Uh, probably because when you weresitting across that picnic table from Dahlia, it hadn’t felt like a client meeting.
James leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms across his chest. “I spoke with the DA today. They are going to sign off on an immunity deal, contingent to her being a witness and testifying about the photos.”
“That’s good news.”
James lifted his brows. “I was getting ready to call her and see when she could meet to sign the paperwork, but maybe you’d rather?”
“Technically, you’re her attorney.”
“Convenient,” James grunted.
Luke’s scowl deepened. He understood what his twin was implying, and as much as he wanted to deny it, James knew him so well he would know Luke was lying.
Fuck!Hewouldbe lying.
The interest he had in Dahlia wasn’t even remotely professional, and that was a problem. Even if James was the attorney of record, Luke was still the founding member of the law firm representing her. Which meant he couldn’t pursue her personally—yet. But when the case was over, the rules changed.
“She’s interesting.” Luke finally settled on when his brother continued to watch him in expectant silence. “I like being around her.”
“And she’s hot…” James pointed out, which immediately raised Luke’s hackles. Dahlia was gorgeous, but he didn’t like his brother pointing it out. They’d never competed for a woman before—not that they were competing now.
He rubbed a hand down his face. “I’m heading upstairs for a shower. Tell me when Dahlia says she’s available.”
James rocked forward in his seat and picked up a pen. “Sure thing. You realize,” he said, when Luke was half-way out thedoor, “this means you won’t need to accompany her to the radio interview and photo shoot.”
“Great. I can get started on my vacation.” Luke tossed the words over his shoulder. He nodded at the curious looks his staff gave him as he made his way across the office to the elevators.
This was good news, he told himself. He’d been looking forward to this vacation. He caught his angry reflection in the polished steel doors.
It’s best this way. Even if he and Dahlia didn’t have this professional wall between them, he needed to remember she had a boyfriend. And, if she was the first woman in a long time to intrigue him, then it was just too bad.
Luke stripped off his clothes, and seeing the tears, he sighed, throwing them in the trash can. He’d really liked that suit.
He frowned. The car had been going so fast.
Atlantans drove fast. It was an unofficial rule everyone followed, but he could have sworn the car had sped up when it saw them. It was possible the driver had gotten the gas pedal confused with the brake as they approached the red light. Luke hadn’t gotten a look at the person behind the wheel, but he'd heard of it happening to elderly drivers. His mind went back to the moment the sedan rocketed through the intersection, dodging cars and speeding away.
His frown deepened. That seemed to imply the driver was in control of what they were doing. Had they meant to hit him and Dahlia? Luke shook his head. He was being paranoid. Somewhat understandable with all the murders that had taken place in his orbit the past year—his father, Mrs. Woodson, Dr. Keller—but it was much more likely it was just a jerk who didn’t care about who they hurt.
Luke padded naked to his bathroom to turn on the steam shower. While he waited for it to heat, he leaned against the bathroom counter and scanned his email.
“Son of a bitch!” he exclaimed, straightening. At the top of his inbox was an email from Chris Keller with the subject line: Clear the air.
He quickly scanned the brief message.
Luke,
The police informed me you visited with my father shortly before his death and that you are their prime suspect. As I’m sure you can relate, losing a parent is devastating. A situation made worse when you can no longer rely on old friends whom you trusted. I can’t imagine why you would want to hurt my father, unless you are suffering from the same misguided conspiracy complex that seems to have infected Declan and Cara. I assume the choices I’ve made recently in my personal life have upset you and your family, but I assure you they have nothing to do with any of you. I don’t see Courtney the way you do. I know there is friction over the money, and as much as I understand where your anger comes from, I can’t allow you to continue to make spurious accusations against someone I care about. As I’m sure my father told you, David Bloom, and David Bloom alone, left his fortune to Courtney. It’s natural for you to want someone to blame.
