Page 148 of The Rules Of Attraction
“No, but I know it’s next month some time.” He gave us the update a few weeks ago. “Maybe when I’m done with the case.”
“Alex, you have no idea how long this case could go on for. And, you don’t know what evidence will be called. I suggest you take this to your father and we contact the feds letting them know we suspect illegal activity. We should do this now. That way we stay out of it.”
“There has to be another way.” I insisted. I couldn’t lose my chance. I couldn’t.
I was too close to getting what I wanted.
“There isn’t. You have to do something before the shit hits the fan Alex.” His eyes pleaded with me.
“You said this stuff would be hard to find on a normal basis.” I pointed out trying to clutch on to whatever I could.
Summer shocked me by walking out.
I looked to the door as it swung backwards and forwards and then to Marc.
“We’ve always been friends, man, and I have always looked up to you. This isn’t you. Doesn’t matter what the goal is, wrong is wrong. You know that. Alex, what if you win on Friday? A woman will lose everything. She’ll pay legal fees, more money for something bad that happened to her. And Devon will get away with all of this. You care about people. This isn’t you.”
It wasn’t. It wasn’t me at all. Confliction tore at my insides, and it was heightened by Summer walking out.
“I have to go.” I left him and went to Summer’s office. She was standing by the window slumped over with her hands resting on the ledge. She tried to steady her breath.
“Summer.”
My voice caught her attention and she turned to face me.
“Alex, you can’t do this case.” Now she was giving me the pleading look. “Please listen to me. you can’t. bad things could happen and getting the senior partnership here would mean nothing if Sullivan’s gets dragged in to a securities fraud disaster.”
“Summer, you know how badly I want to be senior partner.”
“It’s not worth it. Alex, your father would have to find another way.”
“Angel, he won’t. This is it. He made it clear that I should focus on the case and not go digging around for anything that wasn’t relevant.”
“But all that Marc found is relevant.” She contested.
“I know, but it’s only relevant in the sense where I know where we stand with any further relations with Devon.”
“Alex, trust me I know what I’m talking about.” She pulled in a deep breath and released it. “I worked for Ashfords.”
“What?” I thought I must have heard her wrong.
“I worked for Ashfords. I worked there after Gold and Thorps. I was there during the disaster and it dragged me in and messed everything up for me.”
Jesus.
This was the thing she was hiding. The more I felt that she wasn’t saying.
My mouth dropped. “Why didn’t you tell me that before?”
“So you could kick me out for working for a firm with a bad rep?” A tear ran down her cheek.
“I would never have done that.” I shook my head.
“I was scared, and maybe you wouldn’t but I’m sure your father or Preston might have.”
“I would never have allowed anyone to do that to you.” I assured her.
Maybe I should have been mad that she didn’t tell me, but I wasn’t. I understood why she kept the secret, and why she was telling me now.
