Page 87 of Fall Into Temptation
His face brightened. “That’s way more fun than digging through plumbing.”
She fetched him a beer and leaned against the kitchen island. “So, what kind of advice would a lawyer give someone who needs to get a bad person out of their life?”
Beckett settled on one of the stools. “A lawyer would ask for more background.”
“Say my heroine has someone who periodically comes into her life unwelcomed and demands money.”
“Blackmail?” Beckett asked, frowning.
“Eh. Not exactly. It’s not like this person is threatening to release incriminating information or naked pictures. More like threatening to be a nuisance.”
“And you want to know the best way to get rid of the nuisance?”
She nodded, toying with an apple she pulled from the bowl on the counter.
“I’d suggest a restraining order. If there’s extortion involved, that shouldn’t be an issue. Have your heroine go to the cops and file one. If the order is violated, it becomes a police matter.”
Eva was already shaking her head. “What if the heroine can’t go to the cops?”
“Why wouldn’t she be able to go to the cops?” Beckett asked.
“Uh, plot twist?”
“Okaaay,” he drawled. “How about a cease and desist letter from an attorney? They can be applied in cases of harassment.”
“What happens if the person doesn’t cease and desist?”
“Then it would be time to threaten legal action and get the police involved.”
“How often does a cease and desist letter scare off a bad guy?”
“It depends. Some people aren’t capable of making rational decisions.”
“What about—and this of course is purely hypothetical—not exactly legal means?”
“An assassin?” Beckett speculated.
“Not exactly that not legal. What would you do if it was someone being a nuisance to your family.”
Beckett’s eyes went stony. “I’d find out what that person is afraid of.”
“Interesting. Become the boogeyman.”
“Thisisfor a book, isn’t it?” Beckett asked, eyes narrowing.
Eva laughed nervously. “Of course, it is!”
He was eyeing her up like a suspect on the stand. “Because if you’re in trouble and you’re trying to handle it on your own, I know several people who are going to be good and pissed. One of them carries a gun for a living, and I live with another. She’s scarier.”
“Beckett, would I lie to you?”
“Yes,” he answered immediately and without hesitation.
Eva glowered at him. He’d spent too much time around her sisters. He knew her too well. “It’s nothing I can’t handle,” she sighed.
“I do not like that answer. Are you putting yourself at risk? Because if you are, keep in mind that not only would that piss me the fuck off, but you live in my backyard twenty feet from my family.”
Eva looked at her feet. “No one is in danger,” she promised.
