Page 3 of Fatal Love

“That sounds good. Call me this weekend.” With bated breath, I waited for him to answer. He was a fair man, so hopefully he'd see reason and grant me the request.

“This better be good. I was about to head home.”

“Your Honor, I’m sorry to postpone your departure, but I need a favor." I paused and took a breath. "I need a delay for the Lawson trial.”

“Fuck, Hill. You realize delaying gives the opposing side more ammo against the prosecution, right?”

“Yes, Sir, but we don’t have enough evidence to show she wanted to kill him. I'm beginning to believe it was merely happenstance that she was the one there and not Vincenzo Anastasi.”

His sigh filled the line. “If you don’t think Mrs. Anastasi did it, it’s your job—no, it’s your oath to dismiss this case. I know the FBI has a hard-on for the Anastasi Family, but if this is really a case of mistaken identity… and as you call it happenstance,” his heavy sigh vibrated the speaker against my ear. “Then putting a pregnant woman behind bars would be wrong and career suicide.”

“My thoughts exactly.”

“Fine. I’ll delay it for a couple of weeks. Make sure you notify the opposing counsel. I'm certain they aren't going to be sad it's getting postponed.”

“Thank you, Judge.”

I held the receiver in my hand and closed my eyes. For my entire life, I had pressured myself to be the toughest prosecutor around, but lately I felt like it wasn't enough. This case was weighing heavily on me. Riley had been one of the best at her job, too. Hell, she'd been recruited by the FBI at a young age. But falling in love had changed her, making her priorities shift so much she'd risked not only her career, but her freedom.

Would love change my outlook on things?

I shook the thought out of my head and clicked around on my computer until I found the opposing attorney’s information.

Michael Brighton.

He was new on the Anastasi Family’s team of lawyers, but his reputation proved strong. I met at him once—before I knew who he was. The moment I learned he was Riley’s attorney, I steered clear. But damn, he was good looking and had tempted me in ways that almost made me throw caution to the wind. I hated the way his captivating stare made me feel that night—it still haunts my dreams.

Dialing his number, I pressed the phone to my ear and waited. “Michael Brighton,” his deep voice filled the line, making me flush with heat. Every time I heard from him my body reacted the same way. I was dreading having to be in the same room as him for court. If my body responded to just the sound of his voice, there was no telling how it would react to being in his presence.

I took a deep breath, willing the pounding in my chest to stop. He was the opposing counsel and feeling this way about him was wrong on so many levels.

“Hello?”

“Shit…" I murmured into the phone. "I'm sorry… Mr. Brighton this is Rachel Hill. I’m calling about your client, Riley Lawson.”

His chuckle told me he'd heard my slip of the tongue. “Are you calling to dismiss the ridiculous case you have against her?” His tone was mocking, but beneath that it was laced with something else. Something I needed to ignore.

“What? No. I am calling to let you know the trial has been delayed. I’ll send you the paperwork tomorrow.”

His growl should have irritated me, but as usual it didn't. “I want to see the paperwork tonight. Bring it to my office since I’m here working late on this case.”

“Are you serious? I can have a courier bring it to you in the morning.”

Another chuckle out of him had me rolling my eyes. “On Saturday? I doubt that will happen and I'm not waiting until Monday.”

Fuck. I’d forgotten it was Friday. Most people would be out and about, but not me because I had no life outside of this job. “Fine." I relented, knowing he'd make this more an issue than I needed to risk. "I’ll bring it by on my way home. Will you still be there in an hour?”

“Well… as I just said, I'm working late because of a bogus case against a client. A case that requires overtime to clear her name.”

I rolled my eyes at his poor attempt to be funny. "Funny, Mr. Brighton. I didn't realize you were a comedian as well. Anyway… I'll see you in about an hour."

After disconnecting the call, I turned back to my computer. I needed to find something proving guilt, and I needed it fast. An hour later, still coming up empty-handed, I slammed my computer closed and tossed it into my bag. Shoving the file, along with the printed order from the judge that'd been delivered by courier thirty minutes ago, I headed out. My stomach growled, reminding me I hadn’t eaten since breakfast. After a little internal debate, I decided to bring food to Michael as an apology for the inconvenience of waiting on me. The truth was, with Riley pregnant, I knew they wanted this wrapped up soon and a delay would put her closer to her due date. Deep down, I wanted to find the evidence that either cleared her name or allowed me to put her behind bars.

The law offices where Michael worked was a modern building. It differed completely from the county offices I worked out of—mostly because it was new and not decrepit like the thirty-year-old building the city used. I threw my bag over my shoulder and cradled the bag of food in my elbow as I headed toward the door. It was locked, forcing me to know. My knuckles tapped across the glass pane, echoing through the empty space. For whatever reason, I was nervous. This was the second I'd see him face to face—the first time was something I had pushed far from my memory.

My gaze followed the silhouette of a man walking toward the door. Even from a distance and in the darkened room, I could tell he was tall and built. As he got closer, my stomach coiled with something familiar. The man staring at me from the other side of the glass was able to tie my insides in knots just by being—alive. This was going to test my restraint. There was no denying I wanted him… I wanted him all those nights ago but walked away. Staring at him now, I wasn’t sure I'd be able to do it a second time.

“Miss. Hill?” He opened the door and ushered me inside.

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