by Keeland, Vi
I raised a brow when she trailed off. “Helpful?”
She chuckled. “I was going to say you’re a very good friend. But yeah. You’re helpful.”
I tugged a piece of her hair. “Is that how you think of me? As a good friend?”
“Yeah.” She looked down, but nodded. “You’re a good friend.”
I reached out and touched the wrist of her hand currently fiddling with her earring. At first she was confused, but then she realized what I was pointing out.
Autumn covered her mouth. “Oh my God.”
I smiled and winked. “I can’t wait to make you say those words again soon, liar.”
CHAPTER 13
* * *
Autumn
Eight years ago
“One more.” Nick held the bottle of tequila out to me.
I shook my head. “No way. I’ve already hit my limit.”
My friend Felicia thumbed toward me. “Her limit is one. Give me that.”
Nick rolled his eyes. “I thought we were celebrating you kicking all our asses on the calc test.”
“We are. But I celebrate responsibly. You get blackout drunk and strip naked while standing at the drive-thru ordering Taco Bell, then get belligerent when the woman at the pickup window won’t give you your food.”
Nick grinned. “That was once, and that woman really needed to loosen up.”
Felicia and I laughed. “I think we’ve discovered the reason we’re celebrating my perfect score on the test and not your sixty.”
Nick took the bottle from Felicia and knocked back another long swig before handing it to one of his frat brothers. “Dance with me, ladies.”
I looked around. No one else at the party was dancing, but that never stopped Nick, and man, could he dance. I shrugged. “Sure. Why not?”
Nick made a big commotion about needing more space in the living room and then yelled to his buddy to turn up the music. By the time we were halfway through the song, most of the party had joined in. Nick stood in front of me and stuck his ass out, and I pretended to smack it. Felicia and I sandwiched him between us and gyrated our hips as we moved up and down. It was harmless—the three of us had been goofing around since we met at freshman orientation last year. Plus, Nick was more into our Calc TA, Ian, than he was Felicia or me.
We danced a few more songs and then sang along to a new Ariana Grande ballad while acting it out. At one point, I turned, pretending to be the girl in the song who walks away, and I happened to look across the room. My eyes met Braden’s. I blinked a few times. I’d had a couple of drinks, but that couldn’t be him. Though it looked exactly like him… Anyway, whoever it was did not look very happy. The guy stood in the corner of the room and made no effort to come toward me, even though he was very clearly staring. I motioned to my friends that I’d be back and headed toward the guy, wiping sweat from my forehead.
“Oh my God, it’s really you. I thought I was seeing things.” I smiled. “What are you doing here? I had no idea you were coming up this weekend.”
“Obviously. I came to visit my girlfriend and find her grinding on some guy. So I guess that makes two of us surprised.”
I waved toward my friend. “That’s just Nick. I’ve mentioned him.”
“Pretty sure you said you study together, not dry hump.”
“Nick’s gay. He’s not interested in me. We’re just having fun.”
“Having fun making me look like an idiot?”
“How am I making you look like an idiot?”
Someone turned the music up even higher. Braden frowned. He had to lean forward and yell just so I could hear him. “This isn’t my scene. I’m going to go. I’ll see you whenever the next time you come home is.”
“Go? What? No. Don’t be ridiculous. Let me just tell my friends I’m leaving. I’ll be right back.”
I squeezed through the crowd to make my way back to Nick and Felicia. I could barely hear myself as I yelled to them over the music. But I pointed to Braden and waved goodbye, and they seemed to get what I was trying to tell them.
I walked back to Braden, and we headed outside together. When I stepped outside onto the porch, my friend Jason didn’t see the guy behind me and engulfed me in a bear hug.
“There she is. Be my beer-pong partner, gorgeous?”
I could feel the tension radiating off the man behind me before I even turned around. Disentangling myself from Jason, I said, “Umm…I’m just heading out. This is my boyfriend, Braden.”
Jason held out his hand. “Braden, you lucky bastard.”
Braden looked down at his hand and back up at him without saying a word, then folded his arms across his chest.
Jason might’ve been drinking for a few hours, but there was no way he could miss the cold shoulder. He took the hint and pulled back his hand. “Alrighty then.” He caught my eye. “You good, Autumn?”
I smiled, appreciative of his concern, however misplaced it was. “Yeah, I’m good. Thanks, Jason.”
Braden and I walked down the stairs and crossed over the lawn. He veered right at the sidewalk, so I followed his lead, even though my dorm was to the left. We passed a few more fraternity houses as we walked down the block in silence. When we came upon a BMW, Braden walked toward it.
“Is this what you’re driving? Whose car is it?”
He walked around the passenger side and opened the door for me. “It’s mine.”
“Yours? What happened to the Toyota?”
“I got rid of it. I figured I needed a nicer car to take clients out, now that I have a job.”
My eyes widened. “You got the job? Which one?”
“I got offers from three. But I took the job at Andrews and Wilde.”
“You took the job at our dads’ firm? I thought you didn’t want to do that?”
“I thought it over. It was the best offer. Plus, I’ll get to try cases a lot sooner than I would at other places.”
“Wow. Congratulations!” I threw my arms around his neck and squeezed. Braden didn’t hug me back, but he also didn’t stop me. “I’m so proud of you.”
“Thanks.” He nodded toward the open car door. “Why don’t you get in?”
Once we were both inside and buckled, I decided to clear the air. While I was surprised to see Braden, I really was happy he was here. “Listen, I didn’t mean to upset you by my dancing with Nick. I guess I just see him as harmless since he doesn’t like girls, and we were just dancing.”
“Grinding isn’t dancing. It’s simulating sex. Even if the guy isn’t interested, you’re putting a show on for a damn frat house, Autumn.”
I’d never thought of it like that. In fact, I’d never actually given dancing any thought at all. We’d just have a few drinks and burn off some stress. “I’m sorry. I didn’t look at it that way. But I guess you’re right.”
Braden kept shaking his head and staring at the road, even though we were still parked. “Is this what you do every weekend? Go to fraternity houses and get drunk? Play beer pong and act like a whore?”
My head snapped back. “Whore? I don’t act like a whore. I might’ve been dancing with my friends, but don’t call me a whore.”
“Then maybe try not acting like one.”
“I apologized. I said I wasn’t thinking about how my dancing might appear to others. But don’t call me a whore. In fact, don’t call me any names.” I unbuckled and grabbed for the door handle. As I went to open it, Braden caught my other wrist. His grip was really tight.
“Owww. You’re hurting me. Let go.”
Braden’s jaw flexed. He stared right at me, but I felt like he wasn’t actually seeing me. “Braden, let go. That hurts.”
After a few more heartbeats, he released my hand. “Stay. Don’t get out.”
I rubbed my wrist. “That hurt, Braden.”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean it. I just wanted to stop you from leaving.”
Something about the incident didn’t sit right, and my gut told me to get out.
B
ut Braden stroked my hair. “I’m sorry, babe. Sorry about it all—for calling you a name and for squeezing you too hard.” He lifted my wrist to his mouth and kissed the inside. “I just drove all the way up after work to surprise you and tell you the good news, and when I found you, you were all over another guy, and then some other guy grabbed you.” He shook his head. “I overreacted. I love you. Forgive me?”
I felt bad. He’d driven five hours up to Boston only to find me rubbing myself all over another guy. “It’s okay. Just please don’t let it happen again.”
He smiled. “It won’t.” Leaning across the center console, he brushed hair from my face. “I missed you. I’m glad I found you.”
I softened. “I missed you, too.”
As he started the car, it dawned on me for the first time that he had found me. “How did you know where I was tonight?”
“Your iPhone. Location tracker.”
“Oh.” I thought a minute. “I didn’t realize I had that on. Don’t I have to grant you access or something?”
Braden shrugged and held out his hand. “I guess you did at some point.”
Again, I had a fleeting funny feeling. But this was my boyfriend of two years… I’d probably shared my location with him at some point and just didn’t remember. So I pushed it aside and laced my fingers with his.
Yet for the rest of the weekend, I couldn’t shake this niggling feeling. I kept trying to remember exactly when I’d shared my location with Braden. I had a pretty good memory, yet no matter how long and hard I thought, I couldn’t ever recall doing it.
CHAPTER 14
* * *
Donovan
“Come on, Elliott. Work with me on this.”
Elliott Silver tossed a file from his desk over to a folding table set up on the right. The file hit a giant pile and knocked two other folders to the floor. He frowned.
I definitely didn’t miss my days at the DA’s office.
“He’s got two priors and he’s twelve, Decker. He also broke two bones in the guy’s nose—the violence is escalating. This is exactly the type of case I shouldn’t cut a deal on.”
“What if we give you a dealer?”
Elliott waved his hands around his office. “Do I look like I need another case?”
“This wouldn’t be another case. It would be a better case. You can get rid of this nickel-and-dime shit on a minor and put away a guy whose been polluting the streets with drugs for years.”
He shook his head. “No offense, Decker, but all I gotta do is drive my car over to just about any corner in that neighborhood, roll down my window, and flash some green—I can pick up a drug dealer. Why am I going to let some punk off when I don’t need whatever he’s got?”
This was turning out to be harder than I’d thought. “Storm isn’t a punk. He’s a good kid with good grades who just got screwed over in life. He’s a victim of his surroundings. Putting him in juvey is only going to compound that, not make it better.”
Elliott squinted at me before chuckling. “Damn. You’ve gotten even better over the years. I almost believe you think this kid’s got a chance.”
I blew out a deep breath. This kid does have a chance. I know it because I was this damn kid. I’m generally not the kind of guy to lord shit over people, but I felt pretty desperate right now.
I leaned forward in my seat. “Listen. Didn’t you ever make a mistake?”
“Did I ever break another person’s nose? No, I haven’t.”
“Okay, but you have to have made some mistake.” I hesitated, because it’s really not my style to threaten someone—at least not since I grew up. But fuck. I needed this, for more reasons than one. “Maybe here at work once even? Didn’t you ever make a mistake that could have screwed you somehow, and someone somewhere gave you a second chance?”
Elliott had started packing up his briefcase, but he stopped in his tracks and looked up at me. During our first year in the DA’s office, he’d royally screwed up a case—broke confidentiality to a woman he was sleeping with, who it turned out was the drug dealer’s sister setting him up. I’d taken the case over and buried it for him, cutting a deal the guy didn’t deserve.
He held my eyes as he shook his head. “You’re a motherfucker, you know that?”
I bowed my head and nodded, too ashamed to look the guy in the eye. “I need this one, Elliott.”
He resumed shoving files into his briefcase and spoke between gritted teeth. “Fine. But I’m not dropping the charges right away. He’s going into a pre-trial diversion program. He goes to a psychologist weekly for a year, enrolls in an anger-management program, and does fifty hours of community service.” He held up a finger in warning. “If and when he completes everything, and provided he gets into no further trouble, then I’ll drop the charges.”
I inwardly fist pumped. “Deal.”
Elliott looked me straight in the eye. “And we’re even after this. I’m not fucking around, Decker. Don’t pull this shit on me again.”
I nodded. “Understood.”
He motioned to the door behind me. “Now get the hell out of my office.”
***
“Why are you so late?” Juliette wiped her mouth, crumpled up her napkin, and tossed it into her empty food container on the table.
I reached for the bag and pulled out my lunch. They’d phoned in our usual Wednesday order while I was on my way back from the DA’s office.
“I was downtown on a case.”
“Oh yeah? What undeserving billionaire did you save today?”
I sat down and opened my Szechuan shrimp and broccoli. “Today I used my superpowers for the good of a child, if you must know.”
Trent and Juliette looked at each other. “Have you figured out a game plan for how you’re going to handle things?” she asked.
I picked up a shrimp with my chopsticks and popped it into my mouth. “No game plan needed. Worked out a deal.”
Juliette shook her head. “I wasn’t referring to the kid. I meant his social worker.”
My forehead wrinkled, and I shrugged. “I haven’t told her yet. But I’m sure she’ll be happy about it.”
“I meant how are you going to handle things once you’re sleeping with her again? Or has that already happened? We haven’t seen you in a few days...”
“I’m not sleeping with Autumn, Mom and Dad. But if I was, why would I need a game plan? It’s pretty simple…sort of like doing the vertical hokey pokey. You put your penis in, you pull your penis out, you put your penis in, and you shake it all about. I can write down directions, if you want. I know it’s been a while for both of you.”
Juliette had been nibbling on the end of her chopstick, but she now used it to jab into my arm. “Seriously, dumbass. What are you going to do about Dickson?”
“Well, I’m not going to do the vertical hokey pokey with him.”
“Stop being a jerk, and be serious for a minute,” she said. “You need Dickson’s vote. Do you really think that when he finds out you’re banging the woman he’s been seeing, he’s going to vote for you?”
“First of all, I’m not sleeping with Autumn, and second of all, if I was, it wouldn’t be any of his business.”
Juliette frowned. “So that’s your plan? You don’t have one.”
I looked at Trent as the voice of reason. “What am I missing here? What plans should I have?”
Trent sucked on the straw in his soda until it made an empty slurping sound. “Your plan should be to retreat, at least until after the partner vote.”
“How can I retreat from a case?”
Juliette rolled her eyes. “You just said yourself that you settled the case she’s involved with. You call her and give her the good news, and then you don’t speak with her again for a month or so.”
I’d been thinking more along the lines of telling her in person and suggesting we have a drink to celebrate. But I didn’t mention that. “You’re worrying about nothing.”
We ate our lunch in a conference
room with glass walls, basically a fish bowl. Just as I lifted another piece of shrimp to my mouth, none other than Dickson himself walked by. He glanced inside, saw me, and opened the door.
“Decker, what’s going on with the Stone case?”
What an idiot. I knew what he meant, but why let him off easy? “Stone? Did it just come in? I’m not familiar with it.”
His lips pursed. “You don’t even remember the damn kid’s name? The pro bono I assigned you…”
“Oh! Storm. My client’s name is Storm.”
“Whatever. Where are you on that?”
No way was I letting him call Autumn with my good news. “I’m in talks with the DA. It’s looking promising.”
He nodded. “Good. Make it happen. This case is important to me. Keep me updated.”
I gritted my teeth and plastered on a politician’s smile. “Sure thing.”
Just as he turned to go, he said, “I don’t think I have to remind you that you have a lot riding on how things go the next month. Make sure you give every case your all—even the ones we don’t get paid for. Don’t just skim the surface because there’s no billable hours involved.”
As if he actually gave a flying shit about pro bono cases. Last year when my freebie case was for a nursing-home resident, he’d told me the time I put in should be in proportion to how long the woman was going to last.
My jaw flexed. “Of course. I won’t skim. I’ll penetrate as deep as possible.”
From the corner of my eye, I saw Juliette’s eyes widen. She quickly looked away. If Dickson noticed, he didn’t show it. He looked between the three of us and nodded. “Good. Keep me updated.”
As soon as the door closed and he was out in the hallway, Juliette’s eyes bulged. “Are you nuts?”