by Lauren Wood
All of the partners and a few of the other lowly attorneys like me were already gathered. The table was stacked with files along with a courtesy box of doughnuts and several bottles of water. A fresh pot of coffee was brewing in the corner. Whatever this was, it was big; we were going to be in here for a while. I braced myself, pulling out my pen and paper to take notes.
“The Halsteads,” he announced from the front of the room. “As in Halstead Corporation. Who’s heard of them?”
I nearly raised my hand out of instinct, thinking the name sounded familiar, but I couldn’t quite place it. Thankfully, George had a whole PowerPoint prepared and began flashing images of the men across the screen. I was only half paying attention until one of the images stopped my heart cold.
Eric Halstead. The worst date of my life was staring back at me from the screen, and I could only assume that he was one of our firm’s newest clients. This couldn’t get any worse, I thought.
“If you didn’t know them before, I expect you to now,” George continued. “You’ll familiarize yourselves with each of the four brothers and their lives, their business dealings, and everything within the company. We now eat, sleep, and breathe all things Halstead.”
My stomach turned. I had to pinch myself to make sure I hadn’t drifted off at my desk and slipped into a horrible nightmare. But as he went on, I had to accept this was very much real whether I liked it or not.
“This is Jason Halstead and his late wife, Anna,” he clicked to a new picture on the screen. “Anna was having an affair and was, sadly, murdered by her lover as a means to blackmail the Halstead brothers. He attempted to frame Jason for the murder and walked away with quite a bit of money. Unfortunately, he came back to try the brothers for even more money the following year, prompting them to finally go to the authorities.”
I groaned to myself, thinking with the impression I had of Eric, it wasn’t surprising they had gotten themselves into such a mess. If Jason was anything like Eric, I couldn’t blame the woman for cheating – I only felt bad that she got murdered in the process.
“In going to the authorities, the murderer told them everything he had dug up on the Halstead brothers. The information he gave to the authorities has launched a full-blown investigation into Halstead Corporation. We have been hired to ensure the Halsteads - and their company - come out of that investigation unscathed. And should any of the alleged crimes make it to court, it’s up to us to be prepared in advance to get it thrown out.”
My stomach sank even further. An investigation into multiple allegations is not a brief ordeal. George wasn’t kidding. We would be obsessing over the Halsteads for months, maybe even years to come. With my help, maybe it could all get wrapped up sooner. That’d be my normal strategy, if it didn’t put me face to face with one of my least favorite men on the planet.
I couldn’t very well raise my hand in front of everyone to explain the conflict of interest and ask to be excused from the team. It’d be just as scandalous to pull George aside and break the news to him. All I could do was sit and listen and wait, and so I did. For three long grueling hours I listened intently to the briefing on everything about the Halsteads.
They were all handsome, rich, powerful men. Jason had just remarried, but the rest of the brothers were single – at least in the eyes of the law. Who knew how many girlfriends they were each stringing along? Eric was notorious for taking frequent trips out of the country and seemed to be the least involved in the company, but still received the same salary as his more involved brothers to pile on top of his inherited millions.
Most of the things they were being accused of were pretty standard in big, greedy corporation cases and easy to work around as long as you had a pricey team of prominent lawyers – like ourselves. These issues were the kind of things that would come up with any billion-dollar company if it went under the microscope. But this was an ongoing investigation, and there was no telling what would come up along the way.
I wasn’t worried. I had plenty of other cases on my plate and considering the conflict of interest, I knew it’d be no trouble to excuse myself from the team. As the briefing adjourned, I stuck around, waiting for the rest of the team to straggle out and return to their offices until, finally, it was only George and I left in the room.
“Pretty exciting stuff, eh Liz?”
“Um, yes…exciting indeed. But actually sir, I need to…”
“Listen, Liz. You don’t have to say it. I know,” he strolled over and took the seat next to mine.
I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. What did he mean – he knew? I hadn’t told anyone about that awful night…how could he possibly know?
“You’re overwhelmed with cases as it is,” he smiled sympathetically.
“I am,” I sighed with relief. “But that’s not actually what I need to…”
“I know we pile a lot on attorneys in their first years at the firm, but even knowing that – we’ve put too much on you. Don’t be ashamed. It’s more than any of us could handle. That’s why I’ve signed off on hiring a handful of new interns and paralegals. I’m putting them in your charge so you can pass off some of the smaller cases to them. I want you completely focused on this Halstead case. It’s high profile, after all.”
“Oh, my…sir, thank you, but really…”
“Liz, you’re hard-working, thorough, clever, and one of the best damned lawyers I’ve had the pleasure of working with in many years. I can assure you, if this case goes well and the Halsteads walk away happy you will be made partner.”
I swallowed hard, feeling as if all the words were sucked right out of my mouth. I knew I needed to explain the bad blood with Eric, but really – it was only one date. I hadn’t thought about it at all that much since it happened. I hadn’t even recognized his name at first. Who’s to say I had remembered it at all?
I couldn’t let this asshole stand in the way of me being made partner. I would just have to bite back my disdain for him and throw myself into this case like I would with any other.
“Thank you, sir,” I smiled and shook his hand, excusing myself to freak out in my office. I felt like I was staring down the barrel of a gun, but soon…I would be made partner. It would all be worth it.
3
Eric
For as much as Jason’s new wife, Tara, had brought him back to life – I could see the dismay written all over his face as my brothers and I sat around the table at his mansion. The topic looming over us was the last thing that needed to be put in order before he could bid his old life farewell for good. It was also the only thing holding me back from starting my new life – whatever that looked like.
“How bad is it?” Jason asked with a heavy sigh, bracing himself.
Poor guy just got back from his honeymoon, only to be hit with this first thing.
“We don’t know yet,” Dominic told him in a slow steady tone, trying to sound confident and reassuring – almost like a sensitive, but realistic doctor diagnosing someone with cancer. “But it has the potential to be bad. So, we’re being proactive. The team of lawyers I’ve put together are some of the best around, maybe even in the whole country.”
Jason dragged his palms down his face, almost looking like he was on the verge of tears – but the kind filled with rage. “That asshole. That despicable rat scum of the earth! It wasn’t enough that he…that he took Anna away from me…that he took my kids’ mother away. But then he threatened to take Tara too. And now this! I can’t even believe the authorities believed whatever bullshit he told them!”
Jesse nodded in sullen agreement, putting a hand on Jason’s shoulder in reassurance.
Dominic straightened, not wanting to get swept away in the unfairness of it all. He had to be the voice of reason. “Except it’s not bullshit. The information he gave to the feds was enough to warrant an investigation. That’s fair. They’re not taking his word for it. They’re finding out for themselves. And as for him, he still has to face the consequences of what he’s done.”
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“Right,” Jason scoffed sarcastically.
“He’s facing charges of kidnapping, blackmail, false imprisonment, murder, obstruction of justice…the list goes on. He’s going away to prison for the rest of his life. No doubt about it.”
We all watched as the lines in Jason’s face deepened. We were all thinking the same thing, even Dominic. It still wasn’t enough for what he had put our family through.
Everyone suspected that Jason’s first wife, Anna, had been having an affair. It wasn’t uncommon for wives in our high society circles to cheat on their husbands. They married for money and status, not for love. Then they did whatever they wanted on the side. Maybe that’s why my brothers and I never wanted to get married – so we didn’t have to worry about that kind of thing.
But Jason loved Anna, and even after he found out what she was doing, he stayed with her and didn’t say a word. He was too hurt to confront her about it, and he didn’t want to lose any time with his kids. Unfortunately, Anna’s lover was just with her in hopes of squeezing some money out of us. He tried to blackmail us, and when that didn’t work – he killed Anna, trying to frame Jason for it.
It was an impressive frame job, and Jason was scared he wouldn’t be able to prove his innocence. We paid the bastard off. Jason was eager to get rid of the guy and put the whole thing behind him without facing a murder scandal. But of course, as soon as he was close to finding a second chance at happiness, the sick monster popped up again – demanding more money. We knew we couldn’t keep the charade up any longer. We had to turn him into the authorities, or he’d never go away. But turning him into the authorities also meant turning in ourselves for all the dirt he had dug up on us. We would now be held accountable for every bad or shady business deal we’d ever made.
“Maybe someone will torture him and murder him behind bars,” I offered. Dominic didn’t look pleased.
“What we have to focus on now is getting through this investigation. We have a meeting with the lawyers first thing tomorrow morning. They’ll tell us everything they know so far and what they’re doing to mitigate any charges that could be brought against us.”
“And when the investigation is over?” I asked. “Assuming none of us get thrown in jail, that is.”
“No one’s going to jail,” he insisted, but none of us were convinced. He didn’t even look confident saying it. It was more of a pacifier to keep us all calm. “But there is a freeze on everything until this mess is finished, like I told you. When it’s over, whatever happens…you’ll be free to cash out on your stocks in the company. You’ll be free to…do whatever it is you’re going to do.”
Jesse turned to me, looking slightly jealous, but mostly resentful. “And what exactly is that again?”
“I don’t know yet. Maybe boats. I’ve always liked boats. I could start a rental business…or maybe refurbish them. Something small and simple like that. I’ll move out of the city and live somewhere quiet.”
They all shook their heads. They just didn’t get it. My brothers wanted to support me, and they knew it was the best option. They would have preferred that I just man up and slave away at our father’s company like them. But I had done a good enough job slacking off over the years that they knew that was never going to happen. If I wasn’t going to help, I might as well give them permission to cut off the dead weight.
“I’m texting you all the address for tomorrow morning,” Jason told us, pulling out his phone. “Everyone has to be there. And I expect your full cooperation with the lawyers. Remember – they’re not the FBI. They’re hired by us to help. And that’s just what they’ll do as long as we tell them everything they need to know. There’s no point in lying to them.”
“It’s not our first rodeo,” I quipped.
It’s not that any of us were terrible guys, but the only fun part about the work we did was taking gambles here and there and pushing the limits of what we could legally do to make even more money. We never screwed over the little guy – only other billionaires like us who could take a hit. And rest assured they were doing the same thing, so really it was more of an ongoing exchange of money between the wealthy.
We each had been in a little trouble here and there, but our family lawyer always handled those matters – saving our asses every time without fail. The fact that this required a whole team didn’t look good, but surely it wasn’t anything we couldn’t survive. Or so I hoped.
The next morning, we strolled into the meeting with the lawyers, and I immediately noticed a huge problem with them. Well, really it was with just one of them. A tall brunette with legs to die for sat at the head of the table in a tight-fitting suit that I was just dying to take off of her. It had been a while since I had seen a woman that truly excited me. The thrill of the chase with women wore off a while ago. But this lady was flawless.
I couldn’t stop staring at her. She noticed a few times, but it only made her avoid eye contact with me more. Back in the day, it would have been horrible for me to go after a lawyer working for us. I wouldn’t have returned her calls after I got her into bed, and it probably would have sabotaged the whole case for us.
But now…I was trying to start a new life. I was prepared to do it on my own, but one look at this chick had me wondering if I could settle down with a woman like that.
4
Liz
The meeting with the Halstead brothers was even worse than I’d imagined it would be. All four of them were tall and built – dashing muscular men each with their own distinct charms and looks. They were all breathtakingly handsome, well-dressed, and moved with an intimidating force of confidence. It was a lot to put together in a room.
But knowing that they were probably all like Eric made me a hell of a lot more immune to their charms, which was good. The potential charges from this investigation weren’t matters of life or death, but they could put millions of dollars on the line. Each of them could potentially face jail time, which they would never serve - it was our job to see to that. They could make enough charitable donations to count as community service hours to keep themselves from behind bars, but it wouldn’t keep the charges off their records.
In short, I needed to focus. The happier the Halsteads were with the way things went, the more secure my pending partnership at the firm would be. The only thing distracting me was Eric. I felt sick to my stomach with the way he wouldn’t stop looking at me. I assumed it was because he recognized me from that sad, pitiful excuse for a date.
So why wouldn’t he be embarrassed and recoil, pretending like the whole thing never happened? Didn’t he care that the woman responsible for defending him against the charges also happened to hate his guts? It was a bold move to keep gawking at me and smiling like a dreamy schoolboy any time I made the mistake of looking his way.
I managed to ignore him well enough to focus on briefing the brothers on the investigation so far and what we were preparing for any potential defenses needed. George was taking the lead for this one, but I knew that as things progressed, I would be tested and put at the forefront of these client discussions. It would be one of several final hurdles to jump through to secure my place as a full partner in our firm.
As things came to a close, Dominic and Jason were the only ones to ask questions. Good, I thought. Maybe I’d end up dealing with them more than Eric. They graciously said their goodbyes and made it clear that each of them would be available to us for anything we needed, anything at all. I made sure not to look at Eric, but I could see him out of the corner of my eye - raising his eyebrows at me suggestively.
I rushed to pack my things away and return to my office before having to face Eric, but I wasn’t fast enough. George showed the others out while the rest of the team returned to their desks. Eric stayed behind, and it quickly became clear that he was sticking around on purpose. He wanted to be in the room alone with me. Maybe he just wanted to apologize and clear the air. It would be in his best interest to attempt something like that, since his fate currently
rested in my hands.
“So, I guess you and I will be working very closely together,” his words broke through the awkward silence hanging heavily in the air.
“I’ll be working with each of you closely,” I replied through tight lips, not bothering to look up as I threw the last of my things into my briefcase.
I attempted to make a bee line for the door, but he was quick to jump in front of me, holding out his hand to shake. “Even still…I wanted to personally introduce myself. I’m Eric.”
His hand hung there in front of me, and I was forced to take him in up close all over again. He hadn’t changed a bit, other than a year or so of more rugged handsomeness that comes with age. He still had the same striking hazel eyes that sparked with mischief. His smile was only slightly crooked, but in an endearing way, and it revealed the most flawless pearly white teeth. The sight of him could still take my breath away no matter how hard I fought against it.
But the allure quickly faded as I realized one very important fact. Not only was he rude and disrespectful on that awful date, but he didn’t even remember it. He didn’t remember me. And now he had the nerve to stand here and attempt a repeat at the same disaster as if I was a whole new woman. I guess to him, I was. He was shameless. He’d throw himself at any pretty woman he found himself in front of.
I pursed my lips, feeling tempted to spit on him. I didn’t care how gorgeous he was. He still made my blood boil. “Actually, we’ve met,” I hissed, trying to push past him.
It caught him off guard enough to give me leeway to slip past. I left him standing there cluelessly as he rapidly tried to piece it together. The brief glimpse of his face as I rounded the corner back to my office nearly made me laugh out loud. Poor guy, I thought. He’s probably not used to using his brain so much. You could practically see him wincing in pain.