Temptations - The Complete Series

by Annie Jocoby

  We all raised our glasses in toast, and Harry continued on.

  “As you probably know, we lost Malcolm, who was our founding father. Our firm will continue on without him, as I will be taking over his cases and his duties. My own cases, the ones that I was working on, will be evenly distributed amongst the rest of this team. We can have a smooth transition, because Malcolm prepared documents that would help ease the necessary growing pains that occur in situations such as this one.” He sat down. “I’ll be happy to entertain any questions that you have about this.”

  I played with my fork while I thought about what to ask and how to ask it. Cindy had no such qualms, for she piped right up. “I have a question. I heard that Malcolm wasn’t solvent, and that he was using the firm’s funds for his own slush gambling fund. And that the firm isn’t solvent now, either. I guess I need to ask if we all need to find another job.”

  Harry took a deep breath, and I closed my eyes and felt acute anxiety coming from him. I could feel his chest tightening and his heart start to race, and, as I felt his emotions flood through my own body, and I knew that I was going to have to speak with Slade about the firm. If there was the possibility that our firm was going under, would Charlotte still be as adamant that Slade’s mother had to be represented by us? What would happen in case the firm fell?

  That was an open question. I knew that Charlotte had stipulated that my firm had to represent Margot, and, apparently, that was because she wanted Derek working with me in close quarters. That was part of her plan to torment me. If the firm went belly-up, though, would she renege on the deal? If she did, I would be put into danger again. Her career would be ruined, because Slade would release those documents about her youth to the media contact he knew.

  Harry took another deep breath and cleared his throat. “I’m not going to lie to you. I have been finding out some disturbing realities as I have been looking through Malcolm’s books. He apparently was in debt to the Garancino family for quite a lot of money. With interest and penalties and all of that, it appears that his debt to that family was in the millions. I have an accountant who is trying to sort the entire thing out, even as we speak.”

  I cocked my head, wondering if anyone was going to put two and two together. Everyone knew that Malcolm killed Sam. Nobody knew any motive. I wondered if anyone would figure out that Malcolm’s debt to the Garancinos had anything at all to do with Sam’s murder. If anyone figured that out, the trail would inevitably lead to Charlotte. That, of course, would be dangerous for me, because Slade said that if Charlotte ever got into trouble for what she did, she would have nothing to lose. Her family would then put a hit on me, and that would be it.

  I drummed my fingers on the table, watching Derek and fantasizing about Derek and Charlotte being in the same car. In my mind’s eye, I saw myself cutting the brakes of this car and the two of them careening off a cliff. That was an image that made me smile, I’m not going to lie.

  “You ever go to the mountains?” I asked Derek, just out of the blue.

  He gave me a weird look. “I haven’t. I just got here. But I’m sure that I will. I’m looking into getting a place in Big Bear.” Big Bear was a mountain resort that was just north of us. I had been up there in the wintertime, and it was freezing and snowing. It was a bit of a miserable experience for me, because I had grown accustomed to gorgeous year-round weather, but I went to hang out with Donny, whose cousin had a cabin up there.

  As I drummed my fingers on the table some more, I barely listened to Harry. I knew what was going on, and I was going to have to talk to Slade about it. What I was doing, instead of listening to Harry, was furthering my fantasy. I had been up on the roads to Big Bear. I was surprised that there weren’t more accidents, because those roads were winding and there were very few guard rails. The people who drove those roads weren’t careful, either. They were people who drove those roads all the time, so, even when the conditions were poor, nobody really slowed down. It would be so easy for a car just to fall off that mountain, really. Just fall off the mountain…I wondered if cars exploded once they got to the bottom, like in the movies.

  Harry brought me back into the conversation. “Serena, you’ve been quiet. What’s on your mind?”

  Seeing Derek burned alive as his car careens off a cliff and bursts into flames. “I guess I’m not surprised by any of this. Malcolm killed a man. That tells you right there that he was leading a double life. Gambling debts go right along with that, although I am surprised that he owed so much. How do you even gamble away millions? That’s just beyond me.”

  Harry just shrugged his shoulders. “He was a high-roller. Apparently he was a VIP at many Vegas casinos, not to mention casinos in Monte Carlo. That’s where he really got into trouble. He enjoyed playing high stakes wherever he went. I guess the gambling was an addiction, but so was the feeling of being important. He was treated like royalty at these casinos, apparently, and that must have been a real high for him as well.” He shook his head. “At least, that’s what my wife was telling me when I told her about Malcolm’s problems. She’s a therapist, and she treats people with addictions. She’s seen gambling addicts, and they’re addicted to the lifestyle that comes with the game, as much as they are addicted to the game itself. That said, he has also gotten into trouble with online gambling.”

  “I guess that answers my question.”

  Harry took another deep breath. “Serena, I need to speak with you alone.”

  I looked around the table at everyone who was looking at me with quizzical expressions. Nobody seemed to know what Harry needed to talk to me about.

  “Okay,” I said. I pointed to a table that was at the far end of the room. Harry had rented out the entire room of the restaurant, and I hoped that the table was far enough away that the others wouldn’t be able to hear what we were talking about.

  We went to the table, and I saw Cindy looking at us. She was dying to know what was being said, and I wondered if she knew how to read lips. She probably did – she was that nosy and that much up in everyone’s business all the time. Lip-reading would be a skill that she would definitely be into. “What did you need to say to me?” I asked Harry.

  “You’re angry about Malcolm. I don’t blame you. He apparently framed your…significant other. That’s something that is pretty unforgivable.”

  “Yes, yes it is.”

  “I just wanted you to know that I get why you’re angry with Malcolm. And I hope that it doesn’t impair your relationship with the rest of us. We need you on our team, Serena, now more than ever. You’re one of the best attorneys we have, even though you’ve technically not yet been an attorney with our firm. I’m sure you passed that bar with flying colors, though, so I’m not worried about that.” He narrowed his eyes. “I’m quite sure that your special abilities come in handy when you’re selecting a jury.”

  “Yes, yes they do,” I said. That was the truth. I could pinpoint who was telling the truth on any given jury, and that skill was invaluable. That was the one thing that I had over most other attorneys.

  “So, I guess what I’m trying to say is – please don’t leave us. We’re going to get through this mess with the gambling debts and insolvency. It won’t be easy, but we’ll get through it.”

  I nodded my head. “Okay. Is there anything else that you needed to say to me?”

  “No.”

  At that, we went back over to the main table. He didn’t know it, of course, but he really didn’t need to give me that little pep talk. I was already committed to the firm, come hell or high water. We were going to represent Margot, after all, assuming that she was arrested for Hugh’s murder.

  Everybody gave their order to the waitress who had come around our table. Everyone ordered some kind of seafood, and I just ordered cucumber sushi rolls and a salad with vinegar and oil. There were times when I almost wished that I weren’t a vegan – times when I saw everyone else indulging in what looked like amazing seafood was one of those times. I could never be
tempted by pork or beef – I knew those animals, cows and pigs, and I knew that they had emotions just like humans. I couldn’t imagine eating them. But fish…that was kind of a different story. Nonetheless, I didn’t want any creature to give his life for me, so I just didn’t go there.

  There was plenty of wine to go around, even though it technically was in the middle of the work day. I guess nobody really cared all that much, as our office building was within walking distance of this particular restaurant and most of us actually did walk. Some people took their cars, which was silly. Others hailed a pedi-cab, which were ubiquitous in downtown San Diego. These were little cabs that were driven by boys and girls on bicycles. I used to call them rickshaws, because that was what they reminded me of – rickshaws that I used to see in old books about China. I half thought that I would see Donny or Michael on one of those things, because that seemed to be what they would really like to be doing – enjoying the sunshine, getting some exercise, all while getting paid. They would say that was the life for them.

  While everyone else was actively trying to get to know the new guy, while gossiping and fretting about the future of our firm, I sat back and silently watched all my co-workers. I didn’t have a word to say to Derek, of course. He kept looking over at me, and he made my skin crawl every time. I tried not to feel the icy feeling of panic and fear, but, every so once in awhile, those feelings crept back in. I shook off those feelings and soldiered on.

  The food came, and I dug in while drinking more wine. I was going to end up stumbling back to my job at that rate, but so was everyone else. By the looks of things, everyone was trying to forget about the fact that the firm was on its last legs, thanks to Malcolm, by drinking a shit-ton of wine. What did concern me was that Derek was drinking wine, right along with the rest of the people, and I thought I saw him leering at me.

  He put his hand on my leg, and I thought I was going to vomit. I swallowed hard as he leaned down and said “you know, you grew up to be really hot. I mean, you were smoking in high school. That’s why I wanted you back then. I hope that you know that. But the way you look now…” He whistled low. “I could really hit that.”

  I swallowed hard, and firmly attempted to move his hand from my leg, but I couldn’t. The more I tried to get his hand off of me, the harder he gripped. All at once, it all came flooding back to me. The way he was holding onto me, even though I was trying to get away, brought it all back to me. I found myself involuntarily making a fist and punching him, right in the face.

  I looked around and noticed that everyone had stopped talking and drinking, and were just staring right at me. Derek had finally taken his hand off of my leg, as he rubbed his face and glared at me. I said nothing, but just got up and went to the bathroom with my purse.

  Halfway there, I decided I didn’t want to go to the bathroom. I wanted out of this place. I needed out. I was shaking all over, and tears were streaming down my face. I found our waiter, explained the situation, and asked for my bill. He brought it out, I gave him my credit card, which he processed, and then I just left.

  I left the restaurant and got to the street. There were hundreds of people walking around, because it was lunchtime. I could have just walked over to my office, as it was extremely close, but I decided against that. I didn’t want to go back there, and I didn’t want to go home. I hadn’t yet moved in with Slade, although he was asking me to, especially since Derek was living right next door to me. I didn’t feel right doing that, though. Not like this. When I lived with him, it would be because I wanted to live with him, not because I had to. I didn’t like the feeling that I was forced into living with Slade before we were ready to make that step. So, thus far, I had refused him on this. I didn't mind staying with him for a period of time, but actually moving in with him - I wasn't there yet.

  Besides, he currently had his mother staying with him. I didn’t want to move in there while she was there, especially since her case was still so up in the air.

  I finally ended up walking into a bar in the Gaslamp District. It was an Irish pub, so it was dark and woody inside. The waitress came around and I ordered a dirty martini and some peanuts. I then called Slade, who picked up on the first ring.

  “Hey,” he said. “I’ve been thinking about you. How are things going over there?”

  “Not good. Listen, I need to talk to you. I’m kinda drunk, though, so I can’t drive to where you are.”

  “Where are you? I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

  I gave him the name of the bar, and he told me to sit tight, for he would be driving to meet me soon.

  I tapped my fingers on the bar, wondering about a multitude of things. Slade was about to be cleared by the prosecutor, which was wonderful. As soon as the charges were dropped, I would imagine he would want to return to his home in LA. He had a business to run, a business that he hadn’t paid enough attention to while this whole murder thing was going on. He had a large, beautiful mansion on one of the Malibu cliffs. He had a whole life up there, a life that I wasn’t a part of.

  So, there was that. We hadn’t yet talked about that - about what life was going to be like once things were settling in for him back at his home. It was unspoken that he was going to have to do something – either return back to LA to resume his life, or sell everything and move down here. He could very easily open up another location for his firm right here in San Diego, but I didn’t want to ask that of him. Logistically, it would be a nightmare, since all of his scientists and talent were in LA.

  There was also the matter of his mother, and the matter of my firm possibly going belly-up. That was complicated, too, since his mother would be charged in LA for the murder of Hugh. She was staying with him down here, and her firm, the one that she would have to go to, which was my firm, was here as well. But she was going to have to travel to LA to get things done in her case. So would I.

  And the firm…I shook my head. If it went insolvent, then what? Would Charlotte be satisfied if Margot was going to have to be represented by somebody else? What was with that whole deal, anyhow, unless she just wanted to make sure that I stayed at the firm with Derek there? Maybe that was the only reason why she stipulated that my firm represent Margot, and I was reading too much into it.

  I drank one dirty martini, and then another, while waiting for Slade to arrive, and I was starting to really feel it. I got up to use the restroom, and my legs felt like they weren’t quite a part of the rest of my body. Everyone there seemed like they were at the end of a long tunnel, and nothing seemed quite real.

  When I came back out, Slade was standing there at the bar, looking around. I waved and he saw me and came right over. “Serena, you don’t look so good,” he said, putting his hand on the small of my back. “Here, let me help you over to your seat.”

  “I’m good,” I said, knowing that I was slurring my words. I sat down and he sat down right next to me. He put his arm around me and put his finger on my chin. I looked right at him, and I felt immediately calmed. He had that effect on me – whenever I was around him, I felt like my best self. No matter what was happening in my life, I felt elevated whenever he was in my presence.

  “So,” he said, with a slight smirk on his face. “Drunky, what is that you wanted to talk to me about?” His smirk turned into a look of amusement, as if he had never seen me this drunk. I guessed it was because he never actually had seen me this drunk.

  “Oh, god, I have so much on my mind right now. The prosecutors will be dropping the charges against you, which is awesome, of course. But what happens next? We haven’t talked about that, oh, and my firm might be going belly-up because Malcolm had some serious gambling debts. Bet you can’t guess who he owed a lot of money to?”

  “Wait. Hold on, one topic at a time. Now, on the subject of what I’m going to do, now that the charges against me will be dropped – I’ve thought about that, and I realize that I probably need to be around here for a little while. At least until my mother’s case is resolved. After all, her
law firm is located down here. I have an interim team in place at my corporation, and, thus far, they’re doing a great job. I do plan to go back to being the active CEO there, of course, once the dust settles down here. The board has agreed to that arrangement, so I should be fine for a little while down here.”

  I nodded my head, feeling clingy right at that moment. “And what happens to us when you go back to LA?”

  He just kind of stared at me when I said that, and then he looked at the bar. “What was the other thing that you were going to ask me about? Malcolm had some serious gambling debts with the Garancinos? You told me something about that over the phone, and I haven't had the chance to follow up on it. Tell me what you know.”

  “Um,” I said, suddenly feeling that I was losing my train of thought. I asked him a direct question about what was going to happen with the two of us when he went back to LA, and he completely avoided it. I hated that he did that, but, more than that, I felt just a little bit panicky. Why wouldn’t he answer that question? It was a straightforward question that demanded an answer that was just as straightforward. Yet he avoided it. Why?

  He sat there, looking at me patiently. “You were saying something about the firm going belly-up because Malcolm had gambling debts. What’s going on with that?”

  I shook my head. “Yes. Malcolm had tremendous gambling debts. I guess that he was a high-roller in Vegas and Monte Carlo. He was a high-roller on the Garancino’s dime, apparently. We all know what happens when you get in over your head with the mob.”

  “Yes. You end up doing jobs for them or you end up at the bottom of the ocean with cement shoes. One of the two. I guess that Malcolm chose option number one, which is why he killed Sam. But he still has existing debts with them? I would have thought that his killing Sam would have wiped the slate clean.”