Ms. Lawyer

by Lea Coll

  I slowly pulled myself up, leaning on the wall and trying to take deep breaths to stay calm. I was worried he would come back. I scanned the area while still holding my head in my hands. I spotted my purse closer to the entrance to the alley. I slowly made my way to it and reached down to pick it up. I rooted around for my cell, stepped onto the sidewalk and ran smack into a hard body. I bounced back and an arm grabbed me to steady me.

  I had an initial moment of panic when I thought the guy who attacked me had returned. I screamed and tried to get away from the arm. I dropped my purse again.

  “Emma? Calm down. Please. I’m trying to help you.” I winced at the sound of Luke’s voice. It was too loud for the splitting pain in my head.

  I looked up into Luke’s concerned eyes. I immediately stopped struggling and sagged into him. I had never been so happy to see anyone in my life.

  “Emma, what the hell happened?”

  I looked down at myself. I was a mess. My dress was torn and there was dirt on my arms and legs. My hair was in my face.

  Luke was running hands over my arms and legs looking for injuries.

  “It’s just my head,” I said, moving my hand so he could see if there was a cut.

  “What happened?” he demanded as his fingers probed my head. I winced in pain.

  I tilted my head back so I could look at him. “Some guy grabbed me and pulled me into the alley. I didn’t get a good look at him.”

  Luke kept a hand on my arm and pulled his cell out of his pocket. “I’m calling it in,” he said to me as he scanned the area. “Yeah, I’ve got a female on High Street attacked by unknown male. Yes, send an ambulance too.”

  He ended the call and then looked down at me again. “You were walking alone? At night?” Luke asked incredulously. I could feel how tense he was.

  “Yes, and I wasn’t exactly paying attention so I didn’t see anything before he grabbed me. He was wearing gloves but he was behind me so I didn’t get a good look at him. It was definitely a man’s voice though,” I added, happy to have some helpful information. “At one point he pulled my head back by my hair and I saw his face but he was wearing a black ski mask,” I said, remembering.

  “Did he take anything?” He seemed to be trying to figure out why I would have been grabbed. “Did he touch you?” he asked, as another possibility occurred to him.

  “No, not like you’re thinking,” I answered, quickly so he wouldn’t think that. “He asked me some questions about a client and then warned me not to speak to the client again.”

  “Did he say anything else?”

  Then I remembered what else he had said, “Oh, and he asked me if I got his messages. So, I think it’s the same guy who sent me those texts.”

  “Did he have a weapon?” he asked, as a squad car peeled to a stop on the curb. Tanner jumped out.

  “Is she okay?” Tanner asked, looking at Luke for an answer.

  “She might have a concussion. I don’t see any other injuries,” Luke answered. “Check the alley for me.”

  “Sure thing,” Tanner said, giving me a once over and then proceeded into the alley I had just left.

  “Did he have a weapon?” Luke asked impatiently.

  “Yeah, he had a knife to my throat so I wouldn’t scream,” I said, as Luke growled at that.

  “I’m not seeing anything, Luke. Want me to see if anyone saw anything?” Tanner asked, looking down the street.

  “Yeah, but it’s pretty quiet out here.”

  Tanner merely nodded in response and started walking back the way I had come. I could still hear the talking and clinking of glasses from Annie’s. The sound was comforting for some reason.

  “What did he ask you?”

  “He asked if Mitch O’Connell, my client from this morning, talked to me about anything other than his case.” Normally, I can’t talk about cases but this wasn’t substantive to his case. Plus, it was related to a crime now. “I said no. He told me not to talk to Mitch again. He asked if I got his messages.” I racked my brain trying to remember anything else. “Oh and he told me he wouldn’t be this nice next time. Then he slammed my head into the wall and threw me on the ground.” As soon as the words left my mouth I regretted being so forthcoming. Luke was not handling this well.

  “Fuck!” He said making me jump. “I should have been here. You shouldn’t be out walking by yourself.”

  “Well, it’s not like you could be with me all of the time, Luke, even if we were dating.”

  “If we were dating, you would not be walking home by yourself,” he said, his face stony with anger.

  “YOU ARE NOT GOING TO pursue this,” Luke said, coming over to the hospital bed where I was waiting for my discharge instructions. It was just a slight concussion but Luke insisted I get checked out.

  “Pursue what?” I asked.

  “You are not going to talk to Mitch O’Connell or his prior attorney,” Luke said.

  I actually hadn’t thought that far ahead yet. I couldn’t figure out what was so important it warranted threats against me. It was difficult to think very hard about anything with the splitting headache I had.

  “I wasn’t planning on it. But now that you mention it, are you going to find out if his prior attorney, Penny Shaw has been threatened too?” I said.

  “Yes, I’m going to talk to her. I wanted to make sure you were okay, first,” Luke said, leaning back against the wall across from me. He folded his arms over his chest and his eyes were sharp and assessing. “How’s your headache?”

  “Not too bad,” I lied.

  He gave me a disbelieving look. “You take medication for it yet?”

  “They just gave me Advil,” I said. It definitely was not working. My head was throbbing.“Do you have any idea why someone would attack me over a client? I’ve been wracking my brain to think of something this guy could be after.”

  “It seemed like he wanted to scare you. The question is why?” Luke said, shifting his feet.

  “Initially, he just wanted me to go back to Baltimore,” I said, thoughtfully remembering the first text.

  “He doesn’t want you to find something. Maybe something Penny knew?” Luke wondered out loud. “Have you searched your office for notes or files of Penny’s?”

  “No. Not yet. But I can.”

  “That would be a good place to start. Don’t talk about it though. Don’t tell Ashley or Stella.”

  “Okay.”

  “No talking to Penny or Mitch. I will handle that.”

  “Okay.”

  “You’re being awfully agreeable for once,” Luke said.

  “Well, it’s not every day you’re attacked.”

  Luke walked the few feet that separated us, leaned over me and placed his hands on the bed on either side of me. “We need to talk.” The magnetic pull I always felt with eye contact kept me still and holding my breath.

  I was pretty sure he was talking about our last conversation about not seeing each other. “Right now?” I managed to squeak. I was not up for an intense conversation tonight.

  “No. I need to get you home and go speak to Mitch and Penny.” Just then the nurse came in. Luke grabbed the paperwork she held and said, “Great. Let’s go.”

  “Are you dropping me off at home?” I asked, as he helped me down from the bed and I followed him out of the room.

  “Yes. I called Ashley to come over.”

  “Okay.” That sounded good. I didn’t want to be alone.

  I hadn’t wanted to move to Chestertown. But in the short amount of time I’d been there, I had come to enjoy the friendliness of the people and the relative safety of the town. Now the feeling of safety and contentment that I had come to associate with this town had been ripped from me with just one incident.

  “HAVE YOU SEEN IT?”

  “Seen what?” I asked, as I scanned the hallway for my client.

  “The paper this morning,” Ashley said, with a smug smile on her face.

  I still had a dull headache from my ordeal
the other night. It was getting progressively better though. “More election stuff? I don’t think I can take any more drama.”

  “Yes. Luke is finally fighting back with a letter to the editor,” she said, with a grin.

  She shoved a paper into my hand. It was folded over so a letter to the editor was visible.

  “Dear Editor: There have been a lot of letters printed attacking my character and my record. I’ve refused to acknowledge these letters until now. I’m not one for trash talking or mud-slinging. I think my record should speak for itself. Maybe that was a mistake. Maybe it will cost me my dream job. But I won’t regret running this race with integrity.

  “The one thing I do regret is that I allowed this race to come between me and someone very special to me. I let what other people think influence my decisions in my personal life. It was an error on my part and I hope she can forgive me. Luke Hudson.”

  I think I stopped breathing as I read the letter. My heart swelled with hope. I loved how Luke communicated through his drawings and now this. It was a public acknowledgement of our relationship. There was no turning back now but he wanted to be sheriff so badly. I couldn’t believe he would jeopardize the election for me. It didn’t compute.

  “Oh my God! It’s so sweet!” Stella practically shouted as she skidded to a stop next to us.

  I looked up at her in surprise. “I suppose you knew about this?”

  “Yes, he called me late last night asking me to include it in the paper this morning. Surprise!” Stella said.

  “What are you going to do about it?” Ashley asked.

  “I can’t do anything about it right now.” I sighed. I still have court this morning.”

  “You have to do something though. Are you going to give him a second chance?” Ashley asked gently. “You can’t just ignore his letter.”

  “I can’t. I just don’t know what to do yet,” I said.

  I wanted to give us another chance, but it hurt that he had written us off so quickly. Also, I was still withholding something from him. It wasn’t intentional. He had just never asked me. I was only here temporarily. I didn’t think he would be happy that I was planning on moving back to the city. It wasn’t like I had a choice in the matter, either. My boss transferred me here and could pull me back at any time.

  “EMMA,” LUKE CALLED.

  I turned away from my client who was now walking towards his car. I had walked with him out of the building to discuss his case.

  “Yes?” I asked, as I looked up at Luke. I couldn’t believe he was here. I thought I would have more time to process his letter and what it meant. It had been impossible to even think about in court. I had to stay focused.

  “Did you see my letter?” Luke asked.

  “I did,” I said. He actually looked anxious. It was so sweet and completely out of character. He was always cocky and sure of himself. Even when he said we couldn’t see each other anymore he hadn’t doubted himself. He made the decision and moved forward. This was different.

  “Well? Will you forgive me?” he asked as he moved closer stroking a hand on my face. I closed my eyes at the sensation. I got a little lost in the feel of his hand on my skin.

  “Yes.” Wait. I hadn’t even had time to think about it. He was influencing me with his presence, which always drew me to him.

  “You aren’t going to make me grovel?” he asked, his voice low and husky.

  “Wait. That was an option?” I asked, my eyes flying open to meet his eyes. “I like the sound of that.”

  He chuckled at my reaction. “I did declare my intentions for you in the paper. That might be considered groveling.”

  “I can think of groveling we could try in private that might do the trick,” I said, with a smile. I should probably make him work a little harder, but posting that letter in the paper was pretty bold. It could affect his career.

  Then I remembered how hurt I was that he had given up on us so easily. “I didn’t like how you listened to Cam without discussing it with me. Your mind was made up when you told me.”

  “You’re absolutely right. I listened to Cam without questioning him. It was so important to me to win the race I did whatever he told me to do.”

  “What’s different now? Why the sudden change of heart?” I asked, searching his face for an answer.

  “I’m not saying I was unaffected by my decision, because I was affected. As soon as you walked away from me that day in the park, I felt like I had made the biggest mistake of my life.”

  I looked away when he said that because it was too painful.

  “I wanted to talk to you, but you didn’t seem amenable to it. I ran into you the night at the pub and you couldn’t get away from me quickly enough. You didn’t seem to want to talk in court.”

  “Well, I didn’t know you thought you’d made a mistake. All I knew was that we weren’t supposed to be seen together.”

  “I know. It was a bad situation. I’m not blaming you. Then that man attacked you. The thought of him hurting you made me crazy. I want to be there for you. I want to be the one protecting you. If my relationship with you affects the election, then I’m willing to take that risk.”

  “Are you sure? I don’t want you to regret anything later,” I asked, concerned. If he didn’t win the sheriff position because of me I didn’t think I could forgive myself. And then he might resent me. I didn’t want that. Plus, I still needed to tell him about the fact I was only here temporarily. He didn’t seem like the no-strings kind of guy especially since our relationship could hurt his career. It seemed like he was looking for something more permanent.

  “I won’t. The only regret would be letting you walk away.”

  It seemed like the perfect opportunity to lay everything out on the table, but I hesitated. I was basking in his attention and I didn’t want to do anything to darken this moment.

  “Are you going to change your mind next week? When Cam thinks you’re down in the polls because you were seen in public with me?” I asked.

  “No, Cam can give his opinion. It’s actually impossible to stop him from expressing his opinion.” He laughed and tucked a piece of my hair behind my ear. “But I’m not letting him influence me anymore when it comes to you. You’re too important,” he said.

  I flushed in response.

  “Luke, sorry to interrupt man, but I wanted to let you know that we finally got in touch with Penny Shaw. She’s available to talk at her house now,” Tanner said from behind him.

  Luke turned from me. “That’s great. Give me a minute and then we can head over.”

  He turned back to me, “I’ve got to go. We haven’t been able to talk to Mitch or Penny since you were attacked. I don’t want to miss this opportunity.”

  “Go do your job, officer,” I said.

  He leaned down brushing his lips across my forehead. “I’d like to take you on an official first date.”

  “Yeah, I’d like that.” Why did I sound so breathless? He affected me like no one else.

  “Talk to you later, okay?” he asked, as he tucked a piece of folded paper in my hand. I glanced down at my hand and then up at him.

  “Yes,” I responded, and watched as he walked over to Tanner so they could get in a squad car and head over to Penny’s. I quickly opened the paper to get a look. I hoped it was another drawing. The drawings had become something special and private. No one else knew about them. It was a cartoon of us dancing at the fundraising event. I was in the gold dress, which dipped in narrowly at my waist and flared out just covering my butt. Luke was standing tall in his tux. My hands were on his waist, I was gazing up at him, and Luke’s hands were placed on either side of my face and his head leaned down for a kiss. We were a hair’s breadth from touching lips.

  That moment on the dance floor was hot enough without the kiss but I wondered what it would have been like if Cam hadn’t interrupted us that night or come between us. For the first time in a long time, I was excited for the future. Was it wrong of me to think we cou
ld try a long distance relationship? People did it all of the time. It wasn’t that far to the city from here, only ninety minutes or so. Traffic was a bear going over the Bay Bridge but only during the beach travel months.

  As I tucked the drawing into my wallet, nestled next to the other drawings he’d given me, I wondered what Penny Shaw would tell Luke. Did Mitch say something to her? Did she know why someone was bothering me? If she had been similarly targeted, wouldn’t she have gone to the police?

  I TURNED THE KEY IN the lock, but the door was unlocked. I pushed the door open. All of my instincts were on full alert. Did Justin come in when I wasn’t here? The thought had my skin crawling. It was not a good feeling. I didn’t know Justin at all. All I knew was that Luke said he was a bully in high school and he liked to throw his weight around.

  Did I forget to lock the door this morning? It was a possibility. I might have been distracted. I did have to run back into the apartment and grab files I had left on the counter. Thinking it was my mistake, I relaxed. I dropped my briefcase and purse on the kitchen island and scanned the living area. Nothing looked out of place.

  Just then my phone dinged with an incoming text from Luke.

  Meet me to talk?

  Sure where?

  U at home?

  Yes.

  I can meet u in 15

  K

  I changed out of my suit and into yoga pants and a T-shirt. As soon as I pulled up my pants, a knock sounded on my door. I looked through the peephole to find Luke standing there in his uniform with his arms crossed over his chest. I opened the door.

  “I looked in the peephole before answering the door like a good girl,” I said, cheekily.

  Luke gave me a bemused look. “I don’t know if I would call you a good girl.”