Hunt A Highlander (Highlander Across Time #9)

Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

T he fog rolled in outside the window off the California coast. The skyscraper was lost in it, and condensation formed on the tall glass windows.

Danielle put her fingers on the glass and traced along the water droplets. She wanted to be anywhere but here, and the fog felt like it could carry her far away into another world. Away from her office in the powerhouse law firm in San Francisco.

Her office phone rang loudly, startling her out of her imagination.

“This is Danielle,” she said, picking up the landline phone on her desk. She looked at the stack of caseloads on her polished oak desk. “Yeah, I’ll be there.”

She hung up the receiver, sat down, and began her morning task of shuffling through paperwork. Danielle had had enough of looking at scumbag behaviors laid out right in front of her day after day. It weighed on her now more than ever.

At thirty years old, she was one of the youngest partners in her law firm. She had been known as a criminal defense rockstar, but there was a darker side to her sudden rise, and that was burnout. Having graduated high school at sixteen and gone straight to the University of California-Berkeley followed by UC Davis for law school had Danielle pushing herself to the extreme year after year.

So, although some might experience burnout at their job much later in life, it had caught up with Danielle at the age of thirty.

“Why did I do this to myself?” she mumbled as she turned from the papers on her desk back to the window. Her office was in one of the tallest skyscrapers that looked out over the city, but Danielle was miles away in her mind, in Scotland.

She could not wait to be on a plane to take her first vacation in years. It was well-deserved and very much overdue.

“Give up yet? You can always hand it over to me,” a deep voice said from her doorway.

Danielle turned to see Jay, her ex-boyfriend, work colleague, and bonafide jerk standing at the door with a smug grin. As if things could not get any worse, having her ex constantly on her case—and after her case—was the cherry on top of her workday.

“What do you want, Jay?” she asked.

“Just seeing if you want me to take over the case. I know it might be too much for a girl like you.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” she asked, already knowing what it meant. He was a misogynist who didn't think a woman could handle a high-profile criminal case of money laundering. She also knew he would do anything to get his name in the papers and was jealous of her success.

“It means I see you shuffling through that case in frustration. I know you, remember? I've seen you naked,” he said with a grin.

“That's enough, Jay. Leave me alone.”

“You're due in court in an hour, aren't you? Let me take this case off your load or convince your client to share. You're about to leave on vacation anyway and this case won’t get your full attention until you get back. Give it to me to watch over,” he said.

“You mean give it to you so you can steal it. Don't think that I don't know what you’re up to. Yes, I have court, so unless there are more insults you want to hurl my way…” She glared at him.

“Come on, Danielle. I don't really mean it. Just because I don't think you deserved to be made partner doesn't mean I don't value your work.”

“And there it is. See? I knew you had one last insult inside of you.” She moved to the door, pushing him out of the doorway and closing the door in his face.

“Jerk,” she muttered. He always found a way to get under her skin. She knew she deserved to be a partner, but a little self-doubt made her think maybe she didn't. Maybe the title was just given to her because she was one of the youngest lawyers in the city, and that notoriety made the law firm look good, not because of her actual work.

She moved back to her desk and looked over the case she had that afternoon, defending a scumbag who had beaten his wife. She knew she could him off clean, but she didn't feel good about it. This was the source of her burnout. She had been very competitive and focused on the game of law. With every case, she knew how to help even the dirtiest criminals from being put behind bars, but just because she could didn't mean she should. That was starting to weigh on her conscience. She was beginning to have a distaste for the job, something she thought would never happen. Even rehabilitated criminals were starting to make her feel like they didn't deserve a second chance. That was why she’d booked the vacation. She knew if she could just get away to an exotic land for a while, she would return refreshed and renewed and be the competitive criminal lawyer she knew she could be.

Danielle opened the drawer and pulled out a bottle of Ibuprofen. She popped one in her mouth and chased it with a drink of water. It would be the only one she could take that day even though she needed two or three to get rid of the headache throbbing at her temples. Her stomach was too sensitive to take more than one a day. It was probably due to the enormous amount of stress.

“Perhaps it's time to consider joining the District Attorney's office,” she mumbled.

At least there, she would be defending victims of crime instead of the criminals with money. Perhaps that would make her feel a little better about the job, even if it came with a drastic pay cut. She filed that thought away to review while she was on vacation. With her incredibly busy schedule, she often had to put thoughts away to think about them later.

A few minutes later, she got ready to head to the courthouse. She knew she could get all three of her clients off, even though two of them were guilty as sin. But she had to do the job, and the job required winning in court.

She pressed the intercom to speak with her assistant. “Michele, I’m ready. Have the car pulled around,” she said.

“Yes, Ms. Longchamp. Right away.”

Danielle put on the long black trench coat that she loved because it complemented her raven-black hair. She pushed her caseload into her high-fashion leather briefcase, grabbed her long umbrella, and walked out of her office.

“Ms. Longchamp, I got you something,” Michele said standing up from her desk and stepping toward Danielle with a small, wrapped box.

“You did? You shouldn’t have,” Danielle said, stopping to set her things on Michele’s desk and unwrap the gift. Inside was a small umbrella.

“It’s travel size,” Michele said. “I know you only have massive ones for San Francisco weather, but you’ll need something that fits in your purse. Scottish showers are sporadic.”

“That’s so nice,” Danielle said with a smile. “Thank you so much. I will definitely use this. Can you put it on my desk? I’ll be back after court.”

“Absolutely. And good luck,” Michele said.

Danielle gathered her items again and then stopped. “By the way, have you seen Jay lurking about? I don't want to run into him. When you were on your lunch break, he came to hover in my doorway, and I’ve had enough of him today,” Danielle said.

“Ugh, I'm sorry. That man, I swear." Michele said.

“He is an ass; I know." Danielle laughed. “I gotta go.”

“Good luck. I know you’ll crush it,” Michele said.

Danielle headed out, hoping to avoid another encounter with Jay, but it was impossible to avoid a predator that constantly hunted its prey.

“It's about time,” he said, coming around the corner of the hallway. “I didn't think you were going to leave at all.”

“Damn it, Jay. Don't you have anything better to do than harass me? You need to find something to do that doesn't involve proving over and over why I left you,” she said as she stepped into the elevator with a smirk.

As the doors closed, she watched as his face turned red before he marched away.

The elevator began its journey and the smile on her face fell. Seeing Jay around the office reminded her of how blind she had been to who he was. She had allowed his good looks and her lust to override her better judgment. Yes, her, a criminal lawyer who judged people professionally. She had to let all of that go because her body responded to him in a way she wasn’t used to. After he showed her what a jealous, sexist idiot he was, and that he would step on anyone including her to get his way, she vowed to never allow her lust to override her judgment again.

She stepped out of the building and crossed the plaza to a waiting town car. The driver opened the door, and she stepped inside. This was the company’s car and driver who always drove her to the courthouse. She was used to the luxury her job provided her, from her skyrise office to her penthouse apartment that overlooked the ocean. It was all a part of her, but she wasn't sure it was entirely satisfying.

“Hold on a moment, please,” she told the driver as he slid into the driver’s seat.

“Yes, ma’am,” he said.

Danielle opened her briefcase to double-check that she had the correct case file because she had an odd sensation that something was wrong, or that something was going to happen.

She saw she had all her case files, and nothing was amiss. Danielle turned toward the building, and her jaw dropped. Jay stepped out of the building, hand in hand with her assistant, Michele.

“Are you freaking kidding me?” she said watching them.

“Pardon me, miss?” the driver said.

“Nothing, nothing,” she said.

Danielle watched as they stopped and Jay pulled Michelle to him. He planted a firm kiss on her and squeezed her bottom. It was obvious to Danielle that they were quite comfortable and had been doing this for some time.

She gasped. Had they been having an affair while she was with Jay? She wouldn’t put it past him, but Michele? Danielle had trusted her. No wonder Jay thought he was king of the world with that arrogant attitude.

Danielle narrowed her eyes with rage. She'd had enough of the law firm life and knew she would leave it after her trip; this was just the icing on the cake. She reminded herself to throw away Michele’s gift and buy a compact umbrella of her own to take on the trip because it was a practical idea.

Danielle arrived at the courthouse and went straight to work, with one hour between each case and rage in her heart. She was fierce and driven when the situation called for it. She won all three of her cases, even though that meant two criminals walked free and if they did any harm in the future, it would be her fault.

This vacation would be not just a physical vacation, but one of the mind, heart, and soul. Taking this trip was her prescription to search deep within herself to discover what would make her happy.

For so long, her career had been the number one priority in her life, but now that she had it and was a superstar, it wasn’t fulfilling her needs. But what needs did she need met?

That was the question, but she didn't know if the Scotland trip would provide the answer.