CHAPTER SIX
Linc
A nne, the newest intern at the firm, brings me my tenth cup of coffee since last night.
Olivia started blowing up my phone, calling me while I was on my date with Everly.
After pushing her to voicemail for the sixth time, I finally answered.
I wasn’t happy about being interrupted but when she told me about what was going on, I knew I couldn’t ignore it.
My firm’s reputation is everything to me and I’ll be damned if I let some idiot ruin it for me.
Everly had been perfectly fine with wrapping up our date, but I hated that work was getting in the way of us getting to know each other.
I’d learned so much about her and was clueing in on her little ticks as the day went on.
When she would get nervous, she’d wring her hands or bite that delicious lip.
Her go-to sign is when she rubs her forehead.
At the movies, we held hands and snuck several make out sessions in like we were teenagers in high school.
I felt so carefree and young again, especially since I haven’t been to a movie in over a decade.
Sure, I’d been to a lot of movie premieres to get my face, and the firm’s name, out there but I’d never stay and watch what was showing.
She has this personality to her that draws people in.
Her easy-going, bubbly attitude is something that catches everyone’s eye.
Even the eyes of other men who I want to put my fist through their teeth.
We were at the refreshment counter getting popcorn and drinks when the little high school boy tried hitting on her.
Right in front of me. Of course, Everly just thought he was being friendly, but I knew right then that I’d need to rein in my temper.
No way was I going to jail over beating up a seventeen-year-old.
But I sure did make a show of wrapping an arm around her waist and nipping her neck right there for that boy to see.
She doesn’t even notice the attention and when I asked her when we found our seats, she was shocked that the boy was hitting on her.
How can a gorgeous woman like her not see this?
“Tell me about your family,” she asks as we share a plate of hot wings.
“My parents died when Levi and I were young. We came to live with our aunt and uncle, here in California.”
“That’s horrible, Linc. Can I ask how they died?”
“When I was eleven, my two-year-old sister was killed. According to the police reports, my mother had left the front door to our apartment open as she was bringing in groceries from the car. My sister, Maggie, wandered out and was struck and killed by a car driving by. Levi, who was four at the time, almost got hit too. Mom was never the same after that.”
“Oh, I can’t even begin to imagine what your mom went through.”
“We didn’t live in the best complex and she was easily able to numb her pain with drugs.
My dad followed shortly behind her; he never came right out and blamed her for Maggie dying, but everyone knew he did.
For three years they let their grief consume them, never once concerned with mine or Levi’s well-being.
They didn’t even notice we lived in the same apartment most of the time.
Over those years, neither parent could hold down a job for long; they were either too high or didn’t care enough to show up to get paid.
Soon, the money started to cease coming in and mom and dad began pawning off our belongings to be able to pay for their next fix.
One day, Levi and I came home from school and found them both passed out on the floor in the empty living room.
Only they weren’t passed out; they’d overdosed from a bad batch of heroin.
At least that’s what I overheard one of the cops say. ”
Her gasps bring me back from those dark memories. Some days feel like it was just yesterday that I opened the front door and saw them there.
“Child Protective Services came in and took us out, placing us both in the foster care system. They searched for our next of kin but it took some time to find. Both of my parents had left their families and took off, never looking behind. They met in Seattle, Washington and started a life without ever contacting relatives.”
“I’m so glad you were able to reconnect with your aunt and uncle,” she offers.
“We were born up in Washington and didn’t even know we had other family.
Then after they passed, we found out we had a lot more family.
We met Daniel and Alice, who we call mom and dad, but also Reid, who is my age.
Then we were introduced to my grandparents.
They were shocked that their son had an entire family that they never knew about. ”
“Wow, I’m sorry they passed.”
I shrug as if it’s not a big deal. I doubt she’d want to hear all about my woos of growing up, trying to please everyone in the family so that I’d be loved and not abandoned.
“It was a long time ago.” I lean back in my chair. “What about you? Tell me about yours.”
“I’m pretty simple,” she gives me the same shrug that I gave earlier. “My dad is—or was in the military so I was a MB.”
“MB?”
She chuckles, “Military brat. We moved a lot over the years, to different bases, all over the world. I was so thankful for Saylor because where my dad went so did her dad.”
“And your mom?”
“Ah, she didn’t like being bounced around, so when I was nine she packed up and left. I haven’t spoken to her since. She’s never called or written—nothing.”
“How did your dad manage to leave on missions, with you not having family there to watch over you?”
“Saylor’s grandparents, Sharolyn and Alan, who own the spas, took temporary custody of me while dad was gone.
They were there when Robin left dad and I.
” I notice she calls her mom by her legal name.
“Saylor pleaded for them to keep me. Saylor’s mom had passed away from cancer and was having a hard time with everything so they came to an arrangement with my dad so that he could continue to be an active soldier with his unit. ”
I feel like we have a lot in common, when it comes to abandonment from immediate family. The more I learn the more I see how much not having them in your life can affect a child and their future because of certain choices the adults make.
“Are you close with your grandparents?” she asks.
My lips twitch at the mention of them. “Yeah, at least I try to be. We try to speak at least once a week and check in,” I say and pop a fry in my mouth. “They’re getting older and spend more time in Montana now at the small ranch all of us go to during holidays.”
“It’s such a small world because Saylor’s grandparents also have a place out in Montana. They spend the majority of the year out there in their little town now that they’re getting older.”
“What city do they have a place in, do you remember?” I ask.
“We go up there once a year to visit with them. They live in Dillon. It’s beautiful until winter comes, then I’m ready to get back here to thaw out.” She giggles and I follow suit.
“I’m the same. I don’t mind a little cold but only when I go skiing. Grandpa and Grandma have a place a town or two over from Dillon called Twin Bridges. We’ve had to fly into Dillon a few times or I wouldn’t know that city.”
“Did you speak with Bill in HR?” Olivia breaks me out of my thoughts coming into my corner office with a stack of more papers. She looks just as tired as I am. We haven’t had to pull all-nighters since law school and it’s starting to weigh on my mental state.
I shake my head and sip on the hot coffee. The burn tunneling down my throat only soothes me, as I feel as though I’m on fire, after learning of this betrayal in my own company.
“I want everything we have so there won’t be any surprises to find out about later on. He obviously wanted us to be blindsided when this was submitted in court.” My conference table by the windows is filled with boxes of evidence and witness statements for our high-profile case with Dustin Barker.
Dustin Barker is being tried for the murder of his former girlfriend and her lover.
There is the murder weapon with his fingerprints on it and also bloody clothes that match the victims’ blood type.
It should be a no brainer for the prosecution, but the chain of evidence and command has been improperly followed along with some other evidence that looks to be planted, not to mention protocol wasn’t followed by a new officer on the force.
We took on the case when his father, who is part owner in an oil company, came to us for our help.
We knew it wouldn’t be a slam dunk but that makes the challenge sweeter.
That and the hefty payment that hit our account.
I wasn’t the lead attorney on the case, but I’ve been involved the entire time.
I’ve had several other cases I’m working on right now and set Kevin Jenkins as the lead.
He was promoted two months ago as a Senior Associate and has moved up in the ranks quickly.
Kevin has one of the best win records out of the associates and works harder than anyone else in the firm, except Olivia and me.
He has a lot of potential which is why I can’t seem to wrap my head around what we’ve recently found out.
“It just doesn’t make any sense. Why would he ruin his career like this? It’s kind of a no brainer with the case,” Olivia voices to no one in general.
“I’m just glad Alex thought enough to double check the statements before court on Wednesday. This could do a lot of damage to the firm once it was submitted.”
“Yeah, we lucked out with that one. Maybe we should designate a person who looks over all the paperwork before submitting,” I say thinking out loud.
“It’s not a bad idea but we’d need more than one person with as many cases as we have going on,” Olivia adds.