Chapter 23 Rachel
TWENTY-THREE
RACHEL
“Rachel?”
I was exhausted. Beyond exhausted. But the person on the other end of the line had me sitting straighter in my chair as I placed my phone on speaker.
“That time of the year already, Rory?” I asked as I scanned an email from Susanne, my paralegal.
I heard the smirk in her voice as she said, “Just wanting to check on the situation.”
“I sent you an update two weeks ago. You know Currau Valentini’s case is one of my priorities,” I groused.
For an old man who’d been sent up for a crime he hadn’t committed, one who’d happily die in prison, I spent a good chunk of every day working on freeing him.
“Actually, that wasn't what I meant. I wanted to let you know I’ll be resigning soon.”
“You will?” I asked warily.
“Yes.”
“Why are you calling from this number?” I questioned, eying the Caller ID.
New York DA flashed on it.
Not Rory.
“I didn’t think you’d answer if I called you on my personal cell. You’ve been avoiding me.”
“I haven’t,” I said, but I knew I sounded guilty.
“You have,” she countered. “But that’s okay. You always avoid me this time of the year.”
I winced because she wasn’t wrong.
“If I cut the line, will you answer my personal cell?”
I heaved a sigh. “Yes.”
She didn’t reply, just ended the call. A second later, my phone rang again, and this time, ‘Rory’ was on the screen.
Pursing my lips, I answered, “You’re a pain in my ass, do you know that?”
“Aren’t we that for each other?”
I stared out of the window that overlooked a small section of countryside in the distance. Normally, I tried to allow it to calm me down. To bring me peace. In my line of work, I needed peace more than a Buddhist monk. But it didn’t work.
Aurora was, officially, my enemy.
As New York’s DA, she prosecuted the people I defended.
Personally?
She was one of my best friends.
She was also one of the reasons I had horrendous nightmares.
Okay, that wasn’t fair. It wasn’t her fault her husband was a piece of shit. She’d even been the reason I got out of there in one piece. Well, Hunter was the reason. Hunter, my other best friend…
Jesus, it was complicated.
What wasn’t in my life?
Rubbing my temple, I muttered, “Okay, pain in the ass, what’s going on? Why are you resigning?”
“There’s been a development.”
Suspiciously, I asked, “What kind of development? I wasn’t notified about any changes in Currau’s case.”
Rory grunted. “Not where he’s concerned. I’m talking on a different front. The Famiglia has made an arrangement with the Irish Mob—”
“I don’t need to know this,” I grated out. “Can’t you keep me in the loop without telling me stuff that’ll get my head blown up?”
She snorted. “Since when are you in danger of that?”
“I’m not Wonder Woman. I’m pretty sure even her damn skull would cave in from a bullet to the temple.”
“The way you’re spread thin among Manhattan’s criminal elite tells me you have your security locked up nice and tight.”
“Dear God, did you just laugh?” I asked, horrified.
“I’m happy.”
“You are?”
If I sounded disbelieving, that wasn’t because I was a bitch. Although, undoubtedly, most of the people who knew me thought I was one…
“Yes. We’re close, Rach. So damn close.”
I let that assimilate then asked, “I haven’t heard anything.”
“The Irish agreed to meet with the Italians… It's time to finally get out." Her voice turned softer as she whispered, “It’s happening, Rach. It’s happening.”
I swallowed. “That’s… Well, I don’t know what that is, Rory. But if it makes you happy then I’m glad.”
Another soft laugh echoed down the line. “There’s a sweet irony to the fact that you’re a good girl surrounded by bad people, Rachel.”
“I’m good at getting bad people out of dicey situations,” I grumbled, pinching the bridge of my nose.
“There’s no denying that.” She sighed. “I didn’t speak with you over Christmas. I tried to call but there was no answer.”
“It was crazy.”
“Why? We haven’t caught up in ages.”
“No,” I said sadly. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
“Are you coming to the city soon?”
“Tomorrow.”
“Feel like meeting up? I found a delicious Zinfandel—”
“Rory? I have to tell you something.”
“What?” It was her turn to sound suspicious. “Is it why I haven’t spoken to you in ages?”
“No." Awkwardly, I muttered, "You know I prefer rosé."
She paused. "What?"
I grimaced. "I mean... Never mind. I-I only found this out on Christmas Eve. Well, I had it confirmed.”
“Are you sick?” She gasped. “Oh, God, you are, aren’t you?”
“No, no, nothing like that.” I braced myself for the fallout. “I’m pregnant.”
Silence fell at that, and I got it.
I really did.
“You still there?” I asked after a couple minutes of quiet. I mean, I knew she was there. I could hear her breathing. But I figured it was time to wake her up from whatever was making her sound like I had a heavy breather down the line. “Rory?” I prompted impatiently.
“I thought you weren’t going to do that again?”
I felt the sting of tears at the betrayal in her voice. “Why do you think I didn’t want to tell you, Rory?”
“Parting with Wynter was one of the hardest things you ever had to do. I watched you mourn her for months, Rachel. You were like the walking dead back then. Why are you putting yourself through that again?”
“I’m not going to give this one up.”
“You’re not?”
“No. I-I can’t do that again.”
“King’s the father, of course,” she said flatly. Not a single lilt in the words to make it a question.
“Of course.”
“I bet he’s over the moon, isn’t he?”
Her bitterness took me aback. “No. He doesn’t know yet.”
“He doesn’t?”
“No. You’re the first person I’ve told.” That wasn’t a lie. Giulia had found out on her own, and she’d told the council. Not me.
“If you think that gives you brownie points, you’d be right.”
My lips twitched.
“Does Hunter know?”
“I just told you you’re the first person I’ve clued in, Rory.”
“Was just trying to see if you’d perjure yourself.”
“I don’t need you keeping me on my toes.”
“No. You’re the only defense attorney I don’t whoop in court.” She huffed disgustedly. “Are you going to tell Hunter?”
“I will, yes,” I said, carefully. “You’ve spoken to him recently?”
“No.”
The short answer had me rolling my eyes. I was pretty sure Rory needed a good fuck.
And I said that with all the love in my heart.
If Hunter would just get on with it, and stop acting like Rory walked on water, they’d both get over this… this… whatever the hell this was.
I grumbled, “I refuse to be caught in the middle.”
“Oh, I know,” she grumbled back. “You’re like Switzerland.”
“No, I’m a safe place for both of you to land.”
“Like Switzerland,” she retorted.
“If you’re going to be a dick, I’m hanging up on you.”
“Okay, okay. Don’t hang up. We can meet tomorrow night?”
“Yes. No Zinfandel though.”
“Ice cream?”
I shuddered. “Yes. Plenty of it.”
She paused. “Things are that bad?”
“Things are crazy. I wasn’t lying earlier.”
“Are you okay?”
“Not really.” The urge to tell her that Rex had gone missing was a strong one, but if I did… I knew Rory too well. She’d involve the cops and Nyx and the rest had made it quite clear that wasn’t an option. “I’ll tell you tomorrow.”
“Fine.”
“Rory?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m glad things are working out for you. I-I know this has been the end goal.”
“It has. Thanks, Rach,” she said softly. “See you tomorrow.”
I hummed as we cut the call then reached for my bottle of water when the little light on it flashed, reminding me that I needed to drink.
As I sipped, I thought about those end goals of hers.
It was funny, really. We’d been bitter rivals at the start of college, until later that first year when we’d been paired together for an assignment and we’d realized how alike we actually were.
From there, we’d become roommates after there’d been a fire in my dorm.
Then, in our apartment… her husband.
God.
The only reason I knew about those end goals was because we’d grown closer after covering up his murder to protect Hunter.
Once you did something like that, once something that haunting connected you, you learned the real and true meaning of trust.
I bit my lip at the thought and immediately dialed Hunter’s number. It had been way too long since we’d spoken. A lot longer than with Rory, because when I went quiet, Rory pushed, Hunter didn’t.
“How’s my favorite woman in the world?”
His easy charm settled something inside me. Hunter was my version of antacids. For Rory? He was the reason she had indigestion.
I smiled and told him, “Liar. I’m your second favorite woman.”
“I’m too much of a gentleman to confirm or deny that statement.”
My smile morphed into a grin.
A part of me had always wondered why things between Hunter and I couldn’t have evolved into something more. Things were so easy with him. They always had been.
But I guessed that was the point.
Nothing worth anything was easy in this life.
Painful but true.
“Well, I’ll confirm it for you. How are you doing?”
“Ticking along.”
“Yeah? Where are you?”
“Right now? Vegas. It’s interesting here.”
I snorted. “That’s one way of putting it. Do you have noise canceling earphones in and I can’t hear the titty bar music in the background.”
Snickering, he said, “No, I’m in my office.”
“Your office?” I arched a brow at nothing then absently checked my emails when I saw one had come in.
A part of me hoped Rex would contact me but I hadn’t heard from him since Christmas.
Was it bizarre to admit that I was going into withdrawals?
I hadn’t been away from him for this long since college. It was only now that he was cutting me out of his days that I realized how he always touched base with me.
Every goddamn day.
Recently, it had been via email. But we always had a call or a text conversation together.
Until now.
I couldn’t be angry. Even if I was hurting. I, after all, had hurt him.
God, how he’d looked at me…
The pain of it sliced into me whenever I closed my eyes.
Gritting my teeth, I almost didn’t hear Hunter asking, “Rach? Rach? You there?”