Chapter 6
CHAPTER SIX
Attorney General Jerry Dryden rubbed his forehead, which had a few faint lines from years of stress on the job. When he lowered his hand so she could find his eyes, she knew the news he was going to hit her with wasn’t going to brighten her day, that was for sure.
He sat taller in his chair, and his palms went to the maple desk in front of him.
The man intimidated a lot of people with his Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson body type, but then he had the handsome face of Idris Elba, which always had both sexes fanning themselves whenever he walked through a building or stood in a courtroom.
Dryden didn’t look anywhere near his age of sixty, either. Well, not normally. Today he sure as hell did, which spelled more bad news.
“She’s not talking,” he said, explaining his forlorn look. He pushed away from his desk and stood. “This case will end before it even starts if she can’t tell us anything.”
No. Shit! She didn’t even understand how the FBI managed to get this witness, but they couldn’t back down now.
“This might be our last chance to finally nail this son of a—” Emily let go of her words since she was speaking to Dryden.
Of course, he’d dropped quite a few F-bombs while she worked for him as a trial lawyer for the criminal division, but still, he was her boss.
Dryden scratched his dark beard, untouched from white or gray, and he fixed his light brown eyes on hers, but before he could say anything there was a knock at the door.
“Sir?” It was his admin.
“Come in.”
“FBI Director Mendez is on the line,” his admin announced. “He says it’s urgent.”
“Why didn’t you just patch him through?” Dryden dropped back into his seat.
“You were with Miss Summers, and I didn’t want to disturb you.”
Mrs. Evans now. “You think it’s about the case?”
“Maybe.” He thanked his admin and answered the phone once she closed the door. “Any news?” He paused to let the director talk. “Yeah, okay, I’ll call you back on a secure line.”
“Everything okay?” Emily sat in front of the desk while he switched to a burner cell.
“I don’t know.”
She glanced off to her left at the wall of law books as she waited for Dryden to begin speaking.
Six more hours until she’d be out of the office and having dinner with Liam. And then after, she’d be single again. It was all so strange. Like she’d fallen asleep but was having someone else’s dream.
“Really?” He waited for the director to continue. “Well, has she indicated she does, in fact, know something?”
Dryden’s words had her refocusing on him.
“He’s a civilian now, we can’t—”
She could hear the director talking over the line, but not loud enough to understand what he was saying.
“Fine. I’ll talk to the president, but for the record, I don’t like this.” He ended the call and grabbed his blazer from the back of his chair before standing. “I gotta go.”
“Are you going to tell me what that was all about?” Once on her feet, she smoothed her hands down the sides of her black pencil skirt, resisting the urge to unzip the back a little so she could breathe. She was regretting all the wine and Oreos she’d consumed last night.
Her emergency wardrobe for such occasions— Thanksgiving, post-breakups, losing a case, and oh yeah, nearly getting shot last year . . . well, those flowy dresses were in a box in storage until her new home was ready.
She needed to buy some post-marriage outfits now. Maybe an entire month’s worth of more comfortable clothes.
“There’s been a development.” He moved past his desk, flicking his wrist for her to come along. “The witness knows something, but there’s only one man she’ll speak to, and I need approval from the president to make it happen.”
“Who?”
He stopped in front of the door. “The less you know, the better,” he said and left before she could protest.
And maybe he was right because Dryden would probably force a bodyguard to move in with her next. Or worse, pull her from the case.
Emily started for her office, but at the vibration of a text on her cell she stopped in the hall, nearly bumping into an intern.
Jake: Can you talk? I’m outside your building.
What? She blinked a few times and re-read the message.
She hadn’t seen her brother since last fall, especially since he mostly worked in London as of late. So, she couldn’t imagine what he was doing in her neck of the woods.
Emily: Be right out.
Once outside, she shielded her eyes with her hand, having forgotten her sunglasses, and searched for Jake.
He was leaning against a black Escalade with Alexa at his side. When he spotted Emily, he started for her and then lifted her into the air in a hug as if she were light as a feather—and you know, not weighed down by the double-stuffed cookies from last night.
“What are you doing here?” she asked once her heels touched the ground.
“We’re flying to Australia, and we chose D.C. as our first stop,” he answered while she hugged Alexa. “We wanted to see you, then Mom and Dad next, before we head to Melbourne.”
“Australia?” She tried to hide her surprise as they approached the Escalade and out of the way of foot traffic. “Why Australia? And why do you need to see me? Or Mom and Dad?”
Jake looked at Alexa briefly before his gaze wandered back to hers.
Something was definitely going on.
“Don’t kill us. But um . . .” She lifted her left hand, and her engagement ring, which Emily had helped Jake pick out, sparkled in the sunlight. But it was the accompanying eternity band that had her grabbing hold of Alexa’s hand and gasping.
“You’re married?” Her eyes grew wide at the sight.
“It was a last-minute thing. We literally grabbed a buddy we work with as a witness and went to the courthouse,” Jake announced. “We were working a case for a friend, and well . . .”
“We decided life is too short, and why the bloody hell don’t we just say I do?” Alexa finished for Jake.
“You look shocked. You gonna say something?” Jake braced a hand over her shoulder, and she forced her gaze to his.
“Australia. A wedding. Am I on Punk’d?” She looked around for a camera. “What’s going on?”
“‘Punk’d’?” Alexa smiled. “No, it’s true.”
How was it possible? And if there were ever a time to tell her brother about Liam—well, yeah, nope—now wouldn’t be it.
But seriously. Maybe she was still passed-out drunk in the hotel room in Vegas.
“I, uh . . . congratulations!” She looped her arms around Alexa’s neck. “I just wish I had been there, you know?”
“I’m sorry.” Jake hugged her next.
“Mom and Dad are going to kill you. Maybe you should wait until after the honeymoon Down Under to tell them.” She lightly laughed because hell, if she ever switched careers from lawyer to stand-up comedian, she’d have a lot of content to work with.
“I’d rather rip off the Band-Aid and get it over with,” Jake said. “You have time for dinner when you’re off work before we head to see them?”
She was supposed to have dinner with Liam before she became single once again. But she couldn’t exactly tell Jake and Alexa no. “I can change my plans.”
“Were you hanging out with a friend tonight? You can bring her along.” Jake reached into his pocket for his keys.
“Oh, um.”
Alexa studied her for a beat. “Oh, you have a date, don’t you?” She stepped closer and smiled.
“It’s not like that.” I have an annulment date.
“Bring him,” Jake said with a nod, and Emily knew that look.
No guy would ever be good enough for Emily in his eyes, especially after her two-year relationship with Mr. British, as Sam liked to call him, ended so badly. Then there was the D.C. douche last year. Her track record with men was shit.
“I’ll call you when I get out of work,” she said instead, not sure what to do.
But maybe dinner with Liam and her brother would be safer than dinner alone with Liam.
She waited for Alexa and Jake to leave, then whirled around like a crazy person on the sidewalk one last time in search of the cameras for a show she hadn’t watched since the days when getting your hair permed was still a thing.
She tapped out a quick message to Liam as she headed up the steps and back to her office.
Emily: My brother and his wife just popped into town for today only. They want to have dinner.
Liam: Since when is your brother married?
He’d responded almost right away which surprised her.
Emily: He just got married. News to me. And . . . they’re going to Australia for their honeymoon.
Emily: And yeah, I know—it’s weird.
Liam: Are we on Punk’d? ;)
She stopped walking and grinned.
Emily: You’ve watched that show, but you’ve never seen an episode of Friends?
Liam: Mm. I might have watched a few episodes of Friends this morning while I recovered from last night.
She almost laughed out loud.
Emily: I don’t believe you.
Liam: I swear. I watched the Ross and Rachel wedding, too. I mean, at least we didn’t write on each other’s faces like they did.
Oh my God. She was going to fall in love with this man, which would not be a good idea.
Liam: Anyway, am I invited? Or am I your dessert?
Liam: Shit, I meant to delete that last part before I hit send. Fingers were trigger happy.
Liam: P.S. I can’t blame alcohol right now.
And now she couldn’t stop smiling.
Emily: I’ll text you when I’m out of work. You’re invited to dinner.
Emily: But maybe don’t mention the “you’re my husband” thing.
Liam: I don’t have a death wish.
Liam: It’s a date. ;)