9. Evgeny #3
“I’m charging you extra for it,” I say, making him laugh. “I love you, man. I swear to you I’m getting you out of here.”
“I love you too,” he says, “and I know you will.” When I pull back, he adds, “We probably shouldn’t risk that again.”
“Well there goes my plan to hold hands in front of the judge tomorrow.”
He grins and shakes his head. “Yeah, probably not the best defense strategy, but what the hell do I know? I’m not the one who went to law school.”
“We’ll save that gem for when we really need it,” I tell him.
“Sounds good to me. I’m willing to do just about anything at this point.”
“Just be yourself,” I tell him, raising a brow while I say it. “Don’t go full dark, Sasha, but let the mask slip enough to make it clear you shouldn’t be fucked with. That should scare off most threats. Self-defense only for everything else.”
“I can do that,” he says. “Cyn and the girls are the only thing to make me soft anyway and without them here, it’ll be easy to slip back into who I was before they came along and made me human.”
There’s nothing I can say to make this better for him, so instead I give his shoulder one last squeeze and then drop my hand as I holler for Officer Sutton that we’re done.
When the door opens, I watch as my cousin’s eyes turn dead.
The man I’d just been speaking to is hidden away behind the man he used to be, the man he still is from time to time, and the one that’s going to help get his ass through this.
“I’ll be back first thing in the morning, Mr. Melnikov,” I tell him. Sasha gives me a curt nod without meeting my eyes. Speaking to Officer Sutton while he puts the cuffs back on my cousin’s wrists, I say, “I’d like him examined by a doctor and the bruising along his ribs noted.”
Sutton knows exactly what I’m suggesting, and I can tell he doesn’t like it. He might not be the kind of cop who would break the rules like that, but he is a cop and his instinct is to protect anyone with a badge.
Once Sasha’s cuffed, he says, “I’ll make sure it’s done.”
“Is it okay if I make a few phone calls?” I ask, holding my hand out so I can get my phone back.
“Sure.” He hands me back my phone before leading my cousin out of the room.
I watch while Sasha is led down the hall in the direction of the holding cells, and when I can no longer see him, I shut the door and call Caleb.
As soon as he answers, I say, “Tell Gertie I’m not accepting any more clients or doing consultations until I say otherwise.
I want all our focus on Sasha Melnikov. His arraignment is set for tomorrow morning.
Call Charlie and put him on this, but tell him to look into Rosalie Mendez instead of snooping around Sasha.
I want to know everything there is to know about the victim. ”
“Okay, I’ll make sure it’s done,” Caleb tells me.
“Who’s the prosecutor on this one?” I ask, knowing he’s been digging around since I first called him this morning.
“ADA Lang,” he says, and I curse my bad luck.
Assistant District Attorney Rebecca Lang is not only highly competent, but she also feels it’s her moral obligation to put as many people behind bars as possible.
She’s in her early forties, very well-respected, and loves to win as much as I do.
She’s going to want blood on this one, and she’ll fight me every step of the way.
“I really wish Dennis had gotten this one,” I say, making Caleb let out a soft chuckle.
“I guess the State wants to actually try and win this time. Lang is good, Ev, but you’re better.”
“Flattery? I just gave you a pay raise, Caleb. It’s too soon to try and get another.”
“If I wanted to kiss ass, Ev, I would’ve stayed with the old law firm. There were plenty of asses I could’ve been nose deep in.”
“That’s an image I’ll never get out of my head,” I tell him, picturing all the pasty, old-man ass that filled that building.
Grateful for the few seconds of levity, I return us to the problem at hand, and say, “Get my schedule down to the bare minimum to keep up with the cases we have, but other than that, I want it cleared so I can focus on this.”
He’s quiet because he knows this isn’t normally how I do things, but I’m also not going to offer an explanation, so after a few more seconds of awkward silence, he says, “I’ll make sure it’s done and I’ll let Gertie know and call Charlie.”
“Thanks, Caleb,” I tell him and then hang up.
I leave the station quickly, not wanting to spend another second here because it’s starting to make me feel claustrophobic and I can’t help but think about how Sasha must be feeling right now.
Guilt hits me hard when I step outside and breathe in the fresh air and feel the sun on my face.
I’d parked around back, but I still scan the area for reporters, grateful when I don’t see any.
My mind instantly goes to Harper, and my one hope is that by some miracle this isn’t the next big news story she gets assigned. It’s bad enough we got Lang. I don’t want to add an incredibly bright reporter who also gets under my skin like no one else ever has into the mix.
Surely the universe wouldn’t be that cruel.