Chapter 33
Marina looked at Cari, who wore a thick sweater, a beanie, and chunky boots.
She looked like a character out of a kids’ book, and it lightened the weight on Marina’s shoulders a little.
Why she needed the beanie in the office, Marina didn’t know.
But somehow, it added to the ludicrous situation she’d found herself in.
River had offered to come with her, but this wasn’t a situation meant for people outside the office.
“Do you think he’ll throw me out the window?” Marina asked contemplatively, thinking about falling through the sky along with the snow.
“Nah.” Cari stared at the mirrored ceiling. “The glass is too thick. He might drag you up to the roof and throw you off that though.”
“What’s a few more stories? The end is the same. And hey, I could still hang out with River as a ghost.” Marina closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The only thing that made what she was about to do okay was the fact that River loved her and would be there when this was over.
The elevator opened, and there was no mistaking the look of surprise on the assistant’s face when they stepped out together. Then it turned to one of sympathy, and Marina’s stomach dropped.
She picked up the phone and let him know Marina was there, then hung up and waved her through. “Cari, want a cup of coffee?” she asked, making it clear Marina was going in alone.
Cari squeezed her hand. “I’ll be here when you’re done.”
Marina couldn’t speak with the way her mouth had gone dry. She pushed open the door.
Montgomery sat behind his enormous, dark wood desk. The whole room had the same heavy, overly important, masculine presence the man himself did. “Avoiding my calls was childish and unprofessional.” He waved toward the chair opposite. “I expected more.”
“Would you have listened to a word I said?” Marina asked. This was a courtroom with a cantankerous judge. She knew exactly how to handle that. “Or would you have yelled and threatened and given me instructions I wouldn’t have followed?”
For just a moment, he looked surprised. “I expected an apology. Not excuses.”
“And you’re getting neither one.” Marina felt her self-confidence returning.
“I did what was right. If you weren’t her friend, you’d see that.
And my reasons for not taking your call are valid.
I didn’t need you to lecture me on ethics or hold my promotion over my head.
She’s a vile human being, but that’s nothing we aren’t used to.
What I wouldn’t go along with was the criminal activities she’s not just involved in, but actively promoting.
” When he started to speak, she held up her hand.
“I like to win, and by doing this, I’ve lost. But I don’t regret it. ”
They sat there in silence for a long moment, not breaking eye contact.
Eventually, he sighed. “You’re na?ve, and it cost this firm a lucrative client.
Obviously you no longer work here, and I expect you to clear out your office and be gone within the hour.
I saw your assistant in the crowd at the rally, and she’s no longer working here either. I’m sure you were expecting that.”
Marina started to stand, relief that it was over almost making her dizzy.
“However.”
She stopped and sat back down.
“While I don’t agree with what you did, I do admire your unwillingness to ignore the law and the way you went about keeping people safe.
I’ll never admit that outside this room.
But you’re a damn good attorney, and I said as much when I was interviewed about the investigation.
While I can’t say for certain, I don’t believe you’ll be disbarred.
To my understanding, Sheila is leaving the state today and is focused on a project in Europe.
You won’t have any more dealings with her until such time as you’re called as a witness, if it comes to that.
” He stood and held out his hand. “Good luck in whatever comes next.”
She shook his hand, stunned. “Thank you.” There didn’t seem to be anything further to say, and she closed his office door softly behind her.
Cari and Monty’s assistant rose from the couch, coffee cups in hand.
“Already?” Cari asked, looking toward the door like he might come storming out.
Marina shrugged. “Short and sweet.” She winced and touched Cari’s arm. “I’m sorry, but it looks like I pulled you down with me.”
Cari laughed. “Oh, I figured you’d be my downfall the moment I was told you liked to throw staplers whenever you got frustrated.
” She linked her arm through Marina’s and gave Monty’s assistant a wave as they headed for the elevator.
“We’ll go clean out our stuff, then we’ll go to lunch, get a pitcher of margaritas, and figure out what we’re doing next. Because you’re stuck with me.”
Marina’s eyes watered, but she wouldn’t allow any tears to fall while they were still in the building.
The elevator opened, and Rob came out. “You’re already done?” He kissed her cheek. “Wait for me. I’ll only be a second.”
He darted past Monty’s mildly protesting assistant, opened Monty’s door, said something, then closed it again. “Okay, off we go.”
In the elevator, Marina gave him an expectant look.
“I need to make enough money to keep my husband happy and to get the clothes that make me look incredible. Other than that…” He shrugged. “I couldn’t work here without you. I’d be bored to death.”
Marina blinked, and tears welled and fell. “You just quit your job?”
“Jeff would have divorced me if I didn’t make some grand gesture for my bestie.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and squeezed her. “We’ll be fine.”
Cari filled him in on the plan, and he said he’d meet them at the restaurant.
In a kind of daze, she filled boxes with her personal things, and she and Cari made two trips to put their things into Marina’s car.
She ignored the security guards trying to be unobtrusive, but who were clearly there to make sure she didn’t grab a stack of files and scurry off with them.
They pulled out of the underground parking, and Marina headed toward Pilsen. Cari sat in the passenger seat, typing into her phone, her thumbs a blur. “Can we stop at the dry-cleaning place? I need to pick a couple things up,” Cari said, not looking up from her phone.
“Sure.” Marina shrugged, wondering why that couldn’t wait, but given the fact that Cari had been fired because of her, she should probably do just about whatever Cari wanted to do.
It only took ten minutes, and she realized that several of the things Cari put on the backseat belonged to Marina.
She’d have forgotten about them completely.
“I promised I’d text River when I was done there,” Marina said when they set off again.
Now that the adrenaline rush from fear and worry was gone, it was like she lost all her energy.
Deflated and exhausted, she wanted to curl up in River’s arms and not worry about how she’d just taken a blow torch to her dreams.
They pulled up outside Senoritas, and Marina smiled when she saw River’s motorcycle parked out front. “You let her know we were coming.”
Cari grinned. “I’m your assistant till the end. I’ll probably even schedule in Death when she comes to take you to the underworld.”
“Grim.” Marina smiled at her. “Thanks.”
They went in, and it wasn’t only River waiting at a table. Audrey, Rob, Jeff, and Billy were there too. A bottle of champagne sat in pride of place in the center of the table. River got up and wrapped her in a big hug.
“You okay?” River murmured in her ear.
Marina allowed herself to sink into the safety and warmth River gave her in a way no one else ever had. “I am now.” She pulled back and looked around at the others. The door opened, and her father and sister walked in. “What’s going on?” she asked, going to hug her family.
“It’s a planning session.” Cari grinned and wiggled her eyebrows. “The best new beginnings are made with a team, and you’ve got a good one.”
Rob popped the cork on the champagne and started filling glasses. “We’re celebrating your victory over the villain and the fact that there are still causes worth fighting for in this world.”
Then came the clinking of glasses and cheers, and the ordering of plenty of food. Conversation stayed light and fun as introductions were made, and the group simply gelled without any weird silences or awkward pauses.
“I’m proud of you, mija.” Marina’s dad came around to stand behind her. “So is your mom. She wants you to come to dinner next week when she’s back on her feet.”
Home. Marina hadn’t been able to use that word with any real feeling in so long. Now it was a song through the fog, beckoning her toward safety. “I’d like that. And we have some things to talk about.” Now wasn’t the time to tell him she’d had a little chat with his long-dead daughter.
After the plates had been cleared away, Cari tapped a glass to get their attention. “Now that we’re fed and watered, it’s time to talk logistics. Three of us are now unemployed, and we need to talk over what to do about that.”
Marina’s joy dimmed a little, and she gripped River’s hand tighter. “I haven’t given it any thought,” she said.
“Fortunately, we have.” Cari patted Rob’s shoulder. “There are options.”
River gave Cari a brief smile when she looked at her pointedly. “I own the whole building where we have Echoes. Audrey is retiring, and I could use some extra income. You could start your own practice and rent out one of my units.”
Rob wrinkled his nose. “I’m not a huge fan of that one. South Shore is way too far of a commute.”
“So your complaint is about location, not starting a practice with me?” Marina asked, eyebrow raised.
“Obviously.” He tipped his glass toward her. “Do you not understand that we’re all in this together?”
Marina swallowed the lump of emotion in her throat. “I guess I just can’t quite believe it.”
Billy gave his big, booming laugh. “When you’re around River, things like this happen all the time. She’s some kind of Universe magnifier. Things that are meant to be suddenly fall into place.”
“Other options?” Marina asked Cari, unable to follow that particular line of woo-woo after the champagne and margaritas.
“Another option is you start a practice here, in Pilsen.” Her sister seemed to hesitate as she said it. “Come back, be around family.”
“I like this idea better. Still a commute, but amazing food and culture.” Rob poured himself another glass from the pitcher.
“Third option?” Marina asked. When she saw the look her father and sister shared, she threw a tortilla chip at her sister. “I need all the information at my fingertips. Don’t look at each other like that.”
River laughed. “The third option is the one where you and Rob grab a high-rent place in the Loop and basically stay where you’re both comfortable. You’ll need to up your game and clientele pretty fast to compete and pay your rent, but you’ll be in a situation you’re familiar with.”
“The biggest question you need to answer,” said Audrey, her gaze intense as she looked at Marina, “is what you want from the future. You think you shattered your dreams, and maybe you did. But so what? Now you get to chase a new dream. What will it be?”
Marina looked at the people around her. Friends, family, a new love.
A support system she didn’t even know she wanted or needed.
But here it was. She shook her head slowly.
“I don’t know. I’m not someone who makes decisions like this without thinking every element through.
The only thing I’m sure about is this.” She held up River’s hand entwined with hers.
“We’ll need to talk it all through,” she said to Rob and Cari, who both nodded.
River raised her glass. “To chasing new dreams.”
They drank, and Marina rested her head on River’s shoulder. No matter what was to come, there was no question she was in the right place, and with the right people, to handle it.