Unspoken Bundle - Box Set Books 1-6

by Danes, Ellie

  “It was Ok, nothing too exciting.” As much as I wanted to completely dump everything on Aimee, I knew I couldn’t. It wouldn’t be fair, and I knew I needed to keep all of this to myself for now. “How about you?”

  “I figured you were busy with Cain. I called a couple of times, sent you some texts. I was worried, but then realized you were probably just stuck in bed all weekend with that hunk of yours.” Aimee shot me a jealous look. “So, when’s it going to be my turn to hear all of these exciting stories? You know, now that I have absolutely no love life.”

  “How about lunch today? I can filled you in on all of the excitement that is my life these days.”

  “Sounds perfect. So, is there anything I can help you with here? You know, that’s actually work related?” Aimee giggled a little.

  “That would be great, here are five intake forms. I’ve reviewed them and think we can knock these out pretty quick. Can you take them over to Reese for his approval and then call the clients to set up meetings? You have access to my calendar.” I handed the folders to Aimee and continued thumbing through the stack. “You know, Aimee, I really am glad you’re here. You have no idea.”

  Aimee took off to Reese’s office and I could hear him grumbling through the wall. I couldn’t help but smile. I had managed to make it through the stack of folders and inevitably realized I had to get back to working on Brice’s case. It also reminded me that I should reach out to Dad, considering how we had left things on Friday. I just wasn’t sure what I was going to say or how I was going to keep the information about Jacob Harritan to myself. Dad always had a way of finding things out, not matter what I did to try and hide them.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Downtown was riddled with amazing restaurants but they were always packed at lunchtime. We decided to head off to the outskirts of the area, into the quaint Church Hill district that overlooked the city. It was a short ten-minute drive and offered some of the most amazing food, ambience and escape from corporate reality. Exactly what I needed. Aimee picked a corner café, well known for its comfort food.

  “Looks like I’ll be running a few extra miles tonight, Aimee.” I smiled as I pulled the door open to hole-in-the-wall café. It appeared several other professionals had the same idea as we did, as the locals’ spot was filled with suits and ties.

  “Oh stop, Jen, you look amazing. Besides, you have an amazing man. You can relax now.” Aimee flashed a jealous smile. “It’s me that is going to need to do extra cardio tonight if I’m going to stay on the market and find me a new man.”

  We picked an empty two-top in the front corner next to the window. A steady flow of businessmen and women, as well as a few locals, continued to file in. The smell of fresh baked bread drifted through the restaurant and made my stomach growl.

  “It’ll happen when you least expect it. Maybe you just aren’t looking in the right places. Don’t they say that grocery stores are the best place to find single men? But then again, have you taken a look around this place?” I quickly scanned the restaurant. “How about those two? They seem cute.”

  “Jen, you must be losing your touch, or are you just blinded by your man? I think those two guys are together.” Aimee giggled.

  “Yeah, they came in together.” Aimee looked up at me with her head tilted downwards and a funny grin. Oh…together…” We both giggled together. “I guess I wasn’t really paying attention. Good for them.”

  “I know, everyone can seem to find themselves a hot man except for me, Jen. What about that attorney I met the other day, Brice?” Aimee’s smile stretched ear to ear.

  “The jury is still out on him…and stop smiling, you can do so much better.”

  Before Aimee could give me a smart aleck remark, a small bubbly waitress covered in tattoos and piercings appeared at our table, holding two beat-up menus and two glasses of water. “I’m so sorry, crazy busy here today, here are some menus, I’ll be right back.” She dropped the menus on the corner of the table and trotted off behind the bar, barking orders to the equally tattooed, bearded bartender.

  “Ha, at least the food is better than the service at this place.” Aimee smirked and, without pausing, delivered her follow up. “As I was about to say, I don’t care what the jury says, I’d be happy drawing my own verdict on him...and no doubt I’d be guilty of something.” She giggled and her round pretty face blushed a little as she sipped from her water.

  “Aimee! Wow, aren’t you full of yourself these days? I’ll tell you what, I have a few more meetings with him and his client this week. I’ll see if I can get some intel for you.”

  “Now that’s the Jen I miss. We need to get out more often. It’s been so long since you and I just had some girl time, you know? Like we used to? Sipping drinks, you’d give me your opinion on what’s wrong with every man in the room?”

  “I know, it’s been a rough year. I’m sorry, I-”

  “It’s not your fault… I know. You’ve had so much going on. The trial, all of that stuff. You just don’t reach out to me the way you used to. I get it, you have Cain. Just remember, I’m always here for you.” Aimee reached out and grabbed my hand as the spunky waitress approached again.

  “Oh I’m sorry if I’m catching you two in a moment, should I come back?”

  Aimee and I looked at each other and instantaneously looked down at our touching hands and back up at the waitress. I fumbled for the right words and then coyly smiled. “Maybe just a few…” The waitress turned and walked away as we both started laughing uncontrollably.

  We both scanned the menu and eventually put in our orders on the third visit from the waitress. She seemed less than amused that we were taking our time and hogging one of her tables. She delivered the food with an equally annoyed attitude, which only added to our lunchtime amusement as we both continued to gossip. The thought of going back to the office and diving back into work started to spoil the mood a bit for me.

  “So…I did something bad.” I stared at Aimee and waited for her reaction, but she didn’t say a word. “I’ve been thinking a lot about my mother. I confronted my father about Mom’s death. There were some things I wanted to know.”

  “I had a feeling something else was going on, Jen. Your dad has been lurking around lately, and I heard a little bit of the heated exchange between the two of you the other day. I didn’t want to pry. Are you Ok?”

  “It’s tough, I…I found some things out…my mother had an affair.” It felt good telling Aimee, so much different to when I’d told Cain. I believed that telling Cain was admitting that I had some flaw myself, that there was a chance I could do that. When I told Aimee it felt like a release of stress, like the weight of the world had just been lifted from my shoulders.

  “Oh Jen, that’s…” Aimee searched for the right words, but none came.

  “I know, fucked up, shitty, terrible. I blame my dad, I blame her.”

  “All of that, Jen, it’s definitely all of that. I mean, not blaming your dad or your mom, but I get it.”

  I filled Aimee in on all of the details, including the new connection in Brice’s case. It was therapeutic, in a way. It was feedback and understanding that I hadn’t received from Cain or Reese; something I certainly hadn’t and wouldn’t get from my father. After four refills of water, Rosie, our tatted up waitress, delivered our check and a curt “Take your time.”

  “You know, Jen, I have to believe that you found all of this out now for a reason. I mean, the moment you share with your father that the ex-boyfriend was his old friend’s son and the connection…I mean, I think you would have found out anyway, but now it’s on your terms. You have the upper hand. Use it to your advantage.”

  I slid the credit card into the check holder and handed it to Rosie as she skirted by and considered Aimee’s comment. “You’re right. I do have the upper hand on this. I could imagine what might have happened if I went into talking with the Harritans blindly, with them knowing I was Jack Dunning’s daughter. ” I reached across the table and g
rabbed Aimee’s hand this time and said thank you as Rosie appeared again, delivering my credit card and paperwork. Aimee and I smiled again and quickly left the restaurant for the office.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  “I thought I was agreeing to part-time work when I told your father I’d be a part of this company,” Reese yelled from his office as he saw me heading toward my office. The smell of greasy burgers and fries masked the smell of the fresh paint and carpet.

  I stuck my head into Reese’s office, scared of what might come next. “You are. Why? What’s going on?” I already knew the answer as I looked at the stack of multicolored folders on his desk.

  “There’s enough work here for someone working full-time for the next few weeks. Are you going to be able to get up to speed on all of this with me and cover this other big case you’re working on?” Reese took another bite of his double thick burger while flipping open the red folder. “Some of these I can knock out by myself, but some of these others I think it would be helpful for you to get involved in. Like this one.” Reese held up a medical examiner’s report. “You need to get to know the M.E. It will come in handy on any new cases.” The thought of visiting the medical examiner’s office, or dealing with dead bodies or crime scenes, turned my stomach. The years of doing this type of work must have given Reese an iron gut.

  “I’ll see what I can do. Maybe we can set up a time later this week? Keep it short? You know, so I can ease into it and let you handle the heavy lifting? Maybe we need to hire you an assistant.” I laughed, but I was as serious as I could be. I had no desire to find myself with those sorts of cases and quickly realized I needed someone that would eventually back up Reese.

  “How about the new girl?”

  “Aimee? I don’t think she’d be interested in anything like that.”

  “Well, you never know until you ask. For now, I’ll pull out the files that can be done quickly—the no brainers—and then I can train you on the more difficult stuff and help you build some rapport with the right connections.” Reese grabbed a handful of fries and kept flipping through pages. “After this I’m headed out to work on that favor for you.” Reese glanced up over his glasses as he popped the greasy fries into his mouth. “Anything else you need before I leave?”

  “Nope, I think that’s it. I’m about to dive into a few more files myself and see if there’s anything I can knock out before I prepare for the meeting with Brice tomorrow. Thanks, Reese.” I ducked out of his office and headed back to mine.

  The smell of the food permeated the walls and stuck in my nose. As much as I now craved one of those burgers, I knew my body wouldn’t forgive me and I needed to focus. Before I realized it, three hours had passed and I had reviewed all of the referrals sent down from Dunning, Durst and Chandler. I had pulled more than twenty possible cases and realized we had plenty of work to keep us busy for the next several months. I thought about how much I loved the work; I knew I was good at it. My mother would have been proud. She had always supported me whenever I wanted to try something new or obscure. She had always seemed to be much more understanding than my father.

  I glanced at the bright green folder with the ‘DOLL’ label printed at the top and opened it. I’d been over all the details a million and one times. There was nothing new or undiscovered. I had plenty of questions but no answers. I wonder whether my own personal demons were playing tricks with my mind on this case. Am I reading too much into everything?

  Before I could lose myself in the details my phone buzzed with a text from Cain.

  Dinner tonight and a little escape?

  I wanted to escape with Cain but I knew I had to focus on getting my apartment packed up, as I was planning to move into my new place this weekend. I hadn’t spent much time preparing and fortunately the leasing company had given me a long lead-time before I had to begin paying rent. I’m sure Cain had something to do with it, because a long-standing family friend owned the building and Cain had made all of the arrangements.

  Packing tonight. Raincheck? How about tomorrow?

  Sounds good… I miss you.

  Miss you too.

  I felt butterflies in my stomach at the thought of meeting Cain tomorrow. Things had been a little hit and miss with us over the last few weeks, though it wasn’t through tension or disinterest; we were just both extremely busy, and I knew I had been lost in my own head and problems. I didn’t want to drag Cain down with me, but I knew he was always there to help me up when I needed it. Except for this past weekend. I knew I had acted like a jerk, but I’d make it up to him tomorrow. Tonight I was going to get everything ready for the move. Out with the old, in with the new. My old apartment still had several bad memories, from break-ins to kidnapping, but it had also hosted some amazing moments I would never forget. I smiled at the thought of when Cain had made dinner and the perfect bath a few days before.

  “Jennifer…Jennifer? Wow! You must have been lost in some daydream.” Aimee stood on the other side of the desk, holding a file with a big smile on her face.

  I could feel my face flush as I looked up at her with an embarrassed smirk on my face. “Mmm, I was just thinking about Cain. I’m sorry, what were you saying?”

  “Brice called and confirmed tomorrow morning at ten. You’re going to need me there…right?” Aimee’s grin and nodding head left me little choice but to agree.

  “Sure, if you behave. No touching, no drooling and definitely no flirting, Aimee. Best behavior!” I enjoyed seeing Aimee excited about a man, but I wasn’t entirely sure I was excited about it being Brice. I remembered I had promised to get some more details about him for her.

  “I can’t make any promises, but I’ll try. He is downright gorgeous!”

  “And an equally big flirt, and likely a player. Just beware, you don’t need another heartbreak.”

  “Ok, I’ll do my best to turn off my irresistible charm, but sometimes I just can’t help it.” Aimee played with her hair and coyly twisted it around her finger like a little girl as she giggled. “I’ll leave you to your daydreams, I have some more things to get done before tomorrow.”

  Aimee danced off as if she were walking on clouds. I felt the tenseness in my neck and shoulders as I thought about Brice using her like the other girls he’d probably tossed aside.

  Tomorrow I’d spend my morning interrogating Brice and his client.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  The silence of the office was interrupted by laughing and boisterous conversation in the lobby. I could hear Aimee’s jubilant voice and flirtatious laugh and I knew Brice must have just arrived. Aimee wasn’t holding back. When she saw something—or someone—she wanted, she went after it regardless of my warnings. A few minutes later Brice confidently strutted into the conference room, his shoulders back and a slight bounce in his step.

  “Morning, Jennifer, that Aimee…she’s something else…” Brice had a wide smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye I hadn’t witnessed before. Truthfully, other than at the charity event, every time I’d seen him he’d been pretty browbeaten.

  “She is. We’ve been best friends since middle school. Great girl, but she’s had her heart broken a few too many times. I don’t think I could stand to see that happen to her again. In fact, there’s a good chance I’d maim the next guy that hurt her.”

  “Easy now, Jennifer, I was just making conversation. I wasn’t trying to—”

  “Oh, I know exactly what you were trying.” My furrowed brow and laser eyes took aim at Brice but we were interrupted.

  Aimee appeared at the conference room door with John Doll in tow. “Excuse me, John is here to meet with you.” Aimee shot a quick smile at Brice and turned to let John pass by. “Jennifer, should I join you now or come back later?”

  I clenched my teeth and whispered to Brice. “We’ll finish this conversation later.” I turned to Aimee giving her a welcoming smile. “Now would be perfect. Grab a seat, both of you.”

  John grabbed the seat adjacent to Brice and directly ac
ross from me. It was the perfect position for my ongoing interrogation of both of them. I took a moment to regain my composure as Aimee took a seat next to me. John sat back in the leather chair, his arms crossed, showing tell-tale signs that he was already on the defensive.

  Brice pulled out several folders of notes and documents and set them on the table in front of him. “Jennifer, you asked for us to get together to discuss some further details. Do you want to start?”

  I flipped open the yellow legal pad and stared at the few scribbles I had written down. I dropped the pen I had been holding on top of the pad and stared directly at John with a fierce gaze. “No Macie today? Where is she?” I sat and waited for a response from John, but nothing came out. He stared blankly at the conference table as Brice began to speak up, but I cut him off. “I’m sorry, Brice, that question was for John.” John still kept quiet and stared at the table. “John, you’re what? Twenty-five or so? Do you think you will enjoy spending the next eight or ten years surrounded by a bunch of angry men in prison? I’m sure they would enjoy getting to know you.”

  Brice’s mouth fell slightly open and I could tell he was looking to interrupt again, until I turned my gaze toward him. Aimee sat in the awkward silence, slowly swiveling her chair back and forth. This was the first time she had ever seen the darker side of me; the professional Jennifer. I knew my anger and frustration was fueled by more than John’s silence, but it was going to help me get the information I needed to help him. “John, we’re all here to help you, but if you don’t start giving us some answers there is going to be nothing any of us can do for you, except watch you go to jail for something you really didn’t have much control over. Do you understand what I’m saying to you, right now?”

  John finally looked up at me and nodded.

  “No! Do you really understand? It means you aren’t going to get to see Macie, except on visiting days. You certainly aren’t going to be holding any baby, and unless you speak up, Jacob Harritan is going to do exactly what he set out to do. Is that what you want?”