[Steel Brothers 01.0] Craving

by HELEN HARDT

  “Which one?”

  “Talon Steel.”

  I shook my head. “No, he’s out. But his brothers are here.” I held out my hand. “I’m Jade Roberts, Marjorie’s friend. Do you…want me to get Jonah and Ryan for you?”

  Dugan nodded. “Yes, if you don’t mind.”

  “Sure.” I held the door open. “Come on in.”

  He stepped in and removed his hat. Polite.

  “I’ll just be a minute.”

  I walked quickly through the kitchen to the patio. They were laughing. At what, I had no idea. It was the first gale of laughter I’d heard tonight, and with the news I had, it would no doubt be the last.

  I cleared my throat. “Excuse me, you guys, but there’s an Officer Dugan here to see Talon. He wants to talk to the two of you.”

  Jonah arched his eyebrows. “Steve? What’s going on?”

  “I haven’t a clue,” I said, “but he’s waiting in the foyer.”

  Jonah rose and walked past me, Ryan and Marj following. I strode quickly on their heels. I might not be family, but I needed to know what was going on. My nerves were a wreck.

  “Steve”—Jonah held out his hand—“what’s going on, buddy?”

  “Hey, Joe.” Dugan shook Jonah’s hand and then Ryan’s and Marjorie’s. “I’m sorry to barge in like this.”

  “I guess you’ve already met Marj’s friend Jade?” Ryan said.

  Dugan smiled…sort of. “Nice to meet you.” He shook my hand.

  His hand was big and meaty. And clammy with perspiration. This cop was nervous. Or hesitant.

  “Come on into the living room,” Jonah said. “You want a drink?”

  Dugan shook his head. “I’m here to see your brother.”

  “You putting together another poker game?” Ryan smiled. “Why don’t you ever ask me to play?”

  “Because you suck, Ry,” Dugan said, “but that’s not why I’m here.” He cleared his throat. “I’m afraid this isn’t a social call.”

  Apprehension clogged the air. Something was wrong. Very wrong.

  “I need to take Talon in. I have a warrant for his arrest.”

  I was helping Marion in the winery office the next morning, trying desperately to get Talon out of my mind.

  He hadn’t come home last night. I’d made several pilgrimages to the kitchen, hoping to find him staring at that damned glass of water, but to no avail. I hadn’t slept, and from the looks of Ryan when I came in this morning, neither had he.

  I nearly dropped the file I was working on when Marjorie burst in like a tornado, her cheeks flushed pink and her eyes rimmed with darkness, carrying a legal-size envelope. Clearly, she hadn’t slept either.

  “Jade”—she forced a smile—“your bar results came.”

  My stomach rose in my throat. The last thing I wanted to do was open that envelope in front of Marj and Marion.

  “Morning, ladies.” Ryan strode in, his signature smile missing from his face. “How’s everything going this morning?”

  And now in front of Ryan. Why couldn’t he have stayed over at the warehouse with the barrels?

  Goosebumps froze on my arms. “Marj…”

  “Oh, what are you afraid of? You know you passed with flying colors. My brilliant BFF could do no less.” She sighed. “Besides, we could all use some good news this morning.”

  I couldn’t argue there. Marjorie, who usually slept like a baby, had clearly tossed and turned last night. Her eyes told the tale.

  Ever since college, Marj had labored under the delusion that I was brilliant. The truth was I was no more brilliant than anyone else. I studied. I had to, to get scholarships. Marj, coming from the Steel Empire, hadn’t needed to worry about money. I had worked hard in school my whole life, my father driving into my head that I needed to go to college and I needed to get scholarships to be able to do it. I’d always had scholarships, and I’d taken loans to cover the rest that my dad couldn’t and then worked to cover my living expenses.

  And here Marj was building me up in front of Marion and Ryan and waving my bar results in my face. What was I supposed to do? I had to open them. And if I didn’t pass… Nothing much. I’d be mortified, that was all.

  But as I had done for all tests in my entire testing career, I had studied for the bar exam. And when I studied for tests, I usually got As. So I had to go with the odds here. Why worry yet?

  “I’m on pins and needles here, Jade.” Marj thrust the envelope at me.

  I reluctantly took it. Telling her I didn’t want to open it in front of everyone would do no good. They already knew it was here anyway, and whatever the result was, they would know that eventually as well.

  “Yes, please don’t keep us in suspense.” Marion smiled.

  I took a deep breath and ripped open the envelope. Inside were two pieces of paper. My vision blurred as I tried to read the first piece. Name, address, scan scan scan, scan scan scan…

  Status.

  I drew in a deep breath.

  Pass.

  I widened my eyes to make sure I hadn’t read it wrong.

  Pass.

  “I passed!” I squealed.

  Marj launched herself at me, giving me a hug. She nearly stumbled, but Ryan steadied both of us.

  “Easy there, squirt,” he said. “Her first lawsuit will be against you.”

  Marj let me go, and I was shaking as I looked at the second sheet of paper.

  “What’s that?” Marj asked.

  I scanned it quickly. “It’s about the swearing in ceremony next month in Denver.”

  “That’s great.” Marj clapped her hands. “We’ll all go to support you.”

  “That’s not necessary. I may not even go myself. It’s not like it’s a requirement.”

  “Nonsense,” Ryan said. “You should definitely be there. We’ll make sure we all get it on our calendars.”

  I took a deep breath. Thank God.

  If only Talon were here…

  Marjorie interrupted my worries. “You need to go look for an attorney job,” she said.

  “I’m kind of working here today, Marj.”

  “Actually, I was just coming in to tell you guys that there’s not much to do around here today,” Ryan said. “Marion can handle everything. Why don’t you take the day off, go get your dress blues on, and go into town? There’s only one firm in town, plus the city attorney’s office. You can see them both today, strut your stuff. Maybe one of them will have an opening.”

  “See?” Marj said. “Everything is working out. Let’s go back to the house, get you dressed, and I’ll go with you. I’ll treat you to lunch. Besides, it’ll help get my mind off of…”

  Talon.

  She didn’t have to say his name. We were all thinking it.

  This was all hitting me so fast. I wasn’t sure I could speak coherently, let alone try to get a job today. I opened my mouth to say as much, but Marion and Ryan ushered us out the door.

  “Go on, you two,” Marion said. “Ryan and I can hold down the fort here. You get yourself a job, missy.”

  No sooner had we lunched at Enzio’s Italian eatery—the eggplant parm, usually my favorite, had been flavorless due to my worry—than Marj was marching me toward the city attorney’s office.

  “The city attorney’s name is Larry Wade. I don’t know him very well, but I believe he and my father did business together. Do you want me go in and introduce you?”

  I shook my head. Marj had already done so much for me. Besides, I wanted to do this myself. “No, thanks. I’ll go alone. I don’t want it to get around town that I’m going around asking for favors because I know the Steels.”

  “I understand,” Marj said. “Now run in there and show them what you’ve got.”

  I gathered my courage and walked through the door of the small city building. I was used to the massive city buildings and courthouses in Denver. This was a tiny brick building that apparently housed the mayor, the city attorney, and their staffs, which didn’t appear to be very
abundant.

  A young lady sat behind a wall. I walked up to her. “Excuse me.”

  “Yes, may I help you?”

  I cleared my throat. “I’d like to see the city attorney, please, if he’s available?”

  I let out a breath. I had done it again, inflecting my voice at the end of a statement and making it sound like a question, as if I were asking for a favor, as if I weren’t worthy of seeing the city attorney.

  I had to stop doing that.

  “Do you have an appointment?”

  I shook my head. “No.”

  “May I tell him what this is regarding?”

  I drew in a breath and let it out slowly. “I’m an attorney. I’m looking for a job here in Snow Creek.”

  “Oh, then you came about the ad.”

  “The ad?”

  “Yes, they’re looking for an assistant city attorney. I’m sure he’ll want to see you. We haven’t gotten many applicants. There aren’t too many attorneys who choose to live in Snow Creek.” She let out a quick laugh. “Let me tell him you’re here.”

  My heart soared. They were actually looking for someone. Could my timing have been any better? Things like this never happened to me.

  The receptionist turned back to me. “Larry is in the office and will see you. He’s very excited that you’re here.”

  I looked around. Surely there couldn’t be that much work for a city attorney in Snow Creek. Why was he looking for an assistant? The money would probably not be much, but as long as I could get a small apartment and move off the ranch, it would be enough for me.

  “Go ahead and have a seat.” The receptionist gestured to the sofa and a few chairs in a sitting area. “He’ll be down in a minute.”

  A few seconds later, a balding blond man of medium height, wearing khakis and a button-down shirt, walked toward me, his hand outstretched. “I’m Larry Wade. Are you the attorney?”

  I stood and nodded. “I’m Jade Roberts.” I took his hand. “It’s great to meet you. I really appreciate you seeing me.”

  “Not at all. I’m thrilled you’re here, to be honest. My workload is getting heavy, but as Carol likely told you, we don’t get a lot of attorneys settling here in Snow Creek.” He led me back to a small conference room and gestured for me to have a seat. He sat down across from me. “So what brings you to Snow Creek, Ms. Roberts?”

  “Please, Jade. Actually, friends. Marjorie Steel is my best friend.”

  His eyebrows shot up. “The Steels?”

  “Yes.” Was that a problem?

  “Good people, the Steels.”

  Okay, maybe not a problem. “Yes, they are.”

  “So how long have you been practicing law?”

  Warmth spread over my cheeks. “I haven’t, actually. I just got my bar results this morning.” I tugged the paper out of the small briefcase I was carrying and slid it across the table to Mr. Wade.

  “Well, congratulations, then.” He smiled. “And welcome to the club.” He took a look at my resume, scanning it. “So you clerked for Davis and Stubbs. Good, very good. You have any experience doing city work?”

  I shook my head. “I’m afraid I don’t, but I do know my way around a courtroom. I sat with Sherry Malone on several of her medical malpractice cases, did most of her legwork.”

  “As you can imagine, we don’t have a lot of high-profile cases here in Snow Creek.” He chuckled. “Anything big gets sent up to the County DA in Grand Junction. But we do have a lot of traffic tickets, curfew violations, drunk driving, assault and batteries, a little domestic violence sometimes. Nothing too exciting, but we make do.”

  “With all due respect, Mr. Wad—”

  “Please, Larry.”

  I cleared my throat. “Larry. I guess I’m not sure why you need an assistant.”

  “I don’t have an investigator on staff,” Larry said. “At the city council meeting last month, I mentioned that I needed one, but the council suggested, and I agreed, that I hire an assistant city attorney instead, someone who could do investigation work but could also take over for me if necessary.”

  “I see.” So I was to be a glorified law clerk. Great.

  “Don’t get me wrong. This will be a great starting job for you. You’ll learn the inside out of municipal law and working for the city. And yes, you’ll have to do some investigating, but most attorneys do that anyway.”

  I nodded, biting my lip. I wanted to ask how much the job paid, but I wasn’t sure how to broach the subject.

  “If you’re interested, Jade, I’d love to have you start tomorrow.”

  “I’m definitely interested. And starting tomorrow probably wouldn’t be any problem. But could I ask about benefits?”

  Damn it, why had I asked like that? I had every right to know what kind of benefits and compensation I’d be receiving.

  “Of course, of course. The city has an HMO for healthcare, paid in full for the employee. If you have a spouse or dependents, the excess will be taken out of your check.”

  “Well that’s not a problem. I’m not married.”

  “Good, good. We also cover dental and vision. We’re in the state system for retirement, so instead of paying Social Security, you’ll pay into the state coffers.”

  I nodded. Get to the money.

  “And the job starts at $65,000 a year.”

  Less than I wanted, but for a small town, probably pretty comparable.

  “It may interest you to know that the median salary for city attorneys in the United States is about $90,000. But we’re a small town, and you’re a first-year attorney. I’ve been authorized to offer that same salary to any attorney with ten years or less experience, so you’re getting a pretty good deal.”

  I couldn’t really argue with his logic, and I wasn’t really in a position to either.

  “I don’t know how serious you are about staying here in Snow Creek, but the only private law firm in town is not currently hiring as far as I know. There’s also Newt Davis, a solo practitioner who hung his shingle on the other side of town a few months ago. But I hear he’s having a hard time finding enough work just for himself.”

  Wow. He really wanted me to take this job. I wasn’t exactly sure why, but I also didn’t care all that much, at least not at this point.

  “So are you offering me the job?”

  He smiled. “I am.”

  I stood. “Then I’d be happy to accept. Thank you very much…Larry.”

  He stood, walked around the table to me, and held out his hand. “Then welcome aboard, Jade. I’m very happy to have you join us here. Let me give you a tour around our office. You can meet the rest of the staff, and then I’ll give you your first case.”

  “That’s great. Just let me go tell my friend that that I’ll be tied up for a little while, and I’ll be right back.”

  “Not a problem. Come on back in when you’re ready.”

  I quickly told Marj that I got the job and that she could go ahead and go. Then I headed back to the office. Larry handed me a legal-size manila folder.

  “Here’s your first case, counselor,” he said. “You can take it home tonight and then come back first thing in the morning to start work. We begin at nine around here.”

  “Sounds great to me.” I placed the file in my small briefcase.

  Larry showed me to a small office, but at least it had a window. It was sparsely decorated with a metal desk, computer table, desktop computer, and a couple filing cabinets and bookshelves.

  “It’s not much,” he said, “but it works.”

  “Oh, it’s fine. I’ll be very comfortable here,” I said.

  He introduced me to Michelle, our secretary, and David, a file clerk. “We have a pretty small staff here. It’s a small town, after all.”

  “I’m sure everything will work out just fine. It looks great to me.”

  “Excellent. We will see you bright and early tomorrow at nine o’clock.”

  “I look forward to it.” As I began to walk toward the door, I p
ulled the file out of my briefcase to take a quick look.

  And my heart plummeted to my stomach.

  People versus Talon Steel.

  Chapter Twenty

  Talon

  The rag stuffed in his mouth made the boy gag. It tasted like mushrooms and dirt and vomit. His eyes were covered and his wrists bound with tight rope behind his back. Only his legs were free, but his exhaustion kept him from kicking his captors. He’d already kicked them and kicked them and kicked them some more…and still he’d ended up here.

  “Get on in there, boy,” a voice said.

  Strong hands forced him down a long flight of stairs, and he nearly stumbled.

  “Welcome home, you little bitch,” another voice said. “You’ll like it here. We’ll make sure you’re very comfortable.” He laughed eerily.

  Evil. Like a black snake slithering in the darkness, red eyes gleaming. That’s what the voice sounded like. Pure evil.

  The boy shivered. When he reached the bottom of the stairs, the men pushed him into a corner.

  “You ready, boy?” the first voice said. “You ready?”

  Still gagged, the boy couldn’t answer. Ready for what?

  He soon found out.

  “Please, Steve. I can’t stand the handcuffs.” I sweated in the back of the police car, my hands bound behind me. I tried to draw in a deep breath, and then again. Couldn’t get enough air.

  “Sorry, Tal. Gotta do it by the book. You know that,” Officer Steve Dugan said. “Why’d you beat that kid up, anyway?”

  I didn’t answer. I knew better than to talk. Besides, the guy was twenty-five years old, at least. He wasn’t a kid.

  A half hour later, we arrived at the Snow Creek Police Department and Courthouse, next to the City Administration Building. Steve got out of the car and opened the door for me.

  “Come on, Tal.”

  I stayed seated, paralyzed. White noise echoed in my head.

  “Commmme…onnnn…Tallll…” Steve’s voice was deep and drawn out, like it was in a time warp.

  A meaty hand grabbed my arm.

  I jerked it away. “No!” I screamed. “I’m not going!”