Collin leaned across the table, meeting him halfway. He stole his own glance toward Katrina, who stood with her back to the two of them. “The pretty one with the long blond hair?”
Jake nodded. “I kissed her,” he said, an air of pride pushing his chest forward.
Matthew chuckled, lifting his magazine a little higher to conceal the amusement painting his expression.
Collin grinned. “Cool, dude! I kissed my girl, too!” he said as he winked at the boy.
Jake sat back in his chair, his mile-wide smile filling his face.
Katrina suddenly dropped a plate of food in front of her eldest son as she turned her attention to the youngest. “Jacoby, you need to get moving. Mrs. Cyrus will be here any minute now to pick you up.”
Jake frowned. “I thought you were driving today.”
“I have to be in court early this morning, so Mrs. Cyrus and I traded days.”
The youngster shook his head. “I hate when Mrs. Cyrus drives. She’s always asking a lot of questions about Dad.”
Katrina blinked. “What kind of questions?”
“Nosy questions!”
Matthew laughed.
Before Katrina could respond, a car horn sounded out in front of the home. Jake jumped from his seat, gulped the last of his orange juice, grabbed his backpack and rushed toward the door. Katrina hurried after him, admonishing the boy to not forget he had piano lessons after school and to remember to bring home his science book to work on his class project. Jake screamed his goodbyes from the front porch and then the house suddenly went quiet.
Matthew took another sip of his coffee, shifting his gaze toward Collin. “It’s good to see you. We were starting to worry that you couldn’t find your way home.”
Collin felt his cheeks heat with color. He stammered, “I... W-we... It...”
His father held up his hand. “You don’t need to explain it to me. Your mother might have some questions, though.”
“His mother has nothing to say,” Katrina suddenly interjected as she moved back into the room. She rounded the table, kissing one and then the other. “You’re an adult and I’m just going to have to trust that we raised you to make responsible decisions. I will, however, ask that you make a concerted effort to spend some time with Jake. He idolizes you and I need you to be a role model he can depend on. And, when he’s whispering to you about kissing some fast-tail little girl, that you remind him to always be respectful and careful, please. Don’t high-five his antics!” She scoffed. “Like the two of you kissing girls is something to celebrate.”
Collin laughed, “It is, actually. I didn’t kiss a girl until I was in high school!”
Matthew laughed with his son.
Katrina rolled her eyes skyward. “Way too much information,” she quipped. “I need to run. Do you think you can fit your old mom into your busy schedule? Maybe we can do lunch this week? Just the two of us?”
Collin nodded. “Just say when.”
“Depending on the cases I get through today, maybe we can try for tomorrow.”
“Just text me when you’re sure. I’ll make it work.”
Katrina pressed her lips to her husband’s. “Have a good day, baby!”
“I love you,” Matthew responded. He tapped her backside as she turned, and she giggled as she rushed out the door.
“What time are you making?” Collin asked, reaching for his own cup of coffee.
“I have to head out in a few minutes, too,” Matthew answered.
“Do you have some time for me to pick your brain?”
Matthew dropped his magazine to the table. “What’s on your mind, son?”
“I think I’m falling in love with London, but she doesn’t want a relationship.”
“But she’s sleeping with you?”
Collin felt himself blush a second time. “Something like that. How did you know with Mom? How were you certain you were in love?”
Matthew pondered the question briefly before he answered. “It was how I felt when we were apart,” he finally said. “I couldn’t breathe when your mother was away from me. I felt empty. When we were with each other, everything seemed possible. One day I realized I didn’t want to be away from her. I couldn’t imagine my life without her.”
Collin sat in reflection, finishing the last of his pancakes.
“Why doesn’t she want to be in a relationship?” Matthew asked.
Collin lifted his gaze back to his father’s. He shook his head. “I’m not sure. Something happened in her past and I think she’s scared.”
Matthew nodded his head slowly. “If you two aren’t on the same page, this could end badly. I wouldn’t want to see you hurt. You need to think long and hard about continuing on the path you’re on. If it’s just sex for her, you need to be honest about that. And I won’t tell you it’s wrong, or that you shouldn’t. I can only tell you to be smart. But it sounds like you and Ms. Jacobs still have to work on communicating with each other.”
Collin blew a heavy gust of air past his full lips. He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about London. He did miss her and despite what he’d said, he wanted more for the two of them than he’d actually admitted.
His father seemed to read his mind. “Talk to her, son. You need to be honest about your feelings, and she needs to be honest about hers. And just take your time. Neither one of you needs to rush. You’re both still very young. God willing, you still have a whole lifetime ahead of you. If it’s supposed to be, it will be.”
* * *
The front desk receptionist at the Pro Bono Partnership greeted Collin warmly. “Good morning, Mr. Stallion!”
“Good morning, Ms. Bayer. How are you doing this morning?”
“Fine, thank you.” The young woman tossed the length of her brunette hair over her shoulder as she batted her lashes. “You had a delivery, sir. I left the package on your desk.”
Collin smiled his appreciation. “Thank you.” He moved in the direction of his office. As he sauntered past London’s office, she and her two friends were staring at him. He waved a hand and winked as he passed, disappearing into the office at the other end of the hall.
Felicia giggled as she turned back around in her seat. She and Paula exchanged a look with London. “So, have you had another date yet?” Felicia asked.
London shook her head. “No,” she lied, shifting the manila folders on her desk from one side to the other. “I told you it wasn’t going anywhere.”
Paula sighed. “We have such high hopes for you two.”
London laughed, “I don’t know why you two are so concerned about my love life.”
“We want you to be happy,” Paula stated.
London’s smile lifted warmly. “I am very happy.”
Perry suddenly peeked in, clearing his throat. Paula and Felicia both rose reluctantly.
“Good morning,” the dynamic duo chimed simultaneously.
Perry nodded as he responded, “Good morning. Everyone have something to do this morning?”
“We’re all good,” London answered. “We were just discussing Mr. James.”
Perry looked from Paula to Felicia and back. “Ms. Graves, Ms. Tyson, you two are the social workers assigned to Mr. James’s case, correct?”
“That’s correct,” Paula answered. “I’ll be visiting his family later this week to determine how we’re going to be able to serve him best should he be released. Attorney Jacobs was just updating us on the current family dynamics.”
“We just want to ensure we have a plan in place for housing, his financial needs, health care...” Felicia interjected, her voice trailing as she ticked off the rest of the list in her head.
Perry nodded again. “Carry on, then,” he said as he resumed his stroll through the office.
Felicia laughed, “That man is so uptight! It’s a wonder he do
esn’t explode.”
The other two women laughed with her. Paula and Felicia headed to the door.
“Lunch later?” Paula queried.
“I’ll let you know,” London answered.
Before either could respond, Collin suddenly moved from his office to hers. “Sorry to interrupt,” he said as he greeted each woman with a nod.
London waved a dismissive hand at her friends. “It’s no problem. What’s up?”
Collin passed her the oversize envelope he was carrying in his hands. “I think you should look at this,” he said. He moved into the space, dropping into the seat that was just vacated. He sat watching her as London flipped through the documents inside.
Her eyes widened. “Are you absolutely sure about this?”
“It’s what they sent from the prosecutor’s office. We have no reason to doubt its validity.”
“You know what this means, right?”
Collin nodded. “Yeah, Mr. James was railroaded. He should have never been charged with his wife’s murder.”
London swiped a tear from her eyes. “We need to file a motion for immediate dismissal of the charges.”
“Already on it.” Collin nodded. “I’ve also started a brief on Mr. James’s behalf, detailing the prosecutorial misconduct. I want to include it with the motion to dismiss.”
“You want to go after the original prosecution team?”
“What they did was flagrantly wrong. I want to see that wrong corrected. Perry has given it his full support.”
London locked gazes with the man. “Good work!”
He smiled. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”
* * *
There was a buzz in the office at the discovery of evidence that had never been passed to Jerome James’s defense team at the time of his trial. There was the witness statement of the man’s young son, who had been present during the murder. Six years old at the time, Jerome Junior had described the crime scene and the murder in detail, specifically stating that his daddy had not been home when the crime occurred. That a bad man had hurt his mommy. The neighbors had reported a strange man parked on the street near the James home, and the same man had been seen walking out of the nearby wooded area behind the house around the time of the killing. Weeks later, Mrs. James’s wedding band had been recovered in a Houston pawnshop some two hundred miles away. The shop owner had given a statement that he’d received the ring from a young white male in his late teens or early twenties. Finally, the prosecutors had not called the chief investigator on the case to the stand, sending a red flag that something was amiss. Their entire case had been circumstantial, the prosecution team arguing that Jerome James’s past militant behavior and community activism had made him a violent personality capable of murder.
Collin led the way into the courthouse, London following on his heels. They hoped that once they got their paperwork filed they could persuade the new county clerk to get them on the court calendar as soon as possible.
The woman at the counter, whom Collin had met the week before, looked like a great horned owl, with her horn-rimmed glasses and unique hairstyle. She glanced from Collin to London, her deadpan expression not giving them much confidence. Her name was Vivian Pratt and she lacked the robust personality of her predecessors.
“Does Judge Mays have anything this week?” London questioned. “Anything?”
Ms. Pratt cut an eye in London’s direction, then resumed scrolling through her computer screen. “You already have a trial date set for next month,” she said.
Collin nodded. “Yes, we do, but we’re hoping we can get before a judge sooner, so we won’t need to go to trial. Anything you can do would be greatly appreciated.”
He smiled, leaning across the counter as he gave her a look. The woman smiled back, her mouth bending slowly upward.
“Let me see what I can do. I’ll get your paperwork filed and then give your office a call later this afternoon.”
“That would be great,” Collin responded, still smiling sweetly.
The woman stamped the seal on the multiple copies of paperwork, then handed him a receipt. “Would you like me to call you directly?” she asked, her fingers accidently brushing against his hand as she returned his copies to him.
Collin shook his head. “Calling the office will be fine. Thank you so much, Ms. Pratt.”
“You have a good day, Attorney Stallion.” The woman shot London a look. “You, too,” she said less enthusiastically as she spun back around toward her paperwork.
As they stepped out into the hallway, London gave him a look. “Really?”
“She was flirting with me,” he said, grinning foolishly. “I didn’t do anything to encourage it.”
“But you used it to your advantage.”
“I used it to our advantage,” he answered.
London was just about to argue the point when she heard her name being called from the other side of the front foyer. She turned abruptly, searching out the familiar tenor. Without realizing it, she eased herself into Collin’s side. She began to shake, the color draining from her face.
Collin sensed her distress as he pressed a heavy palm against her lower back. He called her name softly, his voice a low whisper, “London? You okay?”
She shook her head, tears misting her eyes. “Please, don’t leave me,” she muttered under her breath.
The man idling toward them was eyeing her keenly. Collin recognized Victor Wells from the news and media coverage of his recent nomination and appointment to the Texas Supreme Court. Justice Wells stood as tall as Collin, with a lankier build. His movie-star looks had served him well over the years, and Collin had often heard people say that Wells resembled a younger Clint Eastwood.
“London! Isn’t this a surprise!” Wells exclaimed. He moved as if he wanted to pull London into a tight embrace, but she took a step back as Collin stepped forward protectively. Justice Wells came to a stop, looking from one to the other.
London didn’t say anything, eyeing him with reservation.
The man extended a hand toward Collin. “Victor Wells, it’s a pleasure.”
“Collin Stallion, sir. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Justice Wells.”
“You aren’t by any chance related to the Stallion family of Stallion Enterprises, are you?”
“My father is Matthew Stallion.”
The judge nodded. He swung his attention back to London, who was still standing like stone, her arms wrapped tightly around her torso.
Collin saw what looked like fear in her eyes, her body braced as if she were ready to sprint if necessary.
Justice Wells persisted. “I’ve missed you, London. I’ve been keeping up with your career. I hear you picked up an old case I prosecuted when I was with the district attorney’s office. James something or other.”
Collin’s eyes narrowed. “It’s Jerome James.”
Victor cut his eye at Collin. “Yeah. Whatever.” He turned back to London. “I hate to see you waste your time. It was a solid conviction.”
“Or not,” Collin interjected.
Victor bristled. “Excuse me but I wasn’t talking to you, young man. What is your relationship to London, anyway?”
The question seemed to snap London from the trance she’d fallen into. “None of your damn business,” she snapped between clenched teeth. “Stay away from me or I will file for a restraining order.”
Victor laughed, “And say what? All I’ve done is try to have a casual conversation with you. Even Mr. Stallion would have to testify to that.” Something dark crossed the man’s face. He took a step toward her. When he did, London bristled, a hand reaching out for Collin and grabbing the back of his jacket as if to hide behind him. Victor’s gaze narrowed, and his voice dropped an octave. His tone was suddenly less friendly. “I’ve got my eye on you, London. Don’t think I don’t,” he sai
d.
Victor took a step back, gave them both a slight nod of his head and then turned on his leather shoes, disappearing in the opposite direction. When he was no longer in sight, London released the breath she’d been holding. She gasped, sucking in oxygen like someone had been holding her underwater. The tears finally rolled down her cheeks. She was still shaking, and Collin barely recognized her. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly.
“Let’s go,” he said. “I’m taking you home.”
“I need to get back to the office.”
“You need to take a break.”
He led her out the building and to her car. He settled her into the passenger seat, closing the door after she’d secured her seat belt. As she sat there, she looked completely lost, and he realized his nerves were still tense. He wasn’t sure what it was, but something was amiss. He walked around the front of the car to the driver’s seat and slid inside.
As he pulled the vehicle out of the parking lot and into traffic, neither noticed that Victor Wells was standing beside his own car watching them.
Chapter 8
London completely shut down. She had nothing to say to him as he drove them to her home. When they arrived at her apartment, she crawled into her bed, pulling the covers up over her head. She heard Collin on the phone with Perry, saying that she’d become sick at lunch and wasn’t able to return. He insinuated he planned to take her to urgent care and then see her safely home. Then he promised to keep the man posted. She listened with half an ear, saying nothing at all.
London offered him little to explain her reaction to seeing Victor Wells. But even without her saying it out loud, Collin instinctively knew Victor had been the man who’d hurt her. The relationship that had gone all kinds of wrong. The love that had built walls of steel around her heart. He knew, and he wasn’t quite sure how he felt about it.
He sat down on her bed, reaching a hand out to stroke her shoulder. He felt her body tense beneath his touch. He was half expecting her to pull away, but when she didn’t he kicked off his shoes and stretched out onto the bed beside her. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against him, cradling his body around hers. She was suddenly crying again, low sobs that pulled at his heartstrings. He allowed her the moment, holding her tightly until she cried herself to sleep.
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