by S. K. Hardy
“I’m assigning Albert’s case to the two of you. Whatever you’re working on now will be reassigned.”
Jerra and Melissa kept their professionalism intact at the news, but Jerra knew for a fact that the other woman had to be just as excited as she was about the unexpected surprise. The Abrams murder case was huge. High profile. It was being reported by news outlets all over the world, and had all the markings of a sensationalized story that everyone loved to tune in to.
Jerra was chomping at the bit to dive into it. As stoked as she was about what Justin just told them, his next words all but floored her…and undoubtedly pissed Melissa the hell off.
“Jerra, you’re going to take first chair on this.”
To her credit, Jerra’s only reaction was a slight widening of her eyes before she nodded once. However, inside, she was jumping up and down and clicking her heels with pure, unadulterated glee.
Melissa’s reaction, however, was just the opposite. Sitting up ramrod straight, she surged forward in her chair. “What? Justin…I…are…are you sure?” she hissed.
Jerra looked at her in disbelief. Did she really just say that? And in front of a client, no less.
Albert frowned. His narrowed gaze reflected his uncertainty as it landed on Jerra.
Justin’s eyes turned artic blue. His voice was razor sharp as he addressed Melissa’s question. “Of course I’m sure. I don’t take any of my client’s cases lightly, least of all Albert’s. He and my father grew up together, and were the best of friends up until the day my father died. If I thought you and Jerra weren’t the best litigators to defend Albert’s son, neither of you would be in this room. For that matter, you wouldn’t be employed at this firm.” He sat back and pinned her with a cutting glare. “If I’m wrong and you are doubting your abilities about being able to defend our client, Melissa, please let me know. As far as Jerra is concerned, she has my complete confidence.”
A sheet of silence covered the room. Although his outward appearance never betrayed his emotions, Jerra knew Justin was seething inside as he stared at Melissa.
The other woman squirmed in her chair before regaining her composure. Lifting her chin she met Justin’s chastising eyes head on. “Of course. My apologies.”
She parted her lips to say more but his piercing stare stopped her. Melissa ducked her head down and reached for the pen and note pad that had been placed on the table by Justin’s secretary.
His body relaxed somewhat as he began to give them a quick overview of the case. “Two days ago, Albert Jr. and his girlfriend were in his room which is located on a separate wing at his parents’ home. From all accounts, the couple has always had a volatile relationship. Matter of fact, the girlfriend’s been arrested several times for attacking our client. On the night in question, the two of them had just returned from a party when they got into another one of these violent confrontations. Albert Jr.’s girlfriend accused him of having sex with a woman at the party. The argument escalated into a physical altercation; the young woman was killed. Albert says he snapped. The only thing he remembers is trying to defend himself after his girlfriend came after him with a bat. He didn’t intend to kill her.”
Jerra had been jotting down notes as he spoke, but looked up and asked in a brisk tone, “Were drugs and alcohol a factor?”
“Yes. Both had been drinking heavily all night. We’re still waiting on the results of the toxicology tests, but according to Albert Jr., pills were involved and they both snorted several lines of cocaine. ”
Jerra directed her attention to Albert Abrams. “Sir, the victim died from blunt force trauma to the head. The police never found the murder weapon. Do you know what happened to it?” When Albert hesitated, Jerra gentled her tone. “Mr. Abrams, we need full disclosure in order to defend your son effectively. Anything you say here is privileged information and will go no further than this room.”
Albert took out a handkerchief and nervously pressed it to his damp brow. “His mother and I…we disposed of the bat. There’s absolutely no possibility of it resurfacing.”
Jerra didn’t even blink. As she said, she just needed all of the facts. Nodding, her pen flew over the pages of the notepad. She, Justin, and Melissa continued to speak to Mr. Abrams for the next two hours and made plans to meet with Albert Jr. before he was arraigned. Justin’s tone was sympathetic as he walked Mr. Abrams to the door, assuring him his son was in excellent hands now.
However, the moment he closed the door, the amiable expression he’d worn gave way to an anger so powerful Jerra expected the windows in the room to shatter from its force. His steel blue eyes reflected his unflinching fury. They never left Melissa as he slowly advanced into the room.
“Just what in the hell do you think you were doing? It’s bad enough you question a decision I made, but to do it in front of a client is completely unacceptable!”
Melissa cleared her throat. She’d obviously been prepared for the reprimand and was ready to plead her case. “Justin, I–”
“Shut up!” Justin roared. “Not one word, Melissa! Not one got damn word!” He pointed his finger at her. “You have no idea how close I am to firing your ass right now. As long as you continue to work here, don’t you ever, ever contradict me like that in front of a client again, do I make myself clear?”
Her face beet red, Melissa nodded and whispered, “Yes, Justin. I’m…I’m sorry.”
“Keep your got damn apology, because frankly it doesn’t mean shit to me right now,” Justin spat out and he stalked past them to his desk. “We’ll discuss this later, but for now, I don’t have to tell either of you how important this case is. The arraignment is in a couple of days. I suggest you get started on your defense.”
Knowing they’d been summarily dismissed, both women nodded as they left the office.
“I suppose you enjoyed that,” Melissa huffed once they were out of earshot of Justin’s secretary.
The little bit of sympathy she’d felt for Melissa getting chewed a new asshole disappeared in an instant. Biting her tongue to keep the stinging retort from passing her lips, Jerra ignored the comment as they both waited on the elevator, but Melissa refused to let it go.
“There are lawyers with more experience at this firm than you who deserved to have this case. It must be nice to have everything handed to you because of your friendship with the boss,” she sneered suggestively.
Jerra had had enough. She was well aware of the whispers and innuendos making their way around the company about her and Justin, and she was tired of it.
“Listen to me and listen well. You may not like me, but you will respect me and respect what I bring to the table. But first, let me give you a freebie and clue you in on a few things you seem to be too stupid to realize.”
Melissa scoffed and jabbed the elevator button. She stared up at the lighted panel of numbers, watching as the elevator descended the floors. It was clear she meant to ignore Jerra and anything Jerra had to say.
When the elevator doors glided open, Jerra stepped in front of Melissa, blocking her from getting on. “We’ll take the next one,” she told the employees who looked at them expectantly. “Thanks.”
After the doors closed, Melissa rounded in on Jerra. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“I’ve known Justin Sullivan for a long time. Newflash: His bottom line is winning and winning big. Nothing else matters. There’s a reason why Sullivan, Baker & Lewis pursued me for almost six years, and it wasn’t so Justin could get in my panties. I’m damned good at what I do. Check my record if you don’t believe me, but I suspect you’ve already done that. That’s why you act like such a jealous little bitch whenever we’re in the same room.”
A crimson blush of embarrassment mingled with guilt spread over Melissa’s face letting Jerra know she was right on the money.
“You and every other lawyer who’s busy gossiping behind my back and spreading rumors know how good I am. That’s the main reason I was chosen for this case. The second reason is
the fact that I’m a woman.”
Confused, Melissa frowned. “What is that supposed to mean?”
Jerra shook her head. For such an excellent lawyer, the woman really was clueless. “We already know the jury will be hostile towards our client. The women will dislike him, be disgusted by him. It’s not going to help if a man represents him and argues his case. Maybe, just maybe, they’ll be a little bit more receptive if his lawyers are women.”
“So…that’s why Justin assigned the case to us.”
Jerra rolled her eyes. Give the girl a gold star.
“I don’t know about you, but I really don’t give a damn how or why this case fell into my lap. Think about it. If we win then we can more or less write our own ticket. I suggest that you give this case your all. A win is a victory for both of us. But if we lose…”
Jerra didn’t have to complete the sentence. Melissa finally got the whole picture. When the elevator doors opened again, she gave Jerra a curt nod. “I have to take care of a few things, but I can be in your office in about thirty minutes.”
“Good. I think I’ll take the stairs. See you in thirty minutes.”
After the elevator doors slid shut, Jerra puffed her cheeks out and exhaled. That girl was exhausting. Hopefully, she’d been able to get through to her. Jerra had no doubt that Melissa had been planning to sabotage her and try to make her look bad. She wouldn’t have succeeded, of course, but Jerra didn’t have time to keep checking her back to make sure a knife wasn’t sticking out of it. This case would require all of her attention.
As she turned to catch the stairs, she heard someone applauding behind her. Looking over her shoulders, she saw Justin walking towards her.
Jerra grinned and met him halfway. “How much did you hear?”
“Enough to once again thank my lucky stars that I never gave up on getting you here.”
“So am I.”
Grimacing, Justin glanced at the elevator Melissa had just got on. Jerra fell into step with him when he gestured for her to follow him back to his office. “And she wonders why you’re taking the lead on this case. I still have half a mind to fire her ass. At the very least take some type of disciplinary action. I still don’t know what she was thinking.”
“I think it was her ego talking, but mostly...”
Justin closed the door behind them once they got to his office. When Jerra stopped before completing her sentence, Justin tilted his head, eyes full of curiosity. “Mostly what?”
Jerra hesitated then shrugged as she sat down in the chair in front of his desk. “She has a thing for you, that’s what. She’s jealous.”
“Of what? You and me?” he asked, leaning back on his desk and folding his arms.
“Yes.”
Justin looked truly perplexed. “Why? I’ve never been anything but professional with her.”
Jerra rolled her eyes. “Justin, half the women at your firm are in love with you. It’s the same as in law school; you never had to do anything but be yourself. That’s reason enough for these poor women to lose their minds over you.”
“Thanks. I think,” he frowned.
Jerra’s eyes went to the picture of his twelve year old son whom he shared custody of with his ex-girlfriend. The boy was a beautiful mixture of cultures. Although he inherited Justin’s beautiful blue eyes, there was no doubting the African American blood that ran through his veins.
“There’s never been anyone special since Kyle’s mother?” she probed gently. Justin hadn’t said much about her, but Jerra got the feeling the breakup was a bad one.
“No, and that’s the way I plan on keeping it. I have my son and that’s enough. Believe me, having my heart broken once in a lifetime is enough.”
“Yes, love hurts but it doesn’t mean you should give up on it and try to avoid it at every turn.”
“Says the pot to the kettle. If that’s true, why aren’t you taking your own advice?” Justin asked, smoothly turning the tables.
Jerra lifted her eyebrows. “Touché.”
But he wasn’t letting her avoid the subject. “Well? I’m waiting.”
Jerra shifted uncomfortably in the chair. “I honestly don’t know how to answer that. Darrell and I…we’ve been through a lot.”
“It’s obvious the two of you still love one another.”
Jerra nodded slowly. “Yes. Very much.”
“Isn’t that reason enough to try and work on your problems? The guy’s crazy over you, Jerra. I could see that the first time I met him.”
“He’s trying, I do admit that.”
“You know, you and I share that blasted Type A personality, my friend. Sometimes we can be too rigid, unwilling to bend. It’s hard for us to admit that not everything is black and white.”
Jerra’s brow furrowed slightly as she thought about the initial cause of their separation. “Maybe.”
“Take it from me, it’s rare to find something like what you and your husband share, Jerra.”
“I know and I agree.” Jerra smiled and glanced down at her watch. “I’d better go. I can’t have Melissa beating me to my office.”
Once she got to the door, she turned back to look at him. “Thanks, Justin.”
“Don’t mention it. And Jerra?” he stopped her before she left the office. “Keep me abreast of this case. I want to be made aware of every single move you plan to make.”
“Will do. Talk to you soon.”
CHAPTER 34
It was after nine o’clock that night by the time Jerra left the office. She picked up her briefcase, which contained information about the case she planned to work on once she got home and headed towards the elevator.
It seemed as if she and Darrell had been playing phone tag most of the day. He’d been busy in meetings, and then out at a work site checking up on one of the new projects he and Carl had started on. Text messages and voicemails had been their mode of communication. Jerra had let him know that she would be unexpectedly late due to a case she’d just been assigned to. Darrell responded that she didn’t have to worry. Mrs. Henderson would be with D.J. until he got home.
As Jerra rode the elevator down to the garage, she thought about the middle-aged woman Darrell had hired a couple of weeks ago to work as a part-time nanny/housekeeper. To say that Jerra had been adamantly opposed to the idea was an understatement, but now she freely admitted that Mrs. Henderson was a godsend for all of them. She’d immediately put Jerra at ease once they met and D.J. was already crazy about her.
Biting her lip, Jerra’s mind went back to Darrell. She smiled as she thought about the last text she’d received from him a couple of hours ago…
I don’t know how long u’ll b but u might as well let D.J. spend the night. I’ll get him 2 camp in the morning… & fyi the invitation 2 spend the night xtends to u 2. ☺
She’d sent him a return text telling him thanks for keeping their baby for the night…but no thanks on the extended invite. Before she hit SEND she’d included a smiley face as well, letting him know she hadn’t taken it the wrong way.
Jerra stepped off the elevator and waved to the security guard as she headed to her car. Once inside, she pushed the button to start the ignition and pulled out onto the busy city streets that were bright and alive with activity. While she was preparing to wind her day down, Vegas was just getting started.
She drove for a while, thinking about the case and mentally reviewing the line of defense she’d outlined. Jerra loved her job. Although she wouldn’t trade the time she’d spent at home with her son for anything in the world, she had to admit that she’d missed practicing law. It was good to be back in the midst of it.
When she came to a stop at a traffic light, she tapped her fingers on the steering wheel to the beat of the song that filled the interior of her car. It was a new release from one of her favorite artists. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a car pull up on the side of her and stop as it too waited on the light to change. She paid it no attention until the driver beeped its horn.
>
Frowning, she instinctively turned her head towards the expensive sports car and saw that an extremely handsome man was behind the wheel. Seeing that he had Jerra’s attention, he slowly rolled his tinted window down and nodded in greeting. Jerra gave him a tired smile before turning her head to wait for the light to change. When he blew his horn again, Jerra started to ignore him, but looked at him with a touch of irritation. He gave her a charming smile that she was sure normally worked for him and mimicked a gesture that more or less asked for her number. Jerra shook her head and held up her left hand to show him her wedding band. The man held up his own hand to show her he was married as well so it didn’t matter.
This time Jerra didn’t bother to acknowledge the gesture he gave her again for her number. When, she heard her cell phone buzz, alerting her of an incoming text, Jerra picked it up and glanced at the message. She smiled when she saw it was from Darrell.
Just wanted to tell you to be careful going home. Have a good night.
Without realizing it, Jerra’s smile stretched out to a wide grin. Placing her foot on the accelerator, she pulled off, instantly forgetting about the disappointed driver of the other car. Her first response was to give her husband a quick call, but at that exact moment, she spied the exit that would take her to his condo. Making a lightning quick decision, she sped up and switched lanes to take the exit. Almost three weeks had passed since the amazing night they’d shared together. Jerra had thought about it every day since. They’d handled it well. Things hadn’t been awkward between them at all. In fact, they’d been talking quite a bit, and as a result, things had improved greatly.
Although Jerra couldn’t help but notice the way Darrell looked at her whenever they were together, he hadn’t pushed for a repeat of that night. He’d kept his promise to leave that decision up to her.
