“Yeah, should be good.” Next time I’ll just make sure I drive myself though. “It will be interesting to see the infamous Dermot Banks in action.” Even though I had already witnessed some of it directed at my own person, I thought.
“You’re in for a treat,” he said. “I have to go and finish up some more things for him, but I’ll see you later. You mind if I come by afterwards?”
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Dermot turn to look at us from his seat. It was hard to deny Caleb when he was right in front of me. Not to mention, I really wanted to see him later. Who was Dermot Banks to tell me who I could and couldn’t date? It probably wasn’t exactly the smartest move on my part to ignore him, but with Caleb sitting there, waiting for me to answer, and the full effect of his blue gaze on my face, I couldn’t help but nod.
He leaned down and gave me a quick kiss on the lips before hurrying over to see his dad, who had turned back around by then. Gazing about the room, my eyes stopped at the younger prosecutor. He was staring at me as though he’d just seen a ghost. What was his problem? I turned back to the front, ignoring the look I saw in his eyes.
The trial was definitely an event to be seen. Dermot wove a tale that even I could have believed. It was truly amazing to see someone like him work his magic. That was essentially what it was. There was no other word to describe the illusion he created, than magic.
Each juror was completely entranced by his every word as his arguments poured from his mouth. And as the afternoon went on, one more bead of sweat ran down the lead prosecutor’s temple. He knew he was losing, and I’m sure he felt as though he was treading in some deep water. The good looking man beside him didn’t seem to be fazed at all.
Brian sat at the table the whole time trying not to look smug. The bastard knew his freedom was almost guaranteed at this point. I trembled at the thought of what this man would do when that day finally came.
When the trial was over for the day, Kellan approached me and said he’d drive me back to the office. I’d thought for a moment that the prosecutor had been on his way over to speak to me before Kellan got there, but he continued out the courtroom with his colleague. I watched him for a moment before nodding, and following Kellan outside.
I was thankful that Kellan would drive me, and not Dermot. I couldn’t handle another dose of alone time with him just yet. As we drove, Kellan was talking about the ball that Saturday. Apparently he was taking Lily, which I hadn’t known. I was going to have to talk to her when we got back. I tried to listen as best I could as my mind wandered through the events of the day.
Finally curiosity overcame me and I asked him about the prosecutor. “Who was that other guy at the prosecutors table? I’ve seen the lead prosecutor before in the papers, but I haven’t seen the other guy before.” I tried to sound as casual as possible, but Kellan’s eyebrows still went up in surprise when I asked the question.
“That’s Artem. He’s been over in Russia for a bit, but just got back. I guess Alan is letting him sit in to help out with this case.”
“What was he doing in Russia?”
He shrugged. “I think he was born there. He did his schooling here, and then I think he went back for a while. Were you checking him out or something?” Kellan asked with a laugh.
I rolled my eyes and shook my head. “I’ve just never seen him before, so I was curious, that’s all. Don’t let your imagination get the best of you.”
He laughed again but dropped the subject. We were back at the office by that time, saving me from any further banter.
As I walked to the front door, Murray gave me a quick smile again, and seemed to give me a once over. He looked like a parent making sure I hadn’t come home with any cuts or bruises from the playground. I quickly walked to my desk, thankful to be able to get back to normal work. Lily and Ashley were excited to hear how things had gone, so I gave them a detailed account of Dermot’s performance.
I turned to Lily when I remembered my conversation with Kellan in the car. “A little birdie told me that you’re planning on going to this ball on Saturday with none other than Kellan Banks himself, is this true?” I asked with raised eyebrows.
Lily laughed and said, “Yeah he called and asked me yesterday. Obviously I wasn’t going to say no. I heard Collin had asked your friend to join him too, Amanda was it?”
I almost choked in shock. Amanda hadn’t told me about this. Quickly, I checked my cell phone and saw that I had a text message from her waiting for me. I’d forgotten that I had turned the sound off during the trial. It said to call her immediately, which I planned to do as soon as I got home. I was too far behind as it was after missing this morning, so I knew I wouldn’t have an opportunity during the work day.
Ashley and Lily talked back and forth over my cubicle about what they would wear for the charity ball, as I caught up on my work. Suddenly remembering that I was supposed to go out with Blake and buy a dress, I made a quick mental note to call him as well tonight when I got home.
The rest of the day went by without any excitement. Dermot arrived back around two and said a cheerful hello to the three of us as he went to his office. I tried not to show any hint of our last conversation, and smiled politely as he went by. I wouldn’t let him think he’d gotten the better of me this morning, and I wasn’t going to let him chase me away from his son. I was taking on a pretty big enemy, but I felt up to the challenge.
At the end of the day I called Amanda first while I drove home and got the story from her. Apparently Collin had called late last night and had asked her to join him on Saturday. She was freaking out, of course, and we made arrangements to get ready together again so they could pick us up from my place.
Then I called Blake and told him that I needed his excellent fashion sense again, and he agreed to assist me. I knew I was like a Barbie to him, and he took every chance he could get to dress me up. We arranged to meet tomorrow night after work. He was already going through hairstyles that would work. I knew that I was in good hands.
When I pulled into my driveway, there was a car there that I didn’t recognize. Walking up to the front door, I heard a voice that was somehow familiar, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. When I entered, Alan, the lead prosecutor, was sitting in my kitchen talking with my parents. Since when did they know him?
“Vi Vi,” my father’s voice boomed when he saw me standing in the kitchen doorway. “This is Alan, he’s working that big Eastside Rapist case that’s in the media right now.” I smiled politely at him. “He said he saw you down at the courthouse this morning, and realized it had been ages since we had all gotten together.”
“What on earth were you doing there?” asked my mom in her concerned voice.
“Dermot is representing Brian Connor,” I explained. “He thought it would be interesting for me to sit in and see how the trial procedure went.” As my mind went back to that morning, I couldn’t remember Alan looking at me once when I was there. How in the world would he have recognized me? I was seriously confused, but quickly snapped out of it as I realize he was now asking me a question.
“What did you think?” He turned towards me.
I shrugged. “It was interesting enough. I thought Dermot’s performance was pretty educational.”
He nodded slowly. “Yes, Dermot is one of a kind. I swear he has a golden tongue,” he said, laughing with my mom. “Anything that man says sounds like the word of God.”
“Well that’s no good,” Dad said, his thick brows furrowing. “We don’t want that man to get off. You don’t think the jury is buying what this man Dermot is selling, do you Alan?”
Alan let out a heavy sigh, sitting back in his chair. He looked about ten years older at that point. “You never know what the jury is thinking. Sometimes they believe whatever someone tells them, regardless of the evidence we present. I can only hope they make the right decision. With Dermot representing Brian though, one never knows. We knew from the beginning we had our work cut out for us.”
I rolled my eyes and excused myself to go upstairs.
“I hope to see you again soon, Vivian,” Alan said as I began to walk away. “If you’re ever sick of being on the defence side, you just let me know and we’ll take you over to the good side.” My parents laughed lightly and I thanked him for the offer.
I shut my bedroom door behind me so I could no longer hear the three of them in the kitchen. Never in my life could I recall my mother or my father saying that they knew that man. What was more bizarre was that I honestly couldn’t remember him ever looking in my direction throughout the whole trial this morning. It didn’t make any sense.
I was so mentally exhausted that I decided to skip dinner so I could avoid my parents, and fell into bed instead. A nice cat nap would do me some good. I wasn’t sure when Caleb wanted to get together, but I figured he’d call and wake me up, so I’d sleep until then.
When I woke up it was already pitch black outside. The clock beside my bed read nine-thirty. Crap, I had slept for a long time. It was going to be hard to fall asleep again later. I checked my phone and saw there weren’t any missed calls, so I decided to take a shower and wait it out.
The shower helped restore my mind a bit, and the act of drying my hair was so tedious and boring that I could successfully zone out while I did so. I got into my pyjamas, more appropriate ones this time, and went out my window to sit on the lower roof like I had the other night. The evening was beautiful again. I lay there and waited for my prince to come calling. It wasn’t long before I sensed someone was beside me, and looked up, startled to see Caleb standing a few feet away from where I lay.
“You’re honestly too good at that,” I pointed out, laughing.
“You were in another world. It’s not that hard to sneak up on you when you’re like that.” He sat down beside me and threw his arm around my shoulders. “You smell great,” he said, burying his face in my hair.
“Thanks,” I said breathlessly. That tended to happen whenever he was close or touching me. He pulled back to look at me and smiled. A real smile. “How was the rest of your day?” I asked smiling back.
“Fine, thank you. My father said it seemed like you enjoyed yourself at the courts. Didn’t I say you were in for a treat?”
I nodded, but didn’t respond.
“You still think Brian is guilty?”
I looked over at him in shock. “Don’t you?” I asked.
He shrugged, lying back on the roof, pulling me down with him. I rested my head against him and decided to let the topic drop. I didn’t want to argue with him tonight about the trial.
“How was it being alone with my dad on the ride over?”
My body automatically stiffened. I hadn’t been expecting him to ask, and had almost erased the incident from my mind. Forcing myself to relax again, I prayed he hadn’t picked up on it.
“It was cool. He just talked a bit about the case.”
He was silent for a moment, and I could tell that my initial reaction hadn’t gone unnoticed. He seemed to be deciding on whether or not to press the subject – I hoped he wouldn’t.
“Did he now?” he finally said. I hummed in response. We were both quiet, the sounds of crickets surrounding us as we lay together. After a while I started to doze off again, and wished I could sleep like this all night. He gave me a quick squeeze then said, “I think I should be off. You seem tired, and I have some more things to do that shouldn’t wait much longer.”
“What exactly do you do for your father all the time?” I mumbled as I sat up, rubbing my eyes.
“Whatever he needs me to do,” he answered, not elaborating. “Would you like me to tuck you into bed again?” he asked with a playful smirk.
I was about to protest but before I knew it he had me slung over his shoulder and was scaling my wall like Spiderman, pulling us both miraculously through the window without any injuries. He tossed me onto the bed and pulled the covers all around my body. It was thoroughly embarrassing, but there was little I could do. He was significantly stronger than I was.
“You’ll pay for this, you know,” I said, trying to recover some of my dignity. He chuckled softly then lowered his body down along mine.
“What exactly could you do to me?” he asked, his face inches away from mine.
I didn’t have a chance to respond as he kissed me firmly, pressing his body against my own. My arms were stuck under the blankets, making it impossible for me to hold on to him. If I could have, I would have forced him to stay with me. Unfortunately he got away, and was quickly up and off the bed in one graceful move.
“You’re a tease,” I said with a pout.
He chuckled, leaning down one more time to kiss my forehead. “You need your rest. If I stayed with you any longer neither of us would get any, I can promise you that.” He exited back through my window while I was left to ponder that last comment. Needless to say my dreams that night were very sweet.
Leaving Vivian was starting to become harder and harder. Especially when she smelled fresh and clean, and her skin flushed with arousal. Caleb was starting to think he was a damn saint after all. His primal instinct was telling him to claim her for his own, but he knew he had to move slowly. She was only human, and he didn’t want to scare her off.
Cracking his neck, he took off to meet up with Kellan, knowing there were matters to attend to that would need his full attention. Another Scout had been spotted, which meant the damn angels were up to something.
He pulled up beside his brother’s car in an empty parking lot, the store in front of them dark now for hours. Kellan lowered his window the same time Caleb lowered his passenger side’s.
“Where you been, bro?” Kellan shouted.
“Got tied up,” he said, leaving no room for more questions. “Are you ready to go?”
His brother smirked, but dropped it. “Been ready for hours. Let’s go.”
They headed to one of the seedier sides of town, pulling into a parking lot that was lit by a pink, fluorescent sign saying “Girls! Girls! Girls!” Caleb got out, looking to his brother puzzlingly.
“This is where he was spotted?” he asked.
Kellan laughed. “Strange, right? I guess they didn’t think we’d be looking for any of their kind at these places. Little do they know we have eyes everywhere.”
Caleb shook his head, following his brother into the establishment. Stale smoke and the stench of alcohol hit his nose as soon as he stepped foot inside. The base of the music blaring through the speakers was already getting on his nerves.
He looked up at the woman spinning around a pole, her eyes tired even though she plastered on a fake smile for the disgusting men sitting around the stage. He would never understand humans. How could they waste their time doing something like this? Their lives were so short as it was, didn’t they want to make the most of them while they were here?
Kellan led them to a back corner where a booth sat tucked away in the shadows. Sure enough, Caleb picked up on the aura from the Scout. They had a certain feeling to them, the result of being close to the Soldiers.
“Hey there,” Kellan said loudly, as though they were all long-time friends. The Scout instantly tried to stand, but the two brothers blocked the ends of the booth. “Going somewhere, bud?”
His eyes flew between them. Caleb remained quiet, his face an empty mask. He didn’t need to speak, especially not with Kellan there. His brother could speak enough for ten men. They sat on either side of the man. Caleb hoped they wouldn’t garner any unwanted attention. Thankfully for them, the owner was one of the humans on their payroll.
“We’ve been seeing a lot of your kind these days,” Kellan said, leaning back. “Any particular reason?”
“I’m just having a drink,” the man replied.
Kellan laughed. “Is that right? He’s just having a drink, Caleb.”
Caleb nodded.
“Well if that’s the ca
se, let’s drink.” Kellan hollered over to the waitress. “Bring us a bottle of your finest whiskey, darling. And a couple of glasses.” The girl giggled as his brother winked at her, scurrying off. “Time to party, little Scout. You’re with the big boys now.”
An hour later, and it was clear Kellan’s plan had backfired.
“I think you killed him,” Caleb muttered as they half carried, half dragged the Scout out of the club.
“How was I supposed to know the man couldn’t handle his liquor?” Kellan grunted.
“I don’t think anyone can keep up with you.”
His brother grinned. “Touché.”
They threw him in the back of the car, both of them breathing heavily as they stared at the unconscious man. “Now what?” Caleb asked.
Kellan rubbed a hand through his hair. “I’ll keep working on him once he wakes up.”
“Something tells me you’re not going to get anything out of him. The last guy didn’t break, and trust me, Cillian worked him hard.”
“Yeah,” he sighed. “These Scouts are pretty tight-lipped. I doubt they have anything interesting up their sleeves anyway.”
“I’m going to head home,” Caleb said. It was close to three in the morning, and he was exhausted.
Kellan nodded.
“Give me a call if you need me.”
They parted ways and Caleb drove straight back to their condo. As soon as he was in his room, he passed out.
My eyes squeezed shut again when I realized it was only eight o’clock. It was Saturday morning and the sun was already filling my room with its warm, summer glow.
The rest of the week had gone by in a flash, and now I could finally sleep in. It looked like it wasn’t going to happen though. Throwing off the covers, I sat up and stared at my reflection in the mirror across from me. Only eight in the morning and already my eyes were bright with excitement.
Tonight was the ball. My entire body hummed with anticipation, especially since I hadn’t been able to see Caleb nearly as often these last couple of days. He had been super busy with work for his father. Part of me wondered if that hadn’t been arranged deliberately on Dermot’s part. Not that I was trying to think badly of the man, but it was pretty convenient that Caleb was suddenly so overly busy he had no time to spend with me.
Balance (The Balance Series Book 1) Page 10
