by Rachel Dylan
Grant laughed. “Don’t even tell me that you would consider believing in any of this.”
Ryan shook his head. “Nah. I’m just messing with you.”
Ryan walked out and Grant was anxious to start the discovery process and put pressure on the other side. It was one of those things he loved about being a plaintiff’s lawyer. He was in the driver’s seat and planned to take an aggressive stance in this case to really turn the heat up on the other side. Going through these steps reminded him how glad he was that he went out and started his own firm. He truly loved his work.
His office phone rang, jerking him back to reality.
“This is Grant Baxter,” he said.
“Hello. My name is Olivia Murray from the law firm of Brown, Carter, and Reed. I just wanted to call to introduce myself. We’re representing Astral Tech in the suit filed by your client. So I’ll be your point of contact for anything related to the case.”
Well, well he thought. Astral Tech had gone and hired a high powered law firm based in Washington, DC to defend them. “Perfect timing. I was just getting ready to send out discovery requests for documents. BCR doesn’t have a Chicago office, right?”
“No, but I’m actually in town. I’m working at the client’s office in Windy Ridge. So you can send any hard copies of anything to the Astral Tech office, and I would appreciate getting everything by email also.” She rattled off her email address.
“Of course. And I have the feeling we’ll be talking a lot. This litigation is going to be fast tracked if my client has anything to say about it. We’re not going to just wait around for years letting things pass us by.”
She laughed. “Yes, I know how it is. I’ll look forward to your email.”
He hung up and leaned back in his chair. Know thy enemy, right? He immediately looked her up on the Internet finding her BCR firm profile. A brunette with big brown eyes smiled back at him. He read her bio. Impressive, double Georgetown girl. Seventh year associate at BCR where she’d spent her entire legal career. That would make her about two years younger than him—but definitely still a seasoned attorney and worthy opponent.
Astral Tech wasn’t messing around. That let him know that they took this litigation seriously. They didn’t see this as a nuisance suit. Game on.
**
“Do you think Olivia’s ready for this fight?” Micah asked Ben looking directly into his dark eyes.
“It doesn’t matter if she’s really ready, Micah. It’s a battle she has to fight and the time is now. We have no one else. She’s the one God has chosen who has to stand up and take this on. She has some idea that she’s meant to be here. But it might take her a little time to figure out exactly what she’s going to be involved with.”
The angels stood behind Olivia watching over her in the conference room. But she hadn’t sensed their presence as she continued to type away on her laptop and hum a tune.
“She isn’t fully appreciative of how strong she is, but she’ll get there,” Micah said. He stood tall, his blond hair barely touching his shoulders. The angel warrior was strong but kind—and fiercely protective of Olivia.
Ben nodded. “At least she has the foundation to build upon. A strong faith that has been growing ever since she was a little girl.” Ben paused. “Unlike our friend Grant.”
“I’m much more worried about him. He has no idea what he’s going to be facing, and he doesn’t have the skills to defend himself. Nina Marie and her followers are building up strength by the day, and she’ll surely want to go after him. We can only do so much to protect Olivia and Grant against the forces of evil running rampant on this earth.”
“But we’ll do everything we can.”
Micah looked at him. “You and me—quite an angel army.”
“The best kind.”
“Let’s pray for her now.”
The two laid their hands on her shoulders to help prepare her for the fight to come. A fight unlike anything they’d ever known before.
Chapter Two
Optimism CEO Layton Alito believed in the magical powers that he espoused. But what he believed even more was that this lawsuit against Astral Tech was critical to disabling the ever growing threat to his company and his group of believers.
Some would say he ruled harshly, but that was required to keep the group unified. He couldn’t have everyone doing their own thing—that would result in a fractured and less powerful group like Astral Tech. No, Optimism members were free to dabble in whichever dark arts they preferred, but ultimately he was in charge.
Nina Marie was a formidable opponent. That’s why he never should’ve gotten involved with her in the first place. But he did and now he was paying the price. It wasn’t like him to let a woman be in control. He was usually the one running the show and calling all the shots. But he’d found out much too late that Nina Marie wasn’t a regular woman.
Luckily for him, he had an entire group of believers ready to do battle. And the perfect thing was that there were no forces of good involved. This was purely a battle of evil versus evil. Strangely, that excited him.
Once he prevailed in this litigation, Astral Tech would be put out of business. Then he would be able to sweep in and court the membership. As part of the Optimism system he’d created, members had to buy in. He was the recipient of money and gifts. It was a system that was not only brilliant but very lucrative. In exchange, he made the members feel valuable. Those that actually had spiritual talents, he used and deployed in the best ways possible. Sending them out in the Windy Ridge community to recruit more members. And to wreak havoc on the Christian thorns in his side. Especially the churches.
And for those members that failed in the spiritual arena, he found other tasks for them. His power base was growing, his coffers were being filled, and nothing could stop him. All he needed to do was to stay strong in the lawsuit and then the dominos would start to fall.
He was proud of the progress that had already been made in the community. More people seeking the darkness, turning their backs on the church, and living a lifestyle that was pleasing to them. But this was only the start of the bigger plans he had for Windy Ridge.
He needed to check in with his legal counsel. He’d instructed his lawyer, Grant Baxter, to be as aggressive as the law would allow—and then some. Now wasn’t the time to play it safe.
Grant wasn’t a follower of his or the evil one or anything as far as he could tell. Which was fine with him. An atheist like Grant could be a powerful ally. He had a love of money, and he wanted to win. And Layton didn’t need Grant to be a member of Optimism. All he needed from him was to win the lawsuit. Everyone had a role to play.
Picking up the phone, Layton dialed Grant’s number.
“Grant Baxter,” he answered.
“Grant, it’s Layton. I just wanted to check in with you.”
“You were on my list of phone calls to make today. I’ve sent out the first wave of discovery requests. I also talked to the opposing counsel. Get this, Astral Tech has hired the law firm of Brown, Carter, and Reed based out of Washington, DC. It’s a well known firm specializing in high stakes litigation. We’re talking like a top twenty law firm in the nation here.”
“Really?” Layton’s heartbeat sped up.
“Yes, that means they are taking this lawsuit very seriously. They wouldn’t be dropping that kind of money otherwise. BCR isn’t cheap.”
“Who is leading the effort?”
“A senior attorney named Olivia Murray is running things. She’s here in Windy Ridge working out of the Astral Tech office.”
He took a breath and reminded himself to calm down. It would all be okay. “Should I be concerned?”
Grant laughed. “I’ve got this well under control.”
While Grant might be laughing, Layton certainly wasn’t at that point. He needed some clear affirmation. This wasn’t just a random lawsuit. This was everything. “I can’t say enough how important this case is for Optimism and for me personally. This isn�
�t the time to go soft or be accommodating. I want you to go as far as you can and then some.”
“You came to the right place when you hired my firm. We understand how the system works. You won’t have to worry about me letting up on the pressure. This is what I do every single day. You saw my trial track record when you were initially interviewing me for this job.”
Layton let out a breath. This was exactly what he wanted and needed to hear. “I’m glad I can depend on you. Having your work stolen from you is a slap in the face.”
“Right. Astral Tech shouldn’t be profiting from your hard work. I’ll keep you updated as we progress.”
“No letting up under any circumstances. You hear me?”
“You got it.”
Grant hung up and Layton smiled. His first order of business was to track down Olivia Murray and find out everything he could about his legal adversary. And lucky for him that one of his senior Optimism members was Judge Louise Martinique. If anyone could get the scoop on Olivia and her firm, it would be Louise.
It was all going to work out. He could feel it. Nina Marie wouldn’t expect his full onslaught. Between the legal assault and the spiritual one, he would prevail.
**
Olivia knew that Grant Baxter was going to be a problem. She read over the ridiculous document requests he’d sent her on behalf of Optimism. Talk about a fishing expedition.
Although what made her the most uncomfortable were all of the references to things like witchcraft and magic. She knew she was a strong person. Independent, hard working, and steadfast in her faith. But she’d never been tested in her career this way before.
She pondered whether she should call up the managing partner and tell him that she couldn’t do this. But that would probably cost her the job that she desperately needed to keep.
God, if you need me to quit this case and go back to DC, please let me know. I’m not a quitter, but if it’s Your will for me to say no to this, then I’ll figure out how to handle the consequences.
She kept her eyes closed and took a few moments of silence to gather herself.
Then it occurred to her that God might have put her there for a reason. What if the Lord wanted her in Windy Ridge?
Could she defend this company but do it in a purely legal and professional way? She’d do her best. That’s all anyone could ask of her. Not only her best in defending this case, but in living her life in a way that demonstrated her Christian beliefs.
But Olivia couldn’t shake a wave of unease that had settled over her every single time she walked into the Astral Tech offices. A feeling of dread—threatening to bring her down. When she was in her hotel room at night, she didn’t experience those types of dark thoughts. But when she stepped foot into the Astral Tech building, it started to hit her. By the end of the day it was like she had gone multiple rounds in a boxing ring. Her energy being sucked out of her body.
She found herself praying more and more as it was the only thing that kept her going. Olivia had grown up in a Christian home. There was a time in college when she’d taken a step back from regular church going because it wasn’t the cool thing to do. It wasn’t until the death of her parents in a tragic auto accident while she was in law school that she really became reconnected to God in a fierce way.
She knew there was a lot more to being a Christian than going to church, but her church community provided her with strength and encouragement. Pastor Paul, her pastor in Washington, DC, was a trusted friend. But even he didn’t know all of her secrets. And now here she was in Windy Ridge, Illinois all alone.
The hair on her arms stood up. Turning quickly she saw that she was completely alone in the conference room. Closing her eyes she steadied herself.
Don’t be afraid, a voice said in her head as clear as day. She shook it off, attributing it to lack of sleep. But she couldn’t deny that she was feeling something stronger and more poignant. Something she hadn’t felt in decades.
If she was being honest with herself, one of the reasons this litigation scared her so much was because of her past. It was opening herself up to things she’d experienced years before. A past that only she and her father knew about. Experiences that were so real and powerful that her entire body shook just thinking about them.
But right now she needed to concentrate on her meeting with opposing counsel Grant Baxter. She’d invited him over to her turf on purpose. She didn’t want to be in his law office for their first meeting. She’d suggested the in person meeting to try to hash out some of the immediate problems she had with his document requests. Surprisingly, he’d accepted her offer immediately. She didn’t trust him though. He was out to take down her client. That was his mission. And as Astral Tech’s lawyer, her job was to protect them. Even if she disagreed with their beliefs.
When she went to law school, she knew there would be situations like this. Criminal defense attorneys defended guilty people all the time. And in this case, it wasn’t like her client was necessarily guilty. This was more of a conflict of belief systems. It was her ethical duty as a lawyer to do her best job.
Melanie walked into the conference room. Her curly blonde hair was pulled back in a severe bun today, and she wore the highest heeled navy stilettos that Olivia had ever seen. “Grant Baxter is here to see you. Should I bring him back here to the conference room?”
“Yes, please. That would be great.”
Melanie nodded and hurried out. Olivia stood and buttoned her suit jacket. She’d worn one of her favorite power suits today. The black pantsuit fit her petite frame perfectly. She’d spent good money to have it tailored, but it was worth it. It was one of the only things she actually spent money on—all the rest of it went to paying off her Georgetown student loans. Under the jacket she wore a royal blue blouse. Unlike Melanie, she didn’t wear stilettos but low black heels.
And that was her first mistake because when the door opened revealing Grant Baxter she saw that she could’ve used those extra inches—and then some. This man had to be six foot two. But she wasn’t going to back down now. She’d faced down plenty of high powered male lawyers before. And in most cases, she’d prevailed in the actual litigation. Mind games were just a part of being a lawyer.
She walked over to him, gave him a bright smile, and outstretched her hand.
He took her much smaller hand in his, but she gave him a hearty shake. She wanted this guy to know she might be a small woman, but she was no delicate flower when it came to her legal career.
Grant wore a dark suit and checkered navy tie that accented his aqua blue eyes. His dark hair was short and styled neatly. Thankfully he wasn’t one of those lawyers that went crazy using the hair gel or cologne.
“Olivia, I’m Grant Baxter. It’s nice to meet you.” He let go of her hand.
She stood up straight facing him. “Thank you for coming over.”
“No problem.”
Melanie stepped forward. “Can I get either of you coffee or anything else to drink?”
“Coffee for me,” Grant said.
“Coffee would be great, Melanie, thank you,” Olivia said.
“I’ll be right back.”
“Thanks again for agreeing to meet here. Please have a seat.” She motioned for him to sit down at the conference room table.
He sat down at the table and unbuttoned his suit jacket. “I’m hoping this will be the first of many productive discussions.”
She smiled. “A lot of that depends on you, Grant. You’re the plaintiff here.”
He laughed. “And what’s that supposed to mean?”
“Let’s not engage in these games. You’re going to push for the most outrageous document requests. Unreasonable timing for production. Costly and burdensome inquiries just to put pressure on my client and make their lives miserable. And by extension you’re going to do everything possible to make my life miserable. But I’ve been there and done that. Multiple times.”
He held up his hand. “And you’re going to use every stall tactic
out there. Complaining about the IT staff, excuses about all the data and how much it will cost to search it. You’ll say you’ll turn over a certain category of documents, but then it won’t be everything I’m asking for. Days will pass by, and I still won’t have what I need from you. Just emails and phone calls making empty promises that you know you can never keep. Deadlines that continuously get pushed back. Sound about right, counselor?”
She had to give it to this guy. He had her nailed in the same way that she had him. They’d played this game enough times to know the drill. “So how do you propose that we proceed? Because you know there’s no way I’m giving you all of the documents that you asked for.”
“Negotiation.” He leaned back in his chair. “I’m going to play it straight with you, Olivia, because I did enough recon on you to know you’re a worthy opponent at a top law firm. My client is in this litigation no holds barred.”
“Really?” She raised her eyebrow at him.
“Yes. It’s nothing personal. I like you. You seem like a nice person. Heck, we might even be friends. But in this litigation, I’m not going to go easy on you.”
She scoffed. “And I wouldn’t expect you to. Why don’t we get back to the issue at hand?” She spread the printed pages out on the desk. “These document requests are crazy. You know it. I know it. A judge will know it. This is our good faith meet and confer. So let’s get to it.”
Two hours later, and normally after something like that she would be wanting a bottle of medicine for a pounding headache. But instead she felt energized. Better than she had felt in a while. Grant had proven to be a stellar adversary. But he mixed the back and forth with a healthy dose of humor and a disarming quality. There was no doubt in her mind that a jury would absolutely love him, and that was something she and her client would have to seriously consider when weighing whether to take this to trial.
She could picture him in front of the jury with that smile and those bright blue eyes right now. Defending the company that supposedly was the victim of theft. It wouldn’t be an ideal outcome for her client. Maybe there would be a chance of settlement along the way. Each side normally realized that the certainty of settlement was in their best interest as opposed to allowing a jury to decide their future.
