by Rachel Dylan
Mags walked back to the table and placed the biggest hamburger Hope had ever seen in front of Gabe. The bacon and cheese was practically exploding off of the burger. The shoestring French fries made her mouth water. She almost wished she had some to go with her omelet.
“Would you like a French fry?”
As much as she wanted one, she refused to take one from the enemy. “No, I’m good, thanks.”
“Suit yourself. Just wait until you taste the barbeque and fried pickles down the street.”
“Fried pickles? Are you serious?”
He dumped a healthy dose of ketchup on his plate. “Oh yeah. They come with a special dip. I’ll take you there tomorrow.”
She shook her head. “No. I have to work tomorrow. That’s what I’m here to do, and you’re not going to interfere with my trial preparation with your crazy theories not based upon any evidence.”
“You’re not going to get rid of me that easily.”
“Watch me.”
She was already tired of this annoying handsome federal agent. But what if he was right and there was something sinister going on in Maxwell? Even if there was, that didn’t mean that Nola was involved. It did shatter her image of the town though. Should she be worried about her safety?
“Where you staying?” he asked.
“The Maxwell Inn.”
“Maxwell’s finest. A step down from your NYC lifestyle.”
“You don’t know me. So you shouldn’t judge me.”
“I wasn’t judging. Just observing.”
She’d had enough. This guy had no idea who she was, or where she’d come from. “I’m going to finish my omelet and go back to the inn.” Was that a strong enough hint for him to back off?
“I’ll walk you. And for your trouble, I’ll pay for your dinner.”
“No, I don’t want to owe you anything, Mr. Marino.”
“I wouldn’t be a proper southern gentleman if I let you pay for your first meal in town.”
She shrugged and picked up her fork again.
They ate in silence. She sighed knowing that this was a losing fight. She was having an internal battle. One side of her wanted to really dislike this guy. He’d intruded on her life—literally. Made unfounded accusations about one of the board members of her client.
But on the other hand, there was something about the entire situation—and him—that concerned her. She tried to push the feeling away, but she couldn’t help but feel drawn to this man. And as a purely practical matter, she knew she couldn’t get away from him. This was his town. He was on a mission.
Then it occurred to her. Maybe it would be better not to fight against him, but to figure out what he knew.
After all, she represented Wakefield. Not Carlos Nola. And if Carlos was engaging in any illegal activity, she had an ethical obligation as an attorney to protect the interests of Wakefield.
Mags walked back over to the table. “Dinner’s on the house tonight, ya’ll. Hope, we’d love to see you back again here anytime.”
“Thank you, Mags. It was delicious.”
Mags smiled and walked away.
“Let’s get out of here then.” He stood up from the table.
When they stepped outside, she was once again amazed by the mild air that blew against her face.
“So, you’re working with the Trent Law Firm, right? They are the biggest firm in town. Not that any law firm in Maxwell is that big.”
“Yes, with Greg Trent, the senior.”
He nodded. “The founding partner, and fixture of this town. That was a smart move.”
“We thought so.”
She took leisurely steps down the sidewalk. The sun was starting to make its descent down behind the fluffy white clouds. She couldn’t help but look in the store windows as they walked. A cute antique shop caught her eye, and she made a mental note to come back and visit at some point.
The short walk to the inn was over before she knew it. “This is me. Thanks for dinner. I can’t help but think you had something to do with that.”
“Anytime. And remember, you’ll be seeing a lot of me.”
She didn’t have anything nice to say to that so she just turned around and walked into the inn.
When her head hit the pillow she was asleep almost immediately. The traveling and general excitement had worn her out. However, she had always been a light sleeper, and a sound awoke her in the middle of the night.
She sat up in the bed with a start, trying to regain her bearings. She was in Maxwell, not in her apartment in New York.
There, she heard it again. It sounded like someone was rattling the doorknob. Fear shot through her, and she jumped up out of the bed and grabbed her mace from her purse on the floor. The rattling noise continued. She gripped the mace tightly in her hand.
Weren’t small towns supposed to be safe? Gabe’s ominous words about Nola’s criminal activities spreading into the town replayed in her head. She took a few deep breaths and debated about whether she should grab her phone and call 9-1-1. Maybe if she made a lot of noise the intruder would leave?
Her heart pounded and she listened. She waited. And waited. No sounds. Gaining a bit of courage she walked toward the door and looked out the peephole. Nothing.
Was her mind playing tricks on her? No. She’d heard something. Maybe it was someone who figured out they were trying to get into the wrong room?
Her peaceful night of slumber was no more. Feeling a bit worried, she took one of the chairs from the table and put it in front of the door. She looked at the clock and saw it was almost three a.m. Sleep wouldn’t come easily again tonight.
Chapter Three
Gabe woke up and after one cup of coffee was ready to start his day. His house in Maxwell was perfect for him and his black Labrador Zeke. Recently adopted from the pound after his golden had passed away. After a brisk run with Zeke, he knew it was going to be a good day.
He thought back to Hope Finch and the look on her face when he’d told her about the fried pickles. Talk about city girl come down to the country. What was her involvement in this scheme? He’d found absolutely nothing to tie her to Nola. And his instincts told him that she was completely innocent.
The bigger issue was how was he going to take down Carlos Nola? How was he going to prove that Nola was behind the influx of crime in Maxwell? His best lead right now was Hope. Because even if she wasn’t involved with Nola, she had the best access to him. If that meant shadowing her around town and conducting his investigation, he’d do just that.
He’d been given a great deal of latitude, thanks to closing his last case that had given his boss at the FBI in the Atlanta field office national recognition. When Gabe had stumbled upon what was going on in Maxwell, he begged his boss to let him take it on. He put on a detailed case and argued that he should be given the chance to determine what Nola was up to. His boss had agreed.
He’d have eyes and ears at the Trent Law Firm. Granted, he wouldn’t have access to privileged material, but his family and the Trent family went way back. Just like most families in Maxwell. One thing was true for most all in the town—the residents wanted to keep Maxwell safe. Gabe knew the influx of violent crime had to be linked to Nola’s network. The money laundering and drug running business often turned ugly.
It was time to find Hope. He’d just happen to stop by the Trent law firm which was in the Maxwell town square across from the courthouse. The sun shone down brightly, and he thanked God for another gorgeous day.
Once Cyber Future’s lawyers from the Jennings Law Firm got into town, things were really going to heat up. It wasn’t every day that Maxwell saw a big trial. He wasn’t a lawyer, but he heard that the only reason the trial was in Maxwell was because of some brilliant language in the contract no doubt crafted by lawyers at Hope’s firm. The southern hospitality would only extend so far to those trying to take down one of the town’s key businesses.
His first order of business today was keeping an eye on Hope. If Nola was ope
rating his illegal businesses out of Maxwell, as Gabe thought he was, then his men were around the town, too. He’d been focused on the new people that had been coming through town lately. In fact, that’s what first tipped him off to Nola’s activities. Maxwell didn’t get a lot of new residents. Yeah, a new family now and again wanting to get outside of Atlanta, but these were mostly single men employed at the Wakefield warehouse. And Gabe knew they were up to no good. What he hadn’t been able to figure out yet is exactly what they were doing.
He strolled down to the town square and took a seat at one of the benches. He figured Hope would show up any minute.
He waited. And then he waited some more. What could be taking her so long? Just then he saw her. Dressed up in a fancy designer navy suit and high heels. Talk about a fish out of water.
He couldn’t deny that she was beautiful. She had long blonde hair that she pulled back in a low ponytail the same as she wore in New York. He’d noticed her big dark brown eyes too—a striking contrast to her hair. And thankfully, even though she was a city girl, she didn’t go overboard with the makeup. Not that he was interested in her like that. They couldn’t be more opposite.
She wasn’t going to be happy to see him. A fact that became evident by the scowl that spread over her pretty face when she saw him sitting there on the bench.
She strode over to him with confident steps. “Agent Marino, you really have to stop stalking me.”
“I’m not stalking you. And please don’t call me Agent. I really don’t think you want to interfere with an active FBI investigation.”
“I’m not interfering. You’re the one interfering with my life. You were probably the person trying to break into my hotel room last night at the inn. Just like you did in New York.”
“Whoa. Wait a minute. What are you talking about?” He instantly jumped into full FBI mode.
“Someone tried to get into my room in the middle of the night.”
“Did you call the police?”
“No.” She took a step toward him. “It seemed silly. I thought it might’ve been you after all.”
“I assure you, Hope. It wasn’t me. You need to report it.”
“Report what? They didn’t actually get into my room. Maybe it was just a mix-up.”
He took a deep breath. Was someone trying to hurt her? This new piece of information needed to be factored into his overall analysis of the Carlos Nola threat network. But why would Nola be going after Hope? That didn’t exactly fit in his working theories. If not, Nola, then who?
“You need to be careful, Hope.”
“Don’t you find it funny that you’re telling me that in this town? We’re in the middle of nowhere Georgia. Doesn’t exactly seem like the crime capital of the world.”
“Small towns can be dangerous, too—unfortunately. Especially when there are criminal elements at work tied to powerful organized crime groups.”
“Alleged criminal elements.” She crossed her arms and frowned. “I have to get to work. Please let me do my job.”
He nodded. “Sure. The Trent firm is just across the square.”
“Thanks.”
She walked away, and he figured he’d give her a little time while he worked some new angles and made some calls.
***
Hope couldn’t get Gabe’s deep southern drawl out of her head. He seemed sincere with those big brown eyes. She didn’t really think it was him who had tried to get into her hotel room. Although if it wasn’t him, she didn’t want to think about the alternatives. She wanted to believe it was an accident, but she was going to be more cautious. What she needed to do was act like she was still in New York. She had to remind herself that she was still a woman alone in a strange town. No matter how cozy and quaint Maxwell seemed. She couldn’t take her personal safety for granted.
She bit her bottom lip, concerned about connecting all the dots. Did what happened at the inn last night have anything to do with Gabe’s investigation?
Trying to shake off an uneasy feeling, she looked up at the large house with white columns and big green ferns hanging from the porch. A sign hung from a large maple tree that said Trent Law Firm in sweeping dark print. Okay, she was totally not in New York anymore, she chuckled to herself.
She opened the front door slowly and walked in. Straight ahead of her was a woman with gray hair pulled up in a bun sitting at a desk with large frame maroon rimmed glasses.
“How may I help you?” She smiled widely.
“I’m Hope Finch. I’m from—”
“Oh, yes, yes, dear. I know who you are. We’ve been expecting you. Got you an office and everything all set up for you. I’m Patty, and I’ve worked here more years than you’ve been livin’.” The older woman laughed.
Hope couldn’t help but grin. “Maxwell is a nice town.”
“I know it’s nothing like New York. I went to New York once to do Christmas shopping with my daughter. It was an experience that I’ll never forget. I tell you though, my southern body can’t handle that cold. Or all those people. It was like I was visiting another world. So I can only imagine how you feel here.”
“I was born and raised there, so it’s all I know.”
“Once you get a taste of a smaller town, you’ll fall in love. I can promise you that.”
Hope highly doubted that she could come to love a way of life so different than her own. But she didn’t want to be disrespectful so she didn’t correct Patty’s statement.
“Mr. Trent is waiting to see you. That’s Trent senior or Greg as you probably know him. The junior Trent also works here, but he does real estate law mostly. Let me show you to his office first, and then you can get settled in before you go visit Wakefield Corporation.”
Hope was impressed with Patty’s introduction. Just because they were running a law firm on a much smaller scale, didn’t mean that they weren’t all highly professional and talented. They walked down a long hallway and into a large gorgeous office decorated with dark wood and navy hues. A big leather sofa occupied a portion and a mahogany desk sat by the window. An older man sat behind the desk with glasses on, reading a file.
“Greg, I’ve got Ms. Hope Finch here to see you.”
Realizing he had company, Greg looked up and smiled at them both. “Thanks, Patty. I’ll take good care of her.”
Patty smiled and walked out of the room.
Greg walked out from behind his desk and outstretched his hand. “Hope, it’s so good to finally meet you in person. After all those conference calls, I feel like I know you.”
“It’s nice to meet you, too. And thanks again for all your help with this case. I know Sam really appreciates it.”
“He’s scheduled to get in this week, too, right?”
“Yes, in a couple of days.”
“I hope so. Trial starts on Monday.” He laughed. “Have you ever been out to Wakefield Corp?”
“No. This is my first time in Maxwell. You know how it is. Nowadays we do so much work electronically. There hasn’t been a need for me to travel here. Sam handled Lee’s and Carlos’s deposition. I think that was right before we got your firm involved.”
“Yes. Well I’m glad you did. I don’t trust those Cyber Future California attorneys from the Jennings Law Firm one bit. Someone has to keep their eye on them. I was reading through some of the emails, and I was appalled by some of the things they said. I get that not everyone is going to have our southern charm approach, but every lawyer should still comport themselves professionally. At least that’s how I feel. I may be getting to be an old dinosaur, but it reflects badly on our profession when lawyers act like they do. It’s no wonder we are the brunt of all the jokes.”
“I think you’re right. We had quite a bit of trouble with them during the extensive document exchange. They wrongfully withheld critical documents. And they’re the plaintiff in the lawsuit.” She shook her head remembering what a nightmare that was to deal with. Everything about Cyber Future was difficult. “We were going to move for s
anctions against them, but in the end Sam decided it was better to focus on the merits and not the disputes over documents. They came up with some half-baked excuse that they accidentally kept documents in their possession because of a technical difficulty. We didn’t want to push it.”
“Sometimes we know what others are doing is wrong, and we have to make the best strategic decision to get the result our client wants in the least painful and most cost effective way.” He paused. “Do you need a minute here or do you want to go ahead and make our way to Wakefield. I know Lee and his team are anxious to start the meetings.”
“Oh, no. I’m fine to leave now.” She walked toward the door. “This is such a beautiful office you have here.”
“Thanks. As you could probably tell, it’s an old house that we renovated. I just didn’t have the heart to tear it down. So much history in this town dating back to the Civil War and beyond. Hopefully you’ll get a little time to take some of that history in while you’re here. There’s a great tour around town, but it’s only open during the summer. If you ever come back to visit, you’ll definitely need to check it out. Bring your hand fan though because it gets hotter than ten skillets during the summer.”
She was glad that they didn’t tear down the old house. It really was amazing. As they walked back down the hall, she peeked into the other offices and saw they were also beautiful. For a split second, she wondered how different her life would be if she worked at a firm like this. Yes, Rice and Taylor was chic and modern. But there was something special about this old house that gave the Trent Firm added character. It was distinguished and homey at the same time. Homey was something she’d never experienced.
“I’ll drive us over. It’s just a few miles from here, and I can give you the quick tour of the town.”
She stepped into his silver luxury sedan and there was no doubt in her mind that Greg Trent did really well for himself.
He turned the key to start the car. “Right now we’re in the town square. Obviously, where our office is and the courthouse is just across the way.”
