Hot Lawyers: The Lee Christine Collection

by Lee Christine

  Allegra’s head began to spin again.

  Nat reached out and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. “The note says he couldn’t bring himself to destroy them, and he thought you might have regretted destroying your copies. And he hoped you were well.”

  A painful lump lodged in Allegra’s throat and she massaged her temples with her fingertips. Perhaps she’d take those painkillers after all.

  “Clements worked under an assumed name. At night he’d steal drugs, jewellery and money from the residents’ rooms. Luke made the connection when he found a prescription in that Toyota at the boarding house. It was made out to a resident at Groves Hill.

  Allegra closed her eyes for a long second. Luke had ignored her rant and gone to the boarding house anyway. She’d never complain about his stubbornness again. “Who has the disk now?”

  Nat dug into a black bag hanging from her shoulder. She pulled out a silver and white disk. “Moi!”

  Allegra stared, and for the first time let herself grieve a little for Chris Noble. He’d labelled the disk with her name, scrawled in his familiar hand with a pink, permanent marker.

  Who could have ever imagined the disk would end up in the hands of someone like Clements?

  Nat’s voice brought her back to the present. “Luke got me to search the wagon. So far we’ve kept it quiet. Why leave the disk for the police to find? I’ve also got your satchel and the flash drive Clements attached to his army knife.”

  “Can you keep evidence from the police?” she asked Nat.

  The other woman shrugged. “You retained us to solve the case. Luke will hand everything over only when he gets the deal he wants.”

  Luke had thought of everything, working with a military precision that left no loose ends. That’s why he was the best.

  “This is Luke’s phone,” Nat said, pulling a mobile from her bag. “I have to message him, let him know you’re okay. I’m not sure he’ll get it though.”

  Allegra jerked to attention. She searched Nat’s face. “Why won’t he get it?”

  Nat looked up. “I wanted to make sure you were up to hearing it. A cop in an unmarked police car was the first to arrive on the scene. He witnessed the entire thing, along with me and a few other people at the Military Base.”

  Allegra nodded, as sense of foreboding cascading over her. Something wasn’t right.

  “The officer stopped Luke getting in the ambulance. Luke was so furious he took a swing at him. The officer cuffed him and took him to Manly Police Station.”

  ***

  “I’m Luke Neilson’s attorney. I demand you release my client immediately.”

  Luke lifted his head from his hands.

  No way!

  It couldn’t be her.

  He sprang from the bench and grasped the bars of his cell, straining to hear the conversation coming from the open door leading into Gary Redman’s office.

  “Good afternoon to you too, Ms. Greenwood.”

  Luke’s heart jackhammered in his chest.

  It was her!

  What the hell?

  The siege had ended barely four hours ago. By everybody’s reasoning she should be in hospital.

  “On what grounds are you holding him?” he heard her ask.

  God he loved her snooty manner. For the first time since the ambos had taken her to hospital, his tension eased.

  “Refusing to co-operate.”

  Redman was a good cop. They’d worked in conjunction in the past and Luke hadn’t enjoyed pissing him off. But he had, bigtime.

  Allegra’s career was at stake.

  “In what way?” She snapped out the question, giving Redman a classic dose of her perfumed steamroller treatment.

  “He refuses to give details of your case. I’m sure you didn’t miss the media camped outside. They want blood.”

  “Since when have the police become the media’s lapdog?”

  Luke grinned. He could hear Redman floundering already.

  “A man was killed.”

  Allegra’s retort was quick and sharp. “You don’t have to tell me officer, I was there. If it wasn’t for Luke Neilson, I’d be in that morgue, not Clements. And God knows how many other innocent women.”

  “I’m not arguing with you, Ms. Greenwood, but I’ve got a job to do.”

  “Then do it. Charge him or let him go.”

  “I have a dead body on my hands. Neilson’s never had a problem sharing details of his cases in the past.”

  “Neilson was doing a job I retained him to do.”

  Luke clenched his teeth and ran a hand through his hair. The last thing he wanted was for her to give Redman what he wanted. He had to warn her, say something.

  “Don’t do this, Ally,” he called.

  There was a pause in the conversation. He could imagine the two of them glaring at each other. Then the sharp crack of heels rang out on the polished cement floor, and suddenly she appeared in the doorway, barely four metres from him.

  Her eyes locked with his and Luke’s heart just about stopped. Dressed at her formidable best in a black pants suit, she looked the same as always, the only difference being the colourful scarf tied at her throat.

  But he didn’t buy it. Not for one second. She had to be hurting.

  He cleared his throat. He wanted her to come closer, so he could satisfy himself that she was really okay. But one look at her face told him that wasn’t going to happen.

  “Shut up, Luke. You’ve done your job, now let me do mine.”

  To his amazement, she turned away and spoke to Redman. “Officer, there are multiple witnesses to Luke Neilson shooting in my defence.”

  “That’s not in dispute.”

  “You’re not charging him with assaulting an officer, or murder?”

  “Of course not. The young cop first on the scene went off half cocked.”

  “Then release him, or I’ll file a complaint of police intimidation and false imprisonment on his behalf.”

  Luke groaned.

  “I’m entitled to hold him for twenty-four hours.”

  “You really want to do that?”

  “No, I don’t.”

  Luke heard the frustration in Redman’s voice. “Luke and I have a history of sorts, helping each other, that kind of thing. This is the first time we’ve encountered a problem.”

  There was a long break in the conversation.

  Please, don’t do it, Ally.

  “All right, Officer,” he heard her say. “I’m going to show you something, and only once.”

  Oh Christ!

  Luke threw his hands in the air in frustration.

  There was a rustle of paper, and when Redman spoke next, his tone had changed markedly. “I see. I can understand the importance of keeping this from the press.”

  Luke couldn’t help shouting out, angry with Allegra for taking matters into her own hands. “You breathe one word of this Redman, and you’ll have me to deal with.”

  “The only points you’re earning here Luke, are frequent fliers. Zip it. Or I’ll arrest you for threatening a police officer.”

  Allegra trailed Redman into the room, her eyes blazing a warning. “You’d do well to heed his advice.”

  Stuff that.

  “It doesn’t leave this room,” Luke pressed, eyeballing Redman as he unlocked the door to the cell.

  He brushed past the policeman and for the first time got a good look at Ally. Beneath the make-up she was pale, and though she tried to hide it, she limped when she walked. But she gave nothing away, her inscrutable legal mask firmly in place.

  Before he could say anything, Nat appeared in the doorway. “How are we going to do this?”

  “Get her home, Nat.” He looked into Allegra’s eyes, hoping she’d read the promise there.

  Redman took a bunch of keys from a hook on the wall. “Use the back door. Luke and I will put something together to feed the wolves at the door.”

  Chapter Twenty

  It was past six when she heard Luke’s k
nock on the door. Dressed in comfortable sweats and a tee-shirt, Allegra took a deep breath and looked through the peephole. When she opened the door of her apartment, her heart just about stopped.

  Casually elegant, Luke had taken a shower and changed into jeans and a long sleeved blue striped shirt. A week ago she’d thought him arrogant. Now he held her heart in his hands.

  She stepped aside to let him pass, smiling at Astro’s enthusiastic welcome, and though he caught her in a gentle embrace, she sensed him holding back, sensed a nervousness in him that matched her own.

  And she was afraid she understood his reticence.

  After Nat had dropped her home, she’d spent hours dissecting their relationship. No matter which way she looked at it, she always arrived at the same conclusion. The case was finished. Luke was free to move on to the next one. Move on from her.

  He’d saved her life, his debt to Martin repaid.

  She closed the door behind him with a soft click. “Come and sit inside.”

  They sat on the couch, facing each other as they had a week ago. But so much had happened and there was so much to say. For the first time in her life Allegra didn’t know where to begin.

  Luke was first to break the silence.

  “Have you spoken to your mother?”

  She nodded. “She’s totally fine.”

  “That’s good.” Luke shook his head. “It’s such a random event. No-one could have predicted it.”

  She drew a deep breath, longing to move her aching body closer to his warmth. “I know. It’s just—fate. I’ll go and see her tomorrow. Simon’s given me two weeks leave.”

  “Good.” He looked relieved. “At some point the police will require a statement from us, but Redman’s given us some latitude.”

  “He’s an okay guy, though I don’t think he likes me much.”

  Luke smiled, the dimple flashing in his cheek. “I suspect he might have changed his mind.”

  “What happened after I left the station?”

  “After we dealt with the media, we went to the boarding house. The entire place is a relic, and we found the old envelopes Clements used in the landlady’s office. And there was an iPod in a dresser in his room. It had Kanye West’s album on it.”

  Allegra shook her head. “The last piece in the puzzle.”

  Luke nodded. “Redman impounded the Corolla. Clements’ prints have got to be all over it, unless he wore gloves. We know he did when he sent you the photographs.”

  Allegra frowned. “But it’s a clear cut case. It’s not as if we need a conviction. He’s dead.”

  Luke nodded again. “The hard part’s done. Redman only has to speak to his parole officer and he’ll be able to wrap it up. Clements has a record as long as your arm. It shows a typical pattern of escalating violence.”

  A glacial shiver trembled through Allegra’s body. Only now was she beginning to form a clear picture of who they’d been dealing with. “With a bit of luck the whole thing will go away without too much media coverage.”

  He gave her a doubtful look. “I think that’s wishful thinking on your part. You’re high profile. People want to know what happened.”

  “Well, I’m not talking to the press.” She’d never courted the media, never aspired to make Sydney’s so-called ‘A’ List.

  “No. You’re not.”

  His possessive tone sent an unexpected surge of pleasure through her body. Luke was still protecting her.

  “Redman and I already worked that out. He won’t go near the word ‘blackmail’. If the press get wind of that they’ll go looking for what Clements had on you. We’ve kept it simple. The guy became obsessed. Nothing more.”

  Something Nat said had been playing on her mind. “Is it true he stole an identity so he could volunteer at Groves Hill?”

  “Yep. You’re familiar with the lengths people go to for drugs. Facilities like that are softer targets than hospitals and medical centres. He was going through the rooms at night.”

  Allegra shuddered, appalled at the thought of Clements being in her mother’s room while she slept. “It doesn’t say much for their screening process.”

  He must have read the worry in her face, because he reached out and took her hands in his. He gently turned them over, stiffened when he saw the raw patches of exposed skin.

  “I know he lured you there with the telephone call. Tell me what happened after that. Fill in the blanks for me.”

  Allegra stared down at their intertwined hands. She dreaded verbalising the horror of what happened. But how could she deny him?

  “Josie drove. He was lying in wait because he called out from the laundry, told me Mum was better. I was so relieved I walked straight into it.”

  When he didn’t say anything, she struggled on. “I was just lucky I regained consciousness. Whatever he gave me wore off before we reached North Head.”

  “He used some sort of liquid solvent. We found it in the car. They don’t keep it in the aged care facility, but criminals have contacts everywhere for this sort of stuff.”

  “Liquid solvent.” Allegra studied Luke’s rigid jaw as she digested this latest piece of information. “Well, if I develop a petrol sniffing habit, I’ll know why.”

  He didn’t smile at her feeble attempt at a joke. It was like he could see into her soul and knew she was keeping the worst from him. And she was. She had no intention of revealing her state of mind at that time. She wouldn’t dump that on him. He’d done enough.

  She pressed on, wanting to get it over with. “I just kept pulling at the ties, bearing in mind what you taught me in Self-Defence 101.”

  He wasn’t buying her false joviality, but he played along anyway. Did he recognise her defence mechanisms for what they were?

  “What part of my customised training program did you retain, Ally?”

  Desire, hot and needy, rocketed through her battered body as her mind ricocheted back to the playful smack he’d given her that night.

  And their first kiss.

  She pulled her hands away and took a tube of lip balm from the pocket of her pants. Blindfolded and bound, she’d clung to that memory. It was one of many that had kept her going.

  “The one about risking it all. Taking advantage of the slimmest opportunity.” She wound the tube up and ran it across her dry lips, adrenaline making her heart pound as she relived the horror. “I found the tool kit just in time.”

  She replaced the top and rubbed her lips together. “My only regret is that I didn’t hit him harder with the wrench.”

  Luke reached out and gently touched the side of her hair. His eyes glittered in the contracting light. “You did just fine, baby.”

  It was the way he said it, like he was proud of her or something, that almost brought her undone. A week ago she’d deemed him arrogant, feared she wouldn’t cope with him in her apartment. Now, her greatest fear was him leaving.

  “I didn’t do just fine,” she said, refusing to be placated. “I should have taken the bastard out first go.”

  “What you shouldn’t have done was leave the hospital. You’re exhausted.” Luke’s words held a gentle rebuke. “Tell me what the doctor said.”

  She rubbed her clammy hands on the legs of her pants. “It’s no worse than schoolyard scratches and bruises. I got more stitches in fifth grade when I fell off my bike.”

  She spoke the truth. Her bumps and bruises were nothing compared to the pain tearing up her heart.

  She studied him from beneath her lashes. He looked drawn around the eyes, the scar prominent on his pale cheek. With a shock, she realised it wasn’t the scar but the welt where she’d struck him yesterday. Shame and guilt washed over her. They’d fought bitterly, and yet he hadn’t given up on her.

  “Don’t worry about me,” she said eventually. “You were forced to take a man’s life today, Commander. As grateful as I am, I can’t imagine how you must be feeling.”

  Suddenly his mask slipped a fraction. He ran a hand around the back of his neck and her he
art ached. She longed to splay her hands across his back and knead the tension from his shoulders. But something held her back. Something in him had changed.

  “I’m more worried about you,” he said.

  “I know.” She reached out and took his hands in hers. They were warm and strong and his fingers curled around hers, sending shafts of pleasure up her spine. “Thank you, Luke. If it weren’t for you, I’d be dead now.”

  With a low groan he drew her into his arms and Allegra buried her face against his chest as remembered fear threatened to overwhelm her. “I was so scared Luke, so scared.”

  He held her gently, his hand stroking the back of her head with infinite care. “I know. I was scared too baby, more scared than I’ve ever been in my life—and I’m used to scared.”

  “I owe you my life.”

  He shook his head, his eyes shining like liquid silver. “You don’t owe me anything, Allegra. It’s me who owes you an explanation, about Martin.”

  She sat up and stared at him in astonishment. It was the very last thing she’d expected. Surely, he didn’t intend breaking his oath now?

  Before he could say another word, she reached out and placed her fingertips over his warm, firm lips.

  She wouldn’t let him do it.

  “Please, Luke. I already found out, and even if I hadn’t, it wouldn’t make any difference now.”

  Luke stared into her eyes as she lowered her hand, a hollow feeling in his chest cavity. Where his heart used to be.

  He was too late.

  She couldn’t forgive him for the decision that got her brother killed.

  “I rang that reporter,” she was saying. “He told me you almost died too. It made me realise the details weren’t important. I know the man you are. I know you would have done everything to save my brother if it were humanly possible.”

  He had done everything.

  But sometimes everything wasn’t enough.

  Thankfully, today, it had been.

  She’d finally come to terms with her brother’s death, but that didn’t mean she’d forgiven him his transgressions, like kissing her without permission and taking her case in a misguided attempt to appease his conscience. He’d dumped his world-weary suspicion on her in bucket loads.