Fallen Woman(67)

A man waltzed in after God knows how many hours and introduced himself. “Hart Linland.” He offered me his hand, which I politely accepted, knowing I recognized his voice.

“Gianna LeBron.”

“I’m Jase Lane’s attorney.” The man I wanted to strangle last night.

If he was waiting for me to say something, he’d be waiting a long time. He had the answers I sought, so he needed to impart some wisdom on me. My hands rested in my lap under the table while I stared, waiting for him to explain why he was here and why I’d been kept in this crackerjack box for countless hours.

“Has anyone come to talk to you, Miss LeBron?” he asked as he started taking folders out of his briefcase and pushed the button on his pen, readying himself to take notes.

I shook my head. “Should they have?”

“I assumed, incorrectly, someone would have questioned you.” His refusal to make eye contact irritated me. He either thought he was above me or he had information he didn’t want to share. I bet on the latter. “Your name has come up repeatedly in the storyline of these two men, Miss LeBron.”

“Gianna, please. How so?” This couldn’t possibly go well. The space between my brows narrowed as I waited for his answer.

“It’s my understanding Jase attacked Mr. Hanks in your defense.”

I didn’t respond. I didn’t know what I should or shouldn’t tell this man. He was Jase’s attorney, but for all I knew, I could’ve implicated myself.

“You’re safe talking to me, Gianna. Jase is paying me to sort this mess out. You’re key to that happening.”

“I don’t know what Jase did, Mr. Linland. I wasn’t there, and until last night, I had no idea anything had happened. Jase didn’t give me an account of the incident other than to say he roughed him up a bit.”

“Call me Hart. Are you aware of why Jase would’ve attacked his lifelong friend over you?”

I pursed my lips and chewed on my cheek as I nodded my confirmation.

“The accusations being thrown around are very serious. Can you shed any light on why Jase felt he had to get involved with Mr. Hanks in a physical manner?”

Refusing to meet his eyes, I stared at the floor, and continued gnawing on the inside of my mouth, and shrugged.

“Gianna, Jase is in serious trouble, and if what he’s saying didn’t happen, I would wager Holland will sue him for slander. This has gone way beyond two buddies getting into a rumble.” I’d never met anyone who used the word rumble to describe a fight. Under other circumstances, I might have laughed.

I needed to talk to Jase. I had to know what he wanted me to say. What he needed me to do. “I don’t know what to tell you. I can only speculate about what took place the night that Jase is upset about. He knew that. I couldn’t prove it. I told him that.”

“He says you can.”

My head shot up, meeting Hart Linland’s soft brown eyes. He knew, it was hidden in his features—sympathy, pity. He needed my confirmation, but he knew. I wondered what all he had been privy to.

“Jase says you went to the hospital the morning after you last saw Holland, and there would be evidence to verify his story. But, without you, we don’t have access to that information.”

“There has to be another way for you to get Jase out of trouble. That isn’t going to help.”

“You’re right. Jase is still going to face charges for simple assault, but with who he is, it will come with a slap on the wrist, maybe some community service, and a fine. If Holland can make slander stick, that could be very costly to Jase both monetarily and socially.”

Shaking my head, I didn’t know how to make him understand without telling him everything. “Is what I tell you confidential? I know I’m not your client, but I need to know you won’t do anything with what I’m about to share without my consent.”

When he gave me his word, I told him my story. All of it. From Ryan, to the Family moving me here, to meeting Jase, and my arrangement with his friends. I confessed my indiscretion with Holland that night in the limo and my assumption of what happened the night we’d gone to dinner. I admitted there was a rape kit as well as a drug test positive for Rohypnol in the vault somewhere. I could tell by the look on his face, the way he stopped writing to stare at me, he hadn’t known the truth of what I’d just shared. He’d known pieces, but certainly not the whole…because Jase didn’t know the whole.

The truth was ugly and sobering. I stood firm in my decision to do what I had to do in order to take care of my children, but I was aware of how I came off looking from the outside. I’d sold myself to a group of high-powered men. They bought my time and one had bought my affection. It would be easy for Holland to turn the truth around to make me look bad. And when the other guys were brought in, they would confirm the contract existed. The only one who hadn’t paid me to go out with him was Jase, but I was now living in his home…with my children…while he sat in jail. He appeared the pimp to my call girl, the innocence of their help lost in time and translation. When this got out, it would destroy all of them—including Jase.

“You have to find a way to protect him, Hart. Everything that happened was innocent. Jase truly tried to help me, to help Emmy. He wasn’t trying to do anything dishonest or illegal. He had no idea anything happened with Holland until last week. He told me he would take care of it, but I didn’t know this would happen. I thought he’d argue with him, tell him off. Never in a million years did I think Jase Lane would risk everything for me.”