Desperate Girls (Wolfe Security #1)(23)

“The dark side?”

“Criminal defense work.”

“Why’d you switch?”

“Reggie made me a good offer.”

“You said he’s hard to say no to.” Erik watched her reaction, trying to get a read on their relationship.

“Also, I like the people—Reggie, Faith, Nicole. Plus Ross and the other lawyers. The firm is like the big, noisy family I never had. And there’s the money, obviously. I’ve got a ton of loans to pay back.” She shrugged, like changing sides was an easy decision, but Erik would bet it was more complicated.

Erik had gone to the “dark side,” too, when he left public service for the private sector. Most people assumed he’d done it for money, and he didn’t waste his time trying to convince them otherwise.

Brynn pushed her plate away. “You know, Corby was my last case working for the prosecution.”

Erik hadn’t known that.

“You know his nickname in prison?” she asked.

“What?”

“The Champ. You know why?”

Erik tried to imagine. Despite his history of violence, Corby wasn’t a big man, only about five-five, one thirty. Erik couldn’t picture him being a champ of anything that involved physical strength.

“Chess,” she said. “He was the reigning champion. No one could touch him, or so I’ve heard.”

“Maybe they were scared to try.”

“Or maybe he’s just smart.”

“Did he ever reach out to you?”

The question caught her off guard, and Erik saw her try to cover it.

“Seemed like you had something on your mind when Liam asked you.”

She took a deep breath. “It’s probably nothing.”

“It’s not nothing, or you wouldn’t have thought of it.”

She watched him, as if weighing what to say. This woman had trust issues, and he was going to have to find a way past them.

“I got a note once,” she said.

“Where?”

“On my car.”

“On your car?”

“Tucked under the wiper blade. Blade. I just realized that.” She shook her head and looked away. “Not that that means anything, but—”

“What did it say?”

“No envelope, no return address, just a folded note. It said, ‘I’m watching you.’ And at the time, my mind went straight to Corby, because it was the one-year anniversary of his conviction.”

“Shit, Brynn. What did you do with it?”

“What do you think? I took it to the police.”

“And?”

“There were no prints on it besides mine. Not Corby’s or anyone’s. Which isn’t really surprising, right? Corby couldn’t exactly put a note on my car if he was sitting in prison in Beaumont.”

“And yet you originally thought it might be from him. Why?”

“I don’t know. Just the way he was at trial.” She leaned back in her chair. “He used to look at me, you know? Stare. The ‘I’m watching you’ thing made me think of him.”

“So the police have the note.”

She shook her head. “They returned it to me. It’s in a file at my office.”

“I want to see it.”

“Why? It doesn’t prove anything. The detective I gave it to thought I was totally paranoid.”

“Because you believed it was important, or you wouldn’t have saved it.” He leaned closer. “Don’t discount your instincts. You helped prosecute this guy. You know him. You got a note, and you immediately thought of him. You shouldn’t ignore that.”

She watched him. He hated the fear in her eyes. But he liked that his words had an effect on her. She wasn’t arguing with him, for a change.

“I’ll ask someone to send it up,” she said.

“Do it soon. I’ll get the marshals to look at it, too.”

She looked down at their half-eaten burgers.

“New topic,” she announced. “What do you think of Otto’s?”

“It’s pretty good.”

“That’s it? I take you to the best-kept secret in Dallas, and you give it a ‘pretty good’?”

“It’s not what I pictured for you.”

“Oh, yeah?” Her eyes sparked with interest. “What did you picture?”

“Something . . . I don’t know, sophisticated. A wine bar or something. Maybe some lawyers hanging around the bar, talking shop.”

“So you think I’m a snob.”

“I didn’t say that.”

“Sure, you did.”

Brynn watched Erik polish off his burger as the bar filled up with regulars. She signed the check and left a big tip as Erik texted Hayes that they were ready to leave.

Erik led her through the crowd to the door, and the Tahoe was parked right out front, engine running. Hayes jumped out and opened the passenger door for Brynn, while Erik went around.

“You, step back!” Hayes yelled.

“But—oof !”

Brynn whirled around as something slammed against the car. Her heart lurched.

“Stop!” Brynn jumped out and grabbed Hayes’s arm. “That’s our waiter!”