Desperate Girls (Wolfe Security #1)(78)
“Yes.”
She nibbled on her sandwich and licked mayonnaise off her thumb. “Okay, you know Perez, right?”
“Your MIA witness.”
“Except he’s no longer missing. Bulldog brought him back from Las Vegas, and now they’re holed up together in a two-room suite at the Four Seasons, on the law firm’s nickel.”
“So what’s the problem?”
“I spent the afternoon with this guy. You know, running him through his testimony. This was originally Ross’s job, getting him prepped for trial.”
“And?”
She blew out a sigh. “And I’ve got a bad vibe.”
“What do you mean?”
“Some people are good in front of a jury; some aren’t. This witness could go either way, but I’m not feeling confident about it.” She leaned back in the armchair. “I have a feeling Conlon’s going to get to him.”
“And you need him for what?”
“To alibi my guy. He’s the heart of our case. We’ve got some forensics stuff to present, too, but this guy was supposed to be the emotional anchor. Perez swears he and Justin were at his girlfriend’s apartment watching a Spurs game at the time of the murder.”
“Perez’s girlfriend or Justin’s?”
“Perez’s. They have a kid together.”
“Can you put her on the stand?”
“I would. But she wasn’t there at the time, so she didn’t see Justin coming and going. It’s all up to Perez.” She closed her eyes. “I made a promise to the jury in my opening statement that I’d show them Justin wasn’t guilty of this crime.” She looked at Erik. “It’s like a commandment with defense attorneys: thou shalt not disappoint the jury. And now I’m worried my main witness is going to fall apart on the stand.”
Erik wanted to ease her mind, but he didn’t know what to say. He knew jack shit about practicing law.
“Let’s not talk about it anymore.” She sighed. “I won’t be able to sleep tonight.”
Erik finished his sandwich down to the last crumb. Brynn rested her feet on the edge of the table, and he tried not to think about her shiny pink toenails. Her fingernails were pink, too. And he had to truly be losing his mind if he was noticing nail polish now.
“Trent tells me you guys are off to Hawaii next.”
He looked up. “He told you that?”
“You’re working for some actress who’s on location?”
Erik pushed his plate away. “She’s filming a new series. Something on HBO.” Erik had never heard of the woman, but she’d been getting death threats. Or so her manager claimed. Erik had reviewed the case with Liam, and they both agreed there was a chance the manager was making it up as a publicity stunt. They’d find out soon enough.
Erik looked at Brynn, not happy that Trent was telling her all about their next gig. Now Brynn was focused on him leaving, when he was still trying to gain her trust. He didn’t want her to think she had anything less than his full attention.
“Well, aren’t you excited?” she asked. “I’ve never been to Hawaii, but I hear it’s gorgeous.”
“So they say.”
Her gaze narrowed. “You don’t like the travel, do you?”
“I don’t think of it as travel. Not like you mean. If the job’s done right, it’s consistent no matter where we are. Location is secondary.”
She tipped her head to the side, studying him.
“What?” he asked.
“Are you ever going to tell me why you left the Secret Service?” She didn’t say “quit” this time.
“I can’t talk about the details.”
“Oh, come on. I’m a lawyer. I’m good at keeping confidences.”
He shook his head.
“Then don’t give me details,” she said. “Broad brushstrokes are fine. What happened?”
“Why do you want to know?”
“Because. You know everything about me.”
“Not everything.”
“You know a lot. And I don’t even know why you left the job you loved.”
“How do you know I loved it?” he asked, even though she was right, and he had loved it, at least in the beginning.
“Because.” She shifted on the chair to face him, like she was settling in for a story. “You went through a rigorous application process, then seven months of training, and then you spent years working your way up to one of the most sought-after assignments out there. And then—snap—you left. Something must have happened.”
She’d been doing her homework. He watched her watching him with those bottomless blue eyes. And for the hundredth time, he wished she wasn’t his client.
Erik felt a deep, consuming fear that his weakness for her was going to get her hurt.
Maybe he should open up to her. Maybe she’d understand where he was coming from and that he wasn’t just some jerk who’d slept with her and now wanted nothing to do with her.
“You know, you talk about trust all the time,” she said. “But it’s a two-way street.”
Brynn waited for him to say something. She’d learned to read his reactions, even though they were subtle. And she could see he didn’t want to talk about this.