Ben leaned forward and let his elbows rest on his desk. “But what if the job I’m doing is all wrong? What if I shouldn’t be helping criminals get off?”
Alma shook her head. “When you first came to us and told us what you planned to do with your law degree, your father and I asked if you were sure. You said you were certain you wanted to be a part of the people who gave hope to the hopeless, who helped those others thought were helpless. And that’s what you do, Ben. You give people what they’re legally entitled to in this country, a right to a fair trial and unbiased legal representation.”
Her words sounded familiar. “But at what cost?”
“Only at the cost you burden yourself with. If you don’t do this job, someone else will. Someone who’s not as good and not as honest as you are. Is that what you want?”
“I want to feel good about what I do and the people I’m helping. Ramone Vega is not someone I can say that about.”
“Not everybody’s guilty,” Alma replied with a knowing smile.
Ben grinned. “Man, I must’ve been some kind of advocate for defense attorneys. I remember saying that, too.”
“You’re an advocate because you believe in what you do. Don’t let one bad apple deter you from your calling. And don’t let circumstances keep you from the woman you love.”
Hours after his mother had left the office Ben was still thinking about her words. For all that he and probably any grown-up hated to admit that their parents were right, Alma normally was. Today had been no different. Ben wasn’t quitting his job, he just wasn’t going to represent scum like Ramone Vegaanymore and he wasn’t going to let said scum keep him from doing what he knew was right.
With that in mind, he picked up the phone and made one of the toughest calls of his career.
Chapter 14
Victoria
The text came about five minutes before Victoria pulled to stop in the parking spot in front of her house. It had been an extremely long day and she’d worked extra hours in the hope of preparing herself for next week’s trial. All while still fuming at the audacity of Jules and the way he’d spoken to her.
She was tired and hungry and not really looking forward to at least two more hours of reading, writing and preparing. But Ben was sitting on her front steps, a bunch of colorful balloons tied to her railing. Victoria grabbed her briefcase and climbed out of the car, pressing the alarm button on her keychain to lock all the doors and engage the alarm.
Moving up the walkway without smiling was difficult. He looked like a delivery guy, dressed in faded blue jeans and a fitted black t-shirt, motorcycle helmet painted in bright red, black and silver between his legs. His beard was thin and freshly trimmed casting a dark and dangerous look to his facial features. Then again, she’d never seen a delivery guy with a diamond encrusted Cartier watch on one wrist and a top of the line racing bike as his mode of transportation.
“Working late?” he asked as she came closer to the steps.
She lifted her briefcase and sighed. “Upcoming trial.”
He nodded. “Got time for a break?”
“Not really,” was her instant reply. “You on your way to a birthday party?”
He smiled and stood up, his entire six plus feet towering over her even more as he stood two steps above her.
“I thought they looked more cheerful than flowers,” he told her while untying the balloon bouquet from the railing. “Do you like them?”
She gave up and grinned when he thrust all the balloons right in her face. “I like them alright,” she commented while swatting them away. “But I’d like to get into the house so I can put my bags down.”
“Here, let’s do an exchange,” he offered.
Ben stepped down, taking her briefcase and her purse and giving her the strings tied together that kept the balloons from taking a sky ride. She was still smiling as she moved up the steps and unlocked her door.
“By the way, I forgot to thank you for having my window fixed,” she told him when they both walked inside and she closed the door behind them.
She let the balloons go and they all disbursed heading directly to the ceiling. Blues, greens, yellows and reds floating in a happy circle around her living room.
“No problem. I wanted to install a security system on the house but I wasn’t sure if you were a homeowner or not,” he said.
Victoria didn’t believe him for one second. If Ben knew about the incident with the window in the first place, before she’d even been taken to the hospital, and knew enough to get it fixed without her consent, she was sure he knew that she was only renting this house.
“Right. Well, thank you for not doing that. I’d like to make that choice on my own,” she replied.
He nodded, placing her bags down by the entryway into the living room. “So why don’t you go up and slip into something comfortable and come for a ride with me?”
