Chapter 1
August 12
Andrew Quinn, Esquire
Groaning, I blindly reach to my nightstand, close my fingers around my ringing cellphone, and squint at the ungodly hour before swiping an index finger across the screen. My heart races as I open my underwear drawer, the phone cradled to my ear.
“What’s wrong? The kids okay? What do you need? I’m coming.”
“No, no, they’re fine.” My brother sounds pretty calm, considering it’s four in the frigging morning, so I try to chill as I search for a pair of clean socks.
The trouble is, I always imagine the worst. Maybe it’s his wife, Mel. It was only a matter of time before she got in over her head. She takes in stray women the way others adopt cats.
“What did Mel do now?” I pull on a pair of black slacks and slide into a crisp, white shirt hanging on my doorknob.
“She’s fine, too.”
“God damn it, Chance.” I love my baby brother but his communication skills suck wind.
Sighing, he finally spills the beans. “Mel got a call from one of her girls. You remember Lilac?”
“Sure, I do. I kept her from getting arrested, didn’t I? She in trouble again?” A deep calming breath is in order while I put a pod in the coffee machine and picture the New England beauty I represented last summer. If our friend Slate hadn’t hooked up with her, God help me, I surely would’ve tried.
Because my sleep-deprived brain has wandered into the forbidden zone, I miss a bit of CJ’s explanation. “…working at Columbia Pres. and she needs you there, right now. Bro, you listening?”
“Uh huh.” I measure a tablespoon of cream and take a gulp of coffee while he continues his pitch. “Did you ever hear of Sienna Olafson?”
“How could I not?” Caffeine kicks in at the mention of the infamous woman. “How long ago was that? Two years?” I place the carton back on the bottom shelf, the third spot from the left, forward facing, next to the orange juice.
“Yeah, maybe. Anyhow, Lilac says Sienna was injured in a car accident and the police are there, trying to interrogate her.”
“Interrogate who? I’m confused.”
“Sienna. Lilac thinks the woman needs a lawyer so she called Mel to ask me to call you.”
“Dammit.” My brother knows how to push all my buttons.
Let’s see… Penniless girl needs protection. Yup. It works.
I grab my suit jacket and check in the mirror to make sure I look presentable. “Fine. But you need to wake up Jack and explain it to him. Have him meet me in front of my apartment. How long you figure it’ll take him to get your limo to Brooklyn?”
“I don’t know… thirty?”
“Tell him to halve that and text me Lilac’s number, just in case.”
“Just a second, I’ll get it for you.”
It’s going to be a long day so I put some paperwork in my leather bag along with my laptop. When I passed the bar, I pictured owning my own business, sleeping in, and taking on wealthy clients. Oh well, two out of three ain’t bad. I chuckle as I rinse my mug and put it back on the shelf, Giant’s logo forward.
When CJ became an NFL super-star, I made him invest everything and I got damn good at picking the right stocks. Now, I have the freedom to do pro bono work here and there.
Chance mutters something filthy to his wife in the background before returning to the phone. “Done. Thanks. I owe you one.”
“Just name your next kid after me.”
“What if it’s another girl?”
“Andrew-lia will do just fine.”
