“Are you aware of Section 1955 of the US Criminal Code?” he asked.
She shook her head. “I wasn’t until yesterday.”
He nodded. “All three of us are going to need to get intimately acquainted with it. Samantha, can you pull it?”
I reached for the envelope and pulled out the papers. “I printed three copies,” I said, hoping that I’d at least gotten something right.
Eddie handed a copy to Andie and kept one for himself. “Great. We’ll go through this next. But before we do that, I want to be straightforward here.”
He took off his readers and looked directly at Andie. “I’ve agreed to represent you, but I can’t guarantee what the outcome will be. It’s important that you understand that. Depending on the facts that we learn, I’ll decide if it’s worth trying to negotiate with the government. But I need one thing from you right now, and that is complete honesty and transparency. Under no circumstances can you cherry-pick facts orthe questions you answer truthfully. I can’t do my job if you’re dishonest with me. Samantha and I are bound by attorney-client privilege, which means nothing that you tell us leaves this room unless we collectively agree to disclose it to the government.”
He tapped the readers on the table. “Can I count on you to tell us everything we need to know?”
She looked unconvinced. “Yes, but I also need to be able to trust you. I’ve been burned over the past couple of years, and getting slapped with an indictment by the government takes the cake. Defending myself could mean ruining other people’s lives. I’m not willing to do that,” she said, her voice heavy.
Eddie inhaled sharply as he tapped his pen on the conference table. “I understand that. But it’s kill or be killed when the government gets involved, and whoever these people are, I guarantee you that when push comes to shove, they’d give you up in a second to save themselves. We’re not going to name any names you don’t want to, but my job is to tell you when I think you need to talk in order to help your case. If you don’t want to take my advice, that will be your choice.”
Andie met my eyes for the first time in the meeting. “I never want to hear any of these names repeated outside of this room,” she said coldly.
I nodded. “Of course. That’s my job.”
“Andie, Samantha is a professional. She’s at this firm for a reason. I know we don’t trust each other yet, but I never want you to walk into a room—whether it’s here or at the US Attorney’s Office—and be the only woman in that room. If there are things you’re not comfortable talking to me about, you can tell Samantha, and she’ll find a tactful way to get me the information. I’m not trying to make this about gender, but in my opinion, that’s what the government wants to do—and so I’m doing what I can to counteract that with your defense team.”
“I’m used to dealing with men. I get along better with them. I always have,” she said sharply.
I looked down at my legal pad, trying not to look as uneasy as I felt.
“But Eddie—I trust your instincts. I hired you because you’re the best, and you’re used to the absurdity of the world I come from. So to answer your question, yes. I can promise honesty and transparency. Can we get started now?”
The rest of the meeting played out like a who’s who of Oscar-winning celebrities, politicians, and Wall Street elites. No one was left out. I deadpanned each name drop and salacious detail.
Four hours later, Andie left for her hotel, and Eddie rubbed his temples.
“Jesus, that was long. Thanks for stepping up today. Do me a favor and get those notes into a concise memo, then start researching recent Second Circuit cases with the antigambling statute. We’ll pick this up tomorrow.”
I couldn’t wait to tell Charlie everything.
Chapter Ten
I sank into a chair as soon as they left, sure that I’d been partially holding my breath since Eddie called at 7:30 a.m. I hadn’t even texted Charlie to let him know where I was all morning and saw he’d sent multiple texts.Was I sick or just hungover? Had something happened?
I gathered my laptop and thirty-plus pages of handwritten notes. With the adrenaline slowly subsiding, my left hand felt numb from gripping the pen so tightly. I needed food and a gallon of water.
Last minute client meeting. Grabbing food then coming up,I responded as I rode the elevator down to the lobby. I grabbed a premade salad and Smartwater and sprinted back to the forty-eighth floor. I excitedly swung open the door to an empty office.
I dumped everything onto my desk and fished out my iPhone.Back in the office, where are you?
He responded immediately.Ran down to SDNY for last min filing. But glad you’re alive (also wtf??!)
I chugged the bottle of water.Crazy morning. Thankful I didn’t die in my sleep from alcohol poisoning.
He typed a question mark, and I reminded myself not to put anything in writing.Text me when you’re on the train back, can meet you at Joe’s on your way up,I wrote back.
I sat at my desk, looking at the view of uptown Manhattan for what felt like an eternity. I spent the next ten minutes reading through my notes from the meeting. I was struck by how fascinating it all was on asecond read.Thiswas the reason I had gone to law school. The reason I wanted to work with Eddie.
It was clear Andie was a force of nature. For four hours, she’d told us everything, starting at the very beginning, when she first moved to Los Angeles and found a job as a personal assistant to a high-net-worth entrepreneur who liked to have other high-net-worth friends over for a weekly poker game. One day, she was making music playlists and charcuterie trays. Soon after, she was running an empire. Celebrities, titans of industry, studio heads all wanted to get intohergame. The price of admission was in the hundreds of thousands. Players either won or lost way more than that. She didn’t even know how to play poker, but she knew the mind of a poker player inside and out.
I couldn’t believe I was part of her defense team.
