I know, I know; I probably should’ve thought about that before becoming a criminal defense lawyer. But when one of your closest college friends gets sentenced for murder, that leaves a mark on a young, impressionable mind.
So, yeah, when Knox had been arrested, I’d changed majors.Went to law school. Vowed to make sure everyone got a real defense.
And it worked that way for a while. Until it didn’t.
I learned the hard way what happens when you fight for the wrong person. Innocent blood spilled because I believed a lie.
Never. Again.
After that one devastating case, I couldn’t go back. Couldn’t defend people who might …
I swallowed down the pain.
You’d think someone in my shoes might not want to hang out with these morally gray men. And sure, I was morally gray, too, if you considered how I’d wanted to beat the man who assaulted my sister or how I’d stood by friends who had taken lives. But they had been protecting loved ones, and that entire journey had only solidified something about myself: that I lived by a strict moral code.
I didn’t steal. Didn’t cheat. And that violence my friends displayed was only justified when they were protecting someone.
Even then, I’d never take a life myself.
Ever.
Beat my sister, Tessa’s, assailant with a bat? Sure. But murder? No.
Point was, I started my own firm for all the right reasons.
“I don’t defend killers. Period. Only the innocent.” I took a swig of my scotch.
“Look, you’re doing what most lawyers won’t,” Blake said. “That counts for something.”
“Tell that to my accountant,” I muttered.
“Screw the accountant,” Jace said. “You need capital, we’re here. You know that.”
“I know.” I did know. They’d all offered to invest, multiple times. “But I need to prove I can do this myself.”
“You don’t have to prove anything to anyone,” Blake said quietly.
“Yeah, I do.” I set down my cards. “To every asshole wholaughed. To Patterson and his country club buddies who think I’m playing pretend lawyer. Hell, to myself.”
“The guy who only defends innocent people,” Jace said with a grin. “It’s actually brilliant marketing when you think about it. Everyone says they’re innocent, but when a lawyer stakes his entire reputation on it? That means something.”
I felt that familiar fire in my chest. The one that kept me going when the phone didn’t ring for days. When bills piled up. When former colleagues sent passive-aggressive LinkedIn messages about “interesting career pivots.”
“You’re going to prove them all wrong,” Blake said, raising his glass. “Those Preston & Associates pricks are going to be reading about you in the paper one day.”
“Damn straight,” Axel agreed, raising his own drink. “To Ryker and his bleeding-heart practice.”
“To actually giving a damn,” Jace added, with just enough edge to show he meant it.
I raised my glass, grateful for these idiots who never once questioned my sanity. “To having friends who don’t think I’m completely insane.”
“Bold of you to assume we don’t think you’re insane.” Axel laughed. “We’re just too invested in this disaster to bail now.”
We settled into the familiar rhythm of betting and bluffing. The tension gradually bled from my muscles, replaced by the pleasant buzz of expensive whiskey and even more expensive company.
A few hands later, Axel leaned back with that expression that warned me he was about to stir the pot. “So, exactly how long have you been interested in Faith?”
Blake’s eyes snapped to me. “What?”
