“That’s not our job!”
“And that is what I told him.”
Colin leaned forward, every muscle tense. “If this is about optics, Esther—if someone’s worried about how this is going to look instead of what needs to be done to protect?—”
“Stop right there!Please tell me you’re not suggesting I would compromise your safety or Joshua’s in service to political expediency!”
Colin relaxed just slightly. “Of course not, Esther, but…” He paused for a moment, then met Esther’s eyes, his gaze hot with resolve. “But there’s a target on my back, Esther. And even more importantly to me… on myhusband’sback! So, forgive me if patience isn’t my first response when I suspect that the mayor is dicking around!”
“I think we both know you’re too close to this to play the long game—and that may be exactly what’s needed right now.” She leaned in, her tone sharp and unwavering. “I’ll handle city hall!”
Colin growled out a frustrated breath, his hand drawing into a fist. His anger hadn’t cooled; it had coiled into something even more volatile. He gave a slow nod. “Fine. You handle city hall. But I won’t pretend this is just another case, Esther—not when it’s Joshua’s life on the line.”
His voice was quiet, controlled, but beneath it was something razor-edged, something dangerous and close to breaking. Heleaned toward his superior, his eyes narrow. “I signed on for this. I knew the risks.” He leaned another inch closer, his teeth clenching around his words. “But nothim, Esther. They don’t touchhim! And please believe me, if they do,I willburn everything they’ve ever loved to the fucking ground and not give a good goddamn how I do it.”
Esther held his gaze, unflinching. She let the silence stretch between them, absorbing the heat of his fury without adding fuel to it. Then, finally—quietly—she spoke. “I hear you.”
She leaned back, folding her hands to hide the brief tremor in her fingers. When she spoke, her voice was measured but firm.“Colin, I don’t intend to let them touch eitheroneof you.”
She let that sit for a beat, watching as some of the fire in Colin’s eyes began to dwindle. Then, with the faintest ghost of a smile, she added, “Now—are you ready to let me handle city hall, or do you need to threaten anyone else before we get started?”
Colin nodded, his shoulders still tense. “I’m happy for you to handle city hall, boss lady.” He got to his feet. “But understand this: what I said wasn’t a threat.” He paused, letting the weight settle. “It was an unbreakable vow.”
Esther held her breath until he stalked out, his words lingering in the room like smoke. Only then did she let her shoulders ease, folding her hands tightly to still their faint tremor.
Several things had become painfully clear: Colin wasn’t just a prosecutor in danger—he had also become a problem for powerful men who preferred their dealings kept quiet.
And this case was no longer just about murder or a threat to her office; now some of the city’s most powerful movers and shakers wanted the investigation buried—along with anyone who refused to look away.
Danger had changed uniforms. It now wore a suit and shook hands with the mayor.
After grabbinga quick lunch at The Nook, a classic diner within walking distance of city hall, Esther strolled back to her office. This was one of the few moments in her day that belonged solely to her—a rare pocket of time where no one needed her attention, no decisions hung over her head, and she could simplybe.
The sidewalks of Charlottesville bustled with their usual midday rhythm. Shop doors chimed open and shut, a street musician strummed a bluesy tune near the downtown mall, and the aroma of fresh bread from a nearby café mingled with the crisp scent of early autumn. A mother steered a stroller past her, murmuring softly to the child inside, while an older couple walked hand in hand, their laughter carrying on the breeze.
Esther let her mind drift, her gaze catching on the golden leaves fluttering from the trees that lined Main Street. They spiraled lazily downward, collecting in rust-colored piles against the brick sidewalks. She took a slow breath, savoring the cool air, the bite of the season just beginning to creep in. For a few precious minutes, she allowed herself to feel like simply another Charlottesville citizen—another figure among the crowd, with no urgent emails to answer, no meetings waiting for her return.
She paused at a crosswalk, the blinking red hand urging her to wait. As she stood there, she closed her eyes for a moment, listening to the hum of passing conversations, the distant honk of a car, the steady drum of her own heartbeat. Then the light changed. She exhaled, opened her eyes, and kept walking.
The moment she arrived at the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, Sheila jumped up, waving several memos, all of which had ‘urgent’ scrawled across the top. Scowling, Esther grabbed them and strode into her office, closing the door behind her.For a moment, she leaned back against the sturdy door, forcing her shoulders to relax and taking several deep breaths before moving to her desk.
The first message was fromC-VILLE Weeklyrequesting an interview. She scoffed and tossed the paper to one side. “That’snot urgent,” she muttered. The second message was more difficult to decipher, and she scanned it with a furrowed brow. One Daniel Larimore, attorney-at-law, was requesting a phone call. The notation on the message read: “Important proposal. Please call at once.”
She stared down at the message.That name. It sounds familiar.She glanced toward Norman Clayton’s office, and seeing him at his desk, she pressed the intercom, connecting their two offices. “Norm? Would you step in for a second?”
When Clayton entered, she handed him the message, then motioned him to a chair. “IknowI’ve heard that name, Norm. But I can’t place it. Can you?”
Clayton read the message and then handed it back before taking a seat, his face alight with a mischievous grin. “That, dear Esther, is the name of one of Elias Moreno’s legal team. He’s low-level, which is probably why Moreno chose him.” He leaned toward Esther. “Elias’s reaching out.”
Esther tapped the message against her desk, staring at it as if it might burst into flames.
“Do we bring Colin in on this?” she asked, glancing at Norm. “He’ll want to be informed, but I think we both know how he’ll react.”
Norm snorted, settling back in his chair. “Oh, I can tell you exactly how he’ll react! He’ll insist on attending the meeting and then spend the entire time listing the various ways he plans to make Elias Moreno regret the day he was born.”
Esther sighed. “I already dealt with him once today, and you’re right about his mood.” She looked up at Clayton, her lipspressed into a thin line. “I don’t want to sidestep him, Norm. But I hesitate to involve him too deeply in these negotiations. This situation is just too personal for him.”
Norm nodded, his expression sober. “If he pushes too hard and fast, Moreno might pull back before we get anything useful.”
