Marina and Cari glanced at each other. “But you didn’t hear the rest?”
His eyebrows rose. “There’s more than you barfing on our wealthiest client?”
“You don’t knowwhyshe did it.” Cari gave Marina a sweet smile. “She didn’t have bad sushi.”
Rob made a “come on” motion at Marina, who explained, giving him a brief version.
He stared at her for a long moment, and then he turned a shade of red she’d rarely seen outside a box of crayons. “That bitch had you followed because she wanted you for herself. That’s so fucking creepy and wrong.”
“And I crossed a line,” Marina said quietly, knowing the truth. “I slept with someone and created a conflict of interest. This is my fault.”
He winced and tilted his head. “Okay. Yeah, that might be true. But it wouldn’t have been an issue if she wasn’t an entitled cow with a persecution complex.”
“The…career issueaside,” Cari said, “what are you going to do about River and that South Shore situation?”
There was silence for a long moment as Rob and Marina looked at each other. He shook his head. “You can’t.”
Marina closed her eyes. “If I tell River anything, I could lose my license. I’d be divulging client information.”
“But she fired you.” Cari frowned, looking thoughtful. “When did she tell you that thing about River’s building? Before or after she said she was firing you as her attorney?”
Marina thought back to the venomous words being flung at her. “After, I think. Yeah, she said it after. But that’s a technicality that wouldn’t hold up. I didn’t record it, and you didn’t hear it as a witness. So it would be her word against mine, and she’d win, given the other stuff.”
Cari turned to Rob. “Can you tell her?”
He sighed and shook his head. “No can do. She’s a client of the firm’s, not just Marina’s. That means my hands are tied too.”
Cari looked between them. “Then can I say something?”
They both shook their heads. “You work for the firm, and you’re my PA. That means you’re under the same rules we are.”
Cari collapsed back into the chair. “Sheila is going to blindside them.”
“And River is going to think I knew it was going to happen and didn’t say anything. Which will be true. She’ll think it was all a lie.” Tears welled in Marina’s eyes again.
Rob moved next to her on the couch and pulled her into a hug. “You are well and truly fucked on this one, babe.”
Marina didn’t have any more tears to shed, but her soul cried anyway. Not only had she lost everything, but River was going to lose it all too.
CHAPTER 30
River’s phonevibrated across her nightstand, light bouncing across the ceiling. She fumbled for it and flopped back onto her pillow. “’lo?” she mumbled.
“River, it’s Adriana. I’m sorry to call so late…or early, whatever. But I need to meet with you. Can you come down to your shop?”
River blinked away the sleep in her eyes and looked at her phone. “Adriana, it’s three in the morning. What could be that important? And I thought we were done with the segments?”
“Trust me and get your butt down here.” She hung up.
River rubbed her eyes with her knuckles as dread dropped like a crystal ball in her stomach. She lurched out of bed and into clothes, not caring what she put on, and jogged the few blocks to the shop. It was too cold to walk, and she couldn’t be bothered to gear up for the bike.
Adriana was waiting outside Echoes, blowing on her hands and talking to the camera guy always by her side. River quickly opened the door and ushered them out of the light snow beginning to fall. She flipped on lights, and they all settled at the table. No cameras were on though.
“What’s up?” River asked.
“I have a source inside Black Pinnacle. They called to tell me Sheila Black has gone off the reservation. She called in her entire team, fired the law firm here, and is having new contracts and documents drafted as we speak. She has surveyors coming to look specifically at your building tomorrow?—”
“Later today,” the other guy said.
