Adrienne Giordano - The Defender

Even if her prey was a murderous madman.

She put the phone back to her ear. “According to you, this is Colin Heath, but theoretically you could be anyone.”

“Defense lawyers. Always so suspicious.”

Comes with the territory, buddy.

The woman behind her made an effort of clearing her throat. The line had moved, but Penny hadn’t. She turned to the woman. “Sorry.”

Needing to concentrate, she stepped out of line and walked to an empty corner near the pastry case. “What can I do for you, Mr. Heath?”

“Oh, my love, call me Colin. After all, I let you live yesterday.”

A slow burn curled inside her. “What do you mean, you let me live?”

“I’ve been watching Elizabeth Brooks. She’s talking to you. Advise her to forget my name. Her husband stole from me and he knew the risks that posed.”

Movement at the door drew her gaze and a dark-haired—and stone-faced—Russ Voight strode in. What the heck? He scanned the crowded shop, spotted her and beelined to her.

She threw her hand up before he spoke and pointed at the phone. “Mr. Heath, why are you calling me? If you’re looking for an attorney, obviously I can’t help you.”

Russ gawked. At any other time, she’d have laughed that the sexy FBI agent’s chiseled features had suddenly gone soft and horrified, but right now she was too freaked to consider it funny.

“Oh, but you can help,” Heath said. “Tell Elizabeth to keep that lovely mouth of hers shut and I will continue to let you live.”

What? Penny stood tall. “That’s the second time you’ve said that. Explain.”

“On the courthouse steps. That was my shooter, Ms. Hennings. He’s quite good. In all that chaos, he managed not to hit you or your dear father. Your options are these. You either stop working with Elizabeth Brooks or get her to keep quiet. If you do that, she and that boy of hers will stay alive. I’d hate to see him grow up without at least one parent.”

The slow burning inside Penny erupted to a full-blown volcano. Needing something to do—other than hunt down Colin Heath and strangle him—she latched on to Russ’s suit sleeve and twisted. Just a vicious grip that made her knuckles pop. To Russ’s credit, he took the assault on his person in stride.

This crazed lunatic thought he’d use her to threaten a client. Not. Ever.

Russ swiveled two fingers between her eyes and his. Focus, he mouthed.

She threw her shoulders back, breathed in and let calm, fierce lawyer Penny take hold. As lawyer Penny, no one could beat her. She pictured Colin Heath in the witness box, waiting for her to decimate him—to shred him.

Go.

“Clearly you’re aware that you’re threatening me. I could have you arrested. And it would be the least of your crimes.”

What? Russ mouthed.

Penny held her finger up. I got this, fella.

“But you won’t,” Heath said. “If you did, I’d have you killed. Even from prison I can make it happen. I could do it right now. Or when you leave the coffee shop.”

He knew where she was. Searing heat shot to her cheeks. Fear? Maybe. Because there was something incredibly weakening about a murderer stalking her.

Shifting sideways to peer around Russ, she studied each table. In the corner, two men sat in deep conversation. Couldn’t be Heath. The next two tables had been pushed together by a group of moms out for morning coffee with their toddlers. A young guy, maybe twenty, sat at one table, reading a magazine. Too young.

“What?” Russ finally said.

She put her hand over the receiver and got right next to his ear. “He knows I’m in here.”

“Don’t worry,” Heath said. “I’m not in the store with you. I wouldn’t be that foolish. Tell the FBI agent I see him, too.”

Heaven help her. Where was this man?

She looked up at Russ again, focused on his dark eyes instead of the fear making her tremble. He stuck his bottom lip out—thinking—and rolled his hand.

Keep talking. Easy for him to say. He hadn’t just been threatened by a psycho who’d decided opening fire on innocent people would be a good way to prove a point.

A woman squeezed behind Russ to peruse the offerings in the bakery case and he inched forward, shook his head. She understood. A packed coffee shop wasn’t exactly a great place to have this conversation, but she wasn’t about to step outside and make herself a target. Again.

Trapped in a damned coffee shop and she couldn’t even get any caffeine.

Russ glanced into the hallway behind them, where one of the coffee-guzzling moms had just exited the restroom.

He grabbed Penny’s wrist, dragged her down the hall, where her enormous heels clicked and clacked against the tile. Finally, she and Russ swung into the bathroom. The barely-big-enough-for-one bathroom left them a few inches apart, and the heady mix of his soap—spice and leather—brought the memory of Russ on top of her the day before, giant erection and all, to mind.

Too close.

She scooted back and bumped the toilet. Ew. Sideways. Only way to go. Russ must have sensed her discomfort, though, and, hero that he was, backed against the door to give her any available space.

“Lovely Penny?”

And how annoying was that whole lovely-Penny nonsense? Crush him.

“Let me get this straight,” she said to Heath. “You want me to convince my client not to testify against you. In exchange you will leave her and her son alone. Why not just kill them both?”

Heath laughed. Not that she expected him to answer that question. As an attorney she was ethically bound to report any crime she’d been made aware of. Worse, he’d been careful not to give Penny specifics about the threat he’d made against her. Yesterday alone she’d threatened to kill someone five times. Didn’t mean she’d do it. Right now, she had nothing worth reporting. Oh, this was a calculating man. He knew exactly where the line was.

“My offer is on the table, lovely Penny.”

“You realize if I try to talk her out of testifying she could get another attorney.”

“She could, but people might get hurt. With this sudden guilty conscience of hers, she couldn’t live with it. But, alas, you won’t let that happen. Too many lives at risk. Yours, hers, the boy’s. Even your family.”

Her family. She slapped her hand over her head, stared hard at Russ as a wave of emotion so raw and ravaging tore into her, made her skin burn. What would keep Heath from going after them? Her mother, her father. What about Zac, Mr. Predictable? He stopped at the same coffee shop every morning on his way to work. Every morning. Same time. Same location. One by one, this maniac could pick off her family.

Gently, Russ set his hand on top of hers and squeezed. “Breathe,” he whispered. “Relax.”

Closing her eyes, she focused on next steps. On getting this psycho locked up. Yes. That was what she’d do.

“I understand,” she said into the phone.

“How many lives will be lost, Penny? It’s up to you. I’ll phone you in twenty-four hours. Give me the right answer.”

The line went dead and Penny sucked in a massive breath, and the tight walls pressed in and the shiny white tiles swayed and danced. The phone slipped from her fingers, clattered to the floor. She’d have to sterilize the thing. Or throw it out. Russ bent low, scooped it up, and she scrunched her nose. The germs alone... He hit the button, obviously to be sure the call ended.

He shoved the phone into his jacket pocket and grasped her arm. “You all right?”

“I may throw up.”

“You’re in the right place.”

She nodded because, well, he had a point there. Only, she didn’t want to be on her knees in this bathroom. Who knew the last time the floor was washed?