“The firm was mandated to investigate potential partners,” he continues. “You know that. But Farnsworth took the investigations further than the mandate. And this I can tell you because the work I did for him was outside the contract I had with the firm. He wanted the dirt. He wanted leverage. He has a file on every partner that came after him. It’s how he always gets his way. He’s destroyed a lot of people. Good people. Like you. But always with a secret to hide.”

Ray is silent for a moment and then leans forward. “That’s why I took your case. I knew the day we met that you were a good person. Instinct. Trust it. Kept me alive countless times. It was on the tip of my tongue to turn it down when I realized it would be better for me to control that investigation than anyone else. So I accepted it even though it made my f**king skin crawl.”

“Ray…please.”

He scrubs his hand over his face. “Yeah, you dated a lot of guys, sweetheart. But I’ve dated a lot of girls—a lot. And yeah, there’s a double standard… But regardless of whether you slept with them or not, it doesn’t make you a bad person. Who you are is in here.” He taps his chest lightly.

I shake my head and open my mouth to cut him off, but the usually taciturn Ray is on a roll, and he just keeps talking.

“You have a good heart. You’re a kind, giving, thoughtful, and generous person. Look how you’re helping the guys from Redemption. And Penny. And all your pro bono clients. I mean, f**k, you had to sell your house to stay afloat and still you wrote a check to pay me.” He opens my clenched fist and puts a pile of torn paper in it. “Which, by the way, I don’t accept.”

“But…”

“Do. Not. Accept.”

I bite my lip against the emotion welling up in my chest.

“The day you left Farnsworth & Tillman was the day I canceled my contract. Because I know what kind of person you are. The best kind. The kind that will swap out a brand-new couch for a Victorian monstrosity to make someone happy. Jake knows that or he wouldn’t be beating people up or driving out here to fix things between you. Someone cares about you that much, the file won’t change the way he feels. But he’s the kind of guy who needs a message hammered home.”

“The couch isn’t that bad.”

“It looks like shit, sweetheart, but it’s the most comfortable couch I ever sat on.” He sighs and his face softens. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry. But better me than anyone else. There is a lot in that file, but there is also a lot missing. Most times, I reported I couldn’t get a good camera angle to assess what went on behind closed doors, or I reported that I lost sight of you during surveillance. Sometimes, one entry was as good as three.”

Swallowing past the lump in my throat, I say, “Thank you for that.”

Ray gives me a curt nod and pulls his jacket off the coat rack. “Seeing as you’re heading home, I’ll be going now.”

I wait until he’s through the doorway before I call out, “Ray?”

He looks back over his shoulder.

“See you tomorrow.”

Chapter 23

EVERYONE CHEERS

The next day is a flurry of activity. Couriers arrive with packages of documents courtesy of an irate Farnsworth. The settlement offer was genuine. Reid told him I turned it down. Partly true. I would never have accepted his first offer. But I suspect he didn’t tell Farnsworth we didn’t conduct any further negotiations.

Farnsworth doesn’t like to be turned down. If I thought he was playing hardball before, it is nothing compared to the sea of paperwork on my desk. He must have had a dozen associates working all night long, and there is just no possible way I can deal with everything he is throwing at me before the deadlines. Not without help.

Penny organizes, catalogs, and diarizes like there is no tomorrow. But by the end of the day, even she knows we are underwater.

“We can’t do it.” She sighs and bangs her forehead gently on her desk. “We would need to hire at least six contract lawyers.”

“That’s the power of a big firm. That’s why people pay the big money. They can make the irritating cases go away simply by overwhelming the opposition with paper.”

When the sixth courier arrives, I send Penny home. Then I draft up the settlement agreement for the amount Farnsworth offered and type Farnsworth & Westwood at the bottom. I stare at it for the longest time. All it would take is a signature, and I can move on with my life. No more Farnsworth and his sea of paper. No more fruitless attempts to interview witnesses who have been blackmailed to keep quiet. Farnsworth will continue his reign of terror and I will be able to start again. But this time without Jake.

What would he do in my situation?

What do fighters do? They fight. Jake would never give up, no matter how dire the circumstances. He would find a way to break the hold, even if he was locked in submission.

A soft knock on the door startles me. I glance up and there, silhouetted in the setting sun, is my mom.

She is impeccably dressed, as usual, in beige pants, a soft pink blouse, and a long cream trench coat. Her shoes and handbag would put Sandy to shame. Her neat bob swings gently around her face as she walks into my office.

As usual, she doesn’t waste time with pleasantries. “Someone couriered this to your father and I at work.” She slides a disk across my desk and my heart sinks. I don’t need to take it from her to know what it is. Evil Reid made good on his threat. And, of course, he didn’t just have a hard copy of his file.