Black Rainbow (14 page)

I didn’t reply.

Kneeling, I helped her pick up all her books, whilst others just walked by.

“Vivian Vega, right?” I asked her, knowing full well I was right. She was the one who
loved
my mother, and was basically a walking encyclopedia of cases.

“What do you want?” she asked, as she pushed her glasses back up her nose, tilting her head to the side.

“Nothing much, I just want you to stop trying to make a fool out me in class. Not only is it annoying to be constantly interrupted by you, but it’s borderline ridiculous. You aren’t going to upstage me with just facts. You and I are the only girls left, we should work together.”

“It sounds like you’re scared,” she said, her eyes narrowing. “I’m fine on my own. With the way Professor Black keeps hounding you for missing class, I doubt you’ll make it to the end of the week, so on that note, I’m going to have to reject your fake
sisterhood
offer.”

“Whatever you say Little Butterfly,” I called out to her as she tried to walk away.

She stopped and slowly turned to look at me, her eyes were wide.

“What did you call me?”

“Little Butterfly. That’s your name, right?”

She dragged me by the hand, pulling me into the girls’ bathroom. She checked under all the stalls before looking to me.

“Where did you hear that name?”

“You and I both know the answer to that.”

For a fleeting moment, the look in her eyes made me feel a twinge of remorse, then I reminded myself of my purpose, and I knew that if the tables were turned, she would hang me out to dry. Despite her conservative appearance, she was a woman willing to do anything to get to the top.

“So you’re blackmailing me now?”

“No. I’m going to ask again for your support, and you will either decide to get rid of me quickly, because I know that you’ve been stripping your way through law school, or you’re going to realize that having me for an enemy serves to your disadvantage. I would never use something like that against you, and I respect the fact that you want this that badly. Be in my corner, and I will be in yours. Like I said, we’re the last women standing, and do you really think that those asshats are going to have your back if they ever find out? Believe me, you
want
to be on my team.”

I had her by the balls, figuratively speaking, and there was nothing left for me to say. I headed back to the classroom, thrilled that my plan was going my way, so far.

Vivian Vega was a first generation Puerto Rican. Her mother worked as a seamstress, and her father was a taxi driver. She was the first in her family to graduate from college, and get into law school… Harvard Law School at that. The only problem was, she couldn’t afford the cost of the institution, and financial aid only covered about half of her tuition. So with no viable alternative, she got a job working at strip club two hours away, just to make ends meet.

“Well?” Atticus asked as I took a seat next to him. Levi—
Professor Black –
would be here any second, and I knew that she wouldn’t risk being late.

“Wait for it,” I told him, and right on cue, she came in and sat down to my left.

Atticus snickered, leaning over me to shake her hand. “Atticus Logan, what’s she got on you?”

“Vivian Vega, and none of your damn business.”

“Let the games begin,” Atticus whispered as Levi—
Professor Black
I had to keep reminding myself
—
entered the room.

I hated the fact that just the sight of him made my heart slam against my chest. I hadn’t seen or heard from him since last week Friday. It had only been three days, and yet, it felt like forever.

I half expected him to walk up to the board and erase my name, but he didn’t. Instead, he dropped a folder onto his desk, and turned back to us. He tilted his head to the side and that’s when I noticed the small red mark on his neck. His collar obscured most of it, and no one else seemed to notice it, but I did.

It could be a bug bite.

“
I’ve recently taken up another case of interest
,” Lev—
Professor Black
said, and
Vivian passed me her notebook. Atticus leaned in as well, reading over the news clipping.

How had she known?

“Mariah Nash,” Atticus called out, before Professor Black could.

“Age 29, charged with first degree murder of her husband, Senator Tyler Nash. Age: 66. Paramedics were called to the Nash family home on July 27
^th
after receiving a 911 call. He was pronounced dead at the scene,” I added.

“Mrs. Nash was charged the following Saturday at 9:09am. Last night you officially took on her case,” Vivian finished off.

Lev—
Professor Black’s eyebrow raised, before he looked at the rest of the students
—
“It seems an alliance has been formed. Congratulations, Mr. Logan, Ms. Vega, and Ms. Cunning, you are now on this case. The rest of you will remain here with another professor, until I get back. You’re dismissed for the day. Hopefully by the time you all see me again, you too will have stepped up your game.”

I couldn’t help it, I fist pumped into the air.

“So lame,” Logan whispered.

“I second that,” Vivian added.

“Shut up.”

“Logan. Vega. Cunning. Why aren’t you walking?”
Levi—
Urgh!
Professor Black! Professor Black! Professor Black!
—
called to us.

Following him, we walked quickly, trying to match his pace. He was walking as though his feet were on fire.

“Logan, Cunning, you both remember the Archibald Case?” he asked, as his car pulled up. “This is nothing like that, and one of you will need a cab.”

The moment he said it, I was in motion, and I gingerly stepped into the back seat. Following my lead as fast as she could, Vivian hoped into the front seat.

“You lose,” Professor Black said to Atticus, before stepping inside the car and taking his seat next to me.

“Ms. Vega, tell me, how did this alliance come to be?”

Damn it.

I sunk into the chair looking anywhere but his face. It had taken all my courage just to get in the car.

“She blackmailed us,” Vivian said simply.

Apparently I was too soft.

By the time we reached the office, Atticus was already there. Levi—
Professor Black,
screw it, I was just going to call him Levi or else I was going to go crazy,
was as cold as ever in the car. When Vivian stated that I had blackmailed them, he just looked down at his phone, not saying a word.

“Your coffee, sir,” Atticus said, handing him a cup as we all entered the elevator.

“Stop kissing my ass Mr. Logan, or you’ll get stuck there,” Levi replied, taking the cup from him and drinking. He had to stop himself from spitting it out. “What is this?”

“Coffee?”

“This is not coffee!” he snapped, handing it back to Atticus.

Vivian and I held our breaths, biting our lips to keep from laughing.

“Nice,” I whispered to him, as we got off the elevator.

It was the first time we had been up here since the Archibald case, and I was finally able to take it all in. On the wall to my right, written in bold, black, glass letters was Levi’s name. Within the building, there was a buzz of activity, as countless associates moved about from one end to another.

At that moment, Tristan came out, dressed sharply in a three-piece suit, and handed him a newspaper.

“Where is she?” he asked.

“Raymond just brought her into the conference room.”

They both ignored us as they walked down the hallway, and we wordlessly followed. Once again, it was like we were invisible. Anyone that saw Levi coming, either turned away, or kept their head down and walked past him as fast as they could. But even that wasn’t fast enough.

“You, with the coffee stain, go home until you figure out where your mouth is.” Levi pointed to a man halfway down the hall.

Jeez.

“Does she look like she did it?” he asked us at the door of the conference room.

I could see the woman; she was Hispanic, with long dark hair, and red-rimmed eyes. She was dressed in all black, and even had a small lace veil stemming from her hat, as if she needed to prove to the world she was mourning her husband.

“No,” Atticus answered.

Vivian nodded, “Yes.”

And then his green eyes fell on me.

“I’m not sure.”

“Get sure then. Same rules as the Archibald case,” he said as he opened the door.

“What are the rules?” Vivian whispered, as we entered.

“Sit down, shut up, and don’t make him look bad,” I said rushing to the corner.

Raymond, his associate, came forward and whispered something into his ear, but Levi didn’t even flinch, he just stared at her.

There was silence and she shifted under his gaze… I understood exactly how that felt.

“Are you Mr. Black?” she sniffed rubbing her nose with her tissue.

Silence.

“Umm…” she shifted again.

“He’s blacking her out,” Atticus muttered beside me.

“What?” I leaned in.

“What he’s doing, they call it ‘Levi’s black out’, because he just zones out for a moment before his big move,” Vivian finished for him, whipping off her glasses.

How did I not know that?

“You killed your husband.” He came out and said it. “What I want to know is why. You signed a prenuptial agreement, so it’s not like you were going to get any of the money. ”

“I did not kill my husband! I loved—”

“You’re lying! You can lie to your children, the press, to yourself if you very well choose, but you will not lie to me in my office.”

“You’re supposed to be my lawyer!” she screeched at him.

“And I’m trying to defend you. So, why did you kill your husband?”

“I did
not
—”

“You killed your husband.”

“No.”

“You. Killed. Your. Husband.”

“NO!”

“You can scream all you want, but I don’t believe a word coming out of your mouth. A cocktail waitress who’s been married three times already—marries a nice, rich, old man.”

“You just said it wasn’t about the money, I signed a pre-nup!”

“Then why did you kill him?”

“I did not kill my husband!”

“Liar.”

She stood up. “Fuck you.”

He turned to Tristan,. “We can work with this.”

What?

“I don’t understand,” the woman said as she slowly fell back into her chair.

“The prosecution won’t come at you like that Mrs. Nash, it’s not like what you see on
Law and Order
. We may want to put you on the stand,” he told her.

“So you believe me?” she asked hopefully.

“It doesn't matter whether I believe you or not, I just needed to make sure you that you didn't crack under pressure—”

“It matters to me!” she hollered at him, jumping to her feet again. “I can’t have a lawyer who doesn't believe in me. If that’s the case, I’ll have to find someone else.”

“And you will go to prison,” he said simply. “My fee doubles when you’re in prison…
if
I choose to take on this case again.”

“Does this look like a joke to you?”

“No, but you’re the one clowning around. Your husband is dead, and your stepchildren want your head on stick. You
don’t
need a lawyer that believes in you. You need one that can win. So my question to you, Mrs. Nash, is; do you want to win? Do you want to stay out of prison?”

Once again she sat back down. “I didn’t kill my husband, and I don’t like you. But I would like to stay out of prison.”

“Good choice,” he told her. “My associates will brief you on what I want you to do, and say, until the trial,” he said to her, nodding towards Raymond, before taking his leave.

“I want to be him,” Atticus whispered.

The world can’t handle two Levi Blacks.

“She’s guilty,” Vivian whispered, more to herself than to us.

“One of you, go get us some coffee,” Raymond pointed at us. “We’ll be here for a while.”

No one moved, so I took the initiative and headed out, even though I had no idea where I was going. Asking someone seemed like a given, but the look they were all giving me…

“Don’t mind them, they’re taking a trip down memory lane,” Tristan said as he appeared beside me, causing me to jump.

“A trip down memory lane?” I glanced back at a few of the people who had gathered to laugh at something as I walked by.

“Break time already?” he asked them, and they rushed back to where they were supposed to be. “At one time, they were like you, under the thumb of the great Professor, Levi Black.”

“Aren’t they still?”

“Yeah, but they get paid to put up with him. Coffee is over there.”

I paused in the middle of the hall, my arms crossed. “Why are you helping me?”

“Can’t I just be nice?” He grinned and his brown eyes seemed to light up.

“No.”

“Fine, you know my secret.”

I thought for a second before smiling. “You mean your eyeliner wearing, alter ego.”

“We were short staffed that night. My wife owns the bar,” he glowered at me.

I turned my back to him and began to prepare the coffee.

“Don’t worry, I won’t say anything.”

“Why thank you—”

“But that comes a price,” I cut him off before he could finish praising me.

“A price?”

“Help me impress Levi with this case.”

His eyebrow raised. “Impress?”

“Every year, he chooses one student right? The top of the top in his class. I helped with one case and got my name on the board. Help me with this one too, so I can stay on the board.”

“And here I thought you were swimming with sharks, when in actuality, you’re the one circling in for the kill.”

Just like my mother.

“I got to get this coffee back. Bye
hon
,” I said, using the name he had called me at the bar.

He stood watching me with a slight smile lingering on his lips as I walked away.

“Your
student
just blackmailed me,” Tristan said as he came into my office and took a seat on the chair in front of my desk.

“Apparently, that’s her new thing,” I told him.

In seventy-two hours she had managed to become a whole new person. She was bolder, and a lot colder. Was this what Selene had been worried about?

“She got you too?” he asked with a frown.

I snorted. “She wouldn’t dare. Plus doing that would look worse on her. She isn’t stupid.”

“So what’s going on between you two?”

Pinching the bridge of my nose, I leaned back on my chair. “I don’t know. Why do I even care?”

“You like her.”

It wasn’t a question, but I still nodded. “I like her. I like her a little too much.”

“Are you pursuing her?”

Was I?

“I pursued her, and she rejected me because she wants to be a good lawyer.”

“Which makes you like her more.”

“Are you getting paid for this time? If so, I really should dock your pay.”

I didn’t need people reading my thoughts or feelings for me.

“You truly are as black hearted as they say, taking money away from your soon-to-be niece’s father. I wonder if she will have a cousin soon though. You and Thea—”

“Get out!”

“Hit a nerve there, didn’t I?” he mocked, his tone rising. “Let’s hope she doesn’t see that mark on your neck… unless she already knows it’s there.”

I threw a pen at his head. “It’s a bug bite.”

“
Sure
,” he grinned, moving to the door where I suddenly remembered what he first said.

“What did she blackmail you for?”

He smirked. “She asked me to help her impress you by helping you win this case. Apparently she wants to keep her name on the board. She reminds me of her mother.”

That made me cringe.

“They say
The Shark
kept a written record of all the favors ever owed to her, along with a few details she had on some high profile people, just in case she ever needed help from them. She used it to
persuade
them to help her.”

I didn’t say anything, and he took it as his cue to leave.

I liked her and I wanted to be with her again.
I could admit to that. What I couldn’t admit was that
I wanted to chase after her.

I just wasn’t sure how to balance all the sides of me; the professor, the lawyer, the guy under all of that… the guy that just wanted to be in bed with her again.

“We have a problem,” Raymond said bursting in.

I was already on my feet walking.

“What type of a problem?”

“The video was just
leaked
about our client.”

From the way he sounded, I could tell that he didn’t believe this was just a coincidence.

As we entered the conference room, I noticed that everyone’s eyes were glued to the screen.

“I hate that *BEEP*. I hate that whole in entire *BEEP* family!” A drunken Mariah Nash slurred into camera on the news. “Do you know how much *BEEP* I have to deal with in that *BEEP* family. And his kids, his *BEEP* kids. They’re selfish, money hungry little monsters. How am I supposed to smile for the cameras when one of them is druggie, and the other a sex addict; I mean really, he’s done the entire house staff
and
the neighbors too. But at least someone is having sex. That *BEEP* couldn’t get it up if he was *BEEP* upside down. I want to take a bat to all their heads!”

Raymond turned off the television, all of their eyes turned to me as if I was supposed to have some type of rationale to this level of absurdity.

“I…” Mrs. Nash opened her mouth, but I held my hand up indicating that I didn’t want to hear it, and that she shouldn’t even bother.

“All of you, go home, talk to no one, we will start over in the morning,” I said to them.

“Mr. Black!” Mrs. Nash called out. “Please—”

I could feel the vein in my head throbbing. “I said; go home, talk to no one, we will start over tomorrow.”

Even I was shocked at how calm I was being, but in all honestly what could I do? If I yelled at her, she might go home, get drunk, and then make another video.

Shit, she really could do that,
I thought, stopping at my office.

“I’m having Raymond and one other associate babysit her,” Tristan said, walking up.

“Good to know you’re useful.”

“That hurts, man.” He held his heart.

Rolling my eyes, I headed to my office couch to lay back down.

“You can go home too Betty, I’m not taking any calls,” I called, closing my eyes.

“Are you sure—”

“Goodnight Betty.”

I didn’t bother opening my eyes.

I simply laid there, not moving. I never took a simple case… never.

I truly am a masochist.

It was midnight by the time I woke up. Washing and drying my face in the bathroom, I noticed only two lights were left on in all of the offices; the conference room, and my office.

Idiots left the lights on.

Cracking my neck as I walked over, I froze when I saw her sitting on the floor of the conference room. Her hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail, and she sat flipping through the case files in front of her. She bobbed her head to whatever music she was listening to on her mp3 player, completely unaware of me, or of how beautiful she looked.

I loved it when she wore skirts. I enjoyed staring at her perfectly smooth, long legs. It made me remember how good it felt when they were wrapped around me.