Devin-2 (4 page)

"I take it he proved it in a very manly way. Did he hurt you? No, I know he didn't. You would have shot him if he had tried that.” He moved over to the toilet again and regarded her. "Ronnie, you know that Ben and I love you like our own child, but, honey, not all relationships are like mine and Ben’s."

Ronnie burst out laughing as he had meant for her to do.

"Anyway. All men are not your father and most men never hit. You were just one of those unfortunate growing number of abused children and you have paid dearly."

Ronnie knew in her head he was right, but her heart thought differently. He handed her a towel and stood to leave.

“Ronnie, you have to give up this ridiculous notion of being him. You’re human, honey, and you’ll make mistakes. When you fall in love, and you will, it will be with someone who will love you despite who your family might be.” She sat up on her bed and laid her head on her knees after he had gone to bed and left her to sleep. She knew he was right. She knew plenty of men who did not hit first and then not ask questions at all. But she was still terrified because she had hit someone. She had hit someone hard enough to leave a mark.

As she lay back, her head on her pillows, she felt the tears burn her eyes. Ronnie wanted so much to be normal, whatever that meant.

~Chapter 4~

"Grant Law Office. How may I direct your call, please?"

Taking a deep breath, Ronnie looked down at her notes and began reading them. She did better with notes than she did people. These notes she had worked on all week and over the weekend, and felt they were perfect.

"My name is Veronica Frey and I'm suppose to call—"

"Yes, Miss Frey. I've been expecting your call. Please hold while I transfer your call," the voice at the other end said.

"But I—damn it!" Hold music was all she was speaking to. "Damn it, damn it, damn it!" she said to the empty phone.

"Well, good morning to you too. Do you always cuss in the phone like that?

If so, then we may have to work on your phone skills as well. What are you wearing?" Devin asked her quite suddenly.

She looked down at her jeans and t-shirt. "Excuse me?"

"What. Are. You. Wearing? I'm the one with the head injury, Veronica. You should be able to just look in the mirror and tell me what you have on."

Fine, she thought. "Blue jeans with a hole in the knee, a black Rocky Horror t-shirt that has seen better days, pink underwear and a matching bra, and yellow socks and black boots. Satisfied? Now, why do you want to know?"

He was quiet for so long she had thought the call had been dropped. Then when he spoke, it was in that husky voice of his again. She felt a tingle down her spine and along her skin.

"Most women of my acquaintance would have told me that they were wearing a sexy negligee or nothing at all. But you tell me you're wearing underwear and not panties and I find that incredibly sexier. Christ, woman, the things you do to me."

"What the hell are you talking about? What do you care what I'm wearing? I have things to do today. I have a job to find and I have to figure out how to pay for school. I have an exam this week and I don't have time to sit around and talk to you about my underwear." His chuckle moved through her like a thunderstorm in the summer, fast and hot.

"You have twenty minutes to be at the downtown court house, circuit courtroom number three. Judge Tyler is the presiding judge. You had better be there, Veronica, or so help me, I'll have you arrested so fast your underwear will be the least of our problems."

Dropping the phone in the cradle, she sat there and stared at it. Then she jumped up and ran to her room. Twenty minutes did not give her a lot of time.

She pulled out the only other nice outfit she had and threw it on. Pulling on her tights and boots, she was running out the door only to stop dead in her tracks.

No car. Just as she was turning to run into the house and call the moron again, she saw Austin standing in the door with Ben. They were both grinning.

Austin tossed her his car keys. "We heard you running though the house like a herd of buffalo and thought you might need a car."

Running backwards away from them, she blew them a kiss and took off for the garage. She was going to be, late but she would arrive in style.

~~~

She was late. Five minutes so far. Devin was not sure she would actually show up, but he hoped so. Right now, he had to concentrate on his client and his case. His head pounded and his nose hurt every time he touched it. He had four stitches in his forehead and a black eye that was fading after five days. Damon had been pissed to be called to the hospital to take care of him, but had laughed for so long after finding out that a woman had hit Devin that he stopped bitching about it. Some days Devin really hated his family. They could be sarcastic pricks when the mood suited them. Which, he was coming to realize, was all the time.

Suddenly, there was a commotion at the back of the room and everyone turned to look at her.

Ronnie was blindly beautiful when she was angry, but looking at her all flushed with rushing, it was everything he could do not to go back and toss her against the nearest flat surface and fuck her until neither of them could walk.

Devin shook his head at that and tried to figure out why this one woman of all those he knew had affected him like she had. She had been in his mind all week at the oddest times. His date had ended early Friday night because he could not seem to concentrate on the woman he had been with at the time because visions of this one kept intruding in his mind. And his visions of her had not done her justice. The flesh and blood woman before him was truly amazing.

Devin nodded at his mother, who looked back at Ronnie. Margaret got up and went to get the younger woman and brought her to where his mother was holding a seat for them. There was a slight tussle that he knew that his mother would win in the end about where they were sitting. It was not as if Margaret Parker was mean; he just knew that Ronnie's politeness would make her defer to the older woman. When Ronnie looked up at him, she was glaring so hard he felt it even after he turned back to the front of the courtroom.

"All rise, the honorable Judge James Tyler presiding."

"Your Honor, if it pleases the court, this is a total waste of the court’s time and money. Mr. Carlos was caught with the stolen merchandise in his possession. My client denies any knowledge of the work of art and there is no proof that he had, in any way, any contact with the accused."

"If I had a dime for everyone who came through my court that said they were not guilty, I'd have retired twenty years ago. Now, sit down and shut up.

Mr. Grant, this is a closed session. What, pray tell, is that young woman doing in here with your lovely mother?"

"I've brought her, Veronica Frey, to see if she could fit with my firm, sir. If it would please the court, I'd like to have Miss Frey second chair for me during these proceedings to see if we fit well together."

"Miss Frey, step up here, please," Judge Tyler said as he waved his hand at her.

"No. I mean, no sir, Your Honor. I don't want to work for him, or sit with him. I wasn't aware this was what he had in mind when he had me come here today or I wouldn’t have come. He never gave me any details at the time I spoke to him."

"Miss Frey, I said to come up here. I don't like to be told no, especially in my own playground. Now!" Judge Tyler said to her, leaving no doubt she had better do as he said.

Devin had to smile, and he was working very hard not to laugh out loud when she poked him as she walked by. He had not had this much fun in the courtroom in ages. He followed her one step behind. He may be having fun, but he was not stupid. Getting too close could give her easy access to his poor abused body.

"Miss Frey, didn't you work for Judge Simon? He was a good man and it was a hard loss to all of us. You must be at the end of you school, I’m thinking. You have someone else you’re working for right now?"

"No, Your Honor. But I'm looking. I feel I have a lot of potential and, that being said, I should keep my options open. And not tie my horse, as it were, to a man I don’t really care for." The judge looked taken aback for a second, but pressed on, his smile fighting hard not to turn into more.

"This man is offering you a good job right now. Any reason why you aren't falling on your knees thanking him for taking you on? You couldn't do much better than Devin Grant. He runs a respectable firm and he is well respected by his peers."

Devin heard her mumble something, but like the judge, had not heard it. He was sure it was not going to be flattering, but he was curious as well. Judge Tyler asked her to repeat it.

"I said I'd certainly like to try to find something better. Or at least someone with some manners. He is a rude, obnoxious man and I’d sooner work for a crook, Your Honor." Ronnie told the judge in a loud voice.

Devin’s mother burst out laughing behind him and the prosecutor suddenly had a coughing fit. Judge Tyler glared at the man and winked at his mother.

Devin thought that spanking the delectable Ms. Frey was becoming more and more promising.

"Miss Frey, are you aware you have on a sun dress in the middle of November? Isn't it a little chilly to be wearing such a...cooler weather dress? I realize that women of this day and age are always trying to make a fashion statement, but this seems a little extreme,” Judge Tyler said mildly.

"I only have two dresses, Your Honor, and the other one is in the wash. It was either wear this, or my jeans and t-shirt." Devin closed his eyes and hoped she would not mention the pink bra and panties she had told him about earlier.

She, thankfully, did not.

"Miss Frey, sit at the big boy table and hush up. I have a long court day and you might as well be a part of the fun too. And before you open that pretty little mouth and argue with me, I want you to know that it would be a very costly mistake to do so. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Your Honor. Very clear. But I want it noted I don't like Mr. Grant very much. And I think he's an arrogant ass and needs to be stood in a corner for a decade or two."

"Duly noted, now sit down. First witness."

It was an hour into the trial when she suddenly sat up and looked at him.

Devin had given her the file to look over while he waited for his turn now that the defense had rested. He saw her lean over to Mr. Carlos just as he stood to ask his questions of the witness, then she waved at him. Assuming that she wanted to speak to him, Devin went back to her to tell her now was not the time to start in on why she did not like him again. He leaned down to her after receiving permission from the judge to confer with his colleague.

"This list has been tampered with. See, after number ten, the type is different and there are smudges of some sort. Someone has removed something. Mr.

Carlos said he had a thumb drive when he was arrested. And he doesn’t know where it is.”

Ronnie handed him the copy from his file. He could see the smudges she meant, and the typeface was smaller than the other information.

"What was on the thumb drive, Mark?" Devin asked his client. He did not know where this was going, but he would play along for a few minutes. His head hurt, but if he did not follow through on this, she would probably bop him on the head again.

"It was a recording of Mr. Peters selling me the painting. He didn't seem all that trustworthy to me so I had a camera set up of the whole thing. I didn't wanna be caught with my pants down. Beg pardon, ma'am." Devin looked at Ronnie, who blushed at the compliment.

"Well, that would have certainly helped your case. Who knew about this drive and when was the last time you saw it?" Ronnie asked him as she patted his arm. Devin didn’t like that. He had no clue why, but he didn’t want her touching anyone else but him.

"I gave it to the arresting officer and then I told that man over there I had it when he come to see me in jail.” Mark pointed at the prosecutor. “He offered me a deal. If I was to take responsibility for the whole thing, then he'd see my kids went to college for free."

"Wouldn't it be great if you had that on tape as well?" Ronnie said, and Mark looked over at her and smiled.

"You did, didn't you? Why you sly devil. Too bad we don't know where it is.

I don't suppose you made a copy of it, did you?"

Devin nearly shouted with joy when Mark nodded at her again. She had been sitting there for less than two hours and had solved a case he had all but given up on.

Devin looked at her as she smiled. It was not a friendly smile; actually, it was kind of scary. He was glad he was not on the receiving end of whatever she was thinking.

"I think Mr. Carlos should take the stand. I'm not sure, but I'm betting that that guy, Donaldson, knows where the drive is, don't you?"

Devin smiled and turned to the judge. He knew she was right too.

Donaldson was the prosecuting attorney. "Your Honor, Miss Frey is going to call her first witness."

"No! Are you insane? Your Honor, he's insane, and you should have him put away. I can't call my—"

"Enough! Good Christ, you two fight like a married couple. Mr. Carlos, do you accept Miss Frey—and if you open your mouth, Miss Frey, I will slap you with a fine so fast your head will spin. Mr. Carlos, Miss Frey is going to take over your case. Are you all right with that?"

"Yes, sir. She is fine with me. She's a good girl."

"Mr. Grant, do you accept full responsibility for Miss Frey—quiet, girl, or I mean it—and her ability to conduct herself in a fair trial?"

Devin could see the steam rolling off her and wondered how she would hurt him when this was over. "Yes, Your Honor. I think she'll do a fine job."

"Good. Proceed."

~Chapter 5~

With her head between her knees, Ronnie tried to not pass out. Her head had started spinning the moment the judge had had the bailiff call the police and had the prosecutor, Donaldson, arrested. She was not sure of it all, just that he had stolen the drive that led to the arrest of his client, as well. Double whammy, Devin, err, Mr. Grant had called it. Now she just wanted to leave, and all she could do was concentrate on breathing in her nose and out her mouth and not the hand currently running up and down her back.