LITMIR.BIZ

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she walked toward Chief Assistant State Attorney Ian Lopez’s office, she dreaded the discussion. But she had to put on a brave face, wash away her doubts and convince him that she was the woman for the job.

      His door was open, and she walked right in. Ian was usually quite informal in the office. She realized she wasn’t alone. She stopped short just inside the door when she saw Zach Taylor.

      The handsome dark-haired FBI agent looked the same as he had last night, wearing a similar black suit and red tie. Beside Zach was a man in a navy suit with streaks of gray at his temples. She assumed he was the senior agent that Zach had mentioned.

      Ian was at his desk. “Jessica, come on in.” He motioned for her to step farther into the room. He was impeccably dressed as always in a navy suit and checkered tie. Ian was a tall, slim man with short black hair and dark eyes. She believed he was seriously vying to be the next state attorney. She hoped that his ambition would work to her advantage. If he took over and personally tried the case and lost, it would tarnish his record.

      “Jessica, I understand that you met Agent Taylor last night. And this is Agent Brodie Wilson.”

      She shook hands with both men, and then they all took seats in the chairs across from Ian’s desk.

      “So I hear we have a situation,” Ian continued. As always he was perfectly diplomatic. She’d call it a lot more than a situation, but it was better for her to downplay everything right now.

      “Yes, sir. But I really don’t believe there’s any cause for alarm.”

      Ian frowned. “Judging by the bruises on your neck, I don’t think I’d say that.”

      Ugh. She’d tried to use as much makeup as possible to cover them up, but nothing had really worked. “I’m doing okay.”

      “Well, the FBI has briefed me this morning on what happened to you and the threats that were made. I want to know how you feel about continuing to push forward with this case.”

      She leaned toward him in her seat. “Sir, I definitely want to keep working on it. I don’t want to back down because of this incident.”

      Ian nodded. “While I appreciate your enthusiasm, Jessica, the FBI has some strong opinions on this.”

      Uh-oh. Here’s where they were going to drop the hammer. She literally held her breath waiting for one of them to speak.

      “We don’t take threats like this from the Hernandez family lightly,” Agent Wilson explained.

      “I can be more careful.” At this point she was going to say whatever she needed to convince them.

      “That’s not going to be enough,” Ian replied.

      She didn’t like where this was going. Were they going to pull her off the case? “So what do you want me to do?” She looked at the three men and waited for one to answer her.

      Ian spoke up. “If you want, you are absolutely free to step away from this case. No one would judge you here in the department. You got thrown front and center of this litigation because of Michael’s illness. I—”

      “Sir, with all due respect,” she interrupted.

      He lifted up his hand. “Let me finish. I can tell that option isn’t something that would interest you, so I’ve worked with the FBI on a compromise.”

      “And that is?” she asked expectantly.

      “I’m willing to let you keep working the case as the lead counsel if you agree to work with the FBI and let them provide you with the necessary security.”

      “What exactly does that mean?” Her mind started to race with different scenarios of how that would play out.

      “You’d be working directly with me,” Zach said.

      “Yes,” Ian confirmed. “The FBI is actually working a couple of additional angles on the Hernandez family, including a special investigation into Simon’s sister, Ana. We know that it’s highly unlikely we’ll ever get the father because he has multiple layers of protection around him and leaves zero paper trail. But the kids are a different story. Not to mention Luke, the estranged brother who actually works for Miami PD.”

      Yes, she did know that there was one family member who had turned out to be one of the good guys.

      “So I’m saying all of this,” Ian went on, “to let you know that you’ll work with the FBI closely, and maybe we can get another prosecution out of this. And you’ll also be protected by Agent Taylor. It’s a win-win.”

      She didn’t really like the idea of someone being her supposed protector, but her main goal was continuing with the prosecution. She’d have to deal with whatever strings they attached to that. “But I can stay on the case?”

      “Yes,” Ian said. “But if at any point you want out, just say the word. I can’t promise you ultimate protection and neither can the FBI. This is still a dangerous assignment. When you go to law school, this isn’t exactly the type of thing you sign up for.”

      But that’s where Ian was wrong. This was exactly what she had signed up for. Taking down those criminals that preyed on innocent people. No matter how dangerous they were. “I’m in, Ian. I won’t cut and run.”

      Her boss smiled. “If you need me, I’m here. And I’ll expect regular updates, especially since we’re only days away from the start of the trial.”

      “Of course.” As distracting as working with the FBI would be, maybe she could turn this into an opportunity. How difficult could dealing with one rookie agent be?

      “Great,” Ian said. “I think you should take Agent Taylor to your office and debrief him on the case and see how he can help. I’m sure then he’ll have some security-related things to go over with you.”

      “Of course. And thank you again, Ian, for having faith in my ability to handle this case and everything that goes with it.”

      He nodded and stood up from his chair. “You’ve been a superstar since you interned here during law school. I expect nothing less than the best from you, Jessica. Keep up the good work.”

      His words of praise warmed her heart. It was nice to have someone build her up instead of tear her down.

      “It was nice to meet you, Jessica,” Agent Wilson said. “If you need me at any point, just let me know. But you’re in good hands with Agent Taylor.”

      “Thank you,” she said.

      “I’ll walk Agent Wilson out, so you can meet with Agent Taylor,” Ian said.

      “This way,” she said to Zach. They walked down the long hallway to her much smaller office.

      She closed the door so they could speak freely and took a seat behind her desk. He sat across from her. She had one extra chair, her desk and a bookshelf. That was it. Most of the attorneys at her level had the small offices.

      She took a moment and looked at Zach more closely. Yes, there was no denying that the tall agent with the big chocolate-colored eyes and sweet smile was attractive. But it would take a lot more than a handsome face to make her trust him. Would he be friend or foe? It was time to find out. “So,” she said.

      “Where do we begin?” he asked.

      “Before we get into the details of the case and your investigation, why don’t we jump right into what you have in mind for my security.”

      He smiled. “You’re worried about that, aren’t you?”

      “I like having my space.” That was an understatement, but she didn’t want to be too difficult. They were just starting this process together.

      He leaned forward in his chair. “I can appreciate that, but I can tell you right now that’s just not going to be possible.”

      “Exactly what are you suggesting?”

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