Lightning Strikes (The Almeida Brothers Trilogy #3) by Trevion Burns Page A
Authors: Trevion Burns
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still couldn’t clap her mouth closed.
“What just happened?” she asked, looking around in awe.
***
“Stop calling me,” Jack spat into the phone once he’d made it outside. He paced back and forth on the dirt road, the dust making a quick mess of his leather shoes as he scowled into the distance. “Stop goddamn calling me, Kyle.”
“We just thought you’d want an update.”
“The hell you did.”
A long pause followed, and then Kyle’s voice went high, confirming Jack was right. “We just need you on the stand one time, Jack. Just one. That’s it, and it will seal this win for us.”
“Us, us, us. What aren’t you understanding, Kyle? I don’t work for you animals anymore.” Jack lowered his voice as a passerby scuttled past, waiting until they’d entered the restaurant to resume. “I’m not interested in updates, and I’m sure as hell not interested in sitting on a stand and talking about what a wonderful guy that man was when we both know that’s a goddamn lie. I’ve…” Jack swept his hand through the air, turning back toward the restaurant. He stalled when he saw Nina watching him pointedly through the window of their booth, squinting with her chin cradled in her hand. “I’ve wiped my hands of this. I don’t want anything to do with it. I just want to be left alone. I want to be alone . Why the hell can’t anyone accept that?” He spat those words at Nina as if she could hear him through the glass, and her squint deepened. She even threw in a confused tilt of her head, which made Jack turn his back to her, walking further down the dirt road.
“You want to be left alone in the brownstone that will be seized? Left alone with an inheritance that’ll be drained bone dry? You will lose every penny you have if you don’t testify, Jack, and so will Chase.”
Jack froze in mid-step and breathed in, eyes flying shut. “The prosecution is only after half the estate, and I fully intend to have every penny siphoned from my half, not his. Try again.”
“And what happens when they decide to come after you for the lawyer fees? Where does the money come from then?”
Jack gnawed his teeth.
“Maybe if I give Chase a call he’ll have a different idea,” Kyle said.
Jack laughed. “If you want to seal your loss , go ahead and put Chase on the stand. I might’ve been willing to lie for that son of a bitch, but I promise you my brother will not.”
A long silence passed down the other line, telling Jack that Kyle already knew, very well, that going to Chase was a waste of time.
“He was your father, Jack.” Kyle gave it one last-ditch effort. “Six years ago, you defended this case tooth and nail. What changed?”
Jack took a deep breath, shaking his head when he saw Nina had all but jammed her forehead and her lips onto the dirty glass, watching him with wide, curious eyes, as if pressing her entire face against that glass would help her hear through it.
“I woke up,” Jack answered.
He ended the call before Kyle could respond.
***
When Jack sat down across the booth from her and resumed his breakfast like nothing was out of the ordinary, Nina only made it about half a minute before she was leaning forward on her elbows while tapping her boots anxiously onto the checked tile floor.
“Are you really just going to sit back down and act like that wasn’t the most alive you’ve ever been in your life out there?”
Jack shoved a forkful of scrambled eggs passed his lips, chewed languidly, and then raised his hooded eyes to hers.
Unmoved by his annoyed gaze, Nina clasped her hands together. “Pacing, frowning, looking at anyone who walked passed you suspiciously—like you were on the phone with the Secretary of Defense or something. You still can’t work the frown off your face, even now. Who’s this angry at breakfast? You are, Jack.”
Jack sighed, shaking his head as he resumed his meal.
“The
“What just happened?” she asked, looking around in awe.
***
“Stop calling me,” Jack spat into the phone once he’d made it outside. He paced back and forth on the dirt road, the dust making a quick mess of his leather shoes as he scowled into the distance. “Stop goddamn calling me, Kyle.”
“We just thought you’d want an update.”
“The hell you did.”
A long pause followed, and then Kyle’s voice went high, confirming Jack was right. “We just need you on the stand one time, Jack. Just one. That’s it, and it will seal this win for us.”
“Us, us, us. What aren’t you understanding, Kyle? I don’t work for you animals anymore.” Jack lowered his voice as a passerby scuttled past, waiting until they’d entered the restaurant to resume. “I’m not interested in updates, and I’m sure as hell not interested in sitting on a stand and talking about what a wonderful guy that man was when we both know that’s a goddamn lie. I’ve…” Jack swept his hand through the air, turning back toward the restaurant. He stalled when he saw Nina watching him pointedly through the window of their booth, squinting with her chin cradled in her hand. “I’ve wiped my hands of this. I don’t want anything to do with it. I just want to be left alone. I want to be alone . Why the hell can’t anyone accept that?” He spat those words at Nina as if she could hear him through the glass, and her squint deepened. She even threw in a confused tilt of her head, which made Jack turn his back to her, walking further down the dirt road.
“You want to be left alone in the brownstone that will be seized? Left alone with an inheritance that’ll be drained bone dry? You will lose every penny you have if you don’t testify, Jack, and so will Chase.”
Jack froze in mid-step and breathed in, eyes flying shut. “The prosecution is only after half the estate, and I fully intend to have every penny siphoned from my half, not his. Try again.”
“And what happens when they decide to come after you for the lawyer fees? Where does the money come from then?”
Jack gnawed his teeth.
“Maybe if I give Chase a call he’ll have a different idea,” Kyle said.
Jack laughed. “If you want to seal your loss , go ahead and put Chase on the stand. I might’ve been willing to lie for that son of a bitch, but I promise you my brother will not.”
A long silence passed down the other line, telling Jack that Kyle already knew, very well, that going to Chase was a waste of time.
“He was your father, Jack.” Kyle gave it one last-ditch effort. “Six years ago, you defended this case tooth and nail. What changed?”
Jack took a deep breath, shaking his head when he saw Nina had all but jammed her forehead and her lips onto the dirty glass, watching him with wide, curious eyes, as if pressing her entire face against that glass would help her hear through it.
“I woke up,” Jack answered.
He ended the call before Kyle could respond.
***
When Jack sat down across the booth from her and resumed his breakfast like nothing was out of the ordinary, Nina only made it about half a minute before she was leaning forward on her elbows while tapping her boots anxiously onto the checked tile floor.
“Are you really just going to sit back down and act like that wasn’t the most alive you’ve ever been in your life out there?”
Jack shoved a forkful of scrambled eggs passed his lips, chewed languidly, and then raised his hooded eyes to hers.
Unmoved by his annoyed gaze, Nina clasped her hands together. “Pacing, frowning, looking at anyone who walked passed you suspiciously—like you were on the phone with the Secretary of Defense or something. You still can’t work the frown off your face, even now. Who’s this angry at breakfast? You are, Jack.”
Jack sighed, shaking his head as he resumed his meal.
“The
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