was jerking him around, he’d find that out soon enough and he’d let Lorna know because all this shit was going to affect her, too. But somehow, he suspected that talk wasn’t one he’d be having with her anytime soon. He suspected he wouldn’t be having it at all.
He slid out of the booth to let Lorna leave and watched her disappear into the depths of the restaurant before he turned and met his lawyer’s eyes.
“So.”
Johnson linked his hands loosely in front of him and smiled. “So.”
When the phone rang, the last person Shay expected it to be was Lona, despite the fact that she’d requested her friend call back ASAP. Well, maybe the last person she expected to hear from was Elliot. Or Anna. Theway things were going, she never expected to actually be able to talk to the people she needed to reach.
Scrambling for her cell phone, she managed to answer before the first ring even finished. “Hello!”
“Ah, hi. Everything okay?”
Hearing that overly anxious snap in her own voice, she cleared her throat. “Um, sorry about that, Lorna. I … Hell. Crazy few days.”
“Tell me about it,” Lorna muttered.
Taut moments stretched out between them until Shay shattered the silence like glass when she finally spoke. “I saw something really fucked up about Elliot online.”
“If you tell me that you actually believe that crazy-ass bitch, I’m going to drive up to your place and punch your lights out. I don’t care how many fucking black belts you own and I don’t care that you just got out of the hospital.”
The venom in Lorna’s voice made Shay smile. “Oh, trust me, lady. I don’t believe a word of it. Besides, I only have the one black belt and it’s possible that if I ever had to use it, I’d panic and forget everything I learned.”
“Good. Well, not that you’d panic, but good that you don’t believe her.” A heavy sigh gusted out of Lorna. “So … since when were you on Facebook? Or has it stretched out past that site now, too?”
“Nah. I saw it on Facebook.” She swallowed, wondering if Elliot had told his sister anything about what she had told him. She danced around the edge of it carefully, uncertain how to proceed. “Has Elliot mentioned anything about this author to you?”
“No.” Lorna snorted, and the derision she felt came through loud and clear. “We don’t even know her. She came in the store one time. And we were both there. Exactly how was he supposed to try and rape her when I was there in the fucking store? What was I supposedto do, just sit around and watch while he did it? Is it a spectator sport or something?”
Both relief and nerves bloomed inside Shay’s mind and she managed to battle back the panic that tried to creep in. It helped that she was staring at his picture on her monitor the entire time. Whoever would have thought that the trick to guiding her through panic attacks was seeing his picture?
“You were there,” Shay said quietly.
“Yep. The entire time.”
Lorna had been there. Elliot had a witness. He had proof he hadn’t done anything.
Shay’s mind ran wild at the thought that Lorna had also seen this woman. Lorna had information, too. Should she ask? It wasn’t as if Elliot was talking to her. Would Lorna? Moving to the window, she stared out at the watery, wintry sunlight streaming through the clouds. Resting her head on the pane of glass, she closed her eyes.
No. First, she needed to talk this over with Elliot. Elliot was now personally invested in this … and she was still personally invested in him, whether he wanted to be with her or not. She had to fix things, because this crazy woman, whoever she was, was fucking things up for Elliot in the worst way.
Swallowing the knot in her throat, she asked quietly, “Is Elliot with you? I kind of need to talk to him.”
“He’s around. But he’s got his hands full right now. He’s …” Lorna’s voice trailed off. Over the line, Shay heard the gurgle of conversation
He slid out of the booth to let Lorna leave and watched her disappear into the depths of the restaurant before he turned and met his lawyer’s eyes.
“So.”
Johnson linked his hands loosely in front of him and smiled. “So.”
When the phone rang, the last person Shay expected it to be was Lona, despite the fact that she’d requested her friend call back ASAP. Well, maybe the last person she expected to hear from was Elliot. Or Anna. Theway things were going, she never expected to actually be able to talk to the people she needed to reach.
Scrambling for her cell phone, she managed to answer before the first ring even finished. “Hello!”
“Ah, hi. Everything okay?”
Hearing that overly anxious snap in her own voice, she cleared her throat. “Um, sorry about that, Lorna. I … Hell. Crazy few days.”
“Tell me about it,” Lorna muttered.
Taut moments stretched out between them until Shay shattered the silence like glass when she finally spoke. “I saw something really fucked up about Elliot online.”
“If you tell me that you actually believe that crazy-ass bitch, I’m going to drive up to your place and punch your lights out. I don’t care how many fucking black belts you own and I don’t care that you just got out of the hospital.”
The venom in Lorna’s voice made Shay smile. “Oh, trust me, lady. I don’t believe a word of it. Besides, I only have the one black belt and it’s possible that if I ever had to use it, I’d panic and forget everything I learned.”
“Good. Well, not that you’d panic, but good that you don’t believe her.” A heavy sigh gusted out of Lorna. “So … since when were you on Facebook? Or has it stretched out past that site now, too?”
“Nah. I saw it on Facebook.” She swallowed, wondering if Elliot had told his sister anything about what she had told him. She danced around the edge of it carefully, uncertain how to proceed. “Has Elliot mentioned anything about this author to you?”
“No.” Lorna snorted, and the derision she felt came through loud and clear. “We don’t even know her. She came in the store one time. And we were both there. Exactly how was he supposed to try and rape her when I was there in the fucking store? What was I supposedto do, just sit around and watch while he did it? Is it a spectator sport or something?”
Both relief and nerves bloomed inside Shay’s mind and she managed to battle back the panic that tried to creep in. It helped that she was staring at his picture on her monitor the entire time. Whoever would have thought that the trick to guiding her through panic attacks was seeing his picture?
“You were there,” Shay said quietly.
“Yep. The entire time.”
Lorna had been there. Elliot had a witness. He had proof he hadn’t done anything.
Shay’s mind ran wild at the thought that Lorna had also seen this woman. Lorna had information, too. Should she ask? It wasn’t as if Elliot was talking to her. Would Lorna? Moving to the window, she stared out at the watery, wintry sunlight streaming through the clouds. Resting her head on the pane of glass, she closed her eyes.
No. First, she needed to talk this over with Elliot. Elliot was now personally invested in this … and she was still personally invested in him, whether he wanted to be with her or not. She had to fix things, because this crazy woman, whoever she was, was fucking things up for Elliot in the worst way.
Swallowing the knot in her throat, she asked quietly, “Is Elliot with you? I kind of need to talk to him.”
“He’s around. But he’s got his hands full right now. He’s …” Lorna’s voice trailed off. Over the line, Shay heard the gurgle of conversation
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