sure you were a friend I could count on.”
Dana didn’t handle compliments well, so she went quiet. Brad took the opportunity to bite a chunk out of his burger. Suddenly, Dana smiled. Brad’s mouth was full so he arched an eyebrow.
“I’ll need a cover story if I’m going to keep you and ‘she who must remain nameless’ out of this, and I just thought of one that’s perfect.”
When they were finished discussing the assignment, Brad told Dana what life as a Supreme Court clerk was like and filled her in on Ginny’s job. Dana told Brad about a few of her cases.
“Most of what I do is pretty boring,” she confided. “It’s nothing like my days as a cop or my time on the run during the Farrington business.”
“Do you miss the action?” Brad asked.
“Not really. Maybe I’m just getting old, but the idea of not having to look over my shoulder twenty-four hours a day has a certain appeal.”
“I hear you,” Brad said. He looked down at the table, his smile gone. “The fight in the garage shook me up pretty badly. It took me months to get over what happened in Oregon, and I’m having the same reactions again. I act brave, and I haven’t told Ginny because I don’t want to worry her, but I’ve had nightmares.”
“Welcome to the club,” Dana answered somberly.
There was a clock over the entrance, and Brad noticed the time.
“I should be going,” he said.
“It’s been great seeing you again. Say hi to your better half.”
Brad smiled. “I will. When Jake gets back, we should double.”
“It’s a date,” Dana said.
Brad walked to his car and Dana waved. The temperature had dropped, and she was grateful for the warmth her motorcycle jacket provided. Despite what she’d told Brad, she did miss the action. Her boring work paid well, and there was an upside to not having people trying to kill you 24/7. But action made her blood move faster and made the colors brighter, as it had the other night at the motel when she’d saved that girl. Still, now that she had Jake and she had a choice, she’d opted for the quieter side of life.
Dana stopped being introspective long enough to start Jake’s Harley and check for traffic. There were a few cars on the road, and she waited for an opening, then eased out. At this hour, she figured the trip home would take half an hour, which would give her time to think about what she wanted to accomplish in Oregon. The car that was following her stayed far enough behind Dana that she didn’t notice it.
Chapter Twenty
Ginny was in a good mood when she arrived at Rankin Lusk the next morning. What had seemed so frightening last night seemed to be meaningless worry in the light of a new day. Justice Moss, not Brad, had been the object of the attack at the Court, and the assailant was most probably, as Brad had assured her, some nut case with an irrational agenda.
“You’re to go straight to Conference Room E, Miss Striker,” the receptionist said when Ginny entered the reception area.
Ginny frowned. She had a lot of work to do, and the few times she’d sat in on a client conference, there had been a lot of intentionally wasted time, all of which counted as billable hours.
Clients waiting in Rankin Lusk’s reception area could see through glass walls into Conference Rooms A and B. Clients meeting in these rooms could gaze out through floor-to-ceiling windows at a magnificent view of the Capitol. Conference Rooms A and B were used to impress the clients who met in them and to give the impression to clients in reception that the attorneys at Rankin Lusk were always involved in big deals and didn’t really need their business.
Conference Room E, which was a floor below reception, had no windows and was in the rear of the building away from prying eyes. As soon as Ginny walked into the room, she knew why the meeting was being held in a conference room where the conferees would not be on public display. Audrey Stewart and Dennis Masterson had their heads
Dana didn’t handle compliments well, so she went quiet. Brad took the opportunity to bite a chunk out of his burger. Suddenly, Dana smiled. Brad’s mouth was full so he arched an eyebrow.
“I’ll need a cover story if I’m going to keep you and ‘she who must remain nameless’ out of this, and I just thought of one that’s perfect.”
When they were finished discussing the assignment, Brad told Dana what life as a Supreme Court clerk was like and filled her in on Ginny’s job. Dana told Brad about a few of her cases.
“Most of what I do is pretty boring,” she confided. “It’s nothing like my days as a cop or my time on the run during the Farrington business.”
“Do you miss the action?” Brad asked.
“Not really. Maybe I’m just getting old, but the idea of not having to look over my shoulder twenty-four hours a day has a certain appeal.”
“I hear you,” Brad said. He looked down at the table, his smile gone. “The fight in the garage shook me up pretty badly. It took me months to get over what happened in Oregon, and I’m having the same reactions again. I act brave, and I haven’t told Ginny because I don’t want to worry her, but I’ve had nightmares.”
“Welcome to the club,” Dana answered somberly.
There was a clock over the entrance, and Brad noticed the time.
“I should be going,” he said.
“It’s been great seeing you again. Say hi to your better half.”
Brad smiled. “I will. When Jake gets back, we should double.”
“It’s a date,” Dana said.
Brad walked to his car and Dana waved. The temperature had dropped, and she was grateful for the warmth her motorcycle jacket provided. Despite what she’d told Brad, she did miss the action. Her boring work paid well, and there was an upside to not having people trying to kill you 24/7. But action made her blood move faster and made the colors brighter, as it had the other night at the motel when she’d saved that girl. Still, now that she had Jake and she had a choice, she’d opted for the quieter side of life.
Dana stopped being introspective long enough to start Jake’s Harley and check for traffic. There were a few cars on the road, and she waited for an opening, then eased out. At this hour, she figured the trip home would take half an hour, which would give her time to think about what she wanted to accomplish in Oregon. The car that was following her stayed far enough behind Dana that she didn’t notice it.
Chapter Twenty
Ginny was in a good mood when she arrived at Rankin Lusk the next morning. What had seemed so frightening last night seemed to be meaningless worry in the light of a new day. Justice Moss, not Brad, had been the object of the attack at the Court, and the assailant was most probably, as Brad had assured her, some nut case with an irrational agenda.
“You’re to go straight to Conference Room E, Miss Striker,” the receptionist said when Ginny entered the reception area.
Ginny frowned. She had a lot of work to do, and the few times she’d sat in on a client conference, there had been a lot of intentionally wasted time, all of which counted as billable hours.
Clients waiting in Rankin Lusk’s reception area could see through glass walls into Conference Rooms A and B. Clients meeting in these rooms could gaze out through floor-to-ceiling windows at a magnificent view of the Capitol. Conference Rooms A and B were used to impress the clients who met in them and to give the impression to clients in reception that the attorneys at Rankin Lusk were always involved in big deals and didn’t really need their business.
Conference Room E, which was a floor below reception, had no windows and was in the rear of the building away from prying eyes. As soon as Ginny walked into the room, she knew why the meeting was being held in a conference room where the conferees would not be on public display. Audrey Stewart and Dennis Masterson had their heads
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