Eva
I had spent the first hour of my trip to Stone Harbor, New Jersey, thinking about one thing and one thing only: How to nail Justin Hall to the wall for blackmail and protect Jamie’s reputation. There was no way I was going to give in to Justin’s demands, but I would never be able to live with myself if Jamie was excommunicated or banished from religious life because of me. Usually, I did my best thinking while driving, but today I was at a loss. I was too emotionally drained to think straight. Which meant that I needed my best friend to help me figure out what the hell I was going to do.
I had no idea what time it was in Scotland, but I called Cassie anyway and let it ring. God bless her for picking up on the second ring. “Hey honey! How are you?”
Ordinarily, just the sound of her voice would put me at ease and help me forget what may have been bothering me, but today was different. An image of Jamie in my bedroom, his eyes brimming with tears as he broke up with me flashed in my mind. I swallowed past the lump in my throat and said, “Cassie, I’m sorry to call while you’re in Scotland with Quinn, but . . . well . . . do you have a few minutes to talk?”
“Honey, of course. What’s the matter? You don’t sound good.”
I lost it. Crying, sobbing, nose running . . . lost it. Since I hadn’t wanted to bother her while she was getting to know Quinn’s family half a world away, I had to catch her up and told her that Jamie and I had slept together on Christmas Eve, only to have things end this morning. I then went right into what Justin had pulled. I knew she had been able to tease out most of my rambling when all she could say was, “Wow.”
“Yeah, I know. Wow,” I said, wiping my tears with the back of my hand. “I finally let someone in . . .” I couldn’t finish my thought. I couldn’t think about what Jamie and I could have had if he wasn’t married to the church. He had made his decision, and as much as it broke my heart to know that I wasn’t the one he had chosen, I still loved him, which meant that I would do anything to protect him. “Cassie, we need to focus on Justin’s proposal. The clock’s ticking. He said he wanted an answer in two days.”
“You’re right. Let’s think this through logically first. As attorneys, we have both dealt with blackmailers. Which means you and I both know that you cannot give in to that motherfucker’s demands. That son of a bitch is lucky that I’m an ocean away. Because if I were in Philly right now, I would hunt that prick down and cut off his . . .”
“I know, honey. I want to cut off his balls, too. But we need to focus.”
“Right, sorry,” Cassie said, her voice all business again. “Okay. Hiring a criminal attorney to represent you, which won’t be difficult since you are . . . well, you . . . and contacting the authorities would be the next steps.” I already had an attorney in mind and was planning to give that pit bull a call once I reached my shore home, but calling the police had weighed heavily on me. Involving the authorities would most likely expose Jamie and that couldn’t happen. “Or you could take another approach,” Cassie said, her tone full of mischief.
“I’m listening,” I said.
“Contact Banks and Lowenstein and ask for a meeting. Don’t give them specifics, just that you want to meet with them together in private. They will most certainly wonder why you are willing to drive back into the city while you are supposedly on vacation and grant your request. At this meeting, you will tell them that you are being blackmailed. That one of their attorneys, one whom is hoping to become a partner, is committing a felony. I would even bring some of those photos with you as proof. My guess is that those two conservative fellas will take it from there and fire Justin’s ass—if they don’t have a heart attack after viewing your pretty little tush, that is.”
“That all sounds wonderful but Justin will be free to disperse those photos.”
“That’s why you’re going to call the attorney I know you already have in mind and tell him all about Justin. After your attorney is brought up to speed, make sure he knows that you want him to do everything in his power to ensure that Justin Hall never works in Philly again and that if he does attempt to leak those photos, Justin should plan on being a pincushion for the boys in prison.”
This was why I called Cassie. Her honesty and take-no-shit attitude were just what I needed. Despite my lousy mood I chuckled and said, “Looks like I have some phone calls to make.”
“That’s my girl. There’s that fire I love.” I could almost hear the smile in her voice. “After this is all over, you and I are going to take an adventure.”
By adventure, Cassie meant eating, drinking, hiking, or snorkeling in some foreign country. I definitely wasn’t up for an adventure at the moment, but maybe when things calmed down I might be able to be persuaded. “Aren’t you already on vacation? How many personal days does your firm give you?”
“Enough. Let’s burn my remaining days somewhere warm and exotic.”
“I’ll think about it,” I said. Against my will, I found myself thinking about Jamie. About how he and I would never be able to do something normal like that, like go on vacation together or take a swim in the ocean as the sun set for the night.
“Eva, would you like me to come home? We can take this bastard on together and make him wish that he was in prison. Say the word and I’ll take the next flight out,” Cassie said, her tone no longer playful, but full of concern.
“I know you would, and I love you for even offering. But no, I’ll be fine. I promise to call you after I meet with Banks and Lowenstein.”
“Okay. But the minute—no, the second—that meeting is over, you call me. I want details.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“I love you, Eva.”
“Love you, too.”
I ended the call and looked at the clock on my dashboard. It was almost six o’clock on a Tuesday night, which meant that Banks and Lowenstein would be back from court and most likely in their offices. It was the perfect time to contact them and request a meeting. Luckily, my phone call with Cassie had distracted me so much that I hadn’t even realized that I had crossed the bridge onto the island and was cruising easily down the main strip. Since it was the middle of winter, I didn’t encounter any traffic and was soon turning onto my street. The second I pulled into my driveway I put the car into park, grabbed my phone and emailed Banks and Lowenstein. I kept the email short and sweet, refraining from giving any specifics to why I was requesting the meeting and pushed send.
To my surprise, I received a response within the hour, stating that they would be happy to meet with me in Greg Lowenstein’s office at ten o’clock the next morning. It was done and I was ready for a glass of wine.