3.
Kristin walked into the station and buttoned up the middle of her jacket. She groomed her hair behind her ears with her long, manicured nails and clipped down the hallway in her stiletto heels. There were cops swarming the reception area, and as she placed her briefcase down and announced who she was, a few of them turned to look at her up and down and check her out. She was used to being stared at. Kristin was petite but curvy and had incredibly large breasts. They were like a bull’s-eye for leery men.
“I thought you were off criminal cases?” a familiar voice chimed in behind her.
Kristin spun around to see Jonny, a cop she was used to dealing with when she had represented the majority of the city’s criminals.
“This is a one-time thing,” she raised her eyebrows. “Take me to Dan Lockhart?”
“Yikes,” Jonny whistled. “Locke, huh?” He shook his head and nodded reluctantly. “If you say so….”
He turned and motioned for her to follow him. She swiped her visitor’s badge from the reception desk and pinned it to the side of her skirt. Jonny slowed down and said discreetly over her shoulder, “What you getting mixed up in that for?”
“Excuse me?” she demanded.
“I know it’s none of my business, but… Well, I mean… Lockhart… you know who he is right?”
Kristin pushed her tongue up under her front teeth.
“Yes,” she said irritated. “He’s my old neighbor.”
“No,” Jonny laughed and pulled her by the forearm to one side. “He’s more than a bit dangerous, Kristin…”
“I’m sure I can handle him.”
“Well, I’m not,” he said seriously.
“Jonny… He’s a client, I’m just doing my job.” She tried to move past him, but he kept his grip on her arm.
“All I’m saying is guys like him don’t need lawyers… even when they are up for murder… Keep your wits about you.”
Kristin stopped and took in what he had said.
Murder.
She took a few deep breaths and nodded her head.
“Like I said, he’s a client… This is business… I’m just here to advise him today.”
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Jonny said as he opened the door to the interior cells where the interview rooms were. “There you go, door five.”
Kristin stared down the hallway and saw the two cops flanking the doorway.
“Thank you,” she smiled, and then she turned and began her slow walk down.
***
The door creaked open and she stepped into the cell. Dan Lockhart stood with his back to her. She couldn’t see his hands so she knew they were probably handcuffed in front of him.
“Dan?” she said quietly as she walked forward.
“No one’s called me that in years,” he said.
He was taller than she remembered, and his shoulders were broader. He looked like a great hulk of a man in that room, his head almost skimming the ceiling. He began to turn slowly, and Kristin held her breath.
His eyes caught her first. His deep blue eyes that had always made her weak at the knees. She was instantly floored that they hadn’t lost that effect. The scars on his face had faded, but they were still there. Instead of making him look mean, they added to his raw sexiness, creeping along his skin in crisp, faded lines. The tattoos had extended up his neck and across his knuckles. He smiled at her from beneath his floppy dirty blonde hair and it lit up the room. He didn’t look like the sort of person who would smile that way, but it instantly pulled her in.
“It’s good to see you, kid,” he said and he took a step toward her. “Now are you going to get me out of here or what?”
“Are you going to tell me what happened?” Kristin found herself putting a hand on her hip.
“Set up,” he said as he lit a cigarette. A cop entered the room and motioned for him to extinguish it, but he brushed him off and stuck up his middle finger.
“Set up?” Kristin asked as she pulled up a chair and took out her Dictaphone.
“Yeah, I didn’t fucking do it.”
“Okay…” she said as she crossed her hands on the table in front of her. “So, can you tell me everything that happened?”
“Naw,” he exhaled and started to laugh, “I didn’t do it, that’s all you need to know, now post my bail and get me out of here.”
“You’re not taking this seriously,” she snapped.
“Because I don’t fucking need to,” he said, leaning forward with a smirk.
“Well, then why did you call me?” She was already packing her things away. “I came here to help you, thinking you were in trouble… which you clearly are… And now you’re just making a joke out of wasting my time.”
“Spoke to my mom for the first time in years last week and she told me about you being a lawyer,” he said coolly. “Just had to see it for myself. I don’t need your fucking help.” He lit another cigarette and clamped it between his teeth.
Kristin stared at the man in front of her. He looked wild and intense. His danger had been turned up a notch and for the first time, she felt frightened of him. Genuinely frightened.
“Always knew you were a good girl,” he said as he exhaled a plume of smoke across the room. “Always got me going, too.”
Kristin swallowed and got to her feet.
“I don’t think I can be involved in this,” she said, “It’s not appropriate.”
“Sure,” he took another drag, “I didn’t expect you to. I was just interested, that’s all.”
Kristin walked to the door and looked back over her shoulder.
“Take care of yourself, Dan,” she said.
“It’s Locke,” he smirked. “Just call me Locke.”
“Well then, take care of yourself, Locke,” she smiled and then let the door close behind her.
As she walked back out to the reception, Jonny was behind her and calling for her to stop.
“What happened?” he asked as he placed a hand on her shoulder.
“You were right,” Kristin admitted. “He’s dangerous… I’m not getting involved.”
“Good choice!” Jonny called after her as she burst through the front doors of the station and disappeared out onto the street.