When I emerged from my room later that afternoon, Alexis had taken care of most of the flowers. There were definitely still some in the apartment, but I was shocked to see how many were missing.

She turned around and looked at me from the couch. “I called a local nursing home, and they offered to come pick them up. At least some old bitties are enjoying your flowers, even if you're not.”

I walked to the kitchen to make myself some PBJ. “What's that supposed to mean?”

She shrugged. “I don't know, Calla. Why would he send all those flowers? Do you think you should just give him another chance? I mean it's not like he really set you up.”

I screwed the lid back on the peanut butter. “We don't know that. And, after I totally thought I was in the clear and I wasn't going to have to testify, now he's talking to the detective on the case. I'm probably going to have to be involved even after Monique tried so hard to get me out of it. I just can't trust him. And that’s entirely his fault.”

She shook her head, but was silent.

“What?”

“I didn't say anything.”

“Alexis, I know you. Just because you're not saying anything doesn't mean you’re not thinking something.”

“I'm just thinking that you kind of have trust issues to begin with. Maybe Hudson isn't such a bad guy, but you're not willing to give him a fair chance.”

I took a bite out of my sandwich. “Did you hear what I just said? I'm probably back involved with the case. A murder trial, Alexis. He did that, not me.”

She nodded. “Fine. But if it turns out that he was a good guy, I'm going to tell you I told you so.”

I took another bite of my sandwich. “Fine.”

* * *

The next day, I trudged to my physics class, first thing on a Monday morning. It sucked. I had a shift at the library later that day though, so at least I would get all my homework done before I had to go home that night. It would give Alexis and I a chance to just hang out; she hadn't really spoken to me since our discussion the day before. Deep down I knew she was right; I did have trust issues, thanks Mom. But, at the same time, I felt like she didn't understand what had really happened. Hudson had treated me like I was someone special, and that had blown up in my face. I hadn't done anything to deserve the way that he treated me. But another part of me knew that I just needed to accept that. Because I was a call girl, and that's just what we did.

I sat in physics class, taking notes on my laptop, when an e-mail came in.

I need to see you.- H

How did he even get my e-mail? He certainly didn't have my phone number. Come to think of it, I didn't know how he found my apartment either. He probably had his detective friend look me up. Just another favor. The professor was droning on and on about acceleration, so I decided to send him an e-mail back. I chewed on a pen while I thought of something meaningful to say.

That's not possible.

I pressed send and didn't expect a response, but just a couple minutes later, I had another new e-mail.

Did you get the flowers?

I typed back, yes.

But you still don't accept my apology?

You can’t apologize for who you are. I expected too much.

No, you expect exactly what you should.

I sighed and closed my laptop, even though there was still twenty minutes left of class. I just couldn't focus anymore, and I didn't know what to say back to him. He clearly didn't understand what it meant to hurt someone the way that he had hurt me. As soon as the professor dismissed us, I grabbed my things, and was the first one out the door. I ran through the campus to get to the library on time.

I logged in and went up to the second floor to find a quiet place to work. I had the library pager; if someone needed help, I would get a buzz. I opened my physics book, and realized I still had no idea what I was doing. Apparently, I should have listened during the acceleration speech. I looked at my phone instead of opening my notes on my laptop. I didn’t want to give myself the opportunity to check my email. Alexis had texted me.

When are you coming home?

My shift ends at six.

You are right about Hudson. Cops were here. You're getting a subpoena.

Shit.

I couldn’t focus during the rest of the shift, and hardly got any work done. I rushed home to find out everything Alexis knew. She was eating some dinner and sitting on the couch watching reality TV. But as soon as I walked in, she shut it off. “I'm so sorry. You were totally right about Hudson. The cops came here and were looking for you; they had a warrant. They went through stuff in your room.”

Luckily, I knew there was nothing that could incriminate me. I mean I had nothing to do with the judge's death. How could anyone think that I would do something like that?

“They were in my room?” Regardless of the fact that I knew they wouldn’t find anything, I still felt violated.

She just nodded. “I'm so sorry, Calla. What are you going to do?”

I thought about Monique's business card sitting in my bedside table. I wondered if they had taken it. I walked into my room, expecting a mess, and found it in the same condition that I left it. It didn't look like they'd gone through anything. I opened the drawer, and looked inside the journal that I'd been keeping the business card and my cash in. It was still there, right in the front. “I guess I call my lawyer.”

Alexis chewed on her lower lip while standing in the doorway. “What do you think is going to happen?”

“I don't really know. But I sure as hell hope Monique has some sort of plan.”

Alexis sat on the edge of my bed as I dialed Monique's number. She wasn't trying to be nosey, she was there for support. I sighed as I sat down next to her.

“I heard you're getting a subpoena.”

I closed my eyes. “I figured someone would've told you. What the hell? I thought I was in the clear!”

She paused and then said, “Somebody tipped them off. There's definitely some shady shit going on here. But you're expected to be in court on Wednesday morning.”

“But I haven't even received the paperwork yet. And how am I supposed to get out of class?”

“Hopefully, it'll only be one day. And I wouldn't tell your professors unless you want to say that you're sick. You don't want them or the college sniffing around, too.”

She was right about that.

“So, what do we do now? What's the game plan?”

“I have a prior commitment that I can't get out of today, but we’ll meet tomorrow night before you give your statement, and we’ll go over what you're going to say. Hopefully, it won't be that big of a deal.”

She and I both knew that she was lying. “What about the media? How do I avoid all the questions about why I was with the judge that night?”

“I can't really answer that. But you know the rules. Try to find a way around it, or you'll be in a lot worse trouble than you are right now.”

The rules.

Boston Buyer’s Club Rule #1

Never talk about the club.

“Understood.”

“Perfect. Dress in something professional, but show a little leg on Wednesday. I’ll meet you outside the courthouse. Tomorrow, show up at the club at six o’clock. The Madame and I will go over your statement with you then.”

And then she hung up. The color drained from my face. There was no real plan. I was fucked.

Alexis looked at me, eager for information. “So what did she say? What's your plan of attack?”

I shrugged because I still wasn't really sure. “I don't really know that she has one. Alexis, I think I'm totally screwed.”

“Anything I can do to help?”

“Yeah, go into my closet and find something professional for me to wear to court on Wednesday. And Monique said I should show a little leg.”

She laughed. “That girl, she's always trying to get it in. No matter where she is.”

I smiled for what felt like the first time in days. “Yeah, she's definitely got that badass, superhot, confident woman thing down.”

Alexis looked back at me from across the room as she walked into my closet. “So do you, Calla. You can beat this, I’m sure of it.”

I was just glad that one of us was.