The guard’s lips pursed, like he’d been sucking on sour lemons and found them undesirable. Tough shit, asshole; you’re not staying. He finally nodded, as though he gave permission to exercise the constitutional right of her client before backing out of the room and shutting the door behind him, muttering about crazy bitches the whole time. Corey stared at the wall, jaw twitching every couple seconds, ignoring her second request for him to sit down. His body looked coiled, a serpent ready to strike if he was poked again.

She touched his arm, moving her hand when he flinched before looking down at her. Every instinct in her told her to proceed with caution. “Please, have a seat. We can conduct this meeting standing up, but I’m sure we’ll both be more comfortable sitting.”

“You think I’ll be comfortable in those hard-ass chairs?” He smirked, the first time his hardened expression cracked since he came in.

“No.” She chuckled. “But I’m not trying to write in these heels.” He rolled his eyes, for the first time looking like the teenager she knew him to be, maneuvering himself into the chair. The cuffs jangled when he placed them on the table, folding his hands in front of him. She went to the other side, gathering her pen to take his statement.

“Tell me what happened.” She started with the same statement she’d said to countless clients, needing as much information as possible so she could properly represent them.

Corey shook his head ruefully. “That’s what you’re going to ask me? I know I can’t afford a lawyer, but damn, lady, that’s the best you got? I should have known they were going to send me this weak woman straight outta law school. That’s what I get for being poor.”

The irritation at being underestimated didn’t show on Alexandra’s face. He turned toward the door as though looking for the guard to take him back to his cell. She decided to school her newest client on how green she really was. “Yes, that’s what I’m going to ask you. You have no idea who you’re working with, kid, so don’t insult me by trying to pretend you know my job or anything about me.”

“I ain’t no kid, lady. And who are you?” He sneered. “Pretty T.H.O.T. who doesn’t know what she’s talking about.”

Alexandra laughed, unable to keep it in, while Corey stared at her as though she’d lost her mind. She waited until she had his attention before going in for the kill. “Let me tell you who I am, Corey Davis, eighteen years old, who had three juvie arrests before landing himself in this fine place for attempted murder and robbery. I am your best shot—your only shot at this point. I am not that hoe over there, your bitch, or anything else you believe in your convoluted little mind. I may be beautiful, but don’t let that fool you, because sirens are pretty, too, before they lead sailors into the rocks to their death. You have one of the most sought-after lawyers in the city working on your case because we happen to work pro bono on cases such as yours, so don’t shit on me and pretend like it gets you somewhere. When I ask you a question, you answer, and you do it with a smile because if not, you will be sitting behind these walls for a long-ass time, if not the rest of your life. Do you want Milania to grow up without her father?”

He eyed her warily. “How did you know about Milania?”

She made a big show of crossing her legs and getting comfortable. She was used to be underestimated, and he probably wasn’t expecting her to have contacted people about his personal life. “I made it my business, just like I’m going to secure you reasonable bail at your arraignment tomorrow so you can be there for Talia’s pregnancy. But I can’t help if I don’t trust you, and I won’t trust you, if you don’t answer my questions.”

“You want me to tell you what happened?”

“Yes.” She nodded, grabbing the paper and pen once again, ready to record his account.

“I don’t know.” She started writing, stopping at “don’t”, his statement sinking in.

“What the hell? What do you mean you don’t know? You have to know.”

Corey shrugged. His posture was such you would swear he was waiting for a server to bring him his martini instead of inside the county jail awaiting trial. “No, I don’t. It’s why you pissed me off. It’s why everybody has pissed me off. I didn’t do this shit. I was with my girlfriend all night. I told the damn detective, Talia told him, but he said I was lying and threw me in here.” Alexandra flipped through the pitiful pieces of information she had. Panic was trying to push its way in. How did they make a positive identification if he hadn’t been there? Witness identifications were often unreliable, but Corey was a regular customer, so they knew him.

“According to the report I was given, the owner said it was their former customer, and pointed you out in the lineup. Are you telling me they lied to the detective?”

Corey threw his hands up, the chains of his cuffs rattling when he brought them back down on top of the table. “I don’t know. I wasn’t there. I haven’t been back to that pizza place in about six months, since I moved in with Talia when she got pregnant.”

“Okay.” She nodded, writing down the new information. Excitement and panic warred within her, because worse than not being able to get your client off, was an innocent man doing another person’s time. She needed to check on all the information, since most people claimed they were innocent, but Corey’s frustration in the whole process was evident. She wanted to believe him. There were times the justice system got it wrong, and she needed to ensure this situation was not one of those times.

Checking her watch, she noted the time. She had to get ready for the night and get her assistant on this case immediately, because Corey’s statement changed the game. She thought she had little chance of being successful before he gave his version, but he raised the stakes by pleading innocence. “Give me a few days to work something out. I’ll need to verify your statement before I consider how to proceed. If I can get you bail, can you make it?”

“Yeah.” He grimaced. “I hate it, but my mama said she’d put up her house.”

Alexandra stood indicating the meeting was over. She was hammering out a list she needed to get done in her mind. “She’s a great woman. I am going to get you outta this, but so help me God, if you are lying to me—”

“I’m not,” he insisted.

“Good enough. I’m going to see you at your arraignment tomorrow, and we’ll get bail worked out for you.”

He nodded, a spark coming into his eyes for the first time since he’d entered the room. A guard came in, escorting him out. Alexandra waited until the guard took him before collapsing back in the chair, rubbing the back of her neck to relieve some of the stress. Go figure. She had a potentially innocent client, another who had so much money he could wipe his ass with it and still have more, and a man who wanted her for sex later that night. Eight could not come quick enough.

Alexandra called her assistant after leaving her meeting with Corey requesting Karen to gather the required information. She went home early to give time to pamper herself, shave her naughty bits, and primp and prep so she was ready to go to the club on time. Roman didn’t strike her as the type of man who tolerated tardiness of any kind, so she made sure she arrived about ten minutes before. Knocking on the door, which felt like déjà vu, she considered all that had happened in the last several days. No Neck answered, same as before, but this time he didn’t even question her presence; he moved aside so she could pass.

The click of her three inch hells was the only sound in the creepy hallway. She’d dressed to draw attention, wearing a nude lace dress with a slit up the side. Looking up to where she believed the camera to be, she blew a kiss before turning the corner. The office door opened before she could get to it. Roman emerged, looking good enough to eat in a powder-blue button-down and dark jeans with his hair slicked back and out of his face.