Chapter
Six

Owen waited in the ornate lobby of Finley & Hughes for his meeting with Mia. When he’d called and asked if they could meet to discuss the case, she’d immediately given him her availability.

Finley & Hughes was actually the chief competitor of his previous law firm, Peters & Gomez. Normally, an in-house counsel like himself would try to give work back to his old firm, but in this case, he couldn’t. Peters & Gomez represented a competitor of LCI, so they couldn’t take the work because of conflicts of interest.

Both firms employed the cream of the crop as far as attorneys in Atlanta went. Being in the Finley & Hughes offices brought back a lot of memories for Owen. All the things he had left behind—chiefly, the amenities and luxuries of a big firm. Everyone assumed that a big corporation would be the same as a firm, but that was far from the truth. The company cared much more about cost cutting and shaving off anything that wasn’t an absolute necessity. He got a vending machine instead of a cappuccino bar, and a water fountain instead of chilled sparkling water.

“Owen, great to see you.” Mia walked toward him. Her long dark hair flowed well past her shoulders. She wasn’t cover-model gorgeous but had more of the girl-next-door look, with big dark eyes and a warm smile. But Owen was her client, and she was completely off-limits in his eyes. Plus, he probably needed someone a little closer to his age. They weren’t that far apart, though. He was only forty-three, and he figured Mia was in her low thirties, based on the law school graduation date posted in her firm bio.

Owen smiled. “Thanks for taking the time.”

“Come with me to the conference room.”

He followed her down a long hallway and into one of the firm’s many conference rooms. This one was smaller than the one he’d been in previously, but that made sense, because it was just the two of them. It still boasted a magnificent view of the city. He didn’t think there was a bad view from anywhere in the office.

“We have coffee and water,” Mia said. “Please help yourself.”

At the word coffee, his ears perked up. He grabbed one of the red Finley & Hughes logo cups and filled it to the brim. Then he took a sip after dosing it with some sugar.

Mia also poured herself a cup, and they took their seats. “What can I do for you?”

“First I want to thank you for stepping in on the case. I know you’ve been through a lot lately, and we appreciate it.”

“Of course.”

He needed to decide how up front he was going to be with her. The last thing he wanted was to bring her down or dash her confidence. “I’d also really like to be kept in the loop more than you probably would in a normal litigation.”

“I know you’re probably concerned that I’m still a senior associate and not yet a partner, but I assure you that I can handle this case.”

“I was right where you are not that long ago. I’m less concerned about seniority than I am about you being able to take this on, given everything that’s happened. And actually, I’m not that concerned. But some of the business is. Especially given the ongoing legal proceeding in Chase’s case and your vested interest there.”

She bit her bottom lip. “I promise you have nothing to worry about. I can handle everything I need to do both on your case and in making sure that Chase’s murderer is put away.”

“I think you’re probably right, but I wanted to do you the professional courtesy of letting you know that you might be under the microscope, so you could handle yourself accordingly.”

Mia blew out a breath. “I appreciate your honesty. It’s actually refreshing.”

He grinned. “We don’t get a lot of it in our line of work, huh?”

“Not nearly enough.” She paused. “I’ve got a team meeting set up for tomorrow to make sure everyone is still running full speed ahead. I haven’t gotten any reports yet of any hot documents, but we’re still early in the review process.”

At the sound of hot documents, Owen cringed. He knew all too well that hot documents meant bad documents. And the fewer they had of those, the better. “You’re giving me law firm flashbacks.”

Mia laughed, and for the first time, her eyes brightened. “I take it you don’t miss it, then?”

“Actually, I miss a lot about it. Being an in-house attorney is much harder than I expected.” And that was just the tip of the iceberg.

“Really? Hearing everyone talk about the benefits of going in-house, I thought it was like the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.”

Now it was his turn to laugh. “I make less money, work almost as much, and still haven’t found time for a life.”

“You ever consider going back?”

He took a big gulp of coffee. “Every single day. But bringing in business isn’t my strong suit, and we both know that’s critical to surviving in Big Law as a partner. What about you? Are you going to stick it out on the partnership track?”

She nodded. “I’m not sure what my long-term plan is. Right now I need this job to pay off my debt from Emory, but whether being a partner is actually something I want, I’m not sure. So I’m operating as if I’m full steam ahead to make sure I have that option. Thankfully, the partner track is so long here that I don’t have to figure that out right now.”

Owen was enjoying this conversation with Mia. They could relate on many fronts, and he found that a nice change of pace. He just hoped she could perform on this litigation. “Don’t assume that the grass is greener on the other side.” He looked down at his watch. “I’ve taken enough of your time. Really all I wanted to do was to give you the heads-up.”

“Thanks. I’ll be in contact after my staff meeting and as we go through the documents. One more thing, though—do you have a settlement number in mind?”

“Nowhere near the number EPG is at. For strategic reasons, I’d like to put some heat on them through the discovery process and see if we can get them to offer up a much lower number.”

“I think that’s a good idea. But at the end of the day, are you willing to try this case?”

That was the million-dollar question. Or multimillion-dollar question. “I’d obviously prefer not to. But I can’t get authorization for the type of settlement EPG is seeking. We’re on different playing fields right now.”

“I know you don’t want to hear this, but EPG’s claim isn’t frivolous. They have some good points, even if your guys don’t think so. I’m speaking purely from a legal perspective here.”

He’d thought the exact same thing, but the executives had been bullish about defending this case. “It’s good to hear you say that, because I had the same concern. But at the end of the day, we can only advise the business. We can’t make all their decisions for them.”

“You have much more influence than I do because you’re the company’s lawyer. We might get to the point where you’ll need to hard-sell them on trying to reach a resolution if we can close the gap on the settlement numbers.”

“I get that.” Owen was impressed by Mia’s strategic thinking. She wasn’t like some litigators who wanted to try the case regardless of the merits. Reaching a settlement through a business resolution was always preferable in his opinion. He just didn’t know if it would be feasible. “We’ll speak again soon.” He took the last sip of his coffee.

“I’ll walk you out.”

Owen felt much better after this meeting. In his opinion, Mia Shaw was up for the job.

Mia took a deep breath of fresh, crisp air before entering Chase’s apartment building. She hadn’t been back since the day she had found his body. Her hands shook a little, holding the key as she waited for the elevator in the main lobby.

Mia had met Chase’s mom at the funeral and then had coffee with her again yesterday. His mother reminded her so much of her own. They both battled the same demons—namely drug addiction. Mia hadn’t missed the telltale signs.

She was pretty sure Chase’s mom was still using and knew she had gone through ups and downs. Surely Chase’s murder only made it worse for her. And that was why Mia wasn’t completely surprised when his mom asked if Mia could help box up Chase’s things. She’d said she didn’t have the strength to do it right now.

Mia didn’t know how she was going to find the strength either, but she at least had a clear mind. And Chase would have wanted her to help. They shared a special bond over their moms, and she owed him this.

I can do this.

Before she was ready, she stood outside Chase’s door. His apartment was no longer an active crime scene. The police had gotten everything they needed and given Chase’s mom the all clear to return. Given what Mia knew the room had looked like, she had suggested a cleaning service to remove the blood, and his mom had agreed.

She closed her eyes for a moment, and the awful memories flooded back, threatening to overtake her as she fought the nausea bubbling up her throat.

“Mia.” A hand was laid on her shoulder. “Are you okay?”

She opened her eyes, and Noah stood there, looking at her. “What’re you doing here?”

He didn’t immediately respond.

“Are you following me?” she asked.

“No. I was here doing some recon of the building, trying to figure out how the perpetrator could’ve gotten in and out. What are you doing here?”

She blew out a breath. “Chase’s mom asked me to help box up his things.”

“She didn’t want to do it?”

Mia shrugged. “She probably wanted to, yes, but I don’t think she’s capable at this point. She has some struggles of her own in addition to the grief of losing her only child.”

“That’s asking a lot of you. Especially considering the circumstances.”

What Noah probably meant was that she had found his body in the apartment. “I’m used to taking on a lot.”

He put his hand on her shoulder again. “Let me help you.”

She stepped away to break the contact. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“You shouldn’t have to go in there alone. I’m here, and I’m more than able. Please.”

She looked into his eyes and desperately wanted to say yes. “You can’t view this as a chance to dig around and help your friend. Do you understand?”

“The only person I’m trying to help right now is you, Mia.”

In that moment, with just the two of them staring at each other, she believed his words. And even though she knew she shouldn’t be, she was drawn to him.

“All right.” She stuck the key in the lock and started to turn the doorknob.

“Wait.” He grabbed her arm. “Do you know what condition the place is in?”

“We had a cleaning crew come in, so I think it will look a lot different than when I saw it last.”

“Please let me look first,” he urged. “Just in case. I’d hate to put you through something again for no reason.”

She accepted his kind offer and waited outside the door until he returned. Visions of blood and death flitted through her mind. She tried desperately to stop them. Lord, please help me. Would He hear her prayer today?

“It’s good,” Noah said.

She realized she’d been holding her breath and exhaled. Maybe her prayer was being answered.

“You don’t have to do this, Mia,” Noah said quietly.

“I do. I definitely do.” Taking another breath, she stepped into Chase’s apartment. She stood for a moment, looking around. Even though she knew it was clean, she still half expected to see blood somewhere. But thankfully there was no sign of gore. At least not yet.

The cleaners had tried to tidy the place up in addition to the deep clean she’d requested. The cushions were back in the sofa, the broken lamps had been removed. The shards of glass were long gone.

“It’s almost eerie. You’d never know that this was the same place,” she said.

“Why don’t you take a minute, and then we can get to work. It’ll be better for you to take it in first, I think.”

She noticed there were plenty of flat boxes stacked in the corner along with packing supplies. She’d ordered them, and the building manager had brought them inside. She thought he felt sorry for her, but she accepted his help. She’d been accepting more help lately than she was accustomed to. The fact that Noah was with her now was evidence of that. But wasn’t it in times of crisis that you were supposed to accept help? That didn’t make her weak, did it?

Mia was quickly growing tired of her own self-analysis. What she needed was to step into action and stop wallowing.

She looked around the kitchen and living room but found herself reluctant to go to the bedroom. She wasn’t sure what she would find there. It would be easier to push that off until the end. Deal with the stuff right in front of her first and not go to the actual scene where she’d found the body.

Noah walked over to her. “Let me know what I can do.”

Avoiding the inevitable trip to the bedroom, she looked up at him. He normally had a bit of scruffy facial hair, and today was no different. “Why don’t we get some boxes and start packing up in here and in the kitchen?”

“Sounds like a plan.” He went to the other side of the room and grabbed an armful of boxes.

She focused back on the task at hand and decided to tackle the kitchen first. Noah also entered the kitchen, and as she placed things in the boxes, he arranged and taped them up.

They worked in silence until the kitchen was almost done. Then Mia had to speak. “You know you don’t have to be here.”

“I know. But I want to be here. You shouldn’t have to do this alone.” He paused. “I’m surprised you didn’t ask Kate or Sophie to join you.”

He had a good point. “Honestly, I’m not sure why I didn’t. It just felt like something that would be easier to do solo.”

“Do you think that’s true now?”

She looked at him. “No. I appreciate the company, I really do. I’ve never gone through an experience like this in my life. I hope and pray I never have to live through something like this again. I think a second time would really do me in.”

He moved to her side. “You’re not expected to just be okay. It doesn’t work like that. You need time to grieve and to grapple with the circumstances. Those things take time—a lot of time. There are no instant fixes for this.”

“Don’t you understand that’s one of the reasons the prosecution of this case means so much to me?”

Noah nodded. “I do, but I also know you want and need the right guy to be punished.”

Mia didn’t feel like arguing that point right now. “I know we have different opinions on that, so let’s just not go there.”

“Of course. Living room next? There’s not a ton there.”

She walked into the living room, followed by Noah. Her focus went directly to the mantel. Chase only had two framed pictures displayed there. Her eyes started to fill with tears as she zoomed in on them. She’d been to Chase’s place countless times, but she’d never paid a lot of attention to the pictures.

The first and largest picture was of Chase at his law school graduation with his mother next to him. She looked remarkably lucid, and Chase had confided in her that his mom had made a special effort at sobriety for his graduation day.

But it was the other picture that really got her. A picture of her and Chase in front of the Fulton County courthouse, celebrating arguing her first case. She picked up the photo and held it tightly in her hands. Everything that she’d been holding back threatened to burst out like a tidal wave.

Noah moved closer beside her. “Remember those good times, Mia.”

They were both smiling widely in the picture. “What a senseless taking of such an amazing guy.” She sniffled but held back from crying.

They packed up the remainder of the living room, and then it was time to go into the bedroom.

“I’m not sure I can do this,” Mia said. She stood frozen like a statue, locking eyes with Noah. A pit of despair formed in her stomach.

“I can do it, if you’d like. I really don’t mind. You shouldn’t push yourself to go in there if you’re not ready. No one would blame you for that.”

Mia considered his offer. “That’s sweet of you, but I think I need to go into that bedroom and see how it is now. I think it might be important for me to do.”

“Whatever you think is best. We’ve done a lot so far. You could always come back.”

“We’re trying to clear everything out by month’s end so the apartment can be rented.”

Mia knew deep down what she needed to do. She made her way through the living room and into Chase’s bedroom.

When she stepped through the door, she could feel the world closing in on her. Dots danced in front of her eyes. The smell of death flooded back to her, filling her senses.

And then she collapsed.

“Mia, can you hear me?” Noah knelt on the floor beside her. He’d been just close enough to break her fall. One moment she was fine, then she started wobbling, and before he knew it, she was going down.

Her long dark eyelashes fluttered, and she looked up at him. “Noah?”

“You had a little fainting spell.” He hoped she would be okay. This was a lot for any person to take. The fact that she’d been as sturdy as she had was a surprise. “How are you feeling now?”

“Light-headed.”

“Have you eaten anything today?”

She shook her head. “No. I didn’t think I could hold anything down. I was so nervous about this.”

“You need to eat and stay hydrated. I’m going to sit you up, all right?”

“Yes.”

He pulled her gently into a seated position.

Suddenly she looked down at the hardwood floor and started shaking. Her skin noticeably paled. “This is where his body was. I have to get up. I have to get out of here.” She started to stand, and he steadied her. She clearly wasn’t at full strength—either physically or emotionally.

He guided her out of the bedroom. “Take some deep breaths. There’s a coffee shop right next door. Let’s get you something to eat and drink.”

She didn’t argue as they walked in silence out of Chase’s building and into the coffee shop.

“Take a seat. I’ll get you something.” He grabbed a bagel, a muffin, and some flavored water before joining her at the table. “Please eat and drink.”

She gave a weak nod and tore off a piece of the blueberry muffin. “I’m sorry. I feel really embarrassed. Nothing like that has ever happened to me. Ever. I didn’t even realize people actually fainted.”

“This is what trauma can do to a person. Believe me. I saw this happen all the time at ATF.”

“Tell me more about ATF. I need to think about something else.” She opened the bottled water and took a big sip.

“The ATF was my first job out of college. I had a knack for computers, and they had a void there. But I also trained and learned a ton of other things. I worked joint operations with the DEA and even did some undercover work.”

Her nose scrunched. “That sounds dangerous.”

“I’m not going to lie, it was risky. But it also came with a big adrenaline rush.” He paused, wondering how much he should tell her. “I told you before that David saved my life.”

“Yes, you did,” she said warily.

“We were on one of those dangerous undercover assignments. I was much more inexperienced than him. I made a bad decision, but he stuck his neck out for me, putting himself in imminent danger to save my hide.”

“You’re telling me this to try to explain that he’s a good person?”

He desperately wanted her to understand what type of person David was. “He’s not a murderer, Mia. I know it as surely as I know that I’m not. He’s a good man who was loyal to his team.” Noah ran his hand through his hair. “His last op, the one that got him ousted, was a very complicated situation, but David would’ve never knowingly put his team or anyone at the ATF in jeopardy. When ops go bad and people get hurt, there’s always a need to provide answers, and even better if there’s someone the higher-ups can point a finger at and discipline. Or even allow to take the fall. In this instance, David made a judgment call based on faulty info and turned out to be wrong. Just like I had made a wrong call the previous year and nearly gotten killed.”

“You’re saying it could’ve just as easily been you,” she whispered.

“Yes. That’s a risk we take going into that line of work. David was never charged with any crime. He was given a formal reprimand and demoted to desk duty. He decided it was best to resign. He wanted to protect the rest of those he worked with. He took the fall so that his teammates wouldn’t get any blame.”

“You think it was actually someone else’s fault.”

“David would never admit that, but that’s truly what I believe happened. Things are often not how they appear, and the truth can be hidden deep beneath the surface.”

“That final operation involved a militia group that was heavy into arms trafficking and drugs,” she said.

“That’s right.”

“I made a call to a law school friend who’s an AUSA in town. It appears the exact details of the internal investigation at the ATF are closed to the public, but I was able to learn a bit about the type of work McDonald was doing. I would think he was under a lot of stress in that kind of undercover work. I’m not saying that justifies his actions, but playing a cold-blooded militia member had to have an impact on his psyche. Maybe he never adjusted back to reality.”

“Or maybe he was set up by someone who didn’t like that a Fed infiltrated their group and caused the deaths of two of their own.”

Mia frowned. “You really think that’s a possibility, don’t you?”

He nodded. “It makes a lot of sense to me.”

“Do you have any actual evidence to support it?”

“Not yet, but I intend to keep looking until I find it.”

She leaned forward. “I want to be involved.”

“Why? You don’t believe that’s what happened. You think he’s guilty.”

“I do, but I think his history at the ATF could actually help me prove that.”

“You really shouldn’t be making phone calls inquiring about all of this.”

She lifted her chin in defiance. “I know you don’t want me looking into this, but I have to.”

He shook his head. “It’s not like that. It’s just that this militia group is bad news. These guys are deadly. People asking questions can lead to dangerous things.”

Mia looked at him for a long moment. “All the more reason we should work together.”

“Are you sure you want that?”

Her expression softened. “I just want whoever did this to pay, and until I see evidence to say otherwise, I believe that your friend did this. If you can show me something else, I promise I’ll look at it. I owe you that for all you’ve done to help me.”

“You don’t owe me anything. You only owe yourself one thing.”

“And what’s that?”

“The truth.”