Page 23 of A Trial of the Heart

Chapter

Twenty-Three

Shiloh:

I came into work with a smile on my face and extra pep in my step.

I felt like a new woman. Rashad and I had spent the better part of the night talking in a way we had never.

Nothing about the conversations were deep, yet we flowed from one topic to another with ease.

It was as if I were getting to know him all over again in the right light.

Something shifted in the air, and before I knew it, we had gone from casually talking to him eating me like his last meal on my dinner table.

I had told LeeAnn I wouldn’t sleep with him, and while we hadn’t actually fucked, I wasn’t mad at the choices I made last night.

Whatever would or wouldn’t come from it would be a problem to deal with then.

It was nearing the end of the day, and to my surprise, I hadn’t had a run in with Arthur or William.

Them not being around had been peaceful, but it also had the wheels in my head spinning on a million.

Since Rashad and I went our separate ways this morning, I hadn’t spoken to him, but it didn’t stop him from crossing my mind and the things we did many times throughout the day.

I was mid email with a potential client when there was a knock at the door.

“Come in.” I never missed a beat in my typing.

William walked in. So much for not seeing him today.

“Good afternoon, Shiloh.”

My face scrunched in confusion. He almost never referred to me by my name. Most times, he never even addressed me, and on the rare occasion he did, I was Ms. Monroe.

“Good afternoon.”

“How’s the case going?” His eyes seemed to jump slowly around my office, surveying it almost like he was searching for something.

“It’s going. I had a few questions, though.”

William’s eyes shifted to me. “Ask them.”

Something was completely off. Did he know about Rashad and me? The thought quickly left. There really was no Rashad and me, and our meet ups had been secretive.

“How did we gain Mr. Carter’s case?”

“Is that question in relation to another question you have? You said you have questions… as in more than one.”

I got a vibe that William was trying to patronize me. “Kind of.”

He chuckled. “His case came across my desk, so I took it,” he said simply with no further explanation.

“Before taking it, did you read over the charges?”

“Of course, I did.” He sounded like I’d offended him.

I chose my words carefully, not because I didn’t know what to say but because I knew things could go left for no apparent reason.

“Something just seems off. Based on what I’ve gathered, Mr. Carter had no real reason to be charged, and even if he did, he should not have been given the charges he has. He seems like a stand-up guy. It seems like someone made something happen in revenge or even jealousy.”

“You aren’t here to find out why there are charges. He’s been charged and it’s your duty to ensure he’s convicted. End of discussion.”

“Even if he’s innocent?”

“He’s not innocent!” he roared, causing me to jump.

I’d never seen Arthur like this. It was scary. Arthur must have seen the fear on my face. His frowned expression quickly faded to a forced smile as he moved closer to my desk.

“I know you may have questions, but the charges are there. He’s guilty. It is just up to you to convince the jury that he is. Don’t worry about how the charges are there. They just are.”

I’d always known I wasn’t equal to anyone in the office. Hell, sometimes the cleaners got more respect than me, but when Arthur mentioned me apart from them, it was confirmed he was lowkey racist. He didn’t see me as a part of the team.

“Okay.”

“No case is the same, and each time, they get harder and harder. Sometimes, we have to do things we don’t want, but as long as we win, that is all that matters.”

So guilty or not, I should be okay with the choice as long as I can get the jury to say guilty. It was unethical to get a guilty plea for my pleasure and not why I became a lawyer. I had never lost a case, but I also never saw a loophole that would make the defendant guilty.

“Okay.”

“It will be fine and over soon. Just be a great prosecutor and make your father proud.” He spoke with a fake smile plastered on his face.

Arthur knew how my relationship was with my daddy and how much I wanted to be just like him, so he knew mentioning him would tug at my heart.

“Just make him proud, and even yourself,” he added casually, walking to the door and stepping from the office without a goodbye.

“Ahhh…” I let out quietly.

It felt like I had the weight of the world on my shoulders, and it was too heavy to carry. I didn’t know what to do. I knew what the right thing to do was, but the right thing wouldn’t keep my job, and it surely wouldn’t pay the bills if I lost it. I had to weigh out my options and fast.

Gnawing on the inside of my jaw, I leaned back in the chair with my eyes pressed tightly together.

The web I had tangled myself in seemed almost impossible to be freed from.

I was in over my head. All I wanted to do was call the one person I knew was the reason for the tangled gossamer that had a hold on me.

With my phone in my hand, I battled messaging Rashad.

“Fuck it.” I muttered, going to the message thread between me and him.

Me: I need to see to you

He was forbidden, but it seemed like everything I was dealing with was minuscule while with him.

My phone chimed. I knew Rashad would text back, but I wasn’t expecting his response to be as soon as it was.

757-345-2345: My place or yours?

An indistinctive smile curled the corner of my lips before I was full-blown blushing and smiling.

I bit my lip, debating on my response. I was like Eve and wanted the fruit I knew I couldn’t have. I just didn’t know where I wanted to eat it at.

Me: My place

I finally replied after giving it more thought.

757-345-2345: I’ll be there

We hadn’t decided on a time, but I was happy I’d get the stress reliever I needed, even if he was the root of the problem.