Page 32 of Dial L for Lawyer (Curves & Capital #2)

Serena

T he reporters are still outside my building when Caleb arrives, double-parking his Jaguar like the rules don't apply to billionaire lawyers on rescue missions.

"Don't stop, don't look at them, don't say a word," he instructs over the phone as I make my way down. "Just get in the car."

The second I exit the building, they swarm.

"Ms. Morgan! Did you sell Luminous secrets to Radiance?"

"How long have you been planning this?"

"Is it true Maya Bolton turned you in because you harassed her?—"

I shove my sunglasses on, keep my head down, and walk faster.

Someone grabs my arm. I yank free, my heart pounding so hard I think I might throw up right here on the sidewalk.

I scan for Caleb but the crowd walls me in.

There's a guy with a camera practically in my face, the flash going off so fast it leaves me blind and stumbling.

"Serena, do you have a comment?—"

"Back off," I snap, shooting him my fiercest glare. My whole body is screaming fight or flight, and I can't tell which one's winning.

Then Caleb is suddenly there, bigger and more solid than anyone else in the chaos. His arm wraps around my waist like a lifeline. "Move," he commands, and his voice is so cold the reporters actually step back.

He guides us through the wall of bodies, shielding me as cameras shove in from every angle.

"Were you stealing Maya Bolton's ideas and passing them off as your own?" someone yells. "Is there any truth to the sexual harassment allegations?"

"What?" I jerk my head up. Oh god, it’s not just my career anymore—they’re attacking who I am. What the hell has Maya been saying about me?

"My client has no comment," Caleb barks. "Any further harassment will be met with legal action."

We break through to the curb where his car waits. He opens the door, practically lifts me in, then slams it shut. He's in the driver's seat and pulling away before they can regroup.

"My client?" I ask once we're clear.

"Would you prefer 'my girlfriend who I'm probably moving too fast with but don't care because I'm completely gone for her'?"

"Client's shorter."

"More professional too." He reaches over, squeezes my hand. "You OK?"

"I packed a bag." I gesture to the backpack I'd tossed in back. "Three days' worth of clothes. Is that enough?"

"We'll figure it out. Logan's close to something. This will be over soon."

"And if it's not?"

"Then we'll buy you more clothes." He glances at me. "Or you could just wear mine. I'm particularly fond of you in my Harvard shirt."

"That's not appropriate courtroom attire."

"We're not going to court. We're going to bury Maya Bolton without ever setting foot in front of a judge."

His penthouse feels different when I'm moving in, even temporarily. I stand in his bedroom with my bag, suddenly unsure where to put things.

"Top two drawers," Caleb says from behind me. "Already cleared them out."

“What if I’d said no?”

“Then they’d sit empty.”

"When did you do this?"

"Sometime between that first night and now. Figured you'd need them eventually."

"You were that sure I'd end up here?"

"I was that sure I'd convince you." He wraps his arms around me from behind. "Plus, your apartment is a security nightmare. One deadbolt? In this city?"

"Not everyone has a doorman and private elevator."

"You do now." He kisses my neck. "For as long as you need."

My phone buzzes.

Logan:

Team meeting in 20. Found something huge.

"Looks like you're heading back to the office," I say.

"You are too. I want you where I can see you until this is sorted."

Logan's commandeered the conference room at Mercer Capital, turning it into what looks like his mission control. Multiple laptops, external drives, and whiteboards covered with notes and scrawl.

"Tell me you have good news," Caleb says.

"Better than good." Logan spins a laptop toward us. "I found Maya's accomplice."

On the screen is an employee ID: Kiernan Webb, IT Support Specialist, Level 2.

"Who?" I ask.

"Nobody. That's the point." Logan pulls up another screen. "Kiernan Webb started at Luminous eight months ago. Clean background check, solid references. But here's where it gets interesting."

He shows us a series of text messages.

Maya:

Can't wait to see you tonight baby

Kiernan:

You sure no one knows?

Maya:

I told you, it's our secret. Just a little longer and we can go public

Kiernan:

I did what you asked. Got the badge like you wanted

Maya:

You're the best. Radiance is going to love you

"She was dating him?" I feel sick. "She was sleeping with the IT guy?"

"Looks that way. But it gets worse," Logan says. "I tracked him down. Want to know what he told me?"

"Everything, because she dumped him the second she got what she wanted?" Caleb guesses.

"Bingo." Logan's grin is sharp. "Turns out Maya's been stringing him along with romance while promising him a senior position at Radiance. Double salary, corner office, the works. Except Radiance has never heard of him."

"She played him."

"Like a violin. He's pissed. And willing to testify."

"Where is he now?" Caleb asks.

"Downstairs. With Bennett." Logan's expression shifts to something I've never seen before—predatory. "Want to meet him?"

Kiernan Webb is exactly what you'd expect. Early thirties, nervous energy, the kind of guy who builds gaming PCs and paints tiny models on weekends. He's sitting in Bennett's office looking like he might throw up.

"Kiernan," Logan says, and his voice is different. Commanding. Which is weird as hell, and something I'll definitely be telling Audrey about. "Tell them what you told me."

Kiernan looks at me and immediately looks away, wringing his hands like he might squeeze a confession out of his own skin. "I didn't want to hurt you. I mean—not you specifically. But Maya said you'd be fine, that they just needed a scapegoat for a quick news cycle and then it would all blow over."

I blink, too stunned to be angry. "You helped frame me?"

He looks miserable. "I didn't know how serious it was at first. She said you were being poached by Radiance and wanted my help to upgrade her security clearance at Luminous so she could keep an eye on you.

" He swallows hard. "She said we'd both get promoted for keeping company data safe and everyone would win. "

Caleb's jaw clenches, but Logan holds up a hand—the universal 'shut up and let the nerd work' gesture. "Walk Serena through the process."

Kiernan nods. "OK. So. One month ago, Maya came to me with this story about needing to monitor your computer activity.

She said she had evidence you were working against the company and needed my help tracking what files you accessed.

" He glances at Logan, who's transformed from hacker gremlin to stone-cold interrogator.

"She asked me to clone your badge so she could 'monitor' your movements.

Said upper management approved it but it needed to stay quiet for legal reasons. "

"And you believed that?" Logan asks.

"She was... really convincing." Kiernan shifts uncomfortably.

"Meaning she flirted with you and you started thinking with your dick," Logan says, pulling zero punches.

Kiernan goes tomato red. "She said we had a future together."

Caleb snorts, not even trying to hide his amusement.

"So you made the clone?" I prompt.

"Yeah. I made a duplicate access badge for Maya.

" He glances at me, guilt twisting his face.

"But then I noticed the cloned badge was being used to access restricted files—stuff she didn't need if she was just monitoring your movements.

When I confronted her, she said she was checking that the documents hadn't been altered because she worried you were changing things to make her look bad and get her fired. "

"So you kept helping her," I say, trying to keep the anger out of my voice.

"Well, yeah, she..." He flushes deeper. "She started coming by my desk more. Bringing coffee. Saying how smart I was for catching things she missed. She started saying we were too good for Luminous, that they didn’t deserve us.

Which is when she started talking about turning the tables, taking everything to Radiance ourselves and claiming the reward.

I felt really weird about it at first, but she said when this was over and you were exposed, she'd need someone brilliant like me as her right hand.

Then we started dating in secret since she didn't want HR finding out.

And I was too stupid and in love to see what was really happening. "

"When did you figure out she was playing you?" Caleb asks.

Kiernan doesn't answer right away. He just stares at the table, a muscle working in his jaw.

When he looks up, his eyes are red-rimmed.

"A couple days ago. I was surprised she was leaving Luminous so soon, hurt she hadn't told me.

She didn't answer my calls or texts. Then I saw the press release—she was going to Radiance on her own.

And she blocked my number the next day. No explanation. Just gone."

Even Logan looks a little sorry for him.

"When I messaged him this morning," Logan says, "he was in the middle of wiping his company laptop, freaking out and convinced he'd be next in line for blame.

If we hadn't reached out, Maya could have easily pinned everything on him the second anyone started asking real questions. "

I stare at Kiernan, at his hunched shoulders, chewed fingernails, the way he flinches every time Logan speaks.

Is this what it looks like when the trapdoor opens under someone else for a change?

I should feel vindicated. Instead, I just feel tired.

Not because he's innocent—he's not. He's the kind of guilty that's more pathetic than evil, the kind that goes along even when the villain's already halfway out the door.

Caleb doesn't mince words. "You'll testify to all this?"

Kiernan glances at him, anxiety written across every feature. "Against Maya? Or... against Radiance?"

"Both," Caleb says.