Page 21 of One Dark Kiss (Grimm Bargains #2)

TWENTY

Alexei

I like the efficiency of the court s docket. I sit in the seat next to Rosalie as she stands and argues to have my conviction overturned with prejudice instead of the way it was—meaning they can t try me again and I m free for good.

She looks stunning in the navy-blue suit with light-pink shell, her hair up. It was a glorious mess when we arrived on the motorcycle, so she pinned it up smoothly, her gaze not meeting mine. I m fine with that. She ll accept her fate soon enough. We definitely fit.

Last night had cemented both of our fates. I ve been with hundreds of women, maybe more, and she has permanently made me forget all of them. From now until my end, there will only be Rosalie.

I glance over at the prosecutor, who s a young guy with blond hair.

He might be pushing thirty and wears a gray Armani suit with a red power tie.

I try not to pull against Garik s shirt.

The worn cotton is the nicest one he has, and it s too small for us both.

If today goes well, I will change our status.

In fact, I need funds to pay the men who had agreed to be on my payroll, at great risk to their own lives.

Rosalie flips her papers. There s no other solution here, Judge, she says.

The corruption of Judge Sower and the prosecuting attorney has been well-documented and well-proven.

While Mr. Sokolov s conviction has been overturned, granting him a new trial, I must argue that said order should ve been granted with prejudice.

The state must not be allowed to try him again.

I ve just given you more evidence, but you already know there s no other option but to overturn the conviction . .. with prejudice.

The judge flips through her file folder. The prosecuting attorney already argued that I received a fair trial, and will get another one, but the judge questioned him rather harshly about the corruption.

The prosecuting attorney seems young and earnest, so I doubt he worked here seven years ago. We have no actual proof that the judge was dirty in my case, but so many payments were logged into his offshore accounts that it is impossible to tell where the money came from.

I bet Hendrix paid him plenty to rule against me the way he had on every motion or objection my lawyer had issued—not that he did much.

Judge Lahaska looks up. She s a woman in her sixties, and her gaze lands on me. There s no softness or kindness or even understanding in her blue eyes. Her lips are pursed and her jaw is tight. Even so, I can read her easily. She can t stand me.

All right. She clears her throat. I agree with the order overturning Mr. Sokolov s conviction without prejudice.

That figures.

The prosecuting attorney leaps to his feet. In that case, the state fully intends to retry the convicted felon.

Rosalie turns to face him, her eyes sparkling and her color high. My client is no longer a convicted felon, so I suggest you watch your mouth, Counselor. I ve been looking for a good slander case to take on.

Pride filters through me and I smile, allowing her to see my amusement. Her intelligence is impressive, and I find that I like that more than I expected.

The judge taps on a keyboard. All right, why don t we go ahead and set this thing for a preliminary hearing. Counselors?

The judge and prosecuting attorney land on a preliminary trial date, three weeks from today.

Rosalie nods. That s acceptable, although I m giving the court notice that Mr. Sokolov is going to appeal the court s ruling denying the motion for an overturned conviction with prejudice. I doubt I ll be heard by the trial date.

The judge sighs. Let s leave this on the docket for now and file a motion for a continuance when you have more information.

Of course. Rosalie smiles.

The prosecuting attorney glares at her, at me, and then turns and bustles out of the courtroom.

That was fun, I whisper to Rosalie.

Behave yourself, she whispers back. We re not done yet. I like that we re getting all of my hearings done in one morning. If anything, the judge is efficient.

I glance to my side as Lillian, dressed in a loose-fitting long skirt, walks inside next to Samuel La Vinci, who s been her attorney for as long as I can remember.

Apparently, her days of wearing tight dresses are over.

She looks at me evenly, glances at Rosalie, and then takes her seat.

The woman seems smaller than I remember.

All right, the judge says, shoving folders to the side before grabbing another one, this one gray, unlike the other blue ones. Must be an easy way to differentiate between criminal and civil matters. Let s take out the civil motion to unfreeze the funds of Alexei Sokolov.

Thank you, Judge. Samuel stands, his voice firm and strong.

The guy s around fifty and there s heated warmth when he glances at Lillian.

So they re more than business acquaintances?

Not that I care. He gives a pretty decent argument about my days as a playboy and how I wasted money, and he adds the fact that I ll be tried for first degree murder again, so the money should be preserved.

Rosalie makes a couple of objections, and the judge mostly rules against her. I lose interest in the byplay until Rosalie stands up and starts to speak.

I find it unnecessary to address the fact of whether or not Mr. Sokolov wasted money, considering it was his money.

She looks down at the documents. Your Honor, as it stands right now, my client has been charged with a crime.

He has not been convicted, and there s a good chance he ll never be tried again once I appeal your earlier ruling.

I hide a smile. It s enjoyable watching her poke the judge. Though I really do need money. Sooner rather than later.

Therefore, there s no legal reason for Mr. Sokolov to be cut off from his own money. Rosalie then launches into a series of legal terms that bore me, so I start to plan the rest of my day in my head. Finally, she sits, her scent of vanilla wafting toward me.

My cock wakes up, wanting another taste of last night.

The judge ruffles through several file folders and a couple of books before looking up, her eyes sparking again. Man, she really doesn t like me. It s rare. Most women do. She s probably read the trial transcripts. Truth be told, I look guilty, but many people had conspired to make that happen.

The judge once again looks like she is chewing on lemons. I agree with Mrs. Sokolov that irreparable harm might come to the funds if the court allows them to be wasted. However, Mr. Sokolov makes a good point that the funds are his to waste. Thus I grant the motion.

Relief relaxes my spine.

The judge grabs her gavel and slams it on the counter. The court s adjourned. Standing, she slips out of the courtroom without looking at any of us.

Rosalie turns. Apparently, you re loaded again.

Lillian and her attorney disappear down the corridor, and he has an arm over her shoulders in a protective stance.

We follow slowly into the hallway, and I make plans to head to the bank immediately after we leave the courthouse.

A uniformed officer breaks off from a group whispering quietly, a box in his hands. He winks at Rosie. Hey, Rosalie. I brought you copies of the evidence from the Sokolov case, although your firm should already have it all.

I find I want to smash it in his face.

She reaches for the box, and I take it before she can, noting it s fairly heavy. Thank you for bringing this over, Saul. I planned to drop by the station later today.

He sniffs and doesn t notice the slight jerking of her head. No problem. He glances at me. I hope you re free for lunch.

The whispering gains volume from the group.

She nods her chin toward the uniforms. What s going on?

He leans in too close to her. There s a gang war. The head of Twenty-One Purple was gutted last night.

Oh, Rosalie says. Are the streets going to become unsafe again?

He tucks his hands in his belt and puffs out his chest. We re planning for a war. Twenty-One Purple is accusing a rival gang, but who knows?

Rosalie chews on her lip.

Saul glances at me and looks at her. Are you okay? You want me to escort you back to the office? He sniffs again. Loudly. Damn allergies.

I ve got her, I say smoothly. You should get yourself a fucking tissue. The sniffing is annoying as hell. For Rosalie, anyway. I grasp her arm and pull her away from him.

Thanks for the evidence box, she calls back.

He watches us go, and all of his buddies turn to do the same.

The sense of possession, of absolute ownership I feel right now makes every inch of me hot. Is he someone you dated? I ask mildly.

We went out a couple of times, she murmurs, her heels clicking on the tile flooring as we move. There was no spark, so I let the whole thing fizzle.

Did you sleep with him?

Her stride hitches and then she regains her gait. That s none of your business.

Wrong, I say. Dead wrong. Answer me or I ll go ask him. I m not joking.

Her sigh is full of exasperation. No, I didn t sleep with him. Like I said, there wasn t a spark. When there isn t a spark, you re not going to find one by getting naked. She tries to yank her arm free, and I don t allow her the freedom. What if I had?

I shrug. Don t know. But I wouldn t want to be the only one in the dark in a conversation between you two.

She shakes her head, and some of that glorious dark hair falls out of the clip, framing her heart-shaped face. Last night was just one night, Alexei. Don t start acting like we re a couple. I know your past.

The woman might know my past, but she s my future. Everything about you is mine, and the sooner you learn that, the better. We are a couple, and that s final.

The sound she makes is a soft one of disbelief. Actions speak louder than words, so I ll just have to show her. No more lunches with Saul.

I ll lunch with whomever I want. We walk outside into a sunny day. That crack about his sniffing wasn t necessary.

Watching you flinch like you re being stabbed in the ear isn t something I ll accept. And if you lunch with Saul again, they ll never find his body.

Since she can t pull her arm free, she makes do by side kicking me in the shin. Her heel glances off, and I barely feel it. Man, she s cute. Never in my life have I seen cute and sexy combined in such an intelligent package. Kick me again, and you ll regret it.

Her sharp intake of breath sounds heated. Stop threatening me. Also, leave Saul alone. We don t lunch anyway.

Good to know. I d hate to kill good old Saul, like I had Paco Gomez last night, slitting his throat, leaving not a trace from myself or any other gang.

His former gang must be looking for a good fight.

Considering the guy was trying to lure a thirteen-year-old girl into his car when I came up behind him, I didn t think twice at crossing off the first name on Urbano Reyes s list.

The other two gang members on the list don t bother me much, but I need to investigate the businessman. All I know is that he owns one of the Silicon Valley startups.

Then there s Ella Rendale. Rosalie s friend. I d like to figure out why Reyes wants her dead.

Unfortunately, a deal is a deal.