Page 63 of Velvet Chains

Rosie shrugged. “Okay. Do you want to sing?”

“Yes,” I said.

She sang, softly and off-key, while I tried to breathe. While I tried not to scream. While I realized I was probably fucked.

And it was only 8:04 am.

I dropped Rosie off ten minutes late, her little hand warm in mine as we crossed the sidewalk. I kissed her goodbye like it wasn’t possibly the last normal day we’d have in a while. She didn’t notice the tremor in my hands. She never did.

I watched until she disappeared through the front doors.

Then I got back in the car and drove.

The Justice Building always looked too clean, too sterile for the messes it tried to contain. I badged through the front door, bypassed security, and made it to the elevators before the bile in my throat threatened to rise. My office door was already ajar, and I wasn’t surprised to find Alek sitting behind my desk, sleeves rolled up, tie askew, a coffee cup in one hand and a stack of case files in the other.

He didn’t look up when I entered. “You’re late.”

“I got a call,” I said. “From Lucy Darnell.”

That got his attention.

He set down the file and leaned back, eyes scanning me like I was a hostile witness. “And?”

“She’s opening a federal review. Obstruction tied to the Callahan case.”

His jaw flexed. “Did she say it was about you specifically?”

“She didn’t have to.” I threw my bag onto the couch. “She wants to meet today.”

“Did you tell her yes?”

“I said I’d check with my office.”

“That was the wrong answer.”

“Was it? You’re my lawyer. I’m checking with my office.”

Alek didn’t move. Didn’t blink. Just watched me like he was counting how many seconds I had left before I snapped.

“You should’ve told her no,” he said finally. “You should’ve said, ‘This conversation requires counsel present. Please direct all communications through my office.’ Like we rehearsed.”

“She knows I’m not going to speak to her without counsel. She’s not an idiot,” I said. “Get out of my chair.”

“Aye, aye, captain,” he said, getting up and rounding my desk to lean against it. “Look, I’m just saying, we rehearsed what to do if they came knocking. This is them knocking, Ruby.”

I dropped into the chair across from him, curling my fingers into my palms. “I had Rosie in the car.”

A beat passed. Then another.

“I didn’t want to panic her,” I said, quieter.

That made him pause—just for a second. “She hear anything?”

I shook my head. “Not really. She asked what a Callahan was.”

Alek cursed under his breath and scrubbed a hand over his face.

I hated this. I hated how much he looked like he wanted to fix it and couldn’t.