Page 74 of Your Fault

A half hour later, we were still waiting for my new coworker to show up. I’d turned to her because I knew she had contacts nearby. Her father lived in a nearby development, and she was handling a lot of our pro bono work, so she knew her way around cases involving minors. If I remembered right, she had helped get a kid out of jail for a possession charge and even had the arrest expunged from his record. Sophia Aiken might be a pain in my ass, but she knew what she was doing.

A white SUV pulled around the corner. It had to be her. I told Noah and my friends to get in the car and let me handle it. I didn’t know what kind of mood she’d be in, and I preferred to deal with her on my own. From what little Lion could tell me, it had all happened fast: Jenna didn’t even have time to get in the car; they chased her down while she was running away. She wasn’t the only one arrested, but for now, I couldn’t deal with the others. They’d known the risks they’d been running, and my friend was my top priority.

Luckily someone had taken care of Noah’s car, and Clark assured me they’d have it back at Dad’s house by the next day. The last thing I needed was the cops getting Noah’s tag numberand her having to deal with them. I walked away from Lion’s car toward Sophia.

“You owe me a big one. You won’t live long enough to repay this,” she said, getting out of her car dressed impeccably, but with her hair pulled back clumsily in a ponytail.

“Thanks for coming,” I said, trying not to back talk her. She seemed to be enjoying herself with that smug grin of hers.

“Did you just thank me?” she asked, perversely amused. “I almost think I’d like to hear that again.”

“If you get my friend out, you will.”

I guessed my face said it all, and she looked over to the car where Lion, Luca, and Noah were waiting nervously.

“I don’t know what kind of shit you’re into, Leister, but you’re getting more intriguing by the day.”

It took all the patience I had not to tell her to go fuck herself. “Can you get her out or not?”

“What’s her name?”

I hesitated briefly. “Jenna Tavish.”

“Tavish? Like Tavish Oil Corporation?”

I nodded nervously.

“You’re kidding, right?” She was angry, but I could tell she was going to do it. “You’re calling me, an intern, to get the daughter of a petroleum bigwig out of jail?”

“We need discretion. We don’t want anyone to find out. Anyway, she didn’t do anything. She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.” I was praying for all this to work out.

Sophia started chuckling as she looked through her purse. “If I had a dollar for every time some delinquent said that…”

“My girlfriend’s no delinquent, you hear me?” Lion shouted. I didn’t even realize he’d come up behind me.

Putting a hand on his shoulder, I said, “Easy, Lion. Sophia’s here to help, right, Soph?”

With a condescending smile aimed first at me, then at Lion, she told me she would help us. “But don’t call meSophagain, otherwise we’re going to have problems.”

I laughed at the seriousness in her tone.

Sophia ordered us to stay outside while she started making calls. After what felt like an eternity, she went inside, and we all waited for her to work her magic.

I stuck my head in the car window to talk to Noah. She looked tired and had dirt and grime on her from the construction site.

“You okay, Freckles?” I asked. Luca was passed out next to her, seemingly indifferent to all that was happening.

Noah nodded without even looking at me, but before I could try to get her attention, I heard the door to the station open, and there was Jenna, only slightly worse for wear, with her hair undone and a small scratch on her right cheek.

Noah opened the car door and took off toward her.

Sophia came out behind her grinning, looking satisfied, her eyes pinned to mine. I smiled, watching her get back in her car and return to where she’d come from. Maybe she wasn’t as big a pain in the ass as I’d thought.

My peace of mind didn’t last long: the dry crack of a slap cut the silence of the night. When I turned, I saw Lion with his hand on his cheek, looking at Jenna cluelessly.

Shit!

“I don’t want to see you again, you hear me?” she shouted, tears coursing down her cheeks.