Several others laugh with him, making my back teeth nearly crack.
“Yes, death threats for doing my fucking job are hilarious, aren’t they?” I declare sarcastically while raising my voice. “I made a promise to the people of this city that I would treat every criminal defendant the same. And I meaneveryone. The law is black and white, free of feelings and emotions. There are no gray areas. And if my integrity gets me killed, then so be it. I just hope the rest of you have enough balls to do the same if you’re ever in my position.” I give the room a minute to let that sink in before hitting him back. “But I guess, you need more time for your balls to drop, Chris. Until that happens, keep your mouth shut, do your job, or I’ll give you nothing but speeding tickets from now on. Understood?”
“Yes, ma’am,” he grumbles while glaring daggers at me.
“Great, meeting adjourned.”
God, I’m so tired of dealing with assholes like Chris who doesn’t ever take anything seriously. The only reason I haven’t fired him is because he’s actually a decent prosecutor, and it’d take too much time to find a replacement when everyone is already swamped with their case load.
Before I can catch my breath or waste time worrying about death threats, I’m off to my next appointment.
For the next hour, I’ll be sitting down with a criminal defense attorney attempting to convince me to give his spoiled client a dismissal on a shoplifting charge in exchange for paying a big fine.
I’ll endure the blustering even though I have more important things to do, like prepare for the Ferraro trial. But I already know I’m not going to budge on either case. If you get caught breaking the law in my city, you have no choice but to deal with the consequences.
And while I suddenly feel the need to start looking over my shoulder and carrying a concealed gun everywhere, I refuse to bend or break regardless of the pressure the mob families try to put on me in the coming weeks.
I have everything I need to ensure a conviction for all three Ferraro men on the gun charges. I just have to make sure my presentation of the case to the jury is flawless, which means long nights of finalizing exhibits and cross-examination prep are ahead of me.
2
Tristan Ferraro
I’ve been stalking the DA for weeks, and yet, for some reason, I’m still enjoying the chase as well as the occasional glimpse into her boring-ass life.
The woman’s obsession with the color white makes me want to roll around on the street with her, just to dirty her up. She seriously needs a social life, something or someone to make her smile once in a while — a real smile — not the fake-ass one she flashes at her lunch meetings. And she works too damn much. I can’t help but wonder if her recent late nights in the office have anything to do with the cases against me and my cousins for trial.
When she strolls down the courthouse steps around nine p.m. for the third night in a row, I expect her to hop into her usual fancy car ride service at the curb.
Instead, she finally does something completely different. She takes off down the street on foot, her heels clicking rapidly on the pavement as if she’s in a hurry. I climb out of my truckand follow her. I can’t help but notice her shoulders slouch more than usual, and I don’t think it has anything to do with the weight of whatever is in her white leather briefcase.
Her long unbuttoned ivory dress coat billows at her sides as she rushes through the streets, seeming unaffected by the winter breeze.
I wonder if she’s grabbing a late dinner, unable to wait until she gets home. Or if she caved and is going to meet up with some asshole for a date.
I’m shocked when she takes the steps down to the subway, but follow her as she swipes her card and hurries into the waiting train.
I barely make it inside the same car. Pulling my black Yankees ball cap down over my eyes, I sit as far away as I can from the woman who collapsed into the first empty seat.
Curious to see where she’s headed, I pull out my phone, pretending to be engrossed while I wait. Occasionally, I sneak a peek and watch as Kirsten slumps further in her seat. Leaning her head back, her eyes close as if she’s sleeping or meditating in the trash and sweat-scented enclosed space.
Is the woman trying to get robbed? Because in her pristine white dress clothes, she looks like a thief’s wet dream. No doubt she’s got the top-of-the-line phone in her pocket and expensive laptop in her briefcase, sitting between her knees.
I consider making a grab for the case myself. No doubt her laptop is tucked away inside.
But I’m certain it’s password-protected since it’s her work computer. The damn thing would probably be tracked right back to me, so I just sit and watch her while I can.
The more time and stops pass without her moving or opening her eyes, the more freaked out I get.
What the hell is she doing? And why the fuck am I starting to feel a little guilty about my plan this weekend to fuck her over?
She needs to let loose more than anyone I’ve ever met. All she does is exercise in her apartment’s gym, work, have lunch to collect campaign donations, work some more, and go home and eat takeout. That’s her normal weekday. On the weekends, Kirsten has her yoga class and shit, then I assume she works in her apartment all day. She doesn’t go out with friends or date any men. Her entire world revolves around prosecuting criminals, but damn, she looks good doing it.
Even now, as she sits on the subway apparently going nowhere since we’ve been on it for the entire route, after a long day in the office, she looks flawless. Not a flyaway hair on her head or a wrinkle in her suit.
Still, the snobby woman looks miserable tonight, more so than usual, and I want to know why. I can’t talk to her and risk her recognizing me as one of her defendants in a criminal case. That shit isn’t even allowed, based on what Dre and our attorneys told us. All communications with the DA’s office must go through our attorneys. Speaking to her in public could be construed as intimidating, unless she doesn’t know who she’s talking to.
The only thing I can do for now is watch her from afar and follow her.
