CHAPTER ELEVEN
“WHAT’STHEDEAL?”Simon asked.
Confusion had Stone furrowing his brow as he peered across the conference table. “Deal?” They weren’t playing poker. This was their weekly Tuesday morning meeting in Simon’s office, sunlight streaming through its tall windows.
“Hillary Bellows rested the prosecution yesterday,” Simon said.
And she’d rested it so well that Stone was beginning to have doubts of his own about his client’s innocence.
“So what’s your plan to tear apart her case?” the managing partner asked.
“No more untrue press releases,” Stone told him. He didn’t mind playing dirty with Hillary—but that was in the bedroom, not the courtroom or in the media.
Simon sighed. “I can’t believe that didn’t work.”
Clearly dumbfounded, Ronan Hall shook his head as well. “Can’t believe Wilson Tremont’s enormous ego didn’t have him snagging the case from her right away.”
“She got to him,” Stone said. “Made him afraid that he would lose.” Just like she was beginning to get to him. Stone wasn’t afraid of losing for his own sake, though. He was afraid of losing for an innocent man.
Byron Mueller was innocent. Wasn’t he?
Damn Hillary...
She was making him doubt his client. But that wasn’t all she was making him doubt. She was making him rethink every decision he’d ever made from who he represented to how he lived his life—solitarily. But for these guys...
They were his closest friends. And as his closest friends, they jumped to his defense.
“Wilson Tremont would definitely lose,” Ronan said. “The guy’s an idiot.”
“Too bad she got to him,” Trevor remarked. Then he focused on Stone, his green eyes narrowed with suspicion. “Looks like she got to you, too.”
What? Did he have it written all over his face how much he wanted his opposing counsel?
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Stone bluffed.
But Trevor called him on it. “Bullshit!”
And Simon added, “Don’t try to con a con. What’s going on with you and Hillary Bellows?”
Even as heat rushed to his face, Stone shook his head in denial. “What makes you think—”
“You didn’t want to go after her,” Simon said. “You haven’t played as dirty as you usually would.”
They had no idea how dirty he’d played with Hillary Bellows. But something must have flickered in his eyes, some glimmer of desire over all the ways he’d been dirty to and with Hillary, because Ronan laughed.
More heat rushed to his face. “What?”
“You and the hot ADA!” Ronan exclaimed. “Way to mix business with pleasure, bro!”
“I...” He couldn’t deny it. He’d never known pleasure like what he felt with Hillary.
Trevor shook his head and sighed.
“What?” Stone repeated.
“Et tu, Brute,”Trev dramatically murmured.
“I didn’t betray you.” But he felt like he might have betrayed his client. He’d been so distracted by his attraction and passion for Hillary that he hadn’t defended him as best as he should have.
