seemed about to respond but ended up just shaking his head instead. Then he pulled out his cell phone, punched in a number and was soon lobbying the FBI to find the best attorney the Justice Department had to offer for Special Agent Justin Russo.
Chapter 1
“Thanks for coming with me today, Suzannah. I can really use the moral support.”
“If half of what we’ve heard about Judge Taylor’s temper is true, you don’t need moral support. You need a flak jacket.” Suzannah Ryder gave her colleague Tony Moreno a wry smile. “You’re pretty brave taking on this case, knowing how angry he is about it. Can you believe he hasn’t ever had a ruling reversed on appeal before? They say he threw a huge fit when he got the news.”
She paused to wince, knowing that Judge Taylor’s anger had actually been focused in her direction. After all, she was the attorney who had successfully appealed the judge’s ruling. And since he was known throughout Northern California as “Taylor the Jailor” because of his habit of throwing attorneys into jail for contempt of court, she was glad it was Tony rather than she who was handling the Driscoll case from here on out, including this morning’s appearance.
“You’re sure you don’t want to be my co-counsel?” Tony asked, his expression hopeful.
“I don’t have a death wish. Plus, I don’t really know anything about criminal cases, remember? I only got roped into taking the appeal because Driscoll is my best friend’s sister’s boyfriend.” She shook her head. “I don’t know how you guys do it. An appeal is one thing, but here at the trial-court level, it’s complete anarchy. Hobnobbing with criminals. Kowtowing to hostile judges like Taylor every day. I’m glad my firm only accepts civil cases. Give me a nice safe stack of contracts any day of the week.”
“Yeah.” Tony sent a worried glance toward the heavy double doors that would soon admit them to Taylor the Jailor’s courtroom. “A stack of contracts sounds pretty good right now. Excuse me, will you? I’ve gotta go to the restroom and puke my guts out.”
“You really do look a little green.” She patted his shoulder. “There’s a water fountain over there—”
“Nope. When I get this nervous, there’s only one solution.” Tony was already edging toward the men’s room. “If I’m not back in five minutes, tell Driscoll to find another lawyer.”
Suzannah grimaced as her friend lurched away. Apparently he really was going to be sick. And she could hardly blame him. The thought of facing Judge Taylor would be enough to scare anyone. But to deal with him on this particular case, the one that had caused the judge so much embarrassment—
“Suzannah Ryder?” a voice asked from behind her.
She turned to find herself staring into the warm blue eyes of a truly gorgeous guy who was extending his hand toward her. The man had it all—a tall, athletic build, a smile with a provocative blend of sincerity and mischief, and wavy brown hair that was just shaggy enough to suggest he’d been marooned on a desert island for a while, which would also explain his golden tan.
“My name’s Justin Russo,” he told her, his voice clear and confident. “Congratulations on the big win. My colleagues were just telling me about it. Very impressive.”
She accepted the handshake, shamelessly enjoying the R-rated tingle it induced. “Thanks. Do you have an appearance before Judge Taylor today?”
“Yeah. Now that you’ve got him all riled up,” Justin complained.
She bit back a smile. “Sorry.”
“You must be one helluva defense attorney.”
“Actually, I only took that appeal as a favor for a friend. I’m totally out of my element here. And I’m no longer involved with the Driscoll case. I just tagged along today to give the real defense attorney some moral support.”
“I like that. You know your stuff. You’re modest. And you’re loyal to your friends.”
“Hey, Russo. They’re ready for us,” a nearby man announced, motioning to the courtroom doors, which were being opened.
Justin’s associate was a grim-faced man who appeared to be in his early forties, with dark hair and dark eyes. Not as good-looking as Justin by any stretch but still attractive, as was a third man hovering close by who also seemed to be part of the entourage and who had curly hair the same shade of dark blond as Suzannah’s.
You should come to the courthouse more often, she teased herself. These litigators are kind of sexy. Either that or you’ve been out of commission for way too long.
“Gotta go,” Justin murmured. “Maybe we can hook up later for some coffee? Assuming the Jailor doesn’t lock me up, that is.”
Suzannah hesitated, but this was supposed to be a fun, relaxing week, wasn’t it? What harm could one cup of coffee do?
She pulled a business card out of her purse and handed it to him. “That’s my office number. I’m on vacation this week, but I’ll be checking voice mail regularly, so…yes, definitely call me if you survive Judge Taylor.”
He flashed a killer smile, pocketed the card and said, “See ya.” Then he trailed his companions into the courtroom.
Suzannah hung back for a moment, enjoying the unfamiliar sensation of being a little weak in the knees over a guy.
This is going to be the best vacation ever, she told herself with an embarrassed laugh. Then she remembered that this week wasn’t completely about fun. She had to prepare for an upcoming conference in Hawaii, where she was slated to make a presentation—a presentation that was quite possibly the last step in the rigorous timetable she had set for herself and her career.
She called it her “Twelve-Year Plan,” a blueprint she had designed at the age of eighteen to help her attain certain professional goals. Four years of college, three years of law school and enough time with a prestigious law firm to establish a reputation and develop a marketable specialty, which could then translate into a house-counsel job with a corporation. It was now year ten and she was way ahead of schedule.
Reminding herself that her rapid progress had been the result of working hard and not dating lawyers—especially not towers of sex like Justin Russo!—she decided it would be best if he didn’t call her after all. There would be plenty of time in year twelve for romance—wasn’t that the plan, after all?
Resolving to resist Justin if he should call, she pulled out her state-of-the-art PDA to check her calendar, messages and task list, which was a mile long. Forty separate entries for this “vacation.” And so far she had only accomplished three—Paint the bathroom, Clean the refrigerator, and Go with Tony to court on Monday.
Tony…
She was worried about him, not just because they were friends but because if he failed to appear, Suzannah might have to take his place. And since the Driscoll case had only been remanded by the appellate court for resentencing, rather than for a new trial, the option of moving for automatic disqualification of Judge Taylor wasn’t available, no matter how angry he was at Driscoll’s attorney.
To her relief, Tony finally emerged from the restroom, his face pale but his shoulders squared, ready to do battle.
“Are
