what the heck. She’d lived in a celibate shell for over a year. Long past time to make up for lost time. After all, what was the worst thing that could happen?
“You want me to do what?” Daniel glared at Allan Vera, the current D.A., hoping he hadn’t heard correctly. Maybe he hadn’t. All morning he’d been distracted by thoughts of a defense attorney he couldn’t get out of his head.
Vera released a rough, irritated sigh. “You heard me, Daniel. I said you have to take the Massey case.”
Of all the asinine directives, this one had to top the list. “Krauss is handling it fine.”
“I’m taking Krauss off and putting you on it. The city leaders want this one to go away quickly.”
“I’ve got a full caseload and the Jamison murder trial still pending.”
“Jason Jamison is still on the loose.”
“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be caught soon. In the meantime I plan to build a solid case against him.” As far as Daniel was concerned, any man who would strangle his lover and shoot his own brother with calculated precision deserved to suffer all the punishment the law would allow. First, they had to catch him.
“This Massey thing should be easy enough,” Allan said. “Krauss has already handled the details. You don’t have to do much of anything but show up in court to argue the case.”
And in doing so, face off with a woman he wanted so badly he could taste her. The little taste he’d gotten two nights ago hadn’t been nearly enough. Now it might have to be, unless he could somehow get out of this whole thing. “I don’t have time to handle some frivolous trial just to satisfy the city leaders.”
Allan ran a hand over his balding head and kicked back in the office chair, hands resting on his bulbous belly. “Those city leaders make sure you get paid. And they answer to the citizens, who pay your salary.”
“I handle felonies, not misdemeanors.”
“Don’t forget this one involves an assault of an elderly woman who broke her arm. That’s serious business. If we don’t stop him, someone else is going to get hurt, maybe worse next time. The city wants this guy off the streets, and in order to ensure this they want the best on the case.”
Daniel couldn’t disagree that the guy should be stopped. He just didn’t want to be the one to do it. “Why don’t you take it?”
“No can do. I’m about to go on vacation in a few weeks, so I need to take care of my own business. I’m taking the wife skiing in Purgatory.”
And in turn sending Daniel straight to hell. The devil would be joining Vera on the slopes before he agreed to this. “We can put Goeble on it. He’s got tenure.”
“Goeble’s a suck-up, not a decent jurist. He’s more interested in parading his ass around, pretending to be a lawyer just to impress his father’s cronies. As soon as he’s able, he’ll be out of here to join some high-dollar firm.”
Daniel couldn’t argue with Vera’s assessment of Goeble either. “I’ll find someone else then.”
“No. You’ll do it. Mayor Davies has been inquiring on the status of the case on a daily basis. He trusts you to get Massey tried and punished to the fullest extent of the law before he causes more harm.”
Easier said than done with Alisha acting in Massey’s defense. “Do you realize who’s representing him?”
Vera pulled a file in front of him and flipped it open. “Alisha Hart, formerly of Gailey and Breedlove. I hear she’s pretty good.”
“She’s damn good.” And Daniel knew that on more than one level.
“And that’s why we need you to do this, Daniel. If she’s a formidable opponent, then we need to throw the best at her. You’re the best.”
Daniel had worked hard to earn that reputation and now he wanted to curse it. “I’ll cut a deal and be done with it.”
“No deals.”
He held back a string of foul expletives threatening to explode out of his mouth. “No deals? Hell, Allan, I’m not suggesting we let him walk. I can get him some time on the assault charge without dragging this into court.”
“We want him in court. People like this Massey guy need to see that we don’t tolerate this kind of thing on our streets. Pettigrew insists we make an example out of him, and you know what kind of power he wields with the party.”
Daniel didn’t like the wealthy city council member and he liked him even less now. “Why is he so involved?”
“It seems his soon-to-be-ex trophy wife has joined Massey’s fan club.”
“The guy has a fan club?”
“Yeah. They call themselves Masses for Massey. Best I understand, it’s made up of mostly women.”
“This case has the potential of getting way out of hand.”
“True, and I know you’ll handle that aspect, as well.”
Damn Les Massey for screwing up his life. “I’m still not comfortable with any of this.”
“Get comfortable with it. The party’s going to be watching you closely. If you play your cards right and get a solid conviction on this one as well as the Jamison case, you’re in as the next candidate. You’ll be sitting at this desk this time next year.”
Right now Daniel didn’t give a damn about the party or the election. “Then you’re saying I don’t have a choice in this matter.”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying.” Vera stood and walked around the desk, laying a palm on Daniel’s shoulder and guiding him to the door. “I trust that you’ll have this menace tried and convicted so quickly that you won’t have to waste more than a minute of necessary time. You’ll handle it well.”
For months now Daniel had wanted to handle Alisha Hart and he wished he hadn’t waited so long. Hadn’t been so cautious. Now he wouldn’t be able to handle her at all except during the trial, and that would have to be strictly business. At least for now.
As Daniel strode down the hallway on the heels of his anger, Allan called after him, “One more thing, Daniel.”
He turned to face his boss, reluctant to even consider what that one last thing might be. “What?”
“You have a press conference at noon to announce that you’ll be in charge of this case.”
Great. Just freakin’ great. “Is that necessary?”
“Pettigrew thinks it is, and he has the mayor in his corner.”
Pettigrew could kiss his ass, Daniel thought as he walked into his office and slammed the door behind him. The last thing he needed was to try some idiot who got his rocks off getting naked in public. Getting naked was much safer when done in the confines of a private residence. An unexpected image of Alisha Hart—naked—vaulted into his brain. He jerked
