Wild For Mr. Wrong (6 page)

Tam sighed.  “She does seem to be more…intense about your choice of career than even I thought she’d be.  Maybe you should ask her why.”  

Unbidden, a memory of their searing kiss flashed through his mind.  He’d thought about that kiss.  A lot.  At night.  During the day.  When he was alone, and when it was damn inconvenient.

Tam rose, putting her hands on her hips and arching her back.  “My back is killing me, guys.  I’m sorry to cut this night short, but I need to go potty and then I need to go home.  Vance, hon, would you mind paying the bill and meeting me at the door?”

Vance said, “Of course, Tam.”

Tam waddled around the table and kissed Daniel, who’d risen to his feet when she did.  “Goodnight, sweetie.  Remember what I said about Bryn, okay?  She’s got a softer side most people don’t see.  A side she doesn’t want people to see.  But underneath…”

When Tam headed toward the restroom, Daniel sat back down, took a long swallow of beer, and turned to Vance, who was looking at the doorway where Tam had disappeared. “You’re a lucky man, Vance.  A lucky man.”

Vance grinned.  “Believe me, I’m well aware of that.”  Suddenly, his face turned serious.  “Look, I’ve been thinking about this obsession you have with Bryn Donovon.”

Daniel wasn’t sure he liked hearing his interest in Bryn characterized as an obsession, but if not obsession, then what?  He said nothing.  

“
I have to tell you, I don’t like her.  Tam’s put a lot of effort into trying to befriend her, and she hasn’t been very receptive.”

“
They seemed pretty engaged to me.”  Daniel had told Vance about overhearing their conversation that day but had sworn Vance to secrecy.

“
Sure, if it’s on her turf.  She’ll talk to Tam at work, but it’s like she can’t associate with her outside of it.  It’s hurt Tam.  I think the woman’s a cold fish.  Maybe you should pass on this one.”  

Daniel didn’t jump to defend Bryn.  What could he say?  That because he got a hard-on around her, it proved she was a warm human being?  He knew there was more to her, depths unexplored, but even he had a hard time putting it into words.

On Daniel’s drive home, he thought about what Vance had said.  Had his initial thoughts about Bryn Donovon been accurate?  Was he fooling himself that there was more to her than what was on the surface?  That kiss had been hot, but was sexual heat enough?  Especially when she wouldn’t acknowledge it?  Maybe their opposing careers and natures were too different to reconcile.

Maybe he would be better off leaving Bryn to do what she did best – stand up for principles and stand up for the victims of crimes, but do it standing alone.

When Bryn opened her front door, she was fully dressed and ready to leave for work.  She stepped out of the house, locked her door, and turned to see Daniel walking up to her.  Her stomach churned with conflicting emotions, and heat suffused her cheeks.  

God, he looked good.  She glanced at the cup of coffee in his hand.  Probably fresh and hot, which she didn’t need given that he was heating her up before her day had even gotten started.

“
You know, you really need to try something new.  Even if that’s for me, coffee is not going to keep me from reporting you if you keep showing up unannounced at my door.”

“
Just hear me out.  Please.”  He handed her the cup, and she automatically took it, touched in spite of herself.

Curious despite herself, Bryn leaned back on the front door, took a sip of the deliciously warm coffee, and merely looked at him.  Internally, her insides constricted.  What was he going to say?  And how was she going to resist him if he pushed her for a date again?

“
I need a favor,” he said.

Bryn raised her eyebrow at him and laughed.  “A favor?  From me?”

“
Sure, why not?”

Hurt pride, for one.  But he didn’t seem all that crushed that she’d rejected his romantic advances.  She wasn’t quite sure how she felt about that.  Bryn said nothing, but motioned for him to continue.

“
The Biltmore Mediation Clinic in Fresno.  Have you heard of it?”  

Bryn nodded.  “Sure.  It works with criminals and their victims in an attempt to provide emotional closure in cases.”

Daniel cleared his throat.  “Well, Vance and I have been working towards starting one up in Sacramento.  Purely on a pro-bono basis right now.  We’re set up as a non-profit organization and will be working out of our law office.”

His words surprised Bryn, though she worked to hide her surprise.  That was a pretty ambitious task.  Was it an honorable one?  Did he care about both parties, the victims just as much as the criminals?  Or was this simply a way to assuage his guilt for representing the clients he did?

“
And what can I do for you?”  

“
Obviously, to be perceived as legitimate, we need to have the support of the prosecution.  We could use either your endorsement or volunteer time.  We want to start the program working with juveniles, and I know you did a juvenile stint a few months back.”

“
Yes, I did.”  It had been one of her most challenging assignments.  She’d had a hard time holding back her sympathy for many of the young offenders she’d seen.  While the intended purpose of the whole juvenile system was rehabilitation, not punishment, it was hard to buy when you were recommending a sixteen-year-old kid be committed to the Youth Authority.  

She’d found herself wanting to reach out to some of the defendants, and that had made her feel like a hypocrite.  And as if she were betraying her sister all over again.  Logically, her compassion for troubled youths was a
good
thing, but whenever she found herself softening towards any of the men and women charged with any type of violent crime, Bryn couldn’t help envisioning the fear on her sister’s face the night she’d been attacked.  Black and blue and crying.  Because Bryn had left her alone in a nightclub to go make out with some guy and smoke pot in his car.

Every time she stood up for a victim, Bryn felt she was standing up for her sister, too.  And getting a little closer to forgiving herself.

Dating a defense attorney would taint that.  Wouldn’t the same be true if she granted Daniel the favor he was asking?

She shook her head, both to dispel her thoughts and in response to Daniel’s request.  

“
I don’t know, Daniel.  Personally, I don’t see the point of making victims face people who’ve hurt them.  Hopefully, if I’ve done my job right, they get justice when the criminal is convicted.  Sounds like you just want to help alleviate your clients’ guilt.”

Instead of countering her insult with good-natured humor, Daniel sighed and looked down at the ground.  For a minute he looked defeated.  “Do you really believe that?  That throwing criminals in jail solves the entire problem?  What about atonement?  Rehabilitation?  Understanding?”

Bryn stared at him.  Why did he keep harping on that theme?  Why was he even talking to her about this?  Her sister had suffered tremendously at the hands of a young man who’d gotten off scot free and now Daniel was giving her a hard time because she questioned the motives of criminals wanting to meet with their victims?  She straightened and forced herself to sound brusque.  

“
Look, I’m sorry.  I can’t help you.  This is not something I can get behind.  I don’t have time to help criminals feel better about their crimes.”  

A flash of disappointment flashed across his face and it made her stomach sink.  She wasn’t trying to be cold-hearted or cruel, but he had his beliefs, and she had hers.  Too often people thought they could undo vicious actions with remorse, but they couldn’t.  Many people didn’t feel the remorse to begin with.  He was asking too much of her.  Although he didn’t respond, she felt compelled to defend herself.  

“
I believe in redemption and rehabilitation,” she clarified.  “But people need to want it enough to work for it.  They need to change their lives.  Not explain away their crimes or seek absolution from their victims.”

Daniel nodded his head.  

“
Okay.  I guess you’ve got your mind made up.”

Bryn swallowed hard, trying to tell herself that the disappointment in Daniel’s eyes was for the best.  She’d been trying to get him to leave her alone.  Apparently, this was the way to do it.

“
Enjoy the coffee, Bryn.  I won’t bother you again.”  Despite his words, Daniel reached out and brushed a strand of hair away from her face and tucked it behind her ear.  For a moment, he let his touch linger.  He looked at her intently, as if trying to memorize every line of her face.  Then he dropped his hand.  “Take care, darlin’.”  

Daniel turned and walked away, leaving Bryn with an irrational urge to run after him.  It was for the best, she told herself again.  Too bad her heart didn’t agree with her.

Bryn angrily wiped away the moisture leaking from her eyes and walked toward her car.  She had work to do.  

  
Daniel slammed the phone down in disgust.  It had only been a few days since Bryn had turned down his offer to join his pro-bono program.  What had he done?  He’d tried and convicted her because of it.  He hadn’t been more than a mile from her house when he’d realized he’d made a mistake.  Seeing her this past week had cemented the thought in his mind.  

Something was going on with her.  The last few times he’d seen her in court, she’d looked drained.  Tired.  Not quite as pulled together as she usually did.

He’d sensed her looking at him during a suppression hearing yesterday.  When Judge Peters announced she was taking the case under submission, Daniel turned to find Bryn’s gaze on him.  She looked away when someone had approached her, but not before he saw the sadness in her eyes.  At that moment he’d convinced himself that maybe, just maybe, she was sad because she missed him.  

So he’d finally broken down and called her.  She hadn’t answered the call or his voicemail.  He ran his hand through his hair and let out a harsh laugh, one without any hint of humor.

She missed him
?  Boy, he was reaching.  And he couldn’t blame his desperate desire to see her all on his libido.  For God’s sake, he’d kissed the woman once.  If sex was what he wanted, there were plenty of women who were willing to spend some time with him.  

But sex wasn’t all he wanted.

No, Bryn Donovon touched him in a completely different way.  

 
She obviously had issues she was dealing with, ones that had driven her to be a prosecutor.  And apparently, a detester of defense attorneys.  But her issues didn’t mean she was cold-hearted, or at least he shouldn’t assume that.  He knew there was more to her than she was letting him see, and something was telling him that if he didn’t give this thing between them—whatever it was—another chance, he’d regret it for the rest of his life.   

A lot of people would have a problem with the idea of bringing victims face to face with their attackers.  It was a common reaction, and for good reason. But he’d taken her rejection of his proposal and walked off, not even willing to fight.

Fact was, Bryn Donovon scared the shit of him.  He’d used her reaction to his proposal to take the easy way out.  And even as he was doing it, he’d known he wasn’t being honest with himself.  Or her.  

Vance had been completely accurate when he’d said Daniel was obsessed with her.  He noticed everything about her.  The delicacy of her collarbone.  The way her nails were bare of polish but well-cared for.  Hell, the fact that she wore a single diamond stud in each ear despite the fact that each lobe had multiple piercings.  She was one complex contradiction after another.  He could look at her for a hundred years and never tire of her.  

What early-thirties male in his sexual prime wouldn’t fight that feeling?   

But bottom line, he wanted her.  Now more than ever.  

He needed to see her.  Today.  Now.  And not in court.  

Daniel sighed.  Maybe they just needed to talk.  If she understood he saw her as more than a piece of ass, maybe she’d let her guard down a little.  Maybe she’d let him see the woman she really was.  Despite the fact that she’d refused to work with the mediation clinic, he didn’t believe she was heartless.

Planning to stop by the DA’s office after lunch to see Bryn, Daniel shook out the newspaper in front of him, hoping to catch up on the NBA finals.  He scanned the article on the front page and instantly recognized a name.  

Man Released From Jail Kills Young Woman; Leaves Baby Behind
.

Daniel quickly scanned the article, his stomach clenching tighter with every word.

Apparently, Kyle Winsor had become emboldened by his victory in court.  Late last night, Kyle had entered a residence in midtown, intent on residential burglary.  When Tess Blaker walked in on him, he attacked her.  Blaker’s screams alerted neighbors, who called the police.  Blaker had been twenty years old, single, and the mother of an eight-month-old baby.  

The young mother had obviously loved her baby.  She’d drawn Winsor to the kitchen, the furthest room from where the baby lay sleeping.  Winsor had stabbed Tess Blaker with one of her own knives.  Blaker had died at the scene, but she hadn’t died easily.  She’d struggled first.  She’d fought not to leave her baby, but in the end she’d lost.

The newspaper fell out of Daniel’s numb fingers.  He grasped the top of his head and bent over until his forehead touched his knees.

Oh God, what had he done?

***

Bryn glanced at her watch.  Two hours until Tam’s baby shower.  Not a fan of small talk, Bryn had RSVP’d “no” for the shower, but wondered again if she should reconsider.  She glanced at the small brightly colored box that sat on her desk.  She’d planned on giving it to one of Tam’s fellow staff attorneys to bring to the shower on her behalf, but something had held her back.  Guilt, most likely.

Tam was becoming a good friend.  She was a wonderful, fun, lively person.  Her bright presence had often lightened Bryn’s day, and knowing that they could share some conversation at work had been comforting.  But Bryn really hadn’t let Tam in.  Instead, Bryn had repeatedly refused Tam’s offers to get together after work or on the weekend.  Not because she didn’t want to, but because her solitariness had become such a habit, she was actually terrified of stepping out of it.  It was as if, in some illogical yet stubborn part of her, she believed that since she hadn’t been there for her sister, then she didn’t deserve to have friends because she was bound to let someone else down.  It was easier just worrying about herself, but what kind of life was that?  Couldn’t she try just a little harder to show Tam how much she appreciated her?  She didn’t want to hurt Tam’s feelings.