Page 34 of Apparently, I’m A B!tch

I earned my nickname, The Cutter, with my brutal honesty and lack of tolerance for anything below my standards, but there were so many times I wished someone would’ve come right out and told me I hurt them so I could apologize and fix it.

“I’m sorry, Kelly.”

She narrowed her eyes again, her dark lashes eclipsing the whites of her eyes. “What are you talking about? Look, I’m just here to get my list of tasks from you, okay? Give it to me and I’ll get out of your way.”

I leaned forward and ripped off the hand-scrawled to-do list I made for her last night from my notepad. It was roughly four hours of work, not enough for an entire day, but it was all I actually needed her to do. I took a breath and tried again as I handed the paper over.

“I mean, I’m sorry about all of this. It was dumb of Harvey and me to make this kind of deal without talking to you and Jake first. It was thoughtless, and I am sorry. You must miss working for him, but I hope you and I can have… I don’t know, some fun, maybe? While we work together?”

Her eyes went wide as she took the list from me. “You’re kidding. You and me?” She looked down at the list and turned it around in her hands, staring at it as if it should’ve held more. “Where’s the rest of it?”

“What?”

“The work? Where’s the rest of it? You want me to review evidence, call the detectives, comb the statements, right?”

I frowned. “Kelly, that’s my job. I’ve got to be the one to do all that, not you. I’ve actually already done the evidence review, but I’d welcome your eyes on it if you want to give me your opinion?”

I stood and leaned over the desk. “I think something is off here. Our client swears the voice on the recording wasn’t his. Prosecution offered a financial settlement which he should be able to afford, and normally, a guilty perp would crack when he’s given the chance to take a deal like that, right? But he’s so adamant. Maybe he’s not lying.”

Interest kindled in Kelly’s eyes, and she took a step closer. “But the voice was verified by forensics, and the guy refuses to give us a proper alibi since his wife admitted he wasn’t home with her that night. Are you sure you’re not just reading into things because you really want to win this?”

I tapped one of the files strewn across my desk. “That’s the thing. I listened to the tape after meeting with him, and the dialect is off. It doesn’t sound natural.”

She puckered out her bottom lip. “Maybe to you. But wasn’t he drinking? That was the consensus, wasn’t it?”

I lifted a shoulder. “Maybe he was, and maybe that’s how he sounds when he’s drunk. But I’d be willing to bet that something happened with this piece of evidence. I think I should look into it more. At the very least, this client needs to give us his alibi.”

She leaned down to analyze the file and I turned it around so she could see it better. “You don’t want me to look into this instead? It could save you a bunch of time.”

I smiled down at her as she stared at the file. “That’s nice of you to offer Kel, but I’ve got this. When you’re done with your list, you might as well leave early for once.”

Her head snapped up, and she looked at me with such suspicion that my smile faded then and there.

“Let me guess. If I leave early, you’ll lodge a complaint about it to Maggie, right?”

I reared back, surprised. “What? Kel, I wouldn’t–”

“You’re not fooling me, Nikki. You’re not fooling any of us. Harvey’s going to win this stupid bet of yours and things are going to get back to normal, whether you like it or not.”

She straightened and took her list with her, leaving me to slump into my chair. Threading through me was a hurt that spread like blood pushing its way into water, forcing a sudden ache into my throat that I swallowed down.

When my stomach grumbled, I shook my head and took out my sandwich. Another day with no friends, no Tristan, no coffee and no baklava.