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He opens his mouth to speak then closes it again. When it seems as though he has his thoughts together, he speaks.
“I have no duty to tell you anything. I was doing my job. I tried to warn you, but you didn’t listen. That’s your problem. Not mine.” One thing about Chris, he will always put the job first. I don’t know whether to be impressed or annoyed. At least I will always know where he stands.
“Tell me how you found out. You owe me for dropping that secret on me with no warning.”
He chuckles. “That’s where you’re wrong, Ms. Parker. I owe you nothing. I am Chris Dalton, the attorney for Eden. Not for Aiden. And most definitely not for you. I wear my suit proudly and represent my department with honor. The minute you understand that, is when you and I will finally be on the same page. But for now, we aren’t even in the same book. Please, kindly find your way out of my office. Unless, you finally want to admit your feelings for me.”
I roll my eyes. “You're not my type.”
He snaps his fingers and smirks. “My fault. I forgot. Your type is Aiden Kim.” Well, shit. I guess Aiden and I weren’t that good at keeping it a secret.
My lip twitches. “How did you find out?” There is no point in denying it. It would just be an insult to Chris’ intelligence.
“Well, I suspected it, but I got confirmation when Joey let it slip at the bar after a couple of shots of Tequila. I thought of reporting you, but there’s no rule against it. It would’ve just wasted my time and I need all the time I have to lock up your reckless client.” Aiden was right about Joey. He didn’t know how to keep his mouth shut. I need to have a stern talk with him after court today.
Chris and I get into a staring contest. Little does he know, I have grown accustomed to it because of Aiden. After two minutes, he caves with a sigh.
Haha!
I always get what I want in the end. He crosses his arms and mutters a name that I didn’t see coming. In that moment, my brain pieces together everything that once did not make sense. I not only know where I need to move my chess pieces to win, I also know who is on the other side of the board.
Checkmate.
* * *
“Defense, who will you be calling to the stands?”
I rise from my seat. “Your honor. I would like to call Joey Gomez to the stand.”
Joey is my last witness before I rest my case. We are almost nearing the end. The testimony from Joey will help me close this case shut since he is Aiden’s close friend. Hopefully, I do well enough to prove my arguments.
The judge nods his head and gestures for Joey to move towards the witness stand. Once Joey reaches the stand, they have him raise his right hand.
“Do you promise that the testimony you shall give in the case before this court shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you, Reaper?”
“I do,” Joey says, unbuttoning his suit jacket as he takes a seat, getting comfortable.
The judge nods at me and announces, “Counsel, you may proceed.”
I walk to the middle of the courtroom, facing the witness. Since we do not have a jury, I want his attention to be on me.
I begin my questioning by stating, “Please state your full name for the record.”
“Joseph Gomez,” he replies with ease. He smiles at the gallery, not at all nervous about the testimony he’s about to give.
I continue, “What is your current position?”
“I am a reaper for the Collection department.”
I nod. “How long have you been a reaper?” It is important to begin any questioning by setting a foundation. It is a way to warm your witness up to ensure they are comfortable with you.
“About seven years.”
“Do you enjoy being a reaper?” He opens his mouth to reply, but Chris abruptly stands. I roll my eyes. This is going to take much longer than needed if Chris does not relax.
“Objection, your honor!” he yells. “Relevance.” I guess we share a favorite objection.
The judge looks to me to give my reply to the objection.
