Power plays had been her bailiwick for longer than she could remember. She could outlast, outmaneuver anyone. Except maybe one man. This man. But she was out of options and Mara might be out of time. “As long as you understand this is my case. And that means following the law. My rules. My playbook.”
“Until it needs to be mine.”
It was as close as she was going to get. Desperation overrode common sense. Getting anywhere near Vince was asking for trouble, but if she was going to find Mara, win her case and solidify her future with the DA’s office, she didn’t have a choice. “I swear on their lives.” She locked her hand around his and braced her heart against what was to come.
“Then we have a deal.”
“Thanks for meeting me, Kyla.” Simone slipped into the chair across from her assistant at Monroe’s and offered her a small smile. The fifteen-minute drive from Vince’s bar to the coffee shop had given her enough time to think. And question. And have second thoughts. Then third...
Vince had been right about one thing: she really wished she’d had Allie and Eden to talk to if for no other reason than to convince her she was wrong about where she and the case were headed. Maybe she was overreacting to something and letting fear get the best of her. Simone might have been able to cling to that belief if Vince hadn’t voiced his own similar suspicions. “I hope I didn’t interrupt anything.”
“Like a date?” Kyla flipped the multicolored scarf behind her narrow shoulders and sent her ebony curls bouncing. “Well, I was deeply involved with this ten-inch-thick textbook on property and tax law. Do you want coffee?”
She’d already had enough to ensure she wouldn’t blink for weeks. “No, thanks.” Simone shook her head and waved the waitress away. “Were you able to get the information I asked for?”
“I boxed up all your files and left them underneath the desk in your office.” Kyla cringed. “Glad you reminded me about the new email monitoring program. Printing the hard copies didn’t take me as long as I thought it would and I would have brought it all with me, but there was no way to be sneaky about it.”
“Not to worry.” Simone added an early morning stop to the office to her mental agenda.
“I also added the background information on Mara and everyone else that’s involved, however peripherally, in the case. I’m surprised the copy machine didn’t short out.”
“What would I do without you?” Simone couldn’t wait to start combing through everything from top to bottom. “I appreciate you covering for me today.”
“Felt like I was in a spy movie. Nice break from studying for the bar.” Kyla folded her hands on the table. “Are you going to tell me what’s going on or is this some roundabout method of giving me more ‘tests’ for homework?”
“I wish that was the case. What did you hear around the office?”
Kyla shrugged, her gaze shifting to the table. “Not much.”
“Kyla Bertrand.” Simone pursed her lips. “You’re a beacon for gossip in that place. Spill.”
“Okay, I might have heard that your main witness went missing, and you somehow managed to get a delay from a judge notorious for sticking to his calendar. Your colleagues started a pool on how long you’ll have a job.”
“What odds are they giving?” Maybe she should place a bet and get a jump start on her unemployment.
“I didn’t ask,” Kyla said with a hint of defense in her voice. “I never bet against my boss and I plan on you sitting in the big chair this time next year.”
“I appreciate your faith,” Simone said, even as her own began to fracture. If she blew this case, the career she’d always wanted, had worked so hard for, would be over. And Paul Denton and his coconspirators—whoever they may be—would avoid justice. Something Simone refused to abide. “I wanted to keep you in the loop so you know what not to tell people.”
“By people you mean DA Lawson?”
“I mean any people.” Simone didn’t want to tell Kyla about her growing suspicions of Cal Hobard or her concern others in the DA’s office were involved. The farther away she stayed from everyone at her place of work, the better. At least until she got more information herself. “I’ve hired an outside investigator to hopefully track down Mara. I’m keeping it under wraps. I don’t suppose anyone would believe if I called in sick tomorrow?”
Kyla’s expression confirmed her thought. “They’ll believe you’re working on a new angle for the case.”
“That works.” Keeping people on edge gave her an advantage.
“Come to think of it,” Kyla said. “You’ve never been sick in all the years I’ve known you. Must be all those plants you eat.”
“What is it with people and how I eat?” To be contrary, she reached across the table and snapped off half the chocolate chip cookie Kyla had been nibbling on. “First Vince, now you—”
Kyla slapped her hand on Simone’s arm as her mouth dropped open. “Vince, as in the ex-husband you never talk about Vince? Now it’s your turn to spill.”
“He’s a private investigator, and I needed someone outside the office I could trust.”
“You can trust your ex-husband?” Kyla’s confusion mirrored Simone’s. “Is that even possible?”
“When it comes to something like this, yes, it is.” Describing Vince to someone who had never met him was a bit like trying to describe the Easter Bunny to a newborn. There wasn’t any point. They’d never understand. “I’m going to give him your cell number in case there’s more information he needs, information I can’t get to. Does that work for you?”
“I’m your assistant.” Kyla’s defiant brown eyes sparked in that way that had convinced Simone to hire her. “You tell me what you want me to do, I do it. No questions asked.”
“Keep that in mind because as we move forward, no matter what, this will all be over Monday morning.” Simone picked up her bag and got to her feet. “Keep your head down, okay, Kyla? Let me know if you hear anything else about the case.”
“Like what?”
“I’m not sure. But I have this odd feeling my world is about to crack open. I don’t want you getting swallowed by it.”
“Then maybe it’s me who should be telling you to keep your head down. Hey, before you go, answer one thing for me.” Kyla waggled her eyebrows. “Any chance in all of this that you’ll introduce me to your ex-husband?”
Simone couldn’t help it. She smiled. “Something tells me I won’t have a choice.”
* * *
Vince cleaned the last glass, turned off the neon open sign and locked the front door to the bar. The clock had hit 2:00 a.m. or, as he planned to call it from here on out, the hour of regret.
He’d heard of hitting a grand slam before, but how he’d managed to sit through dinner with his ex-wife, agree to work with her and dive into what was probably another hopeless missing person’s case could easily be added to the record books.
He never should have congratulated himself on knowing what buttons to push to unsettle her. Karma had caught up to him with Simone’s offer to reexamine his brother’s conviction. When was he ever going to learn?
Vince flicked off the lights, picked up Jason’s file and headed down