Page 30 of Link (Dragon Riders MC 1)
I was getting my first taste of what it felt like to be on the defense side of things.
And I didn’t like it one damn bit.
“Come on. Go faster,” I murmured.
I sped into the parking lot of the courthouse and flashed my credentials. After fighting with security and losing my way in the damn place twice, I finally found where I needed to be. I charged through the doors with my briefcase in hand, watching as my client—Maxwell Taro—turned around.
And I could’ve sworn I heard a groan from the prosecution as I walked down the aisle.
“My apologies, Your Honor. I didn’t realize we were holding a last-minute court session to reconfigure my client’s sentencing,” I said.
I shot a glare over to the prosecuting lawyer as he sat there, stone-faced and disappointed.
The entire time I argued for my client in court, I was only half there. I prayed no one could see how puckered my nipples still were. And I hoped with all my might that the makeup on my neck was still there. Link knew how to give a serious hickey. Multiple ones were still prevalent against my neck and my chest. My makeup worked overtime for me today, and I needed to hold my life together for just a second longer.
Just get through this court session, Joanna.
Still, I couldn't believe I’d almost had sex on my desk. With my office door unlocked, no doubt. What if a new client had walked in? Or one of my current clients? Hell, what if a police officer had walked in on us, needing my expertise? I could’ve done some serious fucking damage to the reputation I had already built in the community.
Yet, part of me didn’t care.
Not when it came to Link.
“Your Honor, if I may?” I asked.
The judge held out her hand. “Proceed.”
I walked up to her podium. “There is very little precedence to gird this case. We’ve already had a proceeding where we all agreed on the charges he would be tried with. And now, a month later, we’re all of a sudden changing things? I want to request discovery, so I’m working with what they’re working with.”
The judge nodded. “Will the prosecution please approach?”
I’d never met a man that distracted me more than Link did. Even as I stood there, waiting for the damn prosecuting attorney to walk up, my mind fell back to him. His throbbing muscles. His pulsing cock. His large hands, and the way his calluses felt against my skin. It made me shiver, but I did my best to keep it under wraps.
Focus. You're in court, Joanna.
“Your Honor, with all due respect—”
The judge held up her hand. “The defense has requested discovery. And I’m allowing it.”
The prosecutor stumbled over his words before the judge cut him off again.
“If you’re going to drag me out of a lunch date like this, you better bring something more than ‘you want more charges.’ I’m allowing discovery because, obviously, you must have something if you’re reconvening this court case for sentencing after it’s already happened. And without the consent and knowledge of the defense’s attorney.”
The prosecutor chewed on the inside of his cheek. “Yes, Your Honor.”
The judge reached for her gavel. “Discovery is granted. We’ll reconvene in two weeks’ time to either alter the charges or keep them as is. Dismissed.”
The sound of that gavel against her desk was music to my ears. I grinned at the prosecutor before I walked back to my desk, watching as Max stood. With handcuffs around his wrists, an officer walked him out of the room. But not before he peered over his shoulder and mouthed the two words that always brought me joy in this job.
“Thank you.”
I nodded and waved my hand at him before I gathered my things. I needed to get some lunch. I needed to check on Hope. And I needed to get back to work. Anything to distract me from Link and this bullshit with Skeleton.
“Two weeks’ time. Don’t forget that,” I whispered to myself.
I packed everything up in my briefcase and started out for my car. But I didn’t even get to it before a call rolled through on my cell phone. I looked at the number and sighed, knowing I’d have to change trajectory again. So, I tossed my stuff into the back seat of my car and headed toward the police station.
“I need to put a hold on things until Hope is safe,” I murmured.
I said it more out of spite than anything else, but it made sense. If I was going to give my sister all of my focus, I had to find a new lawyer for my clients. Or at the very least, truncate my hours at the job. Then again, I couldn't pay Link and the guys if I wasn't working.
Talk about a rock and a hard place.
