She shakes her head and snatches the sunglasses away. “Walked into a door.”

Glancing over my shoulder at Ray, directly behind me, I whisper, “You know the community legal center is partnered with the battered women’s shelter. I’ve seen bruises like this before. You’ve assisted on those files. So you know that excuse doesn’t cut it with me. Was it Vetch?”

Penny’s shoulders sag and her eyes glitter with tears. “He’s different when he’s not around the band. He’s really sweet and kind, and we have a good laugh together. It’s just when he’s with the band, he has to keep up appearances and things get a bit crazy. But he’s always sorry, and this time he was appalled when he saw my eye. He promised it would never happen again. He even bought me a…”

“Ray will go crazy.” I interrupt her with a warning shake of my head. “You know he’s got a protective streak a mile wide.”

But I’m too late. The couch creaks and I spin around, perching on the side of Penny’s desk to keep her completely hidden from view.

“Why you sittin’ there staring at me?” he says from behind his paper as if he has X-ray vision.

“Nothing better to do.”

He lowers his paper and glares. “Don’t give me that lame-ass excuse. Never once saw you with nothing to do. What are you hiding?”

Penny gives a squeak of fear and I slide off the desk. “Nothing. I just need Penny in my office for a minute.” I cover for her as she slips out of her chair and heads to my office.

“Stop right there, Penelope Ann McDonald,” Ray barks.

But Penny doesn’t stop. She runs into my office and slams the door.

Ray’s eyes slide over to me. “What’s going on? A man can’t get any peace at your office. A man likes peace first thing in the morning. Man like me, more.”

“It’s a woman issue.”

Ray snorts a laugh. “Amanda, you can’t lie for f**k.”

“Watch your language,” I snap. “This is a law firm, not…”

He cuts me off. “Was a law firm.”

My lips tighten. “It’s not closed yet. I have to finish the Redemption case, make my court appearance today, and deal with the pro bono files. I can’t just wave a magic wand and shut everything down. I also have all the legalities to deal with.”

“Humph.” His eyes flick to my office door and back to me, and then his voice softens. “He hurt her, didn’t he?”

I open my mouth to cover for her, but the planned lie doesn’t come out. Instead, a wave of anger washes over me. Poor Penny. I may have spent a lifetime looking for love, but I never once thought I was unworthy of it.

Ray pushes himself off the couch and grabs his leather jacket from the coat stand. “Got someplace I need to be. Something I need to do.”

“Ray…” I follow him out the door. “Can I come with you?”

His eyebrows lift. “Thought you weren’t a fighter.”

“Maybe I was wrong.”

A smile spreads across his face. “Good to hear, but I can’t let you—”

“There’s more than one way to fight. You do what you do outside, and I’ll do what I do inside. I need to go to the courthouse and then to the police station and then the community law center. Talk to a few people. Collect a few documents. Then I’ll sit down with Penny and see if she wants to go ahead with civil or criminal prosecution.”

Ray scratches his head. “Guess I should leave him alive then.”

“Yeah, Ray. I guess you should.”

***

“Westwood. Good to see you. Ready for a beating? I thought for sure after you got all those applications you would run away with your tail between your legs.”

Evil Reid smirks beside the courtroom door, a vision of overly tanned, vicious elegance in an Armani suit, crisp white shirt, silver cuffs, and red silk tie.

“You thought wrong. I’m a fighter, and I’m fighting this all the way.”

“Well, this is one fight you’re going to lose.” He folds his arms over his chest. “Farnsworth golfs with Judge Vickers every Friday. He knows how the judge thinks, and he says there’s no way the judge is going to make us respond to your interrogatories or produce all the documents you requested.”

I check my watch and motion toward the door. Regardless of who golfs with whom, neither of us can afford to be late. Evil Reid pulls open the door to the courtroom and holds it, gesturing for me to precede him.

“There’s no way he can’t refuse my request.” I glance over my shoulder at Evil Reid and sigh loudly when his gaze does not lift from my ass as he follows me down the aisle. “You just slapped the same boilerplate objection on every request I’ve made. Everything can’t be covered by privilege. And I know you did it to buy time because there are documents Farnsworth doesn’t want me to see. I’ve been there, Reid. I’ve played the game. But this time I’m on the other side.”

Evil Reid’s lips curl into a snarl. “You’re forgetting I have something you want. I can make this all go away. I can get Farnsworth to settle. But you know the price.”

“What price?” I spin around to face him, and for the first time, I am unnerved by his cold, dark gaze and the determined set to his jaw.

He steps into my personal space, his face only inches from mine. “I get what I should have gotten the first day we met. I get what you promised with every brush of your hand on my arm, every surreptitious touch, every giggle and smile and tease. I get what you gave everyone else but me.”