Read Online Advice of Counsel (The Samuel Collins Series Book 1) by Debra Trueman - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Debra Trueman
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case. Landra walked up the sweeping staircase out of
my line of vision and I was just about to turn away when something caught the
corner of my eye and I did a double-take. Drake Reeds was heading up the
stairs behind her.
Now, typically, I’m not a jealous man. And I don’t know if
jealousy was what I was feeling right then or not, but I was definitely feeling
something and it definitely didn’t feel good. I tried to put the thought of
the two of them out of my mind, after all it was probably nothing, but for some
reason I couldn’t let it go. I had long-since tuned out my opposing counsel
and I realized he must have asked me a question because he was looking at me,
waiting for me to answer.
“I’m sorry. I thought I recognized someone over there. What
was the question?”
“Tuesday. Can you meet Tuesday to discuss it?”
“Sure. Yeah, Tuesday’s fine. Just call Penny and let her know
what time.”
I hate talking business at parties and I finally managed to get
away from the guy. It had been a good 15 minutes since Landra and Drake had
disappeared. I made my way back to the bar and got another beer and was headed
back to where Landra told me she’d meet me, when there was a tremendous noise
outside like the sound of breaking glass and immediately afterward, a
collective roar of people yelling and screaming. I headed in the direction of
the commotion to see what had happened and I could see that there was someone
lying on the ground beside the pool and people were looking up and pointing
towards the second story of the house.
“Call 911!” people were shouting.
Apparently someone had fallen through the upstairs window and
there was glass all over the patio. I could see a pool of blood underneath the
person’s head and his legs were all twisted and contorted on the pavement.
When the realization hit me, my blood went cold and my heart started thumping
so hard I could literally feel it through my shirt. I was moving backward the
first 10 feet or so while things sunk in, then I finally got my shit together
and turned around and sprinted across the patio, through the house, and up the
stairs as fast as I could go.
“Landra!” I was shouting frantically before I even reached the
top of the stairs. I stopped and got my bearings and headed in the direction
of the room from where Drake had taken the dive. “Landra!” I kept calling
out. There were so many rooms in the damn house that I was in and out of four
of them before I came to the room with the broken window.
She was sitting on the bed when I came in, holding the top of
her dress in place where it had been ripped and she seemed to be in some
catatonic state, rocking back and forth. She was trembling, staring out into
nothing, and she had black eye makeup running down her cheeks from crying.
Both of her upper arms had red welts on them and I could clearly make out
finger marks on the right one. I wanted to run over and hold her, but I wasn’t
exactly sure what she’d been through and I was afraid my approaching her would
freak her out.
“Landra, it’s Sam,” I said.
She didn’t respond and I couldn’t tell if she even knew I was
in the room. I could hear people coming down the hall so I waited until they
got to the doorway and I held up my hand and motioned for them to be quiet.
There were three men and a woman, and all of them stepped into the room and
took in the scene. I noticed for the first time that a chair was overturned and
that a large vase was broken on the floor. The woman gasped at the sight of
Landra, and took off downstairs saying that her friend was a doctor. I turned
my attention back to Landra.
“Everything’s okay, Landra,” I told her. “I’m just going to
come over there beside you.” I walked slowly across the room to the bed and
then I knelt down in front of her. “Landra, can you hear me?”
She wasn’t responding, and it was starting to scare
my line of vision and I was just about to turn away when something caught the
corner of my eye and I did a double-take. Drake Reeds was heading up the
stairs behind her.
Now, typically, I’m not a jealous man. And I don’t know if
jealousy was what I was feeling right then or not, but I was definitely feeling
something and it definitely didn’t feel good. I tried to put the thought of
the two of them out of my mind, after all it was probably nothing, but for some
reason I couldn’t let it go. I had long-since tuned out my opposing counsel
and I realized he must have asked me a question because he was looking at me,
waiting for me to answer.
“I’m sorry. I thought I recognized someone over there. What
was the question?”
“Tuesday. Can you meet Tuesday to discuss it?”
“Sure. Yeah, Tuesday’s fine. Just call Penny and let her know
what time.”
I hate talking business at parties and I finally managed to get
away from the guy. It had been a good 15 minutes since Landra and Drake had
disappeared. I made my way back to the bar and got another beer and was headed
back to where Landra told me she’d meet me, when there was a tremendous noise
outside like the sound of breaking glass and immediately afterward, a
collective roar of people yelling and screaming. I headed in the direction of
the commotion to see what had happened and I could see that there was someone
lying on the ground beside the pool and people were looking up and pointing
towards the second story of the house.
“Call 911!” people were shouting.
Apparently someone had fallen through the upstairs window and
there was glass all over the patio. I could see a pool of blood underneath the
person’s head and his legs were all twisted and contorted on the pavement.
When the realization hit me, my blood went cold and my heart started thumping
so hard I could literally feel it through my shirt. I was moving backward the
first 10 feet or so while things sunk in, then I finally got my shit together
and turned around and sprinted across the patio, through the house, and up the
stairs as fast as I could go.
“Landra!” I was shouting frantically before I even reached the
top of the stairs. I stopped and got my bearings and headed in the direction
of the room from where Drake had taken the dive. “Landra!” I kept calling
out. There were so many rooms in the damn house that I was in and out of four
of them before I came to the room with the broken window.
She was sitting on the bed when I came in, holding the top of
her dress in place where it had been ripped and she seemed to be in some
catatonic state, rocking back and forth. She was trembling, staring out into
nothing, and she had black eye makeup running down her cheeks from crying.
Both of her upper arms had red welts on them and I could clearly make out
finger marks on the right one. I wanted to run over and hold her, but I wasn’t
exactly sure what she’d been through and I was afraid my approaching her would
freak her out.
“Landra, it’s Sam,” I said.
She didn’t respond and I couldn’t tell if she even knew I was
in the room. I could hear people coming down the hall so I waited until they
got to the doorway and I held up my hand and motioned for them to be quiet.
There were three men and a woman, and all of them stepped into the room and
took in the scene. I noticed for the first time that a chair was overturned and
that a large vase was broken on the floor. The woman gasped at the sight of
Landra, and took off downstairs saying that her friend was a doctor. I turned
my attention back to Landra.
“Everything’s okay, Landra,” I told her. “I’m just going to
come over there beside you.” I walked slowly across the room to the bed and
then I knelt down in front of her. “Landra, can you hear me?”
She wasn’t responding, and it was starting to scare
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