Read Online Chasing Justice by Danielle Stewart - Free Book Online

Piper would be to learn about the people with whom the judge had frequent dealings. Who was making it possible for him to regularly meet with prostitutes, yet never get caught? Would people protect him in return for judicial rulings in their favor or some sort of “you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours?” There was very little Piper would admit she had learned from her father, but in this case she knew it was advantageous to have had such a dysfunctional family. Her father had taught her that no man attempting to live two separate lives could maintain such a lifestyle autonomously. Someone, maybe multiple people, must be helping him to continue his charade. Finding out who would be the key. That led her to an old acquaintance she actually found herself happy to see again. He had been one of the first people she connected with when exploring her criminal justice career in Edenville.
    “Piper Anderson, I thought you had fallen off the face of the earth. I haven’t heard from you in over two months,” said the absolutely statuesque Michael Cooper. He stood in the waiting room of his upscale office, ready to escort Piper in. Michael’s hair was sandy blond and a little longer than Piper usually liked on a man, but he kept it styled perfectly with a litany of salon products. “I was so happy to hear you had made an appointment with my office. I hope you weren’t waiting long.”
    “Good to see you as well, Michael. No, I wasn’t waiting long at all, thank you.” Piper took a seat in the large leather chair that Michael had gestured toward. She loved being in his presence. She felt like a different person when she was with him, very much her old self.
    He brought back the unshakable confidence she thought she had lost. When they had spent time together in the past Piper found herself becoming bolder with each encounter. Being with Michael was easy. He was self-absorbed enough not to really notice that Piper never mentioned her past. He never asked her deep questions, and never seemed to need an explanation for anything. When they were together, they lived in the here and now, and something about that made Piper feel completely at ease. In her entire time in Edenville, he had been the only person to have that effect. When she was with Michael, she almost felt like she had an alter ego. Or maybe she simply allowed herself to fall back into being the dynamic, vibrant person she used to be. Everything that had been taken from her seemed to come back when she was with him.
    “I was secretly hoping you had reconsidered my invitation to dinner. I know I’m at least ten years older than you, but I really felt a connection. You are one of the most passionate students I’ve had shadow me in all the years I’ve been doing this. You’re really something special. So it had me thinking we should get to know each other a little better.” Michael lounged back in his plush leather office chair and laced his fingers behind his head. If Piper hadn’t had the pleasure of seeing his bleeding heart in action on three pro bono cases she might find him to be another slimy prosecutor. She had watched him work tirelessly for people and things he believed in only to be let down by the very rules he was fighting to uphold. He may have wanted to seem arrogant, but he couldn’t convince her.
    Piper fought a smile as she spoke. “It’s awkward for me to have to be the one to break this to you, but you know you’re gorgeous right?” She leaned in toward him and waited for his response. They’d had their share of playful spats over the course of their brief time together, so she knew he would be game.
    “I’m not really sure how to answer that without sounding completely self-absorbed. Thank goodness I’m not under oath.” He sat up from his lounging position, readying for her quips.
    Piper continued in a mock serious manner. “You’re gorgeous. You have blond hair and those mesmerizing emerald green eyes. Chiseled movie star