career on a legal conflict. Especially with a man who had so easily broken down her defenses.
“What did you want to tell me earlier?” She stopped beside a glass barrier overlooking the open atrium. Sunshine sparkled in the windows overhead and danced off the leaves on the trees scattered in the foyer below.
“I wanted to tell you about this note.” Martha reached into her purse and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper.
Katy smoothed the page and skimmed over a list of names and phone numbers, none of which were familiar.
“It’s from Martin Kowalski. He was a senior researcher at Hi-Tech. He was like a mentor to me, although we didn’t work in the same lab. He didn’t agree with some things they were doing so he quit. When I told him I had gone to the regulators, he gave me this list and said it would help prove my allegations. He asked me not to tell them where I got it.”
Katy turned the paper over. “Did you show this to your previous lawyer?”
Martha shook her head. “He was too busy to even meet with me and I didn’t really trust him. I got the feeling he saw this as another routine dismissal case. But you seem more interested and…aggressive.”
Katy gave her a wry smile. “Assertive maybe, but not usually aggressive.”
She knew when to pull back. Except today. What the hell had happened in there? She had faced down the best and brightest of the corporate world but something about Steele turned her knees to jelly. She sensed in him the same streak of cruelty Steven hid so well beneath his cloak of respectability.
Unlike Mark. She barely knew him, but he had already shown her he had limits…and compassion.
Martha sighed. “The regulators weren’t interested in the list. They had already decided my claim had no merit.”
Katy tucked the paper into her folder. “Who are the men on the list?”
Martha shrugged her shoulders. “I didn’t recognize their names. I had a friend at Hi-Tech search through the employee database for me. None of the names turned up. Martin wouldn’t say anything else about it. I think he’s scared.”
A class of law students approached, talking in hushed whispers about a trial they’d just watched. Katy put a finger to her lips, silencing her client, until they were out of earshot.
“Scared of what?”
“Scared of the company, but mostly of Mr. Steele.” She squeezed Katy’s hand. “You did great in there. Mr. Steele is the most intimidating person I’ve ever met. Usually when I’m near him, my heart pounds.”
Mark stepped out into the hallway and caught Katy’s gaze. Her heart skipped a beat and she drew in a ragged breath.
“I know what you mean.”
“Objection.”
Katy gave an exasperated sigh. She had long passed the point of hiding her frustration. Mark seemed determined to stop her from getting any evidence from Steele, no matter how trivial. As a result, she had been unable to confirm Martha’s story and the day was almost over.
“What is it this time?” She let sarcasm drip from every word, enjoying the small pleasure of hearing his slight grunt of irritation.
“Your question isn’t relevant to the pleaded case. You know better.”
Katy raised her eyebrows. “I know better?”
Steele smirked. She hadn’t realized his lips could do anything but frown.
Knowing she was about to lose her cool, she turned to Tim. “Off the record please if Mr. Richards doesn’t object to that .”
She folded her arms and glared at her adversary across the table. She had conducted hundreds of examinations for discovery and dozens of trials. She had dealt with difficult counsel and stubborn witnesses. But Mark wound her up more than anyone ever had and damned if she could figure out why. He seemed to have a sixth sense about which objections would irritate her the most.
“No objection.” His cool tone added fuel to her fire and her body heated in anger. Or was it something else?
Tim turned off the recorder and sat back to watch the
“What did you want to tell me earlier?” She stopped beside a glass barrier overlooking the open atrium. Sunshine sparkled in the windows overhead and danced off the leaves on the trees scattered in the foyer below.
“I wanted to tell you about this note.” Martha reached into her purse and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper.
Katy smoothed the page and skimmed over a list of names and phone numbers, none of which were familiar.
“It’s from Martin Kowalski. He was a senior researcher at Hi-Tech. He was like a mentor to me, although we didn’t work in the same lab. He didn’t agree with some things they were doing so he quit. When I told him I had gone to the regulators, he gave me this list and said it would help prove my allegations. He asked me not to tell them where I got it.”
Katy turned the paper over. “Did you show this to your previous lawyer?”
Martha shook her head. “He was too busy to even meet with me and I didn’t really trust him. I got the feeling he saw this as another routine dismissal case. But you seem more interested and…aggressive.”
Katy gave her a wry smile. “Assertive maybe, but not usually aggressive.”
She knew when to pull back. Except today. What the hell had happened in there? She had faced down the best and brightest of the corporate world but something about Steele turned her knees to jelly. She sensed in him the same streak of cruelty Steven hid so well beneath his cloak of respectability.
Unlike Mark. She barely knew him, but he had already shown her he had limits…and compassion.
Martha sighed. “The regulators weren’t interested in the list. They had already decided my claim had no merit.”
Katy tucked the paper into her folder. “Who are the men on the list?”
Martha shrugged her shoulders. “I didn’t recognize their names. I had a friend at Hi-Tech search through the employee database for me. None of the names turned up. Martin wouldn’t say anything else about it. I think he’s scared.”
A class of law students approached, talking in hushed whispers about a trial they’d just watched. Katy put a finger to her lips, silencing her client, until they were out of earshot.
“Scared of what?”
“Scared of the company, but mostly of Mr. Steele.” She squeezed Katy’s hand. “You did great in there. Mr. Steele is the most intimidating person I’ve ever met. Usually when I’m near him, my heart pounds.”
Mark stepped out into the hallway and caught Katy’s gaze. Her heart skipped a beat and she drew in a ragged breath.
“I know what you mean.”
“Objection.”
Katy gave an exasperated sigh. She had long passed the point of hiding her frustration. Mark seemed determined to stop her from getting any evidence from Steele, no matter how trivial. As a result, she had been unable to confirm Martha’s story and the day was almost over.
“What is it this time?” She let sarcasm drip from every word, enjoying the small pleasure of hearing his slight grunt of irritation.
“Your question isn’t relevant to the pleaded case. You know better.”
Katy raised her eyebrows. “I know better?”
Steele smirked. She hadn’t realized his lips could do anything but frown.
Knowing she was about to lose her cool, she turned to Tim. “Off the record please if Mr. Richards doesn’t object to that .”
She folded her arms and glared at her adversary across the table. She had conducted hundreds of examinations for discovery and dozens of trials. She had dealt with difficult counsel and stubborn witnesses. But Mark wound her up more than anyone ever had and damned if she could figure out why. He seemed to have a sixth sense about which objections would irritate her the most.
“No objection.” His cool tone added fuel to her fire and her body heated in anger. Or was it something else?
Tim turned off the recorder and sat back to watch the
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