Love and Betrayal

Chapter 2

Barrett's POV

I was on edge and in a shitty mood to be going to lunch right now but I knew that seeing her would make things better. They always did. She was the sun to my storm. I had to meet with my client who was currently sitting in a jail cell for being stupid, but sometimes stupid had money. It was nothing that I couldn't get him out of. The i***t tried to steal some liquor. Very expensive liquor. Why I don't know because he had the money to just buy it. I guess it was for the thrill of it, but he was so whatever about our meeting. I guess daddy didn't care either, because he didn't even bother showing up this time. Just called and said get him out of it.

"There's my almost husband," Lilly sang out as I walked up to the table. I leaned in and gave her a quick kiss and then sat down. She was the love of my life. We had been together since our freshman year of college, but we had known each other our whole lives. Our fathers worked together at the same law firm. They dealt with high-end property and contracts where, as I am a defense attorney. We went to different high schools, so it wasn't until college that we really got to know each other and started a relationship, even though our parents have been trying to push it on us since we were kids.

"Sorry I'm late. My client this morning was a little difficult, and you know I'm on a time frame this afternoon."

"I understand, I'm a lawyer also," she said, waving off my piss-ass excuse for being late.

"How did the meeting with the wedding planner go?" I asked her, knowing that is what she really wanted to talk about. We got engaged during law school, but both wanted to wait until we had our careers steady, and we had done that, and now it was time and I, for one, was more than happy to marry this woman right now.

"It was good. I found the perfect location for the wedding. It's a little more than we talked about, but don't worry my dad is going to pay for it."

"Honestly, I don't really care as long as it makes you happy." I told her and her smile just grew, and she was literally glowing with happiness.

I hated that I had to cut our lunch short, but I had court this afternoon, and she knew it was going to happen. I had a large case and this one was a high-profile one. The man was accused of murdering his wife and while I'm sure that he probably did do it, it wasn't my job to prove he did, I just had to make sure that there were enough holes in the prosecuting evidence that he didn't get convicted, and today we should get his judgment. I gave Lilly a kiss and paid for lunch and ran across the street to the courthouse. I ran up the stairs two at a time to the second floor and found the rest of my team waiting for me.

"Sir, they are back already," Chad said.

"That was fast."

We all walked back into the courtroom and my client was already sitting there waiting for me. He looked cool as a cucumber. Whereas I felt like a damn wreck. I had plenty of wins behind me but nothing this big. If we won this case, it would put me on the right track to becoming a partner at the law firm. My last name helped, but there was a reason I didn't follow in my father's footsteps. I didn't want to be accused of having anything handed to me. I wanted to make it on my own.

We all stood as the judge walked in, and now I felt like vomiting. I grabbed the water on the table and poured myself a glass and downed it. Things always moved quickly at this point. The head juror stood up and the ringing started filling my ears, and it was hard to hear them, but on the first-degree murder charges he was found not guilty. In fact, he was found not guilty on all charges. He stood and hugged me and the realization of everything just hit me. We won. I did it. The courtroom erupted in angry screams and protest, but I didn't care. My client and I were escorted out the back where a car was waiting for him.

"Thanks man, but I have to roll. There are a few people out front that want my head."

"Happy to help."

"I'm sure you were with your prices," he said, laughing and got in his car and took off. I walked back through the courtroom where it had emptied out for the most part. I scanned the room hoping that Lilly had followed me over. She said she was going to try to be here but didn't know if she was going to be able to. She was waiting for a client to get back to her. I loved that we both had the same profession and had an understanding of things, and it made for some great conversation, and it was easy to bounce ideas off each other.

I walked into my office and shut the door, but it didn't stay shut. I turned to see one of the partners walking in behind me. "Barrett, congratulations," John Johnson said.

"Thank you, sir. It was a tough case."

"Yes, it was. I've been following it and you did a great job. We want to celebrate, so drinks tonight at the club," he said, and then walked back out of my office. Being invited to go for drinks with them is a big deal. They didn't just invite anyone, only those that were partners or those that they were considering making a partner.

I grabbed my cell to call Lilly, but it went straight to voicemail. She must be with her client, so I shot off a text telling her what I was doing tonight and hoped that she wouldn't be upset that I would be late, but I couldn't miss this. I shifted through papers until it was time to head to the club. It was a gentlemen-only club. Archaic and snobby place. It wasn't a gentlemen's club as in strippers, it was just a place where you paid for a membership and had drinks served by pretty girls and smoked cigars. I had been to a different one of the club's multiple times with my father, but not the particular club that we were headed to.

The other two partners poked their heads into my office to get me. Both were older than me, but John was the oldest. He was in his sixties, and then we had Edward Jones. He was in his fifties and then there was Brad Jangula. He was in his mid-thirties and was the youngest to make partner. He was thirty-three. Three years older than I am now. If I were to make partner now, it would make me the youngest, and it would also give me pick of the cases, more high-profile cases, and freedom. I would only ever have to answer to myself, or well them on occasion.

We walked into the club, and I was hit by a cloud of smoke and men's laughter filled the space. You could see how miserable the waitresses were. The smiles were fake, and their laughs were even faker, but they knew how to make a good tip. Flirt and put up with whatever the men had to say, but in here they wouldn't be touched or harmed. We all had reputations to uphold and here it would get around fast if we didn't.

"So, Barrett, tell me how does it feel to win your first murder case? A high-profile case at that?" John asked as the glasses of whiskey were set down on the table.

"Great. Not going to lie, it was a lot, but I loved every second of it. It was a lot of late nights, but I would do it all over again."

"Good to hear that. Now the important question," Edward asked, and my palms got sweaty thinking this was it. They were going to ask me.

"Do you think he did it or not?" He asked and, just like that, all hope flew out the window. I masked my disappointment and sipped my whiskey before I answered him.

"Edward, we work with criminals, of course he did it, but he paid a boat load of money for me to poke those holes in the evidence they had. The only difference between the people we defend and the people locked up is money. Those that have the money to pay for a top lawyer get away with it and those that don't sit in prison." I said, and the three of them chuckled at my answer.

"That is very true, and you did a great job poking those holes as you put it," Brad said, and then the conversation turned to other crap. Their golf game and some of their old cases that they had won. I had been sitting here for two hours, and I was over it. I wanted to go home and celebrate with Lilly, who I hadn't heard from all day.

"Boys, thank you for the celebration drinks, but now I am going to go home and celebrate with my fiancé."

"Young love, we don't want to keep you from that. It's important to establish that trust early on, because if you keep going like you are, you are going to be a busy lawyer, and she is going to have to love you a lot to put up with your hours," Edward said and started laughing. I knew the man was on his third marriage, and I was pretty sure him and his secretary were sleeping together.

"Have a good night," I said and dropped some money on the table and walked out of there feeling defeated. I really thought this would be my chance, but I can't be too upset because I was still young, but my reputation was good, and I had an excellent track record with getting my clients out of trouble. I just needed more time.

Sliding into my car, I started it and checked my phone for messages, but there were none. I still didn't know what Lily was up to. I hadn't heard from her since lunch. I tried calling her but still got voice mail, and so I dialed my brother's number instead. He was also a lawyer, we all were. It has been ingrained in us since birth. There was no other option, not that any of us wanted to do anything else. He worked with my dad at his firm. Stuffy, boring, rich assholes who need to get out of a contract or need one looked at or property issues on land that is worth millions or more.

"Congrats man, your ugly ass face is all over the news."

"Who the hell are you calling ugly? We look just alike."

"Ya, but I'm the better looking one, the smarter one. In fact, I'm just the better brother."

"Shut the f**k up you annoying asshole," I told him and he started laughing. It may not sound like it, but we really are close. He's been my best friend since he was born. We were only thirteen months apart. We did everything together. Same college, same law school. I had two other brothers as well. Everette, who I was talking to, Conrad, who had just finished law school and waiting to take the bar exam, and Maximus, or Max as we call him, is still in college.

"Seriously though, congrats on your case. That was a huge win. Dad was even impressed."

"I doubt that, unless you are kissing the ground that he walks on, he isn't impressed and we both know it. I'll never do enough to impress him because I went into defense law."