"I'm sorry you had to deal with that arrogant prick. How dare he threaten your life. Just because his dad owned the firm, did not give him the right to treat you like you were his."

"Thank you. That is why I left," she said, voice shaking. The tears were coming. She thought she had finished crying over that place and him. "I was no longer comfortable working there. I thought his father would put a stop to it, but I was wrong. I knew if I stayed there any longer it would only get worse. I have moved out of my apartment and into a hotel under a different name since then. I again changed all my numbers and got rid of my email accounts, starting all new ones."

"Good, girl. Do you still talk to anyone at your old firm?"

"No, I cut off all communication with everyone for not only my own safety, but theirs as well."

"Good. You don't need to put anyone else in danger. If you want to press charges against him, I will help you with that."

"Thank you for the offer, but I would rather just not deal with it anymore, if I can avoid it."

"I can't say that I blame you. If you ever need anything, you let me know. We will take him down."

"I will," she said, giving him a weak smile. He returned it.

"Now, let's get down to business. Are you ready for your first case with us?"

"I am," she said, straightening herself up in her seat. She was nervous about telling him why she left, but was now glad she had done it. He seemed to understand the severity of her situation and why she ran from the prestigious firm. She was caught up in her own thought when she heard him calling her name.

"Missy, Missy, earth to Missy," he said, grinning at her.

"I'm sorry. I was still thinking about what happened. Please, repeat what this case is about, again."

"It's okay," he chuckled. "You have been through a lot and were just trying to forget it. Here I am making you relive it all over again."

"No, I should have shut that part out when you said it was time to talk about the case. Let's get started. I am eager to dive into my first case here and learn what you have to teach me."

"Alright, well your first case will with me has to do with a murder. The cops know who committed the murder, but the evidence is lacking. We need to help them build the case against the guy for a conviction beyond a reasonable doubt. Are you up for it?"

"Yes, who is he suspected of murdering?"

"His ex-girlfriend. The cops think he did it in a jealous rage," he said, visibly wincing at the statement. After what she just told him, he knew this one was going to hit a little too close to home for her. 

She wasn't sure if she wanted to be a part of this case. She wondered if she could ask not to be after what she just encountered in her own life. She told herself it was a job and if she didn't do it, then she was going to have to be bumped down to petty crime and traffic tickets until she was ready. She didn't want that. She worked way too hard already to get where she was. There was no way she was going to start from the bottom, again.

"What evidence do they have and what were the circumstances?" she asked, shifting uncomfortably in her chair.

"I'm sorry. If you don't want to work on this case, I can find you another one to work on."

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, now can we discuss the case?"

"Yes," he said. "Like I said, they don't have much evidence against him. The main thing is his alibi never check out. He claimed he was working late, but when the janitor, who cleans his office, was interviewed he said he never saw him that night. We need to know where he was and what he was doing. He is going to hire the best he can, because he is among the elite in this city. If the cops can prove he was anywhere near the crime scene at the time of the murder, then he will go to jail. We will need to conduct an investigation of our own to see what we can find out. Sometimes, people are more open to speaking with lawyers than cops. Are you up for it?"

"Where do we begin?"

"I say we start with his office. Maybe someone there will have a little more insight into what he was doing that night."

"Was he cheating?" she asked. "Could he have been with another woman and just did not want anyone to know he was cheating on his wife at the time of her murder?"
"It is possible. He was a well-known playboy in his bachelor days and is still highly sought after even though he claims to be happily married."

"I'll begin there," she said, standing up. "Thank you for allowing me to stay on the case."

"You're welcome," he said, walking her to the door. He watched her walk to her office. The sultry sway in her hips as she took each step made his heart race. He was in trouble. He knew he needed to stay away, but he wasn't sure if he could. He needed to think of her situation. She just came from an office where she was stalked by a psycho coworker. He may not act on his compulsion, but he damn sure wasn't going to let anyone hurt her. He had his own investigation and business to conduct. He was going to make sure she was never bothered by that self-serving prick again. He grabbed his jacket off the back of his door, draping it over his arm. He picked up his briefcase and headed out.

He headed toward the elevator, walking right past Missy's office. She was on the phone when she spotted him practically running past her door. She asked her contact to hold on. She headed toward the elevators.

"Hey, did you get a break on the case?" she asked, catching up to him.

"No," he said. "I need to take care of something important. I'll be back in a little bit and we can see where we stand on everything. I'll do some investigating while I am out."

"Okay," she said, retreating to her office. She wondered what he was up to, but knew she needed to get back to work. She had to impress her new boss on this case so she could finally get ahead in her career. She got back on the phone with her contact at the police station. Learning that she needed to go down there to see the files for herself, she grabbed her things and headed out. She arrived at the station. She was about to get out of her car when she spotted him. She slunk down in her seat, hoping he didn't see her. He caught her movements out of the corner of his eye. He recognized her car and her. He walked over to it, taping on her window. She groaned in disapproval, wanting to flee the scene, but knew she couldn't. She rolled down the window.

"There you are," he said, sticking his head into the car. "Why did you just up and leave? I could have made good on my promise. You could have been happy with me, but you chose to run. Your running days are over."

He reached through the window, unlocking the door. She tried to hold the door closed but wasn't strong enough. She screamed. No one came to her rescue. He shoved her to the other side of the car, climbing in. She tried to climb out the passenger door, but he pulled her back in, grabbing her hair and slamming her head into the dashboard. Blood trickled down her forehead as everything went blurry and then dark. He sped off in her car with her slumped in the front seat. He drove onto the highway, accelerating his speed. He wanted to get to the cabin he had set up for the day he found her again. She would be his and only his. No one would have her. He got off of exit 238, heading toward the wooded area the cabin was tucked away in. For miles, there was nothing on this road. He was sure by the end; she would be his or she would be dead. He never bothered to look in his rearview mirror to see if he was being followed. There was a black car following him from the time he pulled away from the police station. He pulled down the long driveway to the cabin. She was beginning to stir. 'Good,' he thought. 'I need her to be awake for everything that is about to happen.'