Chapter 3 : The Man behind the Name

*Amelia*

I wearily trudged up the steps of my apartment, the leather of my work bag creaking with each step. When I pushed open the door, a boisterous rendition of Total Eclipse of the Heart filled the air. My roommate, Nina, was spinning around the room, her curly black hair flying in all directions as she gesticulated wildly and sang into a hairbrush microphone.

"What the hell are you doing?" I yelled over the chaos.

Nina spun around with a smile, "Just getting my steps in. The rain kept me from going on a run, so I decided to dance it out. How was work today?"

I rolled my eyes and walked to the kitchen to grab a snack, "It was long and tiring, per usual. But I made progress on the wrongful injury case I'm working on with Michael. I just need his final approval before we can move forward."

Nina followed me into the kitchen, "That sounds promising! Did you find out anything about the suit against MID?" she asked cautiously.

Nina was well-versed in my obsession with justice for my mom. We had been roommates since I graduated from law school, and she had comforted me as I cried many nights since. Nina would listen to me recount memories of my mother, her gentle voice soothing me as I spoke. With a sympathetic look in her dark eyes and a nod of her head, Nina would pat my hand reassuringly. Her support was unwavering, even on the nights when tears streamed down my cheeks like melting snowflakes.

"Michael gave the case to someone else," I informed her.

I watched the color drain from her face, and she reached out and grabbed my hand as a sign of comfort, "Are you kidding me? That fucking weasel. How could he?! He knows how important this case is to you."

I hung my head and tried to release tension from my shoulders, then explained more thoroughly, "That's actually why he didn't let me pursue the suit. He said I was too personally invested and that it became an issue of conflict of interest. If something were to happen, and the jury found out they were responsible for my mom's death, my entire involvement in the case would come under question and we could lose."

I could see that Nina was getting angrier and angrier as I talked. When I finished, she said, "But that's exactly why you need to be involved! There's too much at risk for you to not dot every i and cross every t. That's unfair, and Michael is being an asshole. So who did he pass the case on to?"

I've talked about Adrian to Nina before because he had a questionable reputation amongst lawyers. The rumor went that he used less than lawful, even illegal methods to uncover information and file details with the court, which was why his win rate was so high.

I cleared my throat and tried to keep my voice even, "Adrian Chase."

Nina's eyes widened, and she shouted, "You're kidding me!"

I shook my head, and replied, "I'm not. Not at all."

Nina stood up and began pacing the living room like a caged tiger, "So, you can't work the case because you're too personally invested, but Adrian Chase can work the case even though he's a criminal? Make it make sense."

I laughed at her passionate rant, and then told her, "But there is a light at the end of the tunnel, though."

She stopped pacing and turned toward me, "What's the good news, then? I can't handle any more letdowns today. My horoscope told me life-changing events were coming, and I was hoping it was a boyfriend, not this shit."

Her comments made me double over, and I had to wipe tears of laughter from my eyes before answering her, "I decided to confront Chase about taking the case from me. We argued back and forth, and he eventually agreed to let me be involved. It was a massive pissing match, but it's better than nothing. We have a meeting tomorrow to go over the logistics."

"So you're going to be working with ADRIAN CHASE?!" she asked incredulously.

I chuckled and nodded my head, "I'm not sure on what capacity yet, but yes. I'll take anything I can get at this point. They're killing people, and I'd wash his car if it meant he let me be involved."

Nina was silent for a moment, then put her hands on my shoulders and said, "You've got this. I know you do. You have to take charge and show him that he can't push you around like he does everyone else."

I smiled, feeling grateful for her support, "Thanks, Nina. That means a lot to me."

She nodded in affirmation, and then we both stood in silence for a few moments until finally, she broke it with her signature feistiness, "We need to celebrate! We'll get some greasy pizza and watch a few cheesy rom-coms. It'll be like when we first moved in together."

I couldn't help but smile at the suggestion; I hadn't felt this lighthearted in weeks. We hugged each other tightly and laughed, "You know I'm a sucker for a sausage pepperoni with extra sauce and extra cheese," I said.

"No matter what happens, you know I'm always here for you, right? You're like family to me, and I'll move heaven and Earth to help you. Just say the word," Nina reminded me.

My eyes teared up hearing her sentiment, and I said, "I know. Now go order our pizza before you make me cry. And get some cheese cups for dipping."

Nina grinned and headed towards the kitchen to order the pizza. As she dialed the number, I couldn't help but feel grateful for having her in my life. I had been hellbent on revenge for so long, and Nina was always a voice of reason or a hype woman. She adjusted her advice to whatever I needed at that moment, and I'd never be able to replace her in my life.

As I sat on the couch, waiting for the pizza to arrive, I couldn't help but think about Adrian. Working with him was going to be a challenge, but I was determined to prove myself to him. I knew he had doubts about me, but I was going to show him that I was a force to be reckoned with. I just had to overcome whatever that weird tension was today in his office. Nothing good was going to come out of lusting after the lawyer with questionable scruples.

The doorbell rang, interrupting my thoughts, and I got up to answer it. Nina followed behind me, grabbing the money to pay the delivery guy. As we sat down to eat, we put on the first rom-com we could find on Netflix.

As we munched on our pizza and laughed at the cheesy jokes, I couldn't help but feel a sense of relief wash over me. For the first time in forever, it felt like things were going to be okay.

Just as the movie was reaching its climax, my phone rang. I didn't recognize the number, and usually, I'd ignore it, but something called me to hit accept.

"Hello?" I answered, trepidation dripping from my voice.

"Amelia, hello. Sorry for calling you so late, but something has come up and I need to move our meeting time up to eight-thirty instead of eleven-thirty," the man on the other line said.

"Adrian?" I asked, wondering how he got my number.

He sighed into the phone, and said, "Obviously. Who else do you have a meeting with tomorrow at eleven-thirty?"

I bristled at his sarcastic tone, and bit back, "No need to be rude. Eight thirty works for me."

I hung up before he had a chance to say anything and looked over at Nina as she stared at me.

"How the hell did he get my number?" I asked her.

Nina contemplated my question, then said, "Well, he isn't exactly by the book. I'm sure it was easy to get. You know, we could do a little recon and see what exactly you're getting yourself into by working with him."

She wagged her eyebrows at me and flexed her fingers. Nina is a brilliant hacker, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't intrigued with her looking into Adrian before I jumped headfirst into the case.

I thought about it for a beat, then told her, "Okay, but nothing illegal. Promise?"

She laughed, "Fine, nothing illegal."

She jumped from the couch and ran to grab her computer, and I tried to tell myself that learning more about him wasn't a bad thing. Nina started her search, and I watched over her shoulder as she worked her magic.

What we found was a tangled web of shady connections but nothing too incriminating. Adrian seemed to either be extremely straight-laced or incredibly good at covering his tracks. He had a few suspicious contacts in the legal industry, but nothing that seemed to cross any lines. He also had a few interactions with some not-so-legal organizations, but it all seemed to be above board and on the up and up. Although I was relieved by what we found, it still made me wonder even more about this mysterious man that I'd somehow stumbled into working with.

Although Nina's search revealed nothing too significant, it didn't erase my curiosity; if anything, it just made me more eager to delve further into this case and get to know Adrian better.

"Alright, so he isn't involved with the mafia, and there doesn't seem to be any mysterious disappearances or murders tied to him. That's a good thing, right?" Nina asked.

I nodded, "Yes, it is. I still don't think we're going to see eye to eye on much. He's really fucking elusive and hard to read. It's annoying."

Nina shrugged, "Maybe that's part of his charm. Keeps you on your toes, you know?"

I rolled my eyes, "Yeah, maybe. But it's also frustrating. I need to be able to trust the people I work with, and I don't know if I can trust him yet."

Nina nodded in understanding, "I get it. But you have to admit, his history of winning is impeccable. If I had to pick someone other than you to try the case, I'd go with the guy who's only lost a handful of times over the last five years."

I sighed, "Yeah, you're right. I'm just nervous. I don't want to get in over my head."

Nina put a comforting hand on my shoulder, "Hey, you've got this. And you've got me. We'll figure it out together."

I smiled gratefully at her, "Thanks, Nina. I appreciate it."

She grinned, "Of course."

We settled in to finish our movie, and my phone vibrated with an incoming text message.

-If we're going to be working together, you’d do well to learn that I don't appreciate being hung up on. Don't be late tomorrow.-

I sighed as I read Adrian's text message. This was exactly what I was talking about. He was so damn difficult to work with. But I knew that I couldn't let my personal feelings get in the way of our professional relationship. I had to be civil and work with him if we were going to win this case.

I turned to Nina, "Looks like I've got a reminder to not be late tomorrow."

Nina chuckled, "Well, that's one way to put it."

We finished the movie and said our goodnights before heading off to our rooms. As I lay in bed, I couldn't shake the feeling that there was something more to Adrian than what we had found in our search. He didn’t earn his reputation by having a few shady associates, and I wanted to know exactly who I was getting in bed with. I wanted justice but not at the expense of my soul.

However, I knew that I couldn't let my imagination get the best of me. Tomorrow, I’d go toe to toe with Adrian, and I’d learn the fate of my part in the most important case I’d ever be involved in.