A Twist of Betrayal by Allie Harrison Page B

up at him, she found Dan’s gaze on her, not on the man he held in place. She stared into the smoke of his eyes, knowing if she could only get lost in there, she’d be safe and her racing heart would slow.
    For a long moment, she didn’t move. Even when the room filled with several armed guards, all of whom wanted to escort the defendant back to his cell personally. She sat on the floor, not worried that her skirt had hiked up her thighs several inches, and watched the man she had worked so hard to defend be escorted away. She didn’t move until Dan took her arm and helped her to her feet.
    “Are you all right, Counselor?”
    Dan’s smooth, deep voice caressed her skin and mind, calming her instantly. And the way he said counselor—slowly, pronouncing each syllable—sent a tingle up her back as if he’d actually touched some secret place inside her. It was as if he’d kissed her again.
    “Yes-yes, I think so,” she said. Did her voice sound as normal as she hoped, or could he hear her terror or her need to keep her words from trembling? Could he tell she clenched her jaw to keep her teeth from chattering? Could he tell that at any moment, her weak knees were bound to give out and she’d be back on her duff on the floor? Justine told herself to think again about the fire she saw in his eyes and the compassion of his words. Forget about the fact that she’d just come so close to death.
    Dan still held her arm. “I’m sorry I had to knock you down.”
    Justine tried to laugh, but all that came out was a broken, cackle sound. “That’s perfectly all right. You can knock me down any time you need to save my life.”
    “You’re shaking,” he pointed out softly.
    With the gentle way he still held her arm, he had to feel the fear quivering through her.
    “Yes, well that’s the first time I’ve ever been threatened. I take that back,” she added suddenly with a forced smile. “When I was handling divorces, I once had a soon-to-be ex-spouse threaten me. But it was all verbal, he didn’t point a gun in my face or shoot at me.”
    “How long have you been working as a public defender?” Dan asked.
    He hadn’t asked many work related questions during their date the night before. Justine had the feeling he had done his best to separate business from pleasure. “This is my first case,” she replied. “Alone.”
    His shock was evident in his eyes. “Really? After watching you yesterday and today, I would have thought you were an old pro at this.”
    This time her smile wasn’t so forced. She liked the way he had the ability to put her at ease. “Well, I’m not, and I hope I never have to be a pro at reacting to having a gun in my face.”
    “So do I, Counselor,” he said.
    Her heart suddenly hammered against her chest again, as the huskiness of his voice sent a vibration right through her. She no longer questioned that he was a cop or why he’d come into her life. She was simply glad and thankful for it.
    “It can be a scary thing,” he went on. “Why don’t I take you back to your office, or even home?”
    Justine opened her mouth, but for a moment couldn’t think of the right reply. She felt as if her insides were still shaking apart with lingering terror. It was as if the fear of her life nearly ending had sent parts of herself into different directions, and she couldn’t seem to find all the pieces to pull herself back together.
    Driving was probably not a good idea.
    But she had her professional image to uphold. She had the case to think about. No, she didn’t, she assured herself. And it didn’t matter if she gave up the case, or not, she had the feeling the judge would take care of it for her.
    Justine sighed. “I just don’t understand why he did it,” she said. “We were winning, didn’t he see that?”
    “He probably needed a fix, and that’s all he saw.”
    She looked around the emptying courtroom. There was a bullet hole in the judge’s chair and another one in what had been