“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Will seems confused by the cop’s statement.

“Sure you do. You had a nice chat behind the bar. You were going over a case together. What was it?” Ed pretends to ask his partner, who remains quiet. “Oh yeah, it was Devon Brown’s case.” Ed suddenly recalls. “What I want to know is why you were discussing Devon’s case with his lawyer?”

Will leans on the bar and pops a peanut in his mouth before replying, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Sure you do, it was the night Saggy Sam got popped for stabbing the homeless guy on Romolo Street.” Ed takes a long sip of the soda Sandy set in front of him.

“I remember the night, but I don’t know the guy.” Will’s patience seems to be wearing thin.

“Batista, Bill Batista was his name. He was a great guy to know in your line of work. He didn’t care what kind of scumbag he was defending, as long as he got paid.” Officer Taylor shifts on his stool and clears his throat like he’s warning his partner, but Ed continues. “Getting Devon off on a third-strike felony must have been a huge payday for him. Every punk in the state would’ve been knocking on his door.”

“I could’ve used a guy like that.” Will smirks and jiggles the change in his pocket.

“Yeah, too bad some piece of shit shot him. Killed his wife, too.”

I look at Nick; he meets my wide eyes with a pair of his own. Fuck, this sounds a little too familiar. Dani said her parents were shot in a car-jacking. It’s one hellava coincidence. But Dani’s last name is DiMarco, not Batista.

Will flicks the peanuts around the bowl with his finger, and then defiantly pops a nut in his mouth. He looks up from the bowl with a sinister grin. “Let me guess, you pinched some crackhead that’s trying to make a deal by feeding you some bullshit story about me.” He laughs at the officers’ frustrated expressions.

Ed sets his glass down with a loud thump. “We have a witness that says you were pretty pissed off at this Batista fellow. He said you were going on and on about paying him to lose the case.”

Will glances back at our table to see if we’re listening, Nick nods and Will grins, pausing for a second before answering. “You know what I think, Ed?”

“I’d love to know what you think.” Ed looks amused, like he’s about to get what he came for.

“I think you’re desperate.” Ed’s smile fades as quickly as it appeared. “I think you’re still trying to dig your way out of the shit hole you created when you screwed that pretty little redheaded juror at my trial. I think you want me, and you’ll do anything to get me.” Will gets closer to Ed and lowers his voice. “Tell me, was she worth it?”

Will and Ed stare each other down, neither man acknowledging or denying anything the other is saying. The wannabe lawyer in me is freaking out. I thought conversations like this only happened in the movies.

Taylor stands and places his hand on Ed’s shoulder. “We just wanted to stop by and see if you had any information.” Ed puts his hand up to stop his partner from speaking.

“I’d lock up my mother if it meant getting you off the street. I didn’t know she was a juror on your case. If I had, I wouldn’t have touched her. For all I know, she was a con. She conned me into sleeping with her to cause the mistrial. I wouldn’t be surprised if she was just some Polk Street whore.”

“I bet she was worth every penny.” Will grins.

Ed stands up quickly, prompting his partner to jump between the two men. “That’s a mistake I’ll never live down,” Ed hisses. “It’s also something I plan on rectifying. You’re right; I won’t stop until you’re put away for life!”

Will snickers at Ed’s threat. “Drinks are on me.” He flashes a toothy grin as he backs away from the bar. “You can show yourselves out.”

Officer Taylor tosses a couple of dollars on the bar while pushing Ed towards the exit. They are halfway out the door when Ed stops. “Wait, I didn’t tell you the good news,” he shouts. “Their daughter is fine.”

Will pauses slightly, but doesn’t turn around. His reaction doesn’t surprise me, its Ed’s partner that looks freaked out. Officer Taylor shakes his head and takes a deep breath, looking towards the sky like a rain of grief is about to be poured on their heads. His reaction to Ed’s statement tells me this is information he shouldn’t be disclosing.

“Apparently she was lying in the back seat, so the gunman missed her or didn’t see her. Either way, she’s really anxious to catch the asshole that killed her parents.”

Will doesn’t flinch. “Like I said, I never heard of the guy. But, I do know another lawyer, Martin Randall; I can call him now if you want to continue this conversation in his presence?” He pulls his cell phone from his pocket.

“We’re leaving,” Taylor says sternly and pushes Ed out the door.

“Have a nice day, and stay safe,” Will’s voice drips with sarcasm. When the cops are out the door, he flips them off with both hands. He walks back to our table and sits down. “Fuckin pigs have nothing better to do than fuck with me.” Will takes a shot of Patron and curses under his breath.

“What are they talking about?” Nick asks anxiously.

The calm and collected demeanor Will displayed in front of the cops is gone. He takes another shot of tequila and slams the glass on the table.

“Don’t worry about it, they’re just fishing. If they had a witness, I’d be in cuffs.” Will stares at the paint-chipped wall. Something they said got to him. “Fuck it,” he finally snaps. “You guys need to get out of here.” Will shakes my hand and hugs Nick. Then walks into his office and slams the door so hard it rattles the bottles behind the bar. I’m starting to think I work for a murderer.

I let Arnie have shotgun. I don’t feel all that comfortable riding in the front seat anymore. Not since I found out Nick is a drug dealer. I thought long and hard about Nick (and Matt) selling thizz. They aren’t forcing pills down anyone’s throat. If anything, thizz is making Eureka a better place to live. At least for me, anyway.

Nick has spent every free second and even his unfree ones with me by his side. He let me tag along on a run to a fraternity at Humboldt State this morning. I have to admit, the whole transaction was anti-climactic. We walked into the frat house, dropped a bag on the table, Nick took a stack of cash from the president of the fraternity, and we left. Totally boring.

I thought we’d spend spring break partying every day—that was the plan, until those bikers showed up. Now everyone is freaking out. If it wasn’t for the pills I stole from Matt, I don’t know if I could’ve made it through the last two days. Finding out your boyfriend and his friends are the town drug dealers is a lot to digest. Add that to the fact that I still have no letter from CAL—it’s a miracle I haven’t slit my wrists.

We pull into an underground garage and park next to a convertible S-class Mercedes. Arnie jumps out and greets the driver, Aurora, the newest member of Nick’s crew.

“What’s up, baby.” He kisses her cheek.

She presses her alarm and quickly ducks into Nick’s car. She’s wearing a black scarf around her head and oversized sunglasses, like she’s in a spy movie. When she sees me in the backseat she smirks. “I see why you’re late. Picking up chicks at the mall again, Arnie?”

“No, that’s just Dani,” Arnie informs her as she climbs into the backseat next to me. “You know, Nick’s girlfriend.”

Her smirk turns to intrigue. “So, this is the girl that stole Nicky’s heart?” She places her hand on my knee. “You know how many girls would give their left tit to be with Nick? Whatever you got, I want some,” she says in a velvety soft voice.

I’m perplexed by her statement. Is she saying she wants me or Nick?