The Defender

Theo knew exactly what his Aunt Cass would say—the Fates were offering him a choice and his decision would make all the difference in his life. The truth was, he’d be a lot quicker about making his decision if he just had some inkling which choice was the right one. But his lucky hunches were leaving him high and dry. He wasn’t sure anymore what the right thing to do was. And he couldn’t help but wonder if this was due to doubting his instincts.

When Bob sighed again, Theo lifted his feet off the railing, rose and started moving toward the shoreline. One thing he did know: he should have put Sandra Linton behind him once she’d been arrested and he’d contacted the public defender’s office to request that they assign the case to Sadie Oliver.

Theo strolled out onto the dock and sat down. Bob stretched out beside him. For a moment, he let his mind empty and fill with nothing more than the soft sound of the waves and the sight of the sky turning red in the west. Behind him, insects murmured in the grass.

Watching the sun sink into the water, his thoughts returned to Sadie Oliver. She’d been on his mind a lot lately. His brother Kit’s best friend, Roman Oliver, had mentioned both of his sisters on occasion. He was very proud of the fact that Sadie had gone east to college and had edited the law review at Harvard Law School. His other sister, Juliana, who was twelve years his junior, had been sent away to a boarding school for high school. Theo had been aware through Kit that both sisters were back in town and that Sadie worked in the legal department of Oliver Enterprises, a multimillion dollar real estate development company that her father and her brother Roman ran.

Theo set his wineglass down on the dock beside him. His curiosity had been piqued when Kit had mentioned that Sadie was also doing some pro bono work for the public defender’s office and he’d been intrigued enough to sit in on one of her trials. She was very good. His mouth curved slightly. Her style was more conservative than his, but she had a logical mind and a cool, unflappable manner that played well with a jury. An aloof, controlled ice princess was the way he’d summed her up in his mind. Not his type. Then he’d seen her address the jury and for the first time he caught a hint of the passion that lay beneath the cool exterior. The next time he’d seen her name on the docket, he’d gone back to watch her again. It was only natural that when his stalker was arrested, he’d thought of Sadie.

Theo frowned as he picked up his glass and sipped his wine again. Something had happened when he’d talked to her after that trial. Actually, a few things had happened and they’d given him pause. As the bottom edge of the sun disappeared into the Pacific, he let his mind drift back to that meeting…

When he’d approached her, the courtroom had already emptied and Sadie was packing papers quickly and efficiently into her briefcase. He’d had plenty of time during the trial to take in the details of her appearance. She was taller than average and she always wore a conservatively tailored suit and plain black pumps. Her long, dark hair was pulled back into a neat braid that fell below her shoulders.

There was nothing in her appearance to hint at the passion he sensed when she was pleading a client’s case. For some reason, the contrast appealed to him.

He was about to speak to her when his gaze came to rest on her hands and he felt that first inexplicable tug of attraction. Her fingers were long and slender, the nails short and painted with a clear polish. They moved competently. Theo could imagine them pouring tea into delicate china cups. He could also imagine them moving over his skin. With no more warning than that, desire had snaked up his spine and settled in his gut. Where in hell had it come from?

Her cell phone rang and as she took the call, Theo took the opportunity to gather his thoughts.

“Yes?”

Even though he could only see her face in profile, he noted the frown and the way her grip tightened on the phone.

“Michael, I told you I had a trial today.” She glanced at the watch on her wrist. “I’ll be back in half an hour and I plan on working late. You’ll have my report on your desk first thing in the morning.”

Her shoulders had tensed and one of her feet had begun to tap. Whoever this Michael was, she wasn’t happy with him. Still, she kept her tone cool. He wondered what it would take to chip through her control. What would he find beneath the surface? There was definitely passion there. He could see it in that tapping foot. A man couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like when it was released.

“I’m sure that you and Daddy and Roman can mingle at the mayor’s fundraiser without me. The Olivers will be well represented.” Then she snapped the phone shut and stuffed it into her purse. Sadie was reaching for her briefcase when he said, “Ms. Oliver.”

She jumped and turned to face him.

Theo looked into her eyes and for a moment his mind went totally blank. All he thought of was her. He took in the fact that her skin was a golden shade, her scent something floral. But it was those almond-shaped eyes in a deep shade of chocolate brown that he felt he was sinking into.

“Mr. Angelis, I’m…surprised to see you here.” She secured her purse on her shoulder and reached for her briefcase.

Theo reined in his wandering thoughts and took a step to the side so that he blocked the aisle that led to the door. “You know me?”

“I’ve seen your picture.”

Theo thought with embarrassment of the most-eligible-bachelor article. Was he never going to be free of that? “The one in the paper?”

“Well, yes, I did see that one. But I was thinking of the one Roman has in his office. In it, he’s just beaten you at tennis.”

Theo winced. “He’s the best I’ve ever been up against. So far he hasn’t agreed to a rematch.”

“When he does, take advantage of his backhand. That’s what I do. It’s his Achilles’ heel.”

Fascinated, Theo eased his hip onto the edge of the railing that separated the lawyer’s tables from the rest of the courtroom and studied her for a moment. “You’ve beaten him then?”

She smiled at him. “Once. Just a few weeks ago. And I intend to do it again.”

It was the first time he’d seen her smile. In the slanted light pouring in through the narrow courtroom windows, Theo realized she was beautiful. Desire struck again like a punch low in his gut.

He had to put some effort into speaking. “Aren’t you betraying family secrets by telling me something like that?”

“Perhaps, but I figure I owe you one.”

“Why?”

She met his eyes very steadily. “I know that you recommended me for this case. But you can’t be pleased about the way it’s ended.”

“Because you got the woman who was stalking me psychiatric treatment instead of jail time? I was hoping that you would do just that.”

It was Sadie’s turn to study him. “She shot you.”

Theo shrugged. “It wasn’t a fatal wound and she’s a very sick woman.” If he’d sensed the problem in time, he might have prevented it. “Jail time won’t help her. Mind if I ask a question?”

“Go ahead.”

“Why are you doing pro bono work for the public defender’s office? Don’t they keep you busy enough at Oliver Enterprises?” He thought he saw a shadow flicker into those brown eyes and he recalled the conversation she’d just had with this Michael.

“I want the trial experience.” Then she extended her hand. “I have to go, but I want to thank you for the recommendation.”

He took her hand in his. In that first instant of contact, they both went perfectly still. Theo was glad that he was still half-sitting on the railing because his knees went weak. It was at that moment he knew—the way he knew a lot of things—his path and Sadie’s were going to cross again.

Theo drained the last of his glass and watched the sun disappear into the ocean. He’d been very careful not to go back and watch her in court again, but he hadn’t been able to get her out of his mind. Was it Sadie Oliver who was interfering with his ability to make a decision about the Los Angeles job? he wondered. Was she the cause of the restlessness that had been plaguing him lately?

It was a long time before he got up from the dock and went back into the cabin.

2

GUNSHOTS? In a church? Could she have been mistaken? In the dim light of the vestibule, Sadie swallowed hard, reminded herself to breathe and took a cautious step toward the double doors leading into the church. She’d nearly reached them when she heard footsteps pounding in her direction.

A man built like a linebacker exploded into the room. Her heart leaped to her throat and blocked her scream. He was wearing a black T-shirt and jeans; she made out the gun in his hand as he pounded up the circular wrought-iron staircase to the choir loft above. An instant later, another man burst through the doors. She recognized this one.

“Roman?”

When her brother whirled to face her, she saw that he was carrying a gun, too. “What’s going—”

He grabbed her by the arm and shoved her into the shadows beneath the staircase. “Stay out of sight. Don’t let anyone know you’re here.”

She’d barely processed the words when more shots sounded from inside the church. Even as terror streamed through her, another gunshot exploded overhead. Her ears were ringing with it as Roman took the stairs two at a time. She wanted to go after him, stop him, but fear had her pressing herself even deeper into the shadows. She did the only thing she could think of. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed 911.

“Juliana, are you all right?” Roman shouted.

Horror paralyzed Sadie, preventing her from speaking to the 911 operator. Had her sister been shot?

Above her, she thought she heard someone—a man—answer, “Yes.”

Roman spoke again, but she didn’t catch what he said because she was breathlessly giving the 911 operator the location.

Overhead, she heard pounding footsteps and the sounds of a fight—thumps and muffled cries. Peering up through the circle of steps, she saw two figures locked tight in a fierce struggle at the top of the stairs before one of them pitched over the railing.

It happened so fast. One minute he was falling…then she heard the sickening thud as the body smacked against the floor and she felt the shock of the impact beneath her feet. In the dim light, she saw his face. Roman. His eyes were closed, his body so still. Her heart simply stopped.

She wanted to go to him, but her legs refused to work. Footsteps pounded down the steps and hit the floor running. Sadie registered the sounds, the blur of movement. In the light that entered the vestibule as the person pushed through the front doors, she recognized the man Roman had chased up the stairs. Blood streamed from his shoulder.

All of those details registered; still, she couldn’t move. She couldn’t breathe. All she could do was stare at her brother’s body on the ground. There was absolute silence in the church. Then the panic that had frozen her blasted free and galvanized her into action. Lunging out of the shadows, she cried out, “Juliana? Juliana, are you all right?”

No answer.

Her purse dropped unnoticed to the floor as she sank to her knees and pressed two fingers to her brother’s throat. There was a pulse—weak but steady. Running her other hand over his head, she felt the wet stickiness of blood. “Roman,” she murmured, leaning closer.

His eyes fluttered open.

“It’s Sadie. I’m right here.” She squeezed his hand. “Don’t move.”

“Can’t…see…”

“It’s all right. You fell.”

His eyes closed again. “You’re in danger…get out.”

“Where’s Juliana? What’s going on?”

“Secret…wedding.”

Sadie barely caught the words above the ragged sounds of his breathing. “Juliana…Paulo…Carlucci.”

Juliana and Paulo Carlucci? No, that simply couldn’t be. The bad blood between the Oliver and Carlucci families went back generations, and the fact that Oliver Enterprises and Carlucci Ltd. were currently competing over a lucrative land deal involving a strip of Orange County coastline had brought that blood to the boiling point.

If her baby sister had indeed planned a secret wedding to Paulo Carlucci and the news had leaked out… Fear knotted hard in her stomach. It had leaked out, hadn’t it? Roman had certainly gotten wind of it. And there’d been that man he’d been chasing. And those gunshots from inside the church.

Another possibility had her blood going cold. Had her father found out about the wedding plans, too? Mario Oliver had a reputation for knowing everything. And who knows what he would have done to prevent his youngest daughter from marrying his enemy’s son.

“…Wanted…to stop it…”

She could all too easily imagine that Roman would have wanted to stop the wedding. They knew from watching their father that marriage was not an easy path, even in the best of circumstances. Their mother had died shortly after Juliana’s birth; Mario Oliver was on his third marriage. Sadie had a suspicion that Deanna Mancuso Oliver would not be his last. And Juliana was barely eighteen, Paulo perhaps a year or two older. They were babies. She squeezed her brother’s hand. “Don’t try to talk.”

“Shot…Paulo.”

Sadie’s stomach sank. Roman had shot Paulo? Had he come here to stop the wedding and…? No. Violence was not Roman’s way. He didn’t have their father’s ruthlessness. She couldn’t have heard him right. She lowered her head so that his lips were nearly brushing her ear.

“Make sure…Juliana’s…safe.” Roman tightened his grip on her fingers. “Trust…no one…go…to…Kit.” He paused to let out a breath. Panic threatened to swamp her. Not his last breath. Please. His fingers went lax in hers. No. Please.

Fear knifed through her as she checked his pulse again. It was still there, and the rise and fall of his chest told her he was breathing.

For a second, she sat there, her mind numb. Think, she told herself. Do something. She pressed her fingers to her temples. Roman had said to trust no one. To go to Kit. Taking her cell from her purse, she scrolled to Kit Angelis’s number and pressed it in. Kit and Roman had been best friends since college. Maybe he could…

She heard the sound of a siren just as Kit’s answering machine picked up. Leaving her name and number, she dropped her phone back in her purse and struggled to gather her thoughts again. A new fear had her jumping to her feet. Roman had also said to make sure Juliana was safe. She recalled that shot she’d heard from the choir loft. What if Juliana…?

Sadie hit the stairs at a run, stumbling and coming down hard on the third rung. Pushing herself to her feet, she raced up the rest of the steps. One glance told her the choir loft was empty, but there was an open door directly in front of her. Heart pounding, she stepped into a small, windowless room. There was enough light for her to see that it, too, was empty. Her relief was short-lived as she took in dark stains on two walls. Blood? Then she saw the bouquet of white flowers lying on the floor.

Sadie drew in a deep breath and fought back the terror that had been dominating her actions so far. A good attorney never let emotions rule. She looked at the facts. And the fact she was staring at right now was a wedding bouquet.

Evidence of a secret wedding? Her sister and Paulo Carlucci’s? Sadie was still trying to get her mind around that. Roman’s words came back to her. “…Wanted to stop it…shot Paulo.” She stared again at the dark stains on the wall. Who had shot Paulo? Roman? This time, she ruthlessly shoved the rising hysteria down. Roman would not have shot Paulo. Yes, he would have been upset to learn about the wedding plans. Yes, he would have tried to talk Juliana out of it. So would she if she’d gotten here in time.

But she’d heard those two gunshots when she’d first entered the church, hadn’t she? She’d seen the gun in Roman’s hand. He could have fired them.

The siren was drawing closer and Sadie could hear more in the distance. Turning, she stepped back into the choir loft and hurried to a window in time to see a red convertible with a flashing blue light on its hood careen around a corner and pull into the parking lot at the back of the church. After sending up a prayer that one of the other sirens belonged to an ambulance, Sadie reminded herself to think. The church was an old-fashioned one where the choir loft extended along both sides, as well as the back. She shifted her gaze to the exit signs marking the far ends of the loft and forced her mind back over the facts.

She’d heard Roman call out, “Juliana, are you all right?”

And she’d heard someone answer, “Yes.”

Then the fight had broken out and she’d heard running footsteps. So while Roman was fighting with someone—the man in the black T-shirt with the gun—whoever was in that small room could have run along the side of the choir loft and exited through the back of the church.

The siren was close now and when she shifted her gaze to the street, she saw a police car slow as it crossed the intersection near the front of the church, passing a dark van. She was turning, intending to go back down the stairs and back to Roman, when suddenly, she blinked and leaned closer to the window. If she hadn’t been standing right there peering through the glass at that particular minute, she would have missed it.

Two blocks down, a taxi had stopped at the curb and three people had crowded around its open passenger door.

One of them was Juliana. Even at this distance, Sadie was sure of it. Her sister’s long, straight, dark hair was unmistakable. A second woman, a petite blonde carrying a dress bag and a tote, climbed into the taxi. A moment later, the taxi pulled away from the curb, leaving Juliana and the man standing on the curb. Sadie got a look at him in profile before he took Juliana’s arm and disappeared around the corner. Paulo Carlucci. She also saw the dark stain on his upper arm. Blood?

Below her, the church doors opened and she hurried to the loft railing in time to see two policemen kneeling over Roman.

“The pulse is steady,” one man said. “Blood on the back of his head.”

“Look’s like he fell,” the other said. “Be careful not to move him until the EMTs get here.”

Sadie hesitated, torn between her desire to go down the stairs to be with her brother and her fear for her sister’s safety. Roman was in safe hands now, she told herself. It was Juliana who needed her.

With that one thought in mind, she rushed quietly along the side of the choir loft and hurried down the stairs. The room at the bottom was small. At its center stood a marble fountain in the middle of a shallow rectangular pool where baptisms would be performed. Sadie skirted it and raced for the exit. Once out on the street, she sprinted toward the corner where she’d last seen Juliana.

An ambulance rushed past, but she paid it no heed. The police on the scene would make sure the medics took care of Roman. She had to get to Juliana, make sure she was safe. She was half a block away from the corner when she saw the dark van pull through the intersection. She might not have paid it any heed if the driver’s window hadn’t been open. But it was—she recognized the driver and the van as the one that had been blocking the parking lot entrance when she’d first arrived.

Possibilities raced through her mind and she didn’t like any of them. She thought of the man Roman had chased into the choir loft, the one who’d left through the front door with blood running down his arm. Had the man in the van been waiting for him? Were they, too, looking for Juliana?

Heart pounding, she put all her energy into reaching the corner. But when she turned it, there was no sign of Juliana or Paulo.

And no sign of the dark van.

3

BY THE TIME SADIE MADE it back to St. Peter’s Church, there were four squad cars blocking off both Skylar Avenue and Bellevue. She’d run a few blocks trying to catch sight of Paulo and Juliana, but she hadn’t even glimpsed them and she hadn’t seen the van again, either. A glance at her watch told her that it was 7:30, roughly fifteen minutes since she’d heard those first shots and seen Roman fall over that railing.

A shudder moved through her as the image filled her mind. She couldn’t let herself dwell on it. She had to hold it together. Roman was depending on her.

Two ambulances were now parked in front of the church, and uniformed policemen were stationed at intervals by the tape that had been strung along the sidewalks to keep the curious at a distance. She would have to get past them to get back into the vestibule and check on Roman.

As she made her way through the small crowd that had gathered on the sidewalk across from the church, someone tugged on her arm. Turning, she glanced down to find a tiny woman with bright blue eyes and a mass of curly white hair smiling excitedly up at her. The thought that popped into her mind was that this was what little orphan Annie might look like at seventy.

“Did you hear the shots, dear?”

“No, I didn’t,” Sadie lied, looking for an opening in the police barricade.

“I heard the shots. I live in the house right next to the rectory. At first I wasn’t sure. I thought it might be a car backfiring. But altogether I counted six of them. Way too many for a car. Figured they had to be gunshots.”

Six, Sadie thought. That roughly tallied with the number she’d heard. Two when she’d first come in, three from inside the church, then one overhead. “Did you see anything?”

The woman shook her head. “Not while the shooting was going on. I’d looked through the window earlier and I knew that a wedding was happening the minute that catering truck pulled into the rectory parking lot. Father Mike is hitching up a lot of couples lately. He has a way with young people and St. Peter’s is turning out to be the in place for weddings. He’s brought new life to the neighborhood.”

There was pride in her voice.

“But there was something odd about this one,” the woman continued.

“What?” Sadie asked.

“Very few guests. Usually, the cars fill that little parking lot behind the church, guests hang out on the front steps before the ceremony and they cover the front steps with a long white cloth—to protect the bride’s dress, I guess—and the bride arrives in one of those big stretch limousines. But not tonight. I saw her come in a taxi with a little blond woman and I think the wedding dress was in the bag the blond was carrying.”

Juliana had arrived in a taxi with a blond woman. The woman she’d seen get into the taxi had been carrying a dress bag. Sadie felt a little stab of guilt. She had no idea who the woman was, no idea who any of her sister’s friends were.

“A young man had arrived a bit before that with a big bruiser of a fellow. Figured one of them had to be the groom until the other man arrived. Handsome as sin, that one. I was thinking the bride was one lucky gal if she was tying the knot with him. He looked a bit familiar, too, but I couldn’t place him. I will, though. It will come to me when I’m not expecting it. After the handsome one went inside, I went downstairs to catch Wheel of Fortune.”

As “Annie” continued to talk, Sadie glanced at the front of the church. Nothing was happening. She started forward again.

“Figured it must be one of those hush-hush affairs,” Annie was saying. “Maybe a pair of celebrities or something like that. Whatever it was, someone got wind of it and put a stop to it. I just hope that it wasn’t Father Mike who got killed. Of course, I wouldn’t want it to be the bride or the groom, either.”

Sadie turned back to the tiny woman. “Someone got killed?”

“I heard the cops talking a few minutes ago. I’ve got pretty good ears.” She leaned close to Sadie and spoke in a tone only she could hear. “They said one dead and two injured. Someone in there definitely bought it.”

Not Roman. Sadie glanced back at the church doors. Please, not Roman. “I have to get in there.” She lifted the tape.