Shadows - Melody Anne Page 0,10

to her. It truly was humbling to be loved that much. Even in pain she let herself smile, just a thin one though, as the fire in her jaw and head amplified when she moved even the slightest muscle in her face.

She felt stars behind her eyes again as her vision began to fade. No! She didn’t want to pass out. She wanted to see her husband rushing to her side.

“Katherine, you stay with me. I don’t like your color. I know you want to rest, but I want you to stay alert. The chopper is only minutes out,” Brooke said sternly, but with gentleness. Though Brooke had been talking to her the entire time they’d waited, her voice now sounded as if it was coming to Katherine through a tunnel. She tried to answer, tried to smile, but she wasn’t sure if she managed either. She heard Jeffrey yelling for her to open her eyes, and she thought to herself “when did he get here?” but she couldn’t answer or do what was being asked of her.

Darkness surrounded her again as the pain faded and the world went quiet.

Chapter Two

You could’ve heard a pin drop in the utterly silent courtroom. That didn’t happen often in a place known for outbreaks of sound, gasps of pleasure, and cries of pain. The sound of a gavel hitting wood over and over again was another familiar noise. And the lies, oh, there were so many lies spoken in this room where people swore to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

Avery Klum sat at her table, her face unreadable, her back perfectly straight, her hands clasped in front of her, and her eyes facing forward, as her client walked to the witness stand. Though her insides were twisted into a thousand knots, not a drop of sweat would dare drip down her perfectly composed features.

Avery was twenty-nine years old, five feet one inch tall, petite, dark haired, olive toned, and had nearly black eyes. She was the youngest highest-paid junior defense attorney in San Francisco. She took a lot of pride in that. She also paid for it with a lack of sleep, absolutely zero social life, and the destruction of her morals.

Why was that?

Because she defended the undefendable.

In the beginning of her career, which had started at the tender age of twenty-two since she’d graduated from college early and aced law school, she’d thrived on winning. She’d been unstoppable. She still was. But back then, she hadn’t cared if her clients were guilty or not. She’d just wanted to win, and she hadn’t looked back, or quite frankly had chosen to not look forward at the possible destruction they’d later create in the world. She knew there was a chance they’d already committed the crimes they were accused of, giving a high chance they might do it again.

She’d lost one case in her seven years as a lawyer, and that had been in her second year. She still hadn’t gotten over that one. She couldn’t stand losing at anything. But to her credit, the monster who’d gone to prison had killed his mother, father, wife, and two children. She’d told herself she was fighting her best for him, but she knew deep, deep down, she’d been as disgusted with the man on trial as the jurors had been. That case had made her practice for months on end how to blank her expression, how to give the look the jury needed to see to judge whether she believed what she was saying or not. She was incredible at poker because she couldn’t be broken when she set her mind to it.

“Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?”

“I do.”

Not! She was screaming that word in her head as her client held up his left hand, his right resting on a Bible. She was somewhat shocked the man didn’t go up in flames for blasphemy. No one spoke the truth anymore. Everyone lied. The level of the lie depended on the situation.

Oh, I’ve lost ten pounds when you’d actually gained five.

That dress looks amazing on you. I can’t see the fat at all as rolls ripple down their back.

I didn’t even look at the waitress as he leans over to get a better view.

I don’t mind doing that. I love nature when in reality you’re allergic to the pollen in the woods, but you want to please him.

We all lie.

We lie