𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗩𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗮 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲.
𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐞
I am the judge, the jury, and the executioner.
Francesca "Frank" Monroe. One of the most successful criminal defense attorneys in the history of Chicago. The woman everyone...
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I had no memory of drifting off to sleep the previous night; my brain was tangled in a knot of incessant thoughts, my chest heavy with sorrowful memories.
I managed to pull myself out of bed and towards the coffee corner in the kitchen. Pouring a cup of the fresh Espresso, I took my place at the table. As I relished the strong scent of the coffee and lit a cigarette, I found peace in the silence.
An unexpected knock at the door jerked me out of my thoughts. Olivia had been granted a few days off for the holidays, so I was left to open the door myself. The sight that met me was a distraught Layla, her eyes a glossy canvas of unshed tears, bruises marked her face, half hidden beneath a failed attempt at makeup application. Goat stood quietly at her side.
"I...I'm sorry..." Layla's voice faltered as she started, her entire body shaking like a leaf. "I'm so..."
I didn't let her complete her sentence. The pain and guilt that tainted her voice were enough for me to understand. Wordlessly, I pulled her into my arms, embracing her tightly, overcome with relief that she was alive and in front of me.
I gently led her and Goat inside, and to my surprise, I found Noah waiting for us. His gaze flickered onto Layla, and without a moment's hesitation, he rushed to her side, engulfing her in another comforting embrace. There they stood, locked in each other's arms as if they were long lost friends reunited after ages. Their emotional moment tugged at my heartstrings.
"I'm just glad you're safe," Noah whispered softly to her, his voice soothing.
Layla, choked on her tears and nodded, too overwhelmed for words.
"You must be starving," Noah stated, quickly changing the somber mood, "Why don't I cook up some breakfast for us?" His considerate nature never ceased to amaze me, eliciting a gentle smile from me.
While Noah led Layla to the kitchen, I took Goat into the drawing room.
"I can't ever express how grateful I am for your help," I told him, my voice thick with earnest gratitude.
He dismissed it with a wave of his hand, "You don't have to. I know if roles were reversed, you and Sawyer wouldn't think twice before helping me out."
I couldn't deny the truth in his statement and merely nodded, letting the wave of heartfelt appreciation for Goat wash over me.
It was Christmas day and time seemed to crawl at an achingly slow pace. Anticipating the stacks of paperwork littering my desk felt as enjoyable as walking over a bed of nails. There was simply no way to deal with that pile with everything I had in mind.
I had given much contemplation to Big Solly's proposition and despite the expected concessions, I was prepared to take him up on it. My mind echoed with both excitement and dread as I pictured what Big Solly would want in exchange for his assistance.
