Federal Affair

Chapter 30

"So she might actually have the missing information I've been busting my ass to find?" Nick asked, sounding like he was typing something as I explained what Samantha had told me while I drove home.

"It's possible," I nodded, changing lanes and cutting off a black Jeep that was going too fast. "She didn't seem to know what's in the folders but I'm sure it has something to do with all this. Why else would he be so secretive about it and want someone else to hide the evidence?"

"Makes sense," he said. "Can you text me Samantha's address and phone number?"

I shook my head yes as if Nick could see me through the phone. "Yeah. Let me get off the highway first."

I ended up not texting him until I got home, having forgotten that I didn't know Samantha's information by heart. Lucky for me, our firm had an employee contact list just like Hampton, Burns and Hampton's. I pulled up the spreadsheet on my laptop and went down the alphabetized line until I found Samantha McHenry. I typed a quick message to Nick and double checked the number before I sent it. He sent back a simple "thanks."

I turned on the TV in my bedroom while I waited on the bathtub to fill up. The clock struck six and the local news popped on the screen. Once again, Jamie Hollis was reporting live, this time from outside the Cook County Sheriff's Department where deputies had booked Derek earlier in the day. Jamie had changed her outfit to something a little flashier and there were about fourteen lapel pins on her suit jacket.

While watching her reporting, it occurred to me that I was a fairly well-known attorney in the Chicago area, and I knew at some point, whether it was Jamie or somebody else, my name was going to be brought up by someone in the news and I wasn't looking forward to the media questioning me on if I knew about Derek's embezzlement. It wouldn't surprise me if they asked if I had any involvement.

I'd always been a pretty private person. I didn't talk much about my relationships to anyone except Monica. I liked my private life private and now I was preparing for my personal business to be scrutinized by complete strangers for the sake of television ratings. Oh joy!

I turned off the TV, already annoyed. I usually liked watching the evening news but now I wanted to avoid it. I stripped down and headed to the bathroom. Opening the door, the hot air hit me like a brick and I realized I probably shouldn't have left the heater on so long. I turned it off and slowly sank down to a comfortable spot in the tub. The water was a little hotter than I expected but it was exactly what I needed. I closed my eyes, relaxing and attempting to clear my cluttered mind.

"I like coming over to find you naked," Nick's voice startled me and I opened my eyes to see him standing in the doorway.

"You look handsome," I smiled, taking in his appearance.

He wore dark blue slacks, a grey button up, and his blue FBI jacket with a matching ball cap. His bangs hung over one of his eyes, squished under his hat.

"I think you need glasses, sweetheart," he joked and walked toward me, taking a seat on the edge of the tub.

I smacked his thigh playfully. "What are you doing here? I didn't know you were coming over."

"I finished work and I wanted to come see you."

"Did you see the news?" I asked, rolling my eyes at the thought of Derek and his publicized arrest.

"Oh yeah," he chuckled softly. "I'm glad to see the fucker in jail but it won't last long."

Nick had a point. It was only a matter of time before some big shot lawyers got Derek out of jail. I worried about what he might do. Though he'd be surveyed constantly due to it being a high-profile case, it wouldn't be the first time a criminal got out of jail and disappeared to another country or something. Until I watched a judge and jury nail Derek's coffin, I was going to keep worrying about the possibility of him getting away with everything.