Extraits

Aiden took the opportunity the moment of silence afforded him to redirect the conversation. Jonathan seemed great, but if Aiden wanted to not die of starvation, they needed to get this meeting going. 

“So, why don’t you tell me what brought you to see me?” Aiden flipped open his padfolio, which was sitting on the bar, and pulled out his pen, poising it on the yellow legal pad. He looked up at Jonathan, who was staring at him, wide-eyed. 

“Um. Are you going to take notes?” 

Aiden nodded quickly. “Of course. It’s important that I’m able to recall specifics on everything we’ve discussed.” 

Jonathan furrowed his brow. “And you can’t just remember them?” 

Aiden laughed. “I wish. I do this so frequently that the details often run together. I need to know everything about your situation.” 

“Um, just how often do you do this?”

“Several times a week sometimes.”

Jonathan looked concerned, which seemed fair. No one wanted to think their attorney overpromised and underdelivered.

Aiden spoke quickly in an attempt to reassure him. “Of course, once we have a contract in place, your needs become my first priority.”

Jonathan seemed to choke on air. “A contract?” His voice was high and loud. 

Aiden couldn’t tell what was upsetting Jonathan, but he tried to calm him. “Yes, but it’s a standard contract I use with everyone. It’s really for your protection.” 

“Protection from what?” he screeched. 

Liam came over cautiously, still wearing his friendly smile, but his eyes were full of concern. “Everything okay over here?” 

Aiden gave him a tiny shrug because he had no idea what was happening. He looked back at Jonathan, panic creeping into every one of his features. Aiden reached a hand out in a gesture of comfort, but Jonathan stood so abruptly he knocked over his barstool before maneuvering himself out of Aiden’s reach. He grabbed his coat and scarf from the floor and clutched them tightly against his chest like a woolen shield.

“Um, so you seem like an…” Jonathan paused, seemingly searching for the right word, “interesting person, but I don’t think this is going to work out.”

Aiden just stared, slack jawed. What was happening right now? A quick glance at Liam’s face led Aiden to believe he had no idea either. 

Jonathan fumbled with his wallet, almost dropping it before pulling a twenty out with shaking hands and tossing it on the bar. “So, good luck to you. No judgement here! I hope you find whatever it is you’re looking for.” He looked like he was ready to bolt but added one more thing. “There’s a place in West Creek where you might find someone. I think it’s called Chains.” With that, Jonathan tossed back the rest of his wine in one gulp and fled the bar. 

Aiden sat in stunned silence, staring at the door, until a throat cleared behind him. He turned to face Liam. 

“So, that happened.” 

Aiden shook his head. “I have no idea what is going on.” 

Liam frowned. “Are you okay? That was… loud.” 

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just really confused.” He finished the last bit of beer in his glass. “I don’t know what set him off. We didn’t even get to start talking about his case.” 

Liam looked at Aiden, face full of sympathy. “So, I don’t normally insert myself into the business of our patrons — that never ends well — but you seem like a nice guy, so…” 

“What?” Aiden was so in the dark at that moment, any sliver of light Liam could shed on the subject would be appreciated. 

Liam hesitated. “I’m pretty sure that man thought he was on a date.”