Hearsay by Taylor V. Donovan Read Free Book Online

to admit it or not, you know he's already all over this case, and we have a time bomb in our hands. Derrick could be arrested at any time, and ABC will be involved in a public relations nightmare."
    "He needs your help, Roman."
    "No, Alan. He doesn't." Same as Roman didn't need to be anywhere near Derrick and his rumored lover. "He only needs a good criminal defense attorney, and this firm has plenty. You can assign the case to any one of them, and both Derrick and Tyler Coleman will still have the best."
    "I don't need to tell you child molestation cases are rather complicated. You've defended plenty of them," Sergio said. "But Lovett has an agenda. Derrick and Coleman will have a better chance if an attorney with your experience takes on their defense."
    "That's not going to happen." Roman shook his head. "I know Lovett's been consistently down in the polls, and, yes, prosecuting a sex offender will look great on his resume come election time. He probably will. That's the kind of shit a scumbag like Lovett would do. But I don't believe he'll go after Derrick."
    "You mean, you hope he won't," Sergio mocked. "We need to be prepared anyway."
    That was true. The negative press related to one of their attorneys being arrested on a felony charge could be lethal for the firm, not to mention, the Coleman Safe House. All those kids would be out of a place to sleep.
    "You know, Derrick hasn't been approached by the cops yet," Alan said, not-so-casually. You could have him second chair this case."
    Roman gulped.
    Seeing Derrick every day and having to keep his distance was a perfect example of heaven and hell.
    He cleared his throat and said, "Coleman hasn't been indicted." Were Tyler Coleman facing formal charges, Roman would have already seen it in the six o'clock news. "And I seriously doubt Mr. Swain exposed himself to a minor. The District Attorney's office would make a mistake by filing charges against him. Any of the guys in Criminal Defense can take care of Mr. Coleman's case."
    Alan snorted at Roman's attempt to distance himself from the situation by referring to Derrick by his last name.
    Sergio exhaled loudly.
    Roman squeezed his eyes tightly and kept on walking.
    He considered telling his friends one more time why they needed to stop fixing him up with other guys and trying to get him to talk to Derrick. In the end he decided against it because he knew they'd disregard his reasons as cowardice.
    He returned to his office quietly and sat behind his desk and considered deleting Sergio's email. Three minutes later he gave in and read the request. Once he'd finished, he rested his head on the back of his leather chair and stared at the ceiling for a long time.
    He needs your help. It won't be an easy case.
    Anticipation like he hadn't felt since his lunch breaks with Derrick had his heart pounding in his ears. Working on a case together was the perfect excuse to spend time with the senior associate without raising any suspicions as to his real motives… if only he could work up the courage… if only he could convince himself that he could be alone with Derrick without having his resolve falter and fail.
    It was a hypothetical conversation. What if he didn't mean it?
    He rubbed his eyes and took a deep breath. He made a Herculean effort not to think about how well things were going between him and Derrick before Roman found out the reason why they couldn't be together.
    You can't do this. Don't even think you'd be able to be around him without touching him.
    Roman opened his mom's email and reread the quote she'd sent him.
    "Events will take their course. It is no good of being angry at them; he is happiest who wisely turns them to the best account," he whispered. "You were wrong, Euripides. I can tell you from personal experience, it is not happiest who wisely turns events to the best account, but he who wisely stays away from impossible situations."
    Now he had to remain strong.

Chapter Four

    Derrick placed his briefcase