Icebreaker by Deirdre Martin Read Free Book Online Page B

his life? Maybe he’d volunteer the info himself. “Don’t know if this will be helpful, but I really love The Three Stooges .” He smiled, imagining her expression. That’s when he realized: he sure as hell was spending a lot of time thinking about Sinead O’Brien.

5

    “So, tell me all about Captain Perry.”
    “They all think he’s the second coming of Christ.”
    Sinead wearily cleared away the mountain of papers obscuring Oliver’s couch and flopped down. She’d spent three days at Met Gar talking to virtually every player on the Blades about Adam—his reputation, their encounters with him off the ice, if they knew anything about his personal life that could help the case. To a man, all they had was praise. Adam’s a great player. Adam’s the best at what he does. The charges against him are bullshit. Adam, perfect Adam. All ideal for her case, but she found the lack of information on other aspects of his personality frustrating.
    Even so, she did find three things particularly interesting: no one seemed to know anything about his personal life, past or present; he was taciturn to an extreme, only speaking to the players when absolutely necessary; and everyone seemed a little frightened of him.
    Oliver was behind his desk, can of cola in one hand and a pastrami sandwich in the other. He held up a hand, indicating Sinead should let him finish chewing, then took a long slug of his drink before putting it down with a resounding thud.
    “Nothing? Seriously? Nothing?”
    “Nothing.”
    “Hmm. Gotta be some skeletons somewhere. Always are.”
    “Well, if there are, these guys don’t know about it.”
    “Who else you planning to talk to?”
    “Guys he played with in Tampa. Sportswriters. Anyone I can find.”
    “Still planning to go to his hometown?”
    “Definitely, even though he told me he didn’t see the point.”
    “Maybe he’s got a few illegitimate kids running around up there. Secret wife.”
    “Why keep them a secret? God knows there are enough professional athletes with illegitimate kids, and everyone knows about it. It’s not considered a character flaw. And forget talking to him ; it’s like pulling teeth. At first I thought he was a moron. Now I realize he’s just very, very guarded.”
    “Pot meet kettle!”
    Sinead was shocked. “What are you talking about?”
    “Sinead, we worked together for a year before I even knew you were divorced or came from a large Irish family. It took you forever to open up.”
    Sinead squirmed. “I just liked to keep my private life private, is all. Keep things on a professional level. His being so guarded is a detriment to me. My being guarded with you wasn’t a detriment.”
    “Yes, it was. We could have become friends sooner. We lost a whole year of intimacy. Think of the things we could have shared. Think of the nights—”
    “Shut up, Oliver. The point is, I did open up eventually.”
    “Once you trusted me. This guy just doesn’t trust you yet.”
    “Good point.”
    “Some people need to be wooed. Coaxed into telling their story. I’m the client whisperer; I know these things.”
    “So do I,” said Sinead, somewhat annoyed. “My coaxing method is just different than yours: it doesn’t involve Grey Goose and garter belts.”
    “Maybe it should,” Oliver murmured, raising one eyebrow seductively. He studied her closely. “You’re hot for him.”
    “What?”
    Oliver leaned back in his chair, tenting his fingers. “You’re talking to a man who can smell female pheromones from a mile away. You’re interested in this guy.”
    “As a client.”
    “Bullshit.”
    “He’s a challenge . I’m not used to clients who don’t display even the slightest bit of anxiety and who don’t tell me their story, true or not, in the hopes it will help them out of a jam. It was like interviewing Lurch.”
    “A studly Lurch.”
    “An egotistical Lurch. He actually asked if I was really the best attorney for the case because I didn’t know