Wild For Mr. Wrong by Virna De Paul Read Free Book Online Page B

with conflicting emotions, and heat suffused her cheeks.  
    God, he looked good.  She glanced at the cup of coffee in his hand.  Probably fresh and hot, which she didn’t need given that he was heating her up before her day had even gotten started.
    “ You know, you really need to try something new.  Even if that’s for me, coffee is not going to keep me from reporting you if you keep showing up unannounced at my door.”
    “ Just hear me out.  Please.”  He handed her the cup, and she automatically took it, touched in spite of herself.
    Curious despite herself, Bryn leaned back on the front door, took a sip of the deliciously warm coffee, and merely looked at him.  Internally, her insides constricted.  What was he going to say?  And how was she going to resist him if he pushed her for a date again?
    “ I need a favor,” he said.
    Bryn raised her eyebrow at him and laughed.  “A favor?  From me?”
    “ Sure, why not?”
    Hurt pride, for one.  But he didn’t seem all that crushed that she’d rejected his romantic advances.  She wasn’t quite sure how she felt about that.  Bryn said nothing, but motioned for him to continue.
    “ The Biltmore Mediation Clinic in Fresno.  Have you heard of it?”  
    Bryn nodded.  “Sure.  It works with criminals and their victims in an attempt to provide emotional closure in cases.”
    Daniel cleared his throat.  “Well, Vance and I have been working towards starting one up in Sacramento.  Purely on a pro-bono basis right now.  We’re set up as a non-profit organization and will be working out of our law office.”
    His words surprised Bryn, though she worked to hide her surprise.  That was a pretty ambitious task.  Was it an honorable one?  Did he care about both parties, the victims just as much as the criminals?  Or was this simply a way to assuage his guilt for representing the clients he did?
    “ And what can I do for you?”  
    “ Obviously, to be perceived as legitimate, we need to have the support of the prosecution.  We could use either your endorsement or volunteer time.  We want to start the program working with juveniles, and I know you did a juvenile stint a few months back.”
    “ Yes, I did.”  It had been one of her most challenging assignments.  She’d had a hard time holding back her sympathy for many of the young offenders she’d seen.  While the intended purpose of the whole juvenile system was rehabilitation, not punishment, it was hard to buy when you were recommending a sixteen-year-old kid be committed to the Youth Authority.  
    She’d found herself wanting to reach out to some of the defendants, and that had made her feel like a hypocrite.  And as if she were betraying her sister all over again.  Logically, her compassion for troubled youths was a good thing, but whenever she found herself softening towards any of the men and women charged with any type of violent crime, Bryn couldn’t help envisioning the fear on her sister’s face the night she’d been attacked.  Black and blue and crying.  Because Bryn had left her alone in a nightclub to go make out with some guy and smoke pot in his car.
    Every time she stood up for a victim, Bryn felt she was standing up for her sister, too.  And getting a little closer to forgiving herself.
    Dating a defense attorney would taint that.  Wouldn’t the same be true if she granted Daniel the favor he was asking?
    She shook her head, both to dispel her thoughts and in response to Daniel’s request.  
    “ I don’t know, Daniel.  Personally, I don’t see the point of making victims face people who’ve hurt them.  Hopefully, if I’ve done my job right, they get justice when the criminal is convicted.  Sounds like you just want to help alleviate your clients’ guilt.”
    Instead of countering her insult with good-natured humor, Daniel sighed and looked down at the ground.  For a minute he looked defeated.  “Do you really believe that?  That throwing criminals in