A chill runs down my back, recalling Victor’s words to me on our wedding night.
But if Amber, unlike pretty much every other lawyer I've tried to consult with, agrees to take my case, I might be free of him soon. Outrageously beautiful Amber Ferraro, whose sneezes are probably worth more than what I can afford to pay her.
"Hello," she says like she's a normal person and not possibly an angel who fell to earth. "I'm Amber Ferraro."
I just stare at her, wondering, not for the first time, why Victor chose me, a chubby RhIDS animation student, as opposed to somebody like her. If I looked like Amber, maybe I could understand his obsession with me, but—
"Hey, Dawn, you're really quiet,” Amber says. “Can you give me a voice cue, so I know where you are?"
My skin heats with embarrassment, and I want to disappear into the couch. Wow, I'd been so busy staring and comparing myself to her, I'd totally forgotten to answer her question, even though Matti had told me, like, three times she was blind before we got here.
Feeling rude, I lean forward and say, "Hi, I'm Dawn."
But then I stop—because wow, she already knows that. Ugh. Could I be any nerdier?
"Thanks for meeting with me," I finish lamely.
"No problem," she answers, settling into the seat directly across from us on the large wrap-around couch. "Now tell me about this soon-to-be ex who's got you so worried you think Matti's not up for the job."
"It's not that we don't think he's good enough," Byron says beside me, hitting her with his best flirtatious smile, even though she can't see it, and, c'mon Byron, she's the wife of a major crime boss. Could you pick a worst person to flirt with?
"It's just the more juice, the better with this guy," Byron explains. "He's not going to let my sister go easily—especially now that she's pregnant."
"You're pregnant," Amber says, tilting her head thoughtfully. "So you'll need a custody agreement after the child is born. And I'm assuming this is a bad guy we're talking about if you're here talking to me. Not just your run-of-the-mill rich asshole.
"Exactly," I answer. "He's bad. Really bad."
"Chinese Mafia out of Rhode Island," Matti explains.
"Actually…" Byron clears his throat, shifting uncomfortably. "He's located in Rhode Island right now. But technically, he operates from all over."
Matti shifts to turn to the both of us, his face clouding over with new consternation. "So, this is an international case? Why didn't you tell me that at our initial consult?"
"I'm sorry," I answer for the both of us—even though withholding the real details about Victor's background had been Byron's idea, not mine. "We were afraid we'd only have one shot, and we wanted to double our chances of representation by making sure both of you were in the room when we told you my husband is…um…Victor Zhang."
Amber's expression doesn't change, but Matti's chin drops as if I've sucker punched him.
"You don't mean Victor Zhang, the head of The Silent Triad?" Matti prompts with a sickly look. Like his breakfast won't stay down if my answer is yes.
But unfortunately, I have to reply, "Yes, that's him. I'm really sorry."
I swallow, wishing that I had a different answer for him…and this baby I'm carrying.
"Who's The Silent Triad?" Amber asks into the hushed silence that follows my second, even more heartfelt apology.
"Nobody," Matti answers, jumping to his feet. "Because we're not taking this case. Sorry to have bothered you about this, Amber. If I'd known—"
"Matti, sit down," Amber snaps, cutting him off. Though, how she knew he was standing, I have no idea.
Nevertheless, she waits with a stern look until Matti sits down again. He crosses his arms over his chest, like a kid in time out.
"We're not taking this case," he tells Amber while glaring at me. "Luca isn't going to let you. I can guarantee you that."
Her face narrows as if Matti's challenged her to a duel. "We'll see about that," she answers. Then she directs her gaze back to me and repeats her question. "Who's The Silent Triad?"
Byron answers before I can. "The Silent Triad is an international criminal organization with branches on every continent but Antarctica. Victor Zhang is one of their three dragonheads."
"A dragonhead is like a crime boss," Matti supplies. "And that means if you take this case, you're not just going up against this guy, but his whole organization."
"Noted," Amber answers, her voice tight. But then, instead of wavering, she says, "Okay, Dawn, tell me how you got mixed up with this dragonhead."
