Page 63 of Unlocked

"Cockroaches," she said. "The building's having a problem. They've got people dealing with it, but it might be a week or two, so I asked Archer Gray if I could use one of the Society apartments." She wasn’t supposed to discuss the Society in front of her mother since she wasn’t technically a member, but since both her grandfather and her father were members, it wasn’t like Bunny didn’t know of its existence.

Her father's eyes narrowed. The temperature in the room dropped. "I see. Josh says you and Archer are more than friends."

Josh has a very big mouth. "Whether Archer and I are more than friends is irrelevant," she said aloud. "If that's all you wanted to discuss, I'll be leaving now."

"No," her father said. "That's not all."

Tatum bit back a sigh. "What can I do for you, Father?" She knew calling him Father instead of Stuart would irk him, but she was beyond caring at this particular moment.

"I want you to take on the Anderson case."

Tatum grimaced. "I heard."

"Lou Anderson is a family friend," Bunny started, smoothing her skirt as if the matter were already settled.

Tatum cut her off. "Anderson is a slime ball. He's disgusting, and I won’t work on his case."

Bunny's eyes went wide. Her father's lips compressed into a very thin line.

Tatum had never said anything like that in this office before, and she could feel both of them recalibrating.

"Lou Anderson has been a great supporter of this firm," her father said, his voice dropping to something very quiet and very even. The tone meant she was in dangerous territory. "He has been a client for many years. He deserves the best legal representation possible."

"Great," Tatum said, unable to stop herself. She knew she was making things worse. She did it anyway. "So why don't one of you defend him? You're the best lawyers in this office. Isn't that what you always say?"

"Tread carefully here," her father said. Still quiet. Still even. Somehow worse for it.

"My days of being careful are over, Father. I have told you both that I am working on the Ponzi scheme case because I want to help the people who got screwed. Not the rich people but the people who couldn't afford to lose their retirement savings. Those are the people I'm working for."

She took a breath. "I'm not going to work on Anderson's case because he's being sued for sexual misconduct by one of the women in his office, and we both know he did it. He's a scumbag. If you want to defend him, you go right ahead. But it won't be me."

She turned on her heel and walked out.

"Tatum." Her father's voice followed her into the hallway.

It wasn't a shout. It was never a shout. It was quiet and controlled, which always meant danger.

She kept walking. She wasn't stopping. She breezed back to her office, grabbed her things, and told Sam she was leaving.

Sam looked at her. "Oh. That didn't go well."

"No," Tatum agreed. "They're on the warpath. Keep your head down."

"Did they tell you to work on the Anderson case?" Sam asked.

"Yes. I said no. Keep working on the prep so they don't come after you. We'll figure it out later."

"Okay. Roger that, boss."

"Hang in there," Tatum said and headed down the hall.

"Good luck," Sam called after her. "I think you're going to need it."

She was halfway to the elevator when Bunny's voice hit her from behind. "Tatum! Come back here."

She kept walking.

"Tatum Wellington, you come back to this office right now!"