Hearsay (6 page)

"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 by his office door and took off his scarf and gloves while glancing at the messages Casey had left on his desk. Some clients and several opposition counselors in a few of his cases had called while he was in court and so had Tyler. He'd called five times in the past two hours alone, and that was in addition to the messages he'd already left on Derrick's cell phone.
 

He took a sip of coffee, threw the scarf and gloves on a chair, and opened his email program.

No messages from the Pro Bono department. Not an "accepted," "denied," or "under consideration." He had gotten absolutely nothing.

"Casey?" he hollered, taking his suit jacket off.

His assistant came through the door two seconds after he called her, notepad and pen in hand and an unruffled expression on her face. After three years of working with Derrick, she was used to his aversion to calling her on the speakerphone when she was only a few feet away.

"Yes, sir!"

"Did anyone stop by to see me today?"

"Stephanie Mullen from Intellectual Property came by earlier."
 

Derrick didn't recognize the name. ABC had about a thousand employees, and he didn't know all of them. "What did she want?"

"She didn't say, but I heard she's collecting donations from all the attorneys, so you better get your wallet ready for when she comes back."

"Donations for what?"

"Two things." Casey walked inside the office and handed a paper to him. "Helen from Trusts and Funds gave that to me," she said before he could read it. "Stephanie Mullen is in charge of putting a care package together for Baby Chadwick and also buying the present for Mr. Bradford. You
do
know one of the bosses is leaving the firm, right?"

"So I've heard," Derrick muttered. It took great effort, but he managed to control the urge to pull his hair and demand people stop saying Roman was leaving the firm.
 

"The employees want to give Mr. Bradford a little something so he remembers us when he moves to Berlin after his wedding."

"
What
?"

"Rosario Mendoza from Patents and Trademarks told Scott Caldwell from Labor and Employment that boss Bradford's getting hitched to that Victoria's Secret model he's been dating."
 

Derrick stared at his assistant and bit the inside of his cheek until he tasted copper. Yuck. He'd made himself bleed.

He knew what Casey had just told him probably wasn't true, but even if it were… even if Roman Bradford was in fact about to tie the knot… Derrick blinked several times and rubbed his hand over his chest. He shouldn't care so fucking much.

He shouldn't feel like he'd be missing out on something monumental if he didn't do as Tashana told him and make a move before it was too late… if he didn't try to get Roman Bradford to talk to him again.

"… and, as it turns out, Mrs. Chadwick didn't take the kids to England just to get back at boss Chadwick for hitting her. They moved to Atlanta temporarily so that Baby Chadwick can get the medical care he needs."

Derrick frowned and stared at Casey. "I'm not following."

"What are you confused about?" Casey asked. "There are rumors the boss is physically abusing his wife. And their baby's sick."

"There are rumors Alan Chadwick hits his wife?" He rolled his eyes. "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard."
 

Casey nodded. "Some people say he has her under his fist, and that's why she's never come to the company holiday parties, so that no one sees the bruises on her face."

Derrick moved toward the window without offering a reply. Gossip could be rather entertaining some times and he was guilty of indulging in it way too often, but he drew the line at damaging rumors like that one. Besides, it was disgraceful that some had the balls to say that kind of thing about the person who signed their paycheck.
 

"You really didn't know about the kiddo? I only found out a week ago myself," Casey didn't wait for his answer. "Mercedes from the call center intercepted a phone call from a doctor in Georgia. She told Lucy Pollack from Payroll that this doctor was adamant about talking to Chadwick about his baby's condition. I hear it's serious and unexpected, as his other nine children seem to be fine."

Derrick rubbed his eyes and loosened his tie. "Huh …"

"Hopefully he'll recover soon. The support staff is sending cards, but it's the attorneys who are supposed to come up with the cash."

Derrick chuckled humorlessly. "Not surprised about that." The staff loved grand gestures on the associates' and partners' dime. One day he would have to ask Tashana if the partners actually gave any money and where it all went.

"Same applies to the collections for Mr. Bradford's wedding present," she carried on, reorganizing a few files on Derrick's desk. "Isn't it weird that he's getting married? I thought he was gay."

Derrick really didn't want to hear the words "Mr. Bradford" and "wedding" together again. They made his stomach churn.

"I'm not giving a penny to anyone until I hear an official announcement from Alan Chadwick or Roman Bradford themselves about sick children or wedding bells."

"Whatever you say, boss."
 

Derrick's cell phone vibrated inside the right pocket of his pants. After reading the name on the screen, he put it down and let the call go to voice mail. It was the same cowardly move he'd been pulling for the past twenty-four hours, but he couldn't deal with Tyler just yet.

Not until he came up with a backup plan.

But he was out of time. A decision had to be made.

He rolled his shoulders and said, "Can you call Mrs. Maounis and ask her to come see me at five instead of three?"

"Sure." Casey moved toward the door immediately, well aware he was done with this particular subject for the time being. "Will you need me to stay?"

"You can go home at your usual time." Derrick forced a smile. "I can handle it."

Casey grinned. "Me and my boyfriend thank you."

He turned toward the window the moment she left his office. It was gloomy outside, and he morbidly relished the sight. The cold October weather perfectly matched his mood.

His phone vibrated briefly, a reminder he had messages he had yet to listen to.

Derrick bumped his head against the window and squeezed his eyes shut.

His court appearance earlier was a mess. Mediation hadn't worked out for this particular couple, and now they were fighting it out in Family Court. But today the Chiantis had apparently forgotten they both had legal representation and opted to yell insults and accusations at each other right in front of the judge. This wasn't the first time his client behaved in such an erratic way, and Derrick was forced to set Mrs. Chianti straight. If she didn't clean up her act, her three kids would be removed from her home by personnel from the Administration for Children Services until she submitted to a psychological evaluation. She wasn't happy to hear that and told Derrick he'd best make sure that never happened if he didn't want to find himself without a job. Derrick had been fuming by the time he stepped outside the courthouse.
 

That episode hadn't helped his mood. He'd been feeling distressed on a personal level to begin with, and now he could add pessimistic in regard to the outcome of the Chianti case. He was officially having the worst day ever, and all of a sudden he wanted to cry.

Eight days after submitting Tyler Coleman's case for their consideration, Derrick had yet to hear from ABC's Pro Bono team, but he'd heard at least twenty different versions of why Roman Bradford was leaving the firm.
 

He didn't have a way to corroborate the rumors. Short of walking into Roman's office and asking his boss directly if it was true, Derrick didn't have any option but to wait and see, along with ABC's thousand other employees.
 

He needed to focus on finding a way to provide the best legal representation he could for his friend. Tyler was in deep shit and needed his help. That should be his priority right now. He was a constant in Derrick's life, whereas Roman Bradford probably didn't even remember having lunch with him. He
knew
Tyler deserved his undivided attention, but he couldn't stop thinking about Roman all the time.

And all because once upon a time they had subtly touched… because as hard as he tried not to, Derrick always ended up comparing every guy he dated to Roman. Because he knew Tashana was right when she said Roman was checking out Derrick's ass at the company's summer picnic in Central Park. Because even though he'd denied having a crush on his boss every time Tashana or Noah brought up the subject, the truth was, he did.
 

Seeing Roman only from afar hadn't changed a thing. Every morning Derrick left his apartment praying that would be the day he'd get to have an honest conversation with the man. He hoped for a kiss. Sometimes he aimed higher and wished for wild, kinky sex on Roman's desk. Then again, beggars can't be choosers, so he'd settle for anything. But now the man was supposedly leaving, and Derrick didn't know what to do with himself.

He ran his hands through his hair, closed his eyes, and pressed his fist against his lips.

Should he continue to stay out of Roman's way, or should he try to force an encounter between them? Should he try to discover the reason his boss never asked him out? Should he remain quiet or demand answers to the questions that had plagued him for so long?

Derrick opened his eyes and looked at his reflection in his office window.

He was a thirty-two year old family law attorney dealing with divorce cases every day. He knew that soul mates and happily ever after only existed for a chosen few. He knew multimillionaire gorgeous guys only fell in love with their subordinates in Tinseltown. Yet here he was. Tied up in knots over the possibility of never again seeing a man he never saw more than twice a month to begin with, and always from afar.

Derrick knew the way he felt was ridiculous. But that didn't change the fact that he wouldn't be able to move on until Roman told him he wasn't interested. Out loud and to his face.
 

His phone vibrated inside his pocket again reminding him he had a message, and Derrick forced himself to snap out of it. He sat in front of his desk and dialed his friend, who answered after not even one full ring.

"Derrick, thank goodness you called me back." Tyler sounded frantic and exhausted at the same time. "Has anything happened? Heard from the cops or ACS? Have you been questioned?"

"Sorry it took me so long." He rubbed his eyes. "Nothing has happened, but I wanted to have some good news before I talked to you."

"No such luck?"

"Not yet."

"Fuck."

"I'm sorry, Tyler." He gulped. It killed him having to add to the guy's distress, but he couldn't lie to him. It was the reason why things between them didn't work out in the first place. Derrick had never been able to lie to Tyler about anything, including the fact that he had feelings for another man. "I never thought it would take this long."
 

"What the hell am I going to do, man?"

"Don't lose hope," Derrick rushed to say, not sure if he was trying to appease his friend or himself. "No news from Pro Bono is good news right about now."

"I can't just sit around and wait for them," Tyler snapped. "Years of hard work are on the line. My reputation is suffering. Sponsors will drop like flies if I get indicted and my face gets splattered all over the news."