Illegal (40 page)

"Seventh grade awaits. As do massive tuition bills."

"We'll split the costs."

"Yeah. But I was hoping . . ."

"What?"

"That maybe you'd move in. For Tino's sake, I mean."

"Slow down, Jimmy. I was engaged until twenty-four hours ago."

"Okay. Okay." Payne sipped the whiskey, let it warm his throat. "No hurry."

Sharon swirled her glass, the ice cubes clinking against one another. "Just before he fell asleep, Tino asked me to tell you good night."

Payne smiled. "He does that every night. '
Buenos noches,
Himmy.' "

"Not what he said."

"In English, then."

"Nope."

"I don't get it."

"He said, 'Say good night to
mi papi.
' "

"Oh, man." Payne had not been prepared for the sheer weight of those words. The mixture of joy and obligation they conveyed. "I hope I'm up to this."

"You'll be a great father. I've seen your work, remember?" She gently placed her fingertips on his forehead, scraped raw in the fight with Rutledge.

"I know," Payne said. "I look like shit."

"The wounds will heal." She leaned close and kissed his bruised cheek. "You won't even have a scar."

TO SPEAK FOR THE DEAD
: Linebacker-turned-lawyer Jake Lassiter begins to believe that his surgeon client is innocent of malpractice...but guilty of murder.

NIGHT VISION
: After several women are killed by an Internet stalker, Jake is appointed a special prosecutor, and follows a trail of evidence from Miami to London and the very streets where Jack the Ripper once roamed.

FALSE DAWN
: After his client confesses to a murder he didn't commit, Jake follows a bloody trail from Miami to Havana to discover the truth.

MORTAL SIN
: Talk about conflicts of interest. Jake is sleeping with Gina Florio and defending her mob-connected husband in court.

RIPTIDE
: Jake Lassiter chases a beautiful woman and stolen bonds from Miami to Maui.

FOOL ME TWICE
: To clear his name in a murder investigation, Jake follows a trail of evidence that leads from Miami to buried treasure in the abandoned silver mines of Aspen, Colorado. (Also available in a new paperback edition).

FLESH & BONES
: Jake falls for his beautiful client even though he doubts her story. She claims to have recovered "repressed memories" of abuse...just before gunning down her father

LASSITER
: Jake retraces the steps of a model who went missing 18 years earlier...after his one-night stand with her. (Also available in a new paperback edition).

(Nominated for the Edgar, Macavity, International Thriller, and James Thurber awards).

"A cross between 'Moonlighting' and 'Night Court.' Courtroom drama has never been this much fun." –
FreshFiction.com

SOLOMON vs. LORD
: Trial lawyer Victoria Lord, who follows every rule, and Steve Solomon, who makes up his own, bicker and banter as they defend a beautiful young woman, accused of killing her wealthy, older husband.

THE DEEP BLUE ALIBI
: Solomon and Lord come together – and fly apart – defending Victoria's "Uncle Grif" on charges he killed a man with a speargun. It's a case set in the Florida Keys with side trips to coral reefs and a nudist colony where all is more –and less – than it seems.

KILL ALL THE LAWYERS
: Just what did Steve Solomon do to infuriate ex-client and ex-con "Dr. Bill?" Did Solomon try to lose the case in which the TV shrink was charged in the death of a woman patient?

HABEAS PORPOISE
: It starts with the kidnapping of a pair of trained dolphins and turns into a murder trial with Solomon and Lord on
opposite
sides after Victoria is appointed a special prosecutor, and fireworks follow!

IMPACT
: A Jetliner crashes in the Everglades. Is it negligence or terrorism? When the legal case gets to the Supreme Court, the defense has a unique strategy. Kill anyone, even a Supreme Court Justice, to win the case.

BALLISTIC
: A nuclear missile, a band of terrorists, and only two people who can prevent Armageddon. A "loose nukes" thriller for the 21st Century. (Also available in a new paperback edition).

ILLEGAL
: Down-and-out lawyer Jimmy (Royal) Payne tries to re-unite a Mexican boy with his missing mother and becomes enmeshed in the world of human trafficking and sex slavery.

PAYDIRT
: Bobby Gallagher had it all and lost it. Now, assisted by his 12-year-old brainiac son, he tries to rig the Super Bowl, win a huge bet…and avoid getting killed. (Also available in a new paperback edition).

Visit the author's website at
http://www.paul-levine.com
for more information. While there, sign up for Paul Levine's newsletter and the chance to win free books, DVD's and other prizes.

The author of 15 novels, Paul Levine won the John D. MacDonald fiction award and was nominated for the Edgar, Macavity, International Thriller, and James Thurber prizes. A former trial lawyer, he also wrote more than 20 episodes of the CBS military drama "JAG" and co-created the Supreme Court drama "First Monday" starring James Garner and Joe Mantegna. The critically acclaimed international bestseller "To Speak for the Dead" was his first novel. He is also the author of the "Solomon vs. Lord" series and the thrillers "Illegal," "Ballistic," and "Paydirt." His most recent novel is "Lassiter." You can sign up for the author's free newsletter and be eligible for signed books and more at
http://www.paul-levine.com.

Copyright © 2009 Nittany Valley Productions, Inc.

Cover design by Jeroen Ten Berge

Interior Design by Steven W. Booth,
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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of the author's imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved. No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without permission in writing from Nittany Valley Productions, Inc.