Plastic chairs and vending machines formed a small waiting area at
the end of the hall in the emergency department.
Lance leaned on a snack machine, assessing the pallor in Morgan's face and the
slight trembling of her fingers, which she was working hard to hide. "You should
be resting."
"I know." She sniffed, and her voice dropped to a whisper. "There's nothing I'd
like more than to go home and focus all my attention on an entire pint of Ben
& Jerry's. But if I let go now, I'm not sure I could pull myself together
again."
Her gaze broke away and traveled the hallway to where a deputy stood guard
outside the room where Haley was being examined. The deputy had balked at being
told to wait outside. The previous sheriff had been very old-school. There were
no female deputies.
The situation was unusual. Normally, the person being examined was the victim,
not the accused. But seriously, where was Haley going to go? She was sick, and
she barely weighed a hundred pounds. She wasn't going to overpower the nurses
and escape.
Morgan drew a shaky breath. "It's bad enough that I got knocked on my butt in
the courthouse and Esposito had to save me from my own client. Haley needs a
tough lawyer today. If the sheriff or prosecutor's office smells weakness, my
bargaining power on her behalf is diminished. We both know that part of my job
is an act, and I'll be honest with you, I'm having a really hard time staying in
character."
"I understand. I don't like it, but I understand." As much as he wanted to take
her in his arms and comfort her, he respected her need to maintain her
professional reputation.
He respected her. She was the strongest person he'd ever met. And
underneath all that determination and intelligence was a heart of gold. Morgan
was a rescuer. She took care of three small children, her elderly grandfather,
and two stray dogs; and last summer, she'd opened her home to a sick young woman
waiting for a kidney transplant. That girl had grown well enough that she now
insisted on serving as Morgan's live-in nanny, but no matter how much Gianna
tried to earn her keep, there was no denying that Morgan was the one taking care
of her.
And Lance couldn't even begin to describe what Morgan had done for him. Nor
could he consider how he would have gotten through his mother's mental health
crisis back in November without her support.
"Just remember, you're only one person. You can't save everyone." He dropped his
hand from her shoulder and gave her forearm a quick squeeze.
Nodding, Morgan closed her eyes for a few seconds. When she opened them, her
resolve was back in full force. "But I want to help Haley, and she needs me to
be on my game."
Morgan Dane
#4
Morgan Daneβs new client has blood on her handsβand no recollection of
what happenedβas the #1 Amazon Charts bestselling series continues.
Haley Powell wakes up covered in blood, with no memory of the night before.
When she sees a man lying in the backyard, stabbed to death, she has only one
terrified thought: What have I done?
Agreeing to take the case as a favor to her PI friend Lincoln Sharp, Morgan
must scale a mountain of damning circumstantial and forensic evidence to prove
her client innocent. Haley couldnβt appear more guilty: her bloodstained
fingerprints are on the murder weapon, and she has no alibi. But Morgan canβt
shake the feeling that this shocked young woman has been framed.
Someone out there is hell-bent on sabotaging her defense, targeting Morgan,
her partner, and especially Haley. Someone who will stop at nothingβand whose
next move will be deadly.
Thriller Crime | Romance Suspense
[Montlake Romance, On Sale: September 18, 2018,
Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9781503903050 / ]
Melinda Leigh abandoned her career in banking to raise her kids and
never looked back. She started writing as a hobby and became addicted to
creating characters and stories. Her debut novel, She Can Run, was a #1 Kindle
bestseller in Romantic Suspense, a 2011 Best Book Finalist (the Romance
Reviews), and a nominee for the 2012 International Thriller Award for Best First
Book. She is also a three-time Daphne du Maurier Award finalist and the winner
of the Golden Leaf Award.
When she isnβt writing, Melinda is an avid
martial artist and holds a second-degree black belt in Kenpo karate. She lives
in a messy house with her husband, two teenagers, a couple of dogs, and two
rescue cats.
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