Special thanks to Annie and Kathleen for their invaluable help in researching details on the death penalty in the state of New York

Brenda paused as she passed the open door to Dara Jensen’s office. "What’s the problem, boss?" She shifted the stack of files in her right arm to her left and moved to stand just inside the doorjamb. "Did one of our favorite judges let a murderer get away with just a slap on the wrist again?"

Dara grimaced. "Worse." She tossed the newspaper she had been reading so that it landed on the other side of her desk, facing Brenda, front page up. "Haven’t you seen this morning’s paper?"

"Actually, I was in a bit of a rush to get out the door this morning so I settled for a donut and a cup of take-out motor oil from the shop downstairs." When Brenda came in far enough to read the banner front page headlines, her lips thinned in recognition of the cause of Dara’s bad mood.

KISMET SAVES MOM AND TOT FROM CARJACKERS

"Looks like your friend the superhero had himself a busy night last night." Dara’s voice dripped with acid.

"Now waaaaaait a minute!!" Brenda plopped the files down on the corner of Dara’s desk. "I admit that the man saved my life the other night, but that doesn’t mean I’m ready to join his fan club!" She picked up the newspaper and quickly scanned the contents of the accompanying article. "I take it Mac got another lecture from the Mayor about his department’s ineptitude?"

"More like the Mayor created an entirely new cavity in certain sensitive areas of Mac’s body!" Dara snarled. "And you *know* by now, Mac Scorpio isn’t a man who suffers alone when that happens!" She sighed and stared at her phone. "I’m surprised that I haven’t gotten the summons yet to appear in his office."

"Now, don’t take this the wrong way……." Brenda held up her hands to fend off the salvo she expected Dara to launch. "But I still don’t see why Mac’s sloppy police work should get US in trouble!" She picked up the newspaper, glanced at it momentarily, and tossed it back towards Dara. "I mean, it’s not OUR job to go out and catch the bad guys! So if this Kismet guy is stepping on any toes, it the PCPD’s – not ours!"

"But Mac says that it IS our fault because we’re not getting the convictions." She sat back in her desk chair and folded her hands at her waist. "Slick defense attorneys like Alexis Davis are managing to make our prosecutors look like fools and getting their clients back on the streets before we can say habeas corpus! And they just go on to commit more crimes until we try to lock them up again……….or until Kismet catches up with them and scares the sh*t out of them so they’ll confess."

Brenda shook her head and gazed over Dara’s right shoulder at the view of Port Charles out her window. "I know his methods are wrong and everything, but after seeing that Kismet guy in action……." She whistled softly. "He sure knows what he wants and how to get it."

"Ohhhhh myyyyyy Godddddd……"

"What?" Brenda questioned Dara’s shocked expression of realization.

"He got to you! Kismet!" Dara shook her head in accusation. "He saved your life and now you’re *smitten* with him!"

Brenda leaped to her feet. "I am NOT now, nor have I EVER been, SMITTEN with any man!" She crossed her arms and began to pace the small confines of Dara’s office. It seemed like her mind had turned to mashed potatoes ever since the night of the attack. First, she started having erotic fantasies about Kismet carrying her away and making passionate love to her in some dark, sensual lair. Then, just the night before, Jasper Jacks’ persistent, blatantly arousing pursuit had infuriated her to the point that she couldn’t concentrate on her work. After re-reading the same motion for dismissal for the fifth time, Brenda had admitted to herself that the scent of the red rose and the memories of his bedroom eyes would make getting anything done impossible.

The last thing she expected to see when she emerged from the Municipal Office Building at 1:30 AM was his limo parked out front. The last thing she *wanted* was another verbal sparring match with him – or so she told herself. So why was she just the least bit disappointed when his driver emerged and politely apologized that Mr. Jacks was otherwise occupied for the night but had instructed him to see her home? The soft, luxurious seats in the limo were too tempting when compared to the less-than-fragrant interiors of Port Charles’ taxicabs. Thomas had been courteous and efficient, even to the point of taking her keys from her and checking to make sure her apartment was safe before bidding her a polite good night at her door.

"Can’t you just point out to the Mac that Kismet has good intentions?" Brenda shook herself out of her Y hormone-induced vertigo. She stopped in front of Dara, her arms crossed across her chest but one hand held out in suggestion. "That if we could just get him to work WITH us instead of AROUND us, we could cut crime rates dramatically?" She raised her eyebrows. "After all, that IS the Mayor’s bottom line in all this, isn’t it?"

"I don’t know……." Dara shook her head wearily and then jerked to attention as the buzzer on her intercom rang. She picked it up, listened silently for a few minutes, and then hung up the phone with a sour face. "That was Mac. He wants me in his office in twenty minutes for a "strategy session."" She rose from her desk with a sigh. "Translation – he doesn’t have a cat to kick, so I’ll do." She glanced at the files Brenda had retrieved from the corner of her desk. "Did you need to talk to me about those?"

"Wellll, I was hoping to get your thoughts on that kid they brought in for the Brighton murder……."

"Raines, is it? Nick Raines?" Dara nodded and pointed to the chair in front of her desk. "I can give you ten minutes." She glanced at her watch. "Mac isn’t going anywhere and he probably can’t get any angrier than he already is."

Brenda took a seat and opened the top file. "It turns out they brought in three kids for the shooting – some gang called the Scorpions, I think." She consulted a page inside the file. "A classic case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time for the Brighton kid. The Scorpions were apparently trying to make a hit on a rival gang and he got caught in the crossfire. Testimony from those two women I met with puts Raines as the driver AND the shooter. Since he went there with the express purpose of taking out a member of the opposing gang, I’d say we’re looking at murder in the first degree."

"He’s only 17."

Brenda lifted a page in the file. "With the priors he’s got and the viciousness of the offense, I don’t think I’ll have a problem convincing a judge to try him as an adult. Public sentiment about this gang violence will make asking for the death penalty a walk in the park."

Dara lifted one eyebrow. "But………"

Brenda sighed. "But he’s got Scott Baldwin as his public defender, and they’ve asked for a meeting." She closed the file with a frown. "Apparently Baldwin feels that his client has information to offer the DA’s office and the PCPD that would make him a candidate for getting off on a reduced charge."

Dara chewed on her lower lip for a moment. "Don’t settle for penny ante stuff on this one, Brenda. You’re right about public sentiment – plus stamping out gang violence is one of the most important planks in Mayor Ward’s re-election platform. Unless he’s got something worthwhile to offer, we’re not interested in letting him cop a plea."

"You want me to run it by you before I give it a thumbs up or down?"

"No – I trust your judgment." Brenda did an inward happy dance at Dara’s compliment. "I wouldn’t have approved your promotion to assistant DA if I didn’t."

"Thanks." She allowed herself a smile and then picked out another file. "Now – what about this murder case you gave me yesterday?" She turned the file sideways to read the label. "Uh………..the people versus Michael Corinthos, Jr.?"

"You’re gonna have to do some fancy footwork on that one, Brenda. The prosecutor I had assigned to the case took an early maternity leave when 7 pounds, 6 ounces of baby boy almost landed in a desk drawer last week." The women shared a smile and then Dara pointed to the file in Brenda’s hands. "*That* one is near and dear to Mac Scorpio’s heart. If you manage to get a conviction, our fearless Police Commissioner will owe you a favor for the rest of your life."

"Why?" Brenda opened the file and scanned its contents briefly. "Was the victim related to Mac?"

"Nope." Dara began clinically reciting the facts of the case. "Victim was Jason Morgan, formerly known as Jason Quartermaine."

"One of *the* Quartermaines? As in Ned Ashton’s family?"

Dara tipped her head forward. "Note that I said *formerly*. Jason had an accident a few years ago and suffered a head injury that wiped out part of his memory. His lifestyle completely changed afterwards, hence the change in last name."

"And his lifestyle changed to…….."

"Let’s just say that Jason Morgan was on a first-name basis with most of the people Mac would like us to put behind bars for a *very* long time. And Sonny Corinthos is at the *top* of that list."

Brenda nodded thoughtfully. "So you think this Corinthos guy killed Morgan in some kind of power struggle?"

"Not exactly. It’s messier than that." Dara sighed. "Actually, they fell out for probably the oldest reason in the book."

Brenda grimaced. "A woman."

"Bingo." Dara pointed a finger at Brenda. "Her name is Caroline Benson Quartermaine, also known as Carly. She had quite a thing for Jason Morgan, although she’s been romantically linked to Corinthos lately."

"Quartermaine again?" Brenda snorted in disbelief. "Did she have a brain injury, too?"

"No, although there are some who would argue that point with you." Dara smiled sarcastically. "Carly was married to AJ for a while. They’re divorced now."

"Wait a minute…….." Brenda consulted the file. "Didn’t it say that the body was found in the Port Charles Hotel? And doesn’t AJ *manage* that hotel?" She looked up at Dara. "Is it possible that AJ killed his own brother in revenge for being involved with his wife?"

"Not likely. AJ has a solid alibi for the night in question."

"But I take it this Sonny guy doesn’t?"

"If he does, he’s not saying. Plus the victim died from a gunshot wound to the head and the bullet they retrieved in the autopsy has been traced to a handgun owned by one Michael Corinthos, Junior."

Brenda looked down into the file again. "It says here that Morgan was shot point blank between the eyes." She chewed on her lower lip. "Sure sounds like organized crime’s style."

"And it would have to have been somebody he knew, otherwise nobody would have gotten that close to him to pull the trigger."

"So we’ve got a *possible* motive, a weapon, and *possible* opportunity." Brenda closed the file and whistled softly. "Geez………that’s not a lot to work with, boss."

Dara shrugged her shoulders in apology. "You might want to check with the PCPD – I think they’re still interviewing potential witnesses in the hotel." She glanced down at her watch. "Oh, d*mn………gotta run." She rose from her desk and grabbed her suit jacket before dashing out the door. "When I get back you’ll have to tell me all about hobnobbing with the rich and famous last night at the Mayor’s dinner."

Brenda sat quietly in Dara’s office for a few minutes, staring into space. "It was………interesting," she whispered. She rose and stopped in Dara’s doorway to gaze across the room at the perfect red rose sitting in a vase on her desk. "Veeeeeeery interesting."

*~*~*~*~*

"Gentlemen." Brenda didn’t even look up from re-adjusting her visitor’s pass as she entered one of the conference rooms in the Port Charles Jail. "I certainly hope I haven’t wasted a trip all the way down here on a wild goose chase."

"Miss Barrett." Scott Baldwin, a stocky, sandy-haired man, rose from his chair and extended a hand cordially to Brenda. "My client greatly appreciates your taking the time to see him this morning."

"Really?" Brenda finally looked up, smiled and shook Scott Baldwin’s hand, and then glared at Nick Raines. "Then he might want to tell me that himself."

A sullen, blonde-haired, blue eyed youth scowled up at Brenda. "Go to h*ll, b*tch." He rattled the handcuffs that were linked to a ring in the center of the conference table for emphasis.

"Welllllll, that was certainly pleasant." Brenda smiled caustically and rose. "So if there’s nothing else to discuss, I’ll see you gentlemen in court……"

"Brenda – wait!" Scott shot a fierce look in Nick’s direction and motioned for her to sit back down. "I’d venture to say that the gravity of his predicament hasn’t sunk in with my client yet."

Brenda leaned forward and looked Nick in the eye coldly. "Well, *I’d* venture to say that it’s time for your client to wake up and smell the lethal injection, counselor." Raines flinched ever so slightly. "We’ve got witnesses that place him as the driver of the car involved in the shooting. We’ve got a slug that the coroner retrieved from Drew Brighton’s body that matches a weapon found in your client’s home with his fingerprints all over it. We’ve got information that leads us to believe that Brighton was killed as part of a hit on a rival gang."

"That stupid punk wasn’t in no gang," Raines mumbled. "He shouldn’t have been standin’ there where he didn’t belong."

"No, he shouldn’t, but he was, and now he’s dead." Brenda sat back up straight and looked to Scott. "We can prove pre-meditation, motive, and opportunity, Mr. Baldwin." He gaze shifted to Raines. "And with your client’s rap sheet, I think the judge will be most agreeable to trying him as an adult."

"Murder one, including the death penalty." Scott’s tone was grim.

Brenda nodded but Raines just snorted sarcastically. "So what? Even if you manage to put me away, I’ll appeal. Chances are I’ll be an old man before they strap me to a gurney."

Brenda shrugged. "That’s fine." She folded her arms and smiled at Raines. "I’m sure the guys up at the State Penn will LOVE having you around, Blondie." Raines paled visible and his hands started to tremble as she leaned forward again. "You know how they ADORE those beautiful blue eyes in a man……."

"THAT’S ENOUGH, COUNSELOR!!" Scott Baldwin’s shout caused Brenda to pull back. He ran his fingers through his hair and looked towards Raines. "I’ve discussed the ramifications of his situation with my client, and I think we may be able to come to a compromise here."

"Your client is accused of murdering an innocent young man with a promising future, Mr. Baldwin." Brenda’s eyes darted between Scott and an increasingly uncomfortable Nick Raines. "The District Attorney’s office won’t let him plead to a lesser offense in exchange for information on whose house the Scorpions are going to vandalize next."

"We’re not talking about gangs, here, Miss Barrett." Scott glanced at Nick for confirmation to speak and got a slight nod in response. "We’re talking about drugs."

Brenda’s head came up and she lifted one eyebrow tentatively at Raines. "He was selling them?"

"No. Delivering them." Raines’ response was so faint that Brenda almost didn’t hear it.

"For whom?" Brenda tried to remain noncommittal, although her heart rate doubled. She knew that as dedicated as Mayor Ward was to stamping out gang warfare, eradicating the drug trade in Port Charles was even higher on his list of priorities.

Scott took a breath to speak but Nick reached towards him, rattling his handcuffs as he did. "No way……..no." He turned to Brenda. "I want some promises from her before I tell her what I know."

"What kind of promises?"

"I want you guys to promise that I won’t get in more trouble than I already am…….for delivering the drugs, you know?"

"Immunity." Scott supplied the legal term for his client.

"And I want protection." Nick shivered slightly. "I don’t know these guys real good, but I got a feeling that they won’t be too happy that I squealed on ‘em."

"Once again – it depends on the quality of the information you give me. If it checks out, and it’s detailed enough……." Brenda made some quick notes and then nodded grimly. "I’m listening."

Nick glanced at Scott, who gave him the go ahead to speak. "It all started about six months ago. I used to hang out a lot down at Jake’s. You know, that cheesy little dive down on the docks?" Brenda nodded. "Well, me and my friend, Jimbo……"

"Jimbo?"

"Jimmy. Jimmy Statler." Brenda wrote again and then motioned for Nick to go on. "Anyways, me and Jimbo were in Jake’s when this really sharp lookin’ little guy comes up to us and asks if we’d like to earn a little extra cash on the side makin’ some deliveries."

"I need more than "sharp lookin’", Mr. Raines."

"I didn’t get his name, OK?" Raines frowned in annoyance at Brenda’s persistence. "I do know that he was short, and his hair was all slicked back. Kinda curly, too. Always wore those fancy Italian suits, you know? The kind that fit like they was made for you?" He pointed one of his cuffed hands in Brenda’s direction. "And a gold chain – this huge gold chain with a big eagle pendant around his neck."

Brenda made more notes. "Go on."

"Anyways, this guy tells me and Jimbo that if we show up at the docks and take some boxes down to a shop near the waterfront that night, he’ll pay us $500 cash – each." He rubbed his cheek on his shoulder. "We didn’t have anything else doin’ and we could always use some dough, so we decided to take him up on it."

"Where did you take the boxes?"

"To some lousy little store down near pier 57……." Nick’s voice trailed off and Brenda grimaced.

""Lousy little store" doesn’t buy you a ticket off death row, Mr. Raines……"

"Some place that sells pillows and sheets and all that girlie cr*p like perfume, OK?" Nick’s explosive exclamation failed to hide his panic. His hands shook visibly now. "I think it was on Decatur Street…….."

Brenda narrowed one eye. "There’s a linen shop on Decatur… Beds and Beyond……."

"That’s it." Nick shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "I always thought the name sounded a little kinky." He shrugged his shoulders. "Me and Jimbo got paid, just like the man said – 500 bucks each. About a week later, the same guy comes in Jake’s and asks if we wanna make regular deliveries for him to the same place…."

"And how can you be sure it was drugs, Mr. Raines?"

"I peeked inside one of the boxes, OK?" Nick sniffed and shuffled his feet beneath the table. "There were all these bags of white powder, so I thought I’d check some of it out…….maybe set up a little action on the side of my own……." When Brenda eyed him critically, he glanced at Scott for reassurance. "Hey, man – it was only that one time, and you promised me that I wouldn’t get in more trouble….."

Scott held up a hand and Nick sank lower in his chair. "Mr. Raines confirmed with various associates, who shall remain nameless," he added confidentially, "that the white powder was high-grade cocaine. A *lot* of it. Being transported right into the heart of Port Charles on a weekly basis."

"What about somebody inside the store on Decatur?" Brenda looked squarely at Nick. "Surely you must have had a contact there who signed the invoices or approved the deliveries."

"Yeah." Nick shivered visibly. "Some creepy little dude." He rose in his chair when Brenda took a breath to speak. "And before you ask me, I can’t tell you too much about him because he always had on a hooded sweatshirt and kept to the shadows." He shrugged and settled down again, staring at his handcuffs. "All part of his "thing," I guess. He called himself Spook."

"Well, Miss Barrett?" Scott tapped on Brenda’s legal pad with his own pen. "My client’s given you a specific location for what could be the hub of the drug cartel that’s been a thorn in the Mayor’s side for years. Plus he’s given you a fairly detailed description of a man who sounds like he’s close to the ringleader, and as much detail as he could on the man who accepted the illegal property." He sat back and shot Nick a confident smile. "I think that deserves some leniency with regards to charges against him, don’t you, Miss Barrett?"

Brenda finished writing and then pushed her chair back. "You’ve got an interesting story to tell, Mr. Raines." She rose and turned her attention to Scott. "I’ll have the authorities run this place on Decatur and see what they come up with……" When Raines opened his mouth in outrage, she acknowledged him. "*Discreetly*, Mr. Raines. I’ll make sure that they don’t go in there with guns blazing before we know all the details." She glanced down at her pad. "And I think we should probably try to locate Mr. Statler and take him into protective custody."

"And what about my client?" Scott placed a hand protectively on Nick’s shoulder.

"He’ll remain in the custody of the PCPD for now." She moved away from the table and rapped sharply on the conference room door to draw the guard’s attention. "Once we make sure that this information is the real thing, I’ll be able to give you the specifics of the deal."

"So I’m off?" Nick looked hopefully between Scott and Brenda. "I ain’t gonna get sent to Death Row?"

"It doesn’t look that way, Mr. Raines." Brenda tried to hide the distaste in her voice. "At least – not this time." She whirled on her heel and escaped from the conference room just before her composure ran out.

She hated this part of the job. How could she face Drew Brighton’s family? How could she tell them that Nick Raines would get by with doing some mandatory time in Juvenile Hall, yet their son would never come back to them? As Brenda strode briskly back through the halls leading to her office, she glanced down at her notes. Maybe some good could come out of this, after all. Maybe if she told Brighton’s family that dealers wouldn’t be able to get their hands on the filthy stuff they peddled to school children, he wouldn’t have died in vain.

Maybe. She had promised the Brighton family a call to update them on the search for their son’s killer. Brenda settled herself into her desk chair but sighed an obscenity when she saw a note in Dara’s handwriting taped to her computer monitor. Opening arguments in the Corinthos murder trial had been set for the next day at 1PM. She had a lot of work to do before then – a lot of work that required her full concentration. She couldn’t afford to be distracted by thoughts of dark superheroes or corporate sharks who looked like Greek gods.

*~*~*~*~*

"You work too hard."

When Brenda had sensed someone standing at her desk, she thought at first that it was the kid with the pizza she had ordered for supper. But the minute she heard the accent in the voice, she knew that her hunger wouldn’t be satisfied yet. At least, not the hunger in her stomach…….

"Mr. Jacks." She slowly swiveled in her chair and lifted her eyes to connect with his sparkling turquoise ones. He was wearing an impeccably cut navy pin-stripe business suit, a starched white shirt, and solid burgundy tie with a matching burgundy silk handkerchief in his pocket. "What are you doing here?"

"Nowwww…….is that any way to talk to a man on a mission of mercy?" He pretended to be insulted, his lips curving in a half-smile, half-frown.

"A mission of mercy?" Brenda’s eyebrows lifted and she folded her hands at her waist, propping her elbows on her desk chair. "And exactly what would that mission be?"

The arm that had been bent behind his back appeared, holding a large bouquet of red roses. "I’m here to reunite a family, Miss Barrett." His grin as he offered the flowers to Brenda was innocent yet seductive. "These little fellas have been crying all morning……." He tipped his head towards the lone rose in the bud vase on her desk. "……missing their long-lost brother, you know."

She told herself to refuse them. She told herself that by accepting the roses, she would only encourage this already insufferably confident man in his relentless pursuit of her. But gravity was on Jax’s side – since he was standing and she was sitting – and before she could close her arms, Brenda found them filled with eleven perfect blood red roses, along with fern and more baby’s breath. The heady perfume of a full dozen defied the laws of physics, launching an assault one hundred times more potent than a single bloom.

"They’re……..they’re magnificent, Mr. Jacks……."

"No more than the woman holding them, Miss Barrett." Brenda briefly wondered if Jax was some kind of magician. The lilting tone of his voice was beginning to have a hypnotic effect on her. Combined with the dangerous heat coming from his eyes, she was very grateful that they were in an office full of people.

"I…..uh……." She looked down at the flowers again and then gave herself a stern mental shake to regain her aplomb. "I really shouldn’t accept these, Mister Jacks……"

"Now I thought we had that straightened out last night. It’s Jax, with an X, to my friends." The pizza delivery man suddenly appeared behind Jax. Before Brenda could open her mouth to object, Jax had taken the box from the boy and slipped him a tip. When the boy glanced down at the bill in his hand, his mouth fell open and a wad of gum landed neatly at his feet.

"This really *has* to stop, Mister Jacks." After the delivery boy retrieved his gum and beat a hasty retreat, Brenda exerted a Herculean effort to ignore the beautiful roses. She gave Jax a stern stare when he frowned at her refusal to use his nickname. "You shouldn’t be here, giving me such extravagant gifts, when we barely know each other……."

"Now that’s not quite true, Miss Barrett." His smug smile would have been annoying had the blonde silk of his hair not fallen across his forehead at just that moment. "We’ve broken bread together." He winked at Brenda’s frown. "At the Port Charles Hotel last night."

Brenda’s eyes widened in realization. "I hardly consider gumming down rubber chicken with 500 other people at the mayor’s fundraiser having dinner together," she scolded, rising from her desk in search of a vase. She could hear his footsteps behind her as she went into a small utility room.

"And that’s precisely why I’m here – to rectify that situation." Brenda knew he had been following her. But not that closely, and not that silently. When she turned back to him, she was close enough to see the individual threads of his necktie. He took advantage of her surprise to put his knuckle to her chin and tilt her face up to his. "Have dinner with me tonight."

"I……I……." There was a God. Brenda gave silent thanks that her fellow employee had unexpectedly given birth AND given her the perfect excuse to avoid Jax’s sensual trap. "I can’t. I have to work." She deftly circled around his port side and swiftly strode back into the main office and towards her desk.

"Which is precisely the point I was making earlier." Jax followed, as irrevocably as spring follows the doldrums of winter. He stood before her desk again as Brenda began to arrange the roses in the vase. "You can’t work constantly."

"I have to." Brenda glanced down towards the file on her desk. "I have to appear before a judge tomorrow in a case I was just given yesterday. If I want to have *any* hope of eventually getting a conviction, I need to do the background work tonight."

Jax grimaced but then his eyes sparkled with an idea. "But you still need to eat!" He held up one finger as though he was Edison discovering the light bulb. "We’ll have something quick at the Port Charles Grille and then I’ll bring you back here to work as late as you want." When she shook her head firmly, he protested, "But the body needs food to survive, Miss Barrett!"

"And that’s what THAT is," Brenda smiled triumphantly, pointing to the box of pizza. "My dinner."

Jax scrunched up his nose in defeat. Then he smiled again. "All right, then. I concede tonight’s a loss. What about lunch tomorrow?"

"Can’t." Brenda set the vase to the side of her desk after taking a long, deep breath of the roses’ scent. "I have a meeting that’ll probably run past noon and then I have to be in court for opening arguments at 1."

"Dinner then." Jax stuffed his hands in his trouser pockets. "Tomorrow night." He could see by Brenda’s hesitance before responding that she had no good reason to refuse him. "I’ll pick you up at 7."

She got her second wind and served a hard one that landed in the far corner of the court. "You don’t know where I live!"

He volleyed easily. "Thomas does." Her confidence sank as the ball sailed to her weak side – she had forgotten that the driver took her home the night before. "*He’ll* pick you up at 7."

She swung with all her might and managed to return the lob. "I might be in a *terrible* mood – particularly if things don’t go my way in court."

He smashed a bullet just over the net. "I’ll change that," Jax crooned, leaning over her desk. He lowered his voice to a husky whisper when he noticed her evasive agitation. "Do aggressive men frighten you, Miss Barrett?"

She wasn’t about to allow him the winner. "Not at all, Mister Jacks." Brenda’s eyes narrowed with fierce determination. "I’ve faced men in the courtroom who’ve committed atrocities that would give my grandmother nightmares for weeks without blinking an eye." She leaned forward and folded her hands on her desk. "I’ve sent murderers to death row and toasted myself with champagne afterwards. I’ve sat in on autopsies and visited crime scenes just after eating a full meal and never lived to regret it, Mister Jacks." She picked up the file on her desk. "Starting tomorrow, I’m going to chop this greasy little mobster down to size and put him behind bars for the rest of his miserable life."

Jax whistled softly. "Remind me to send my condolences to your opponents tomorrow, Miss Barrett."

Brenda saw a slight weakness in his backhand and pounced. She leaned forward, mirroring Jax’s earlier stance. "Do aggressive women frighten *you*, Mister Jacks?"

His dimples deepened as he perched on the edge of her desk. "Not at all, Miss Barrett." Jax leaned closer and dropped his voice again. "I find I rather enjoy surrendering control to a woman on occasion – being on the bottom, shall we say?"

A lightning shot that skimmed the net and landed just inside the line out of her reach. Game, set, and match to Jasper Jacks.

The air left Brenda’s lungs in a long whoosh. She licked her lips and stared nervously at her lap as she felt the flush creep up her neck. When she heard the desk creek as Jax stood, she finally dared to look up into his eyes.

"Tomorrow night then – at 7. And don’t even *think* about canceling." He gave her one last smile and pointed to the roses. "Those fellows have a *large* extended family who anxiously waiting to meet you, and I wouldn’t want to disappoint them."

Her mouth was still hanging open when Jax walked out of the office. As she turned back to her keyboard, the combined scent of his aftershave and the roses made her head swim. Agreeing to have dinner with Jasper Jacks was probably one of the biggest mistakes she had ever made in her life.

{You’ve got to get a grip, Brenda. You have too much on your professional plate right now to let a man like him distract you. Take it one step at a time. Get through opening arguments tomorrow first. Don’t even think about how you’ll get through three hours alone with Jasper Jacks and your virtue intact. Or about mysterious seductions, black satin sheets, and a masked stranger kissing you in the dark……..}

Four hours later, Brenda turned off the monitor on her computer and sat back in her desk chair with a sigh. She was as prepared as she ever would be. The pizza, once she got around to eating it, was cold and tough. Her back still ached. Her legs were cramped from sitting in one position for so long. As she cleared the clutter off her desk in preparation to go home, Brenda’s eyes lit on the legal pad from her meeting earlier that day. Suddenly, a sly smile graced her face.

{That’s what you need to clear your head, Brenda. Fresh air. A nice, long walk. Maybe even down on the docks. Maybe even some window shopping for some new sheets and towels……on Decatur Street.}

To be continued…….

Author’s note: DON’T jump to conclusions about the villain in this piece. Although Sonny Corinthos will figure in the murder case that Brenda’s trying, he is NOT the dealer with the golden eagle pendant, nor was he connected in any way with Jax’s shooting. The identity of that man will be revealed in the next chapter.