Straight from the Heart

Lucas sighed. “Why do you always feel that it’s my goal to put criminals back on the street?”

“Because it’s what you do—represent vermin.”

“Have you forgotten that everyone’s entitled to a fair trial—even people like Hector Raye?”

“You live with your ethics and I’ll live with mine.” With that, she whirled around and headed for the door.

Someone was going to shake Blair Logan one of these days, and it just might be him, Lucas decided.

Blair was receiving congratulations from her assistants when Lucas emerged from the courtroom. Out of the corner of her eye she saw him hugging a blond woman. Jennifer Walker, Judge Barrett’s clerk. Lucas must be dating her, Blair thought idly. She’d heard the rumors about Lucas. He changed women the way most men changed their shirts. And the women didn’t seem to mind. Lucas was known for the affable breakups and lasting friendships with his lady friends. Well, they were welcome to him. His dark good looks and charming smile did nothing for her.

Why did he make her so angry? Because he’s an arrogant man, she told herself. And arrogant men seemed to have that effect on her.

All thought of Lucas left her as she spotted her brother, Blake, standing to one side. Being twins, they had the same dark hair and blue eyes, but they were different in so many other ways. Blake had been the wild one, always in trouble. She’d been the quiet, studious one, always striving for excellence.

She walked over to Blake and he smiled at her with an impish grin that didn’t quite reach his eyes. Something was obviously bothering him, but she had no idea what.

“Hi.” She smiled, and stood on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. Blake was six feet tall and she was only five foot four. “What are you doing here?”

Blake lived in London and he was home for a brief visit. She hadn’t expected him in the courtroom today; she assumed he’d be spending time with their parents.

He grinned again and rocked back on his heels. “I just came to watch my baby sister in the courtroom.” Having lived in London on and off for sixteen years, his voice now had an attractive English intonation that still surprised her whenever she heard it.

Adjusting her purse strap, she said, “We’re the same age, Blake. We’re both thirty-two.”

“But I’m three minutes older.”

“Big deal.”

“It is,” he said. “I’m older and male and…” His voice trailed off, and she knew exactly what was on his mind.

“Blake—”

He interrupted her. “When they told Dad he had a son, he probably thought all his prayers had been answered. Little did he know I’d be nothing like him.”

Growing up as Sam Logan’s son hadn’t been easy for Blake. In fact, it had almost been a nightmare, with Blake rebelling every chance he got. In his teens, he was uncontrollable, and their parents sent him away to boarding school in England, hoping a change of environment would help him. It was the first time Blair and Blake had been separated, but the miles hadn’t diminished the bond between them.

They’d always been close, but Blair was the stronger one, protecting and shielding her brother from their father’s wrath whenever Blake did something stupid. That happened plenty of times. Blake seemed bent on a course to upset their father and Blair was generally caught in the middle. For someone she considered mild and loving, Blake sometimes had an obstinate side she didn’t understand.

Blair glanced at him now. “I thought you’d gotten over all that.”

He shrugged offhandedly. “I have, but seeing you in the courtroom today, I couldn’t help thinking how proud Dad must be of you and how disappointed he must be in me.”

“Oh, Blake, I—”

“Evan wants to see you.” The district attorney’s secretary came up to her, cutting her off in midsentence.

“Tell him I’m on my way,” Blair answered, knowing Evan wanted to talk about the trial. For once, it was good news.

Blair quickly kissed Blake’s cheek again. “I’ve got to run. We’ll talk tonight after dinner.”

As she hurried down the corridor to the underground tunnels that connected many of Houston’s downtown buildings, Blair thought about Blake and wished he’d come home to the States to live. Maybe that would mend the rift between father and son, but she knew it was only wishful thinking. Since Blake’s rebellious youth and his decision not to go to law school, things hadn’t been the same in their family, and she didn’t think they ever would be again.

Blake worked as a journalist, but he spent a lot of his time at a school for delinquent youths in London, helping and teaching troubled teenagers. It wasn’t the future Sam wanted for Blake, but Blake was good with kids and he seemed determined to steer them away from drugs, drinking and rebellion. Blair decided not to think about her father’s reaction. She’d concentrate on spending quality time together as a family.

It was a short walk from the criminal-courts building to the district attorney’s office, a walk that gave her a chance to clear her head. She tapped on the district attorney’s door and entered when she heard Evan’s “Come in.” Evan Holt was of medium height and almost completely bald. He stood in the middle of his domain with a golf club in his hands. He was an avid golfer and had a small putting green in his office. He studied the ball in front of him, then glanced at the cup some distance away.

“I’ll be right with you, Blair,” he said, and swung the club. When the ball rolled in, he turned to Blair with a triumphant smile. “Well, you did it. You beat Culver.”

“Yes,” she answered. Evan was reputed to know everything that went on in the courthouse…sometimes even before it happened.

Evan moved around his desk and sat down. “You did a great job. Though I must say, clients like Raye aren’t usually Culver’s style. When Jim Tenney was handling the case, I figured we’d be able to put ol’ Hector away for a long time, but when Culver took over, I was worried he’d use some of his theatrics to get Raye off.” Evan picked up a pencil. “Never understood why Culver took the case at all.”

“I heard that Tenney’s an old friend, and when he had to have emergency heart surgery, Lucas stepped in to help him out.” Blair repeated the rumors, although she was reluctant to give the man that much credit.

Evan rested back in his chair. “You don’t like Culver, do you?”

Blair shrugged in a nonchalant manner. “I don’t know much about him. All I know is I don’t care for lawyers like him.”

“Your father’s a lawyer like him.”

Blair’s eyes narrowed. “What are you getting at, Evan?” She knew he had something else on his mind besides the Raye trial. She’d worked for Evan for six years and she was well acquainted with his tactics. He’d skirt an issue before getting to the point.

Evan leaned forward. “I was thinking about the Easton case and your father’s involvement.”

There was not a flicker of emotion or movement on Blair’s face, even though the name Easton sent chills down her spine. She stared Evan straight in the eye. “My father was his attorney, that’s all.”

Her father was a well-known defense attorney in Houston, in Texas and beyond. As his daughter, she was expected to follow in his footsteps—as was Blake. After Blake’s defection, as her father called it, Sam Logan focused all his efforts on his daughter. He wanted her to work for his firm, but she couldn’t because she and her father had different points of view on the law. He defended criminals and it was her goal to keep them behind bars.

This caused more than a few arguments—with Sam insisting that her perspective was oversimplified. She knew her judgment and reasoning was colored by the past, but that didn’t make her wrong. It only made her more strong-minded, more—

“I heard there was a disturbance in the courtroom.” Evan’s words broke in.

“Yes.” Blair forced her thoughts back to the present. “Raye wasn’t pleased with the verdict.”

“Are you okay?”

“Yes.” She looked at him with guarded eyes. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“You don’t have to be so tough, Blair. I’m well aware of what happened to you.”

“It was a long time ago, and like you said, I’m tough. I can deal with it.”

“Blair…”

She stopped him. “If that’s all, I’ve got a mound of paperwork waiting for me.”

Evan watched her for a moment, then said, “No, that’s not all. I brought Todd Easton up for a reason.”