"Your aunt has the best expletive vocabulary I have ever come across." David Rosen chuckled and showed Rosalie a preview of some of the messages he had exchanged with Jenna. They were certainly colourful.

"I…don't even know what to say to that." She scoffed and turned away from them, making her way over to the window.

"How's that view working out for you?" Rosen asked with a wide grin, nudging her in the arm.

They were on the fifth floor of an office block at the edge of downtown Sacramento, looking out over the mountains; it was incredible; a view that was so easy to get lost in.

"It's beautiful." Rosalie uttered, but her face told a different story.

Rosen folded his arms and pursed his lips. He took a shot, "You're feeling like a sell-out?"

Rosalie finally glanced at him and sighed, "No."

"You can do incredible work here, Rosie, it's not all negligent boob-jobs, and parking tickets." He assured her.

"Why are you giving me this?" Rosie asked, simply, "Pity?"

"No." He said, shaking his head sharply, "Because, I want the best."

"I'm an infant in the law game." Rosie noted as she peeled away from the view and turned to face him fully, "You don't know what I'm like."

"You were incredible pre-bar, I have no doubts you'll be incredible now you're fully-qualified. You're smart, quick-witted, great with clients, and…you're my friend. I want my friends to rise when I rise." David noted with a hearty clap on the shoulder.

"Bull. Shit." Rosie scoffed, with a grin, and shuffled out of his fake display of comradery, "You give me the actual reason, and I'll take the job here and now."

"See! Observant. Smart. Never misses a trick. Why wouldn't I hire you?" David declared and sauntered through to what would eventually become his own office.

"There's a trick to miss?" Rosalie retorted, sticking to the man like a shadow, "Tell me."

David sighed heavily and produced a document from the inner pocket of his suit jacket, and a crumpled 20-dollar bill from his wallet. He scorned, "Goddammit, you got change?"

"No, my purse is in the car." Rosalie shook her head, and noted, "You want it now? I could actually do with some air; the paint fumes in here are…phew. Bold colour choice, by the way."

"No, fine, you know what, you're probably worth it." David said as he sauntered over to open the windows further and glanced back, gesturing, "Sign that."

Rosalie blinked and squinted, scoffing, "You're asking me to sign a document blind? In a fumy office? Is this a test?"

"No. It's a retainer." David explained.

He handed over the $20 bill and used a folder to waft fresh air her way. She simply glared back at him and eventually slapped the folder down, he wasn't helping, just causing a draft.

He explained, "I would like you to be my legal representation. If you sign the retainer, I will tell you absolutely everything you want to know."

"Under attorney-client privilege. What the hell are you gonna say?" Rosalie uttered as he propped the pen into her hand.

"Well, don't you wanna know." David sang and gestured wildly.

"I can't believe you were after a smaller bill." Rosalie groaned as she scribbled on the designated lines.

"Mates rates." David said, with a grin, and tucked the document back into his jacket pocket.

He beckoned her over to the window and pointed out, away from the Sacramento border. He said, "You see that small town? Right on the border of that crop field? That's a little town called Charming." He waited for Rosalie to nod slowly before explaining, "My most lucrative client to date resides there. This office was built on their business."

Rosalie knew of the town; she had been to the town, around seven weeks ago. Mrs Rosen had passed around a clipping from the local newspaper of a school district fundraiser that her son had made balloon animals at…and there was another photograph which stole her attention. The employees of an auto shop were surrounding a man dressed up as Elvis, and one of the men snatched her cursory glance, and gripped her. She surveyed the black and white photograph intensely, whilst Mrs Rosen rabbited on about an Elvis impersonator she'd seen in Phoenix last year. She requested to keep the clipping, to show her aunt and uncle, both keen supporters of all of David's endeavours. Mrs Rosen had beamed and nodded her head proudly.

"You said you received a grant-" Rosie uttered.

"I say a lot of things, Rosie." David said and leant against the window sill. His tone had changed, it was still pleasant but less jovial.

"Who is it? The client?" Rosie asked curtly.

"It's a group in the community of Charming, who would like to support a small business, in exchange for continued legal support." David explained haphazardly.

"Who?" She rasped.

"It's a motorcycle club." David said.

"I'm still waiting for the big reveal? Why couldn't you tell me that pre-document signing?" She asked. There was nothing nefarious in what he'd divulged so far, just a tenuous link.

He wandered over to his briefcase and plucked out a significantly thicker document this time and said, "Sign this employment contract and I'll tell you."

"Seriously?" Rosalie scorned at the man, "The last one gave me jack."

"It has all of your many amendments, including that very generous, somewhat outlandish, maternity leave agreement." Rosen stated, "You know I've never had this much difficulty trying to help someone out before, usually they're all 'ah, sweet! Thanks Dave!'"

He pushed the contract across the desk and handed her the pen once more. The second the ink was dry he explained, "You…were a stipulation of me getting a sizeable investment from a client. So, it's half helping a friend in need, half large financial incentive."

"What?" Rosie scorned and gestured out the window, "From them?"

Rosen nodded once and declared, "I like to think of it as a form of immediate karma; an immediate thank you from the universe for being such a good egg, and helping my fellow man, or wo-man."

Rosie glared out and asked, "You're doing the whole explaining jack-shit thing again. How do they know me?"

She needed to hear him say it. The dots were all connected, but she needed to hear it.

"Someone's watching your back, I don't know." He said with a dismissive shrug.

"David." She huffed out.

Her mind was racing back to impulsive trip she'd taken back then; the root of the predicament she found herself in now. Did someone see her? Did he know she was there? How would anyone else connect the dots? She didn't tell anyone she was going; she just snatched up the newspaper clipping and drove and chickened out; that's it. She spoke to…3 people: the waitress, the bartender and…well, that guy.

"I didn't ask, okay?" David said, and flopped his arms out open, "It's all on a need to know basis, and that's how we do things at the Law Office of David Rosen! Welcome to it, Counsellor!"