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Edward recovered quickly, glancing behind her as though he expected a barrage of cops to follow her through the door. "What the hell do you want?"

"To talk," Evelyn replied evenly.

"About what?" he tossed down his pen. "About the fact that you're sending me to jail with all your fucking lies?"

"I didn't lie, Eddie. You know that as well as I do."

"Oh really?" he got out of his chair and came around his desk, causing her to automatically take a step back. "A bit of rough sex and you want to call it rape?"

"It was rape."

He shook his head as though pitying her. "You tell yourself that if you want to. If it makes you feel better."

"You broke the door down..."

"So I got a bit carried away on one occasion. I didn't rape you that night, Evelyn. I didn't rape you at the Algonquin and I sure as hell didn't try to rape you any other night we were together. You might have rolled your eyes a few times and pretended that you were tired, but you still opened your legs and, if I remember correctly, came every time."

"Right..." she nodded, "and you didn't ever hit me either, did you?"

"The jury didn't seem to think so," he reminded her. "I've accepted what I did at the mayor's dinner and at the precinct that afternoon and I'm not proud of it. But as far as the rest of it goes, the only person who looked foolish in court was you."

Evelyn bit her tongue, wanting desperately to scream and shout at him, to claw at his face, to give him a little taste of what she had endured. But that wasn't why she was there and it would do her cause no good whatsoever to lose control now. "That isn't what I came here to talk about."

"Then what do you want?" he asked again, crossing his arms across his chest and glaring at her. "If you're trying to entrap me into some sort of bail bond violation..."

"I'm not. I want...I want you to help the cops find who shot me."

Edward blinked. "My lawyer already told the DA that I was prepared to help with that."

"Yeah, but only if you get a deal out of it for yourself," Evelyn said, walking over to the couch in the corner of the room and sitting down, trying to appear relaxed even though her insides were churning with anxiety. "Five years...for three felonies? McCoy's pushing for twenty, at least."

"He'll never get it."

"He thinks he will." She took a breath. "But he's left it up to me."

"He's left what up to you?" Edward frowned.

"The decision on whether or not to accept your deal. He's left it up to me to decide. If I say yes, then he'll take the information you have and agree to five years. If I say no, he'll ask for twenty and, like I said, he thinks he'll get it."

"So...what? You want me to try and persuade you to accept the deal?"

"No," she said. "I want to propose a new deal. I want you to agree to tell the cops what you know and I'll persuade Jack to take ten years."

Edward laughed, "You want me to give up the information and take more years in jail? Forget it."

"Five years isn't long enough, Eddie, not by a long shot. I'd rather never know who did it than agree to that and if I don't agree to it, you're looking at twenty." She regarded him carefully, wondering if he could hear how wildly her heart was beating in her chest. "So, what do you think?"

He studied her for a long moment. "I think you're full of shit, that's what I think. You really think I give a rat's ass who shot you? I'm only sorry they didn't do a better job, then I wouldn't have had to face the indignity of a trial or spend any time in jail. You've got more invested in finding out who killed your bastard than I have."

Evelyn blanched at his words. "How did you...?"

"What, know that you were pregnant? Someone told me. After the fact, I should say. It certainly didn't take you long, did it?"

"You left a message on my machine..." she said, her voice shaking slightly, deliberately ignoring his insinution. "You told me that you were sorry..."

"Maybe I was, then. That was before I had to sit and listen to all of your lies..."

"I didn't lie!" she exclaimed, getting to her feet, going against her own vow to stay in control.

"No?" he advanced towards her. "Don't say you don't remember what it was like fucking on that very couch."

"That was a long time ago..."

"You loved it, you know you did. You got a real kick out of doing it right here and not knowing if someone was going to walk in and see you astride me, wet and slippery, my hands around your waist, my mouth on your breasts..."

"This was a huge mistake," she said, pushing past him towards the door. "I was wrong to think that you might actually want to take responsibility for something. That you might have decency lurking beneath all that...misogyny...that you might actually have been telling the truth in court when you said you still loved me!"

"I do still love you," Edward replied. "You might be a lying bitch, but, somehow, I still love you. This deal you want..." she paused at the door. "How badly do you want it?"

She turned back to face him, "What do you mean?" He raised his eyebrows, gestured to the couch and then spread his hands. Nausea rose in her stomach. "You're disgusting."

"It's not as if you haven't done it before. You might even enjoy it. I can't imagine that uptight asshole Stone can give you as good a ride as I could. I bet when you worked together you weren't constantly damp in those panties of yours thinking about him. I bet you don't scream his name in bed the way you used to scream mine..."

The mere mention of Ben's name only served to convince her what a terrible idea it had all been. She should have gone with him to Hartford after all. She should never have allowed herself to give her husband any headspace. She knew he was enjoying tormenting her, playing on the one insecurity she had about their whole time together, the fact that, at one time, she had enjoyed him as much as he had enjoyed her.

"He's twice the man you'll ever be. And he doesn't have to force me...ever." His smile faded slightly and, for the briefest of moments, she almost felt sorry for him. "What happened to you, Eddie?" she asked softly. "What happened to the handsome, idealistic young lawyer I met on my first day here? What happened to the man who swept me off my feet with endless promises? What was it that turned you into...a monster?" He looked away. "Your parents were good people, they raised you well, they loved you..."

"Well I guess it's a good thing they aren't here to see all this now, isn't it? They liked you a lot. I'm sure they wouldn't understand why you've done this."

Evelyn sighed, realising she was getting nowhere and yet willing to give it one more try. "That day at the precinct...I admit, I might have provoked you into grabbing me." He raised his eyebrows. "But before the whole conversation descended into chaos, I think you genuinely wanted to tell me about the Luccheses'...about the hold they had over you...us..." She paused. "All I'm asking is for you to finish what you started."

He didn't say anything for a long moment, simply turned and walked over to the window, the city lights bright against the inky sky. "What I was telling you that day was true," he said finally. "They do have a hold over most of our assets."

"What about the money you were able to pass to me?"

"It came from our joint savings account, perfectly legitimately. They hadn't managed to get their hands on it so I felt it was best to move it as quickly as possible."

"And the apartment?"

"I wasn't lying about that," he turned back to face her. "I re-mortgaged in order to cover the amounts they were demanding from me. The house in Sag Harbor too. I haven't been able to make the payments. The bank took the Sag Harbor house a few weeks ago and it won't be long before they come after the apartment."

Mindful that it had been at this point previously when he had blown up at her, Evelyn chose her next words as carefully as she could. "Why didn't you go to the police and tell them that you were being threatened?"

"Because then I would have had to have told them about the extra money they paid me after the court case when I got Amuso's nephew acquitted. It would look like a pay off and I could have been in trouble with the IRS. Not to mention..." he trailed off.

"Not to mention what?"

He shook his head, "It's probably best that you don't know."

She wanted to ask more, was desperate to and yet, something in his expression made her accept his word. "Was it worth it?" she chose to ask instead.

He made a face, "Hindsight is a wonderful thing."

The words resonated, not least of all because they were the very words Ben had used when she had lamented remaining in her marriage for so long. "Eddie..."

"I guess there's cold comfort in knowing I'm not the only one they've done this to. I'm sure the DA's office would love to know the gory details about Patrick Lehrman and Philip Bosco too, though I'd be violating attorney-client privilege regarding Bosco...but seeing as someone got themselves killed for him and the fact that I'm going to jail anyway...maybe it's worth the potential lawsuit."

"Killed?" she paused, a light suddenly dawning. "Michael Richmond?"

"Let's just say it wasn't a suicide."

Evelyn moved to stand in front of him, "Eddie, please...please talk to the cops, talk to the DA...tell them what you know about all of this. You know it's the right thing to do, even if you don't want to help me. Otherwise, these people just get to go on and on doing this!" He reached out and touched her cheek with his hand, his thumb trailing down over her lower lip. She trembled slightly, worried what he might do next, wanting to pull away from him and yet knowing that if she was ever close to persuading him, it was now. "Please," she whispered.

"I didn't mean it when I said I didn't care about you being shot," he said quietly. "I did care, very much. I do still love you, Evelyn...but ten years..." his eyes danced over her face.

"It's ten, or it's twenty," she said, her voice shaking again. "I'll never agree to five. Nothing you can say...or do...is going to change that."

"And you're in control..." he nodded.

"Yes. This time I am." She fought against her instincts and reached out to touch the hair at his temple, her fingers flitting down the side of his face. He caught her hand in his, turned her palm towards him and kissed it. Her body shuddered involuntarily as his arm went around her waist and he pulled her tightly against him, his mouth instinctively finding hers. She screwed her eyes shut, desperate for it to be over, yet knowing that a few moments of discomfort could give her what she wanted. His tongue slid between her teeth to find hers, his free hand cupping her face then trailing down her body to her breasts. Ashamedly, her nipples hardened as her mind screamed at her to stop and just as she was about to pull herself back from him, to her surprise he broke free and pushed her away.

"Better to stop," he said, slightly breathlessly. "No matter how much I know you still want me I'm sure you'd be able to spin it to your advantage."

"I don't want..." she started, resisting the temptation to wipe her face and spit away his saliva.

"Ten years?"

"Yes."

"Fine. You've got your deal." He turned back to his desk as though nothing had happened. "I'll call my lawyer first thing in the morning and have her talk to McCoy."

"You...you will?" she stammered as he nodded. "Why?"

"Because maybe I'm prepared to be the bigger person here," he replied, sitting back down into his chair. "Besides, what's ten years? It's not as if we'll never see each other again."

She pushed that thought to the back of her mind. "Thank you."

His gaze burned into hers and, for a moment, she could see the man he had once been, sitting at that same desk, looking her up and down as she had stood in front of him, shamelessly flirting and imagining all sorts of erotic encounters, just like the one he had described. He smiled slightly, as though reading her mind, then grew sombre again. "Get the fuck out of my office."

She nodded, pulling herself back to reality. "Gladly." Without hesitating further, she made her way hurriedly back along the corridor to the elevator, punching the lit button three or four times in the hope that it would speed up the process. She kept glancing back over her shoulder, waiting for him to come thundering after her, declaring that he had made a mistake and that, not only was he not going to help her, but that he was going to have her too. But the corridor remained deserted.

Traffic was lighter on the way back across the bridge but when she got back into her apartment, the light on her machine was blinking and Ben's voice filled the room.

"It's only me. I'm back in Hartford and...uh...the kids send you their love. They miss you...I do too. I hope you're ok. Call me when you get this. I love you."

"You've done nothing wrong," she told her reflection in the bathroom mirror as she scrubbed away her make-up, brushed her teeth and changed out of her clothes into her pyjamas, tossing the offending articles into the wash basket. "You did what you had to do...you've done nothing wrong." Finally satisfied, or at least as satisfied as she could be, she lifted the phone and dialled the Hartford number. "Hi," she greeted Ben brightly when he answered. "Sorry, I was in the bathroom."

"Are you ok?" he asked. "I've been worried ever since I left you."

"I'm fine," she reassured him. "Really I am. I miss you though. Pretty badly in fact."

"I miss you too."

"I'm going to drive up first thing tomorrow once I've spoken to Jack," she said. "Then we can stay up there until the hearing on Thursday and bring the kids down to see that apartment."

"You liked it then?"

"Yeah, I did."

"Have you decided what you're going to say to Jack when you talk to him?"

She paused, knowing it was going to be more a case of what Jack was going to say to her and while her husband's change of heart might surprise a few people, no-one would need ever know the part she had played in persuading him. "Yes," she replied finally. "Yes, I think I have."

XXXX

To her surprise, she slept well that night. After she had hung up the phone, she had made herself some hot chocolate and sat down to watch a late night talk show, only to find her eyelids starting to droop within the first few minutes. She had climbed into bed, pulled the duvet around herself and been convinced that she would toss and turn until the early hours when, in fact, she had woken with a start just after eight o'clock.

She forced herself to eat some breakfast, drink coffee and listen to the radio. Then she showered, dried her hair, packed a bag for the next few days in Hartford and started staring at the phone. Nine o'clock came and went as did nine-thirty. By ten she was starting to get restless, but a phone call to Edward's direct line resulted in no answer. Ben called at ten-fifteen and she told him that she would hopefully be on the road within the next half hour and be with him in time for lunch. At ten-thirty, she called Jack's office, only to be told by his secretary that he was on the phone. Ten minutes later, she called again to receive the same response.

Restlessly, she paced around the living room wondering what the hell was taking Edward so long. Even if Adele Diamond had tried to talk him out of what he had agreed to do, she surely would have made the call for him by now? Unless...she stopped pacing...unless he had changed his mind overnight or maybe...maybe he had never had any intention of taking the deal.

No, she told herself. I know him. I saw the look in his eyes. He was telling me the truth, I know he was.

Five minutes later, the phone rang and she grabbed for it like a woman possessed. "Hello?"

"Evelyn, it's Jack."

"About time!"

There was a slight pause on the other end of the line. "You called earlier?"

"Yes, I...well..." she paused herself, waiting for him to deliver the news. "Have you heard anything?"

"From who?"

"From...well, from Eddie's lawyer."

"No," Jack replied, "Was I supposed to? I thought you were going to call me with what you had decided?"

That bastard...that complete and utter bastard. Once again he has fucked me right over...!

"Evelyn? You still there?"

"Yes."

"Did you make your decision?"

"Yes," she replied, her voice shaking slightly. "Tell the bastard there's no deal. Tell him he's getting twenty minimum. Tell him I hope he rots in Hell."

"You're sure?" Jack clarified.

"I've never been more sure about anything in my life," she said. "I hope he gets everything he deserves." Before Jack could say anything more, she slammed the receiver back down into the cradle, grabbed her bag and headed out, slamming the apartment door behind her. She cursed Edward with every step it took to get down the stairs and outside onto the street and she turned to where she had left her car, purposefully not looking at the spot where, mere months earlier, she had fallen, her blood spilling onto the concrete. "Asshole, bastard, cock-sucking..." she muttered under her breath as she wrenched open the door and tossed her bag into the back seat. Slamming it shut again, she took a breath and tried to bring herself back under control.

"Evelyn Burns?"

The sound of her name startled her and she turned quickly to see a man and a woman walking towards her. "Yes?"

"I'm Detective Harris, this is Detective Morelli, 69th precinct," the male said, as they both reached into their pockets and pulled out shields.

"69th precinct?" she echoed, trying to place it.

"Brooklyn," Harris replied. "We're sorry to approach you like this...is there somewhere a bit more private we could talk?"

"Uh...well, I'm actually just on my way to Connecticut," she replied. "Is it important?"

"I'm afraid so, ma'am, and a little bit delicate."

Evelyn crossed her arms across her chest, "Look, if this is about a client then I'm not working at the moment, but if you call the PD's office then I'm sure that..."

"It's not about a client and I'd really rather not do this here, ma'am."

"Oh for God's sake!" she exclaimed. "Can you please just spit out whatever it is you want to talk to me about?"

"Alright," Harris agreed. "It's about your husband, Edward Burns?"

Evelyn paused, "What about him?"

"He was found in an alley behind his office building in the early hours of this morning."

A cold feeling started at the base of her spine and slowly started to work its way up her back. "What do you mean, found?"

"He'd been shot. I'm afraid that...he's dead."