Chapter 3
Rachel's gaze swept across the floor as she paused by reception, her brow furrowed with concern. She'd been searching for Donna everywhere, desperate to gain her best friend's perspective on a client, but despite Donna's handbag and phone being in her office, the woman seemed to have vanished.
Tapping her nails on the desk, she unintentionally drew an irritated huff from the temp whose name escaped her. Before she'd graduated law school, her unofficial role had been to mentor new starters who weren't associates, and even though she had more responsibilities now, she didn't want to become the kind of lawyer who lost touch with her roots.
Smiling sheepishly, she made a mental note to be more attentive — after she located Donna.
"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to be rude. I'm looking for the firm's COO, Donna Paulsen. You haven't seen her, have you?"
The young blonde stopped typing and glanced up, her raised eyebrow suggesting she was surprised by the apology.
"I saw her go into the ladies bathroom about five minutes ago."
Rachel glanced over, and sure enough, there was a clear line of sight to the women's toilets. "Great, thank you." She smiled brightly, hoping to mend some bridges tomorrow, but her confidence plummeted as she entered the bathroom.
Donna was standing in front of the large mirrors, dabbing a tissue at the tears staining her cheeks. Rachel gasped as the door closed behind her. "Oh my God. What happened?"
Donna flinched as Rachel rushed forward, feeling a mix of embarrassment and vulnerability as her friend closed in. If anyone else had found her, she'd snap at them to get out. She had every reason to be upset — someone had been lurking outside her apartment the previous night, Harvey had unknowingly been in danger for weeks, and to add to the barrage of revelations, she was sure he'd been on the verge of kissing her and finally admitting there was something more between them.
She was a mess and needed a shoulder to cry on, but she couldn't disclose the extent of her turmoil. For Rachel's sake, it was safer to say nothing, and she forced a weak smile. "I'm fine."
Rachel gently placed her palm on Donna's quivering shoulder, her body starting to tense, but her eyes softened as she gazed at Donna's reflection in the mirror. The few times she had ever seen Donna this upset there had always been a common denominator. So she tried to stay objective but firm as she squeezed her best friend. "What did Harvey do?"
Donna shook her head and lowered her chin with a sigh. Harvey wasn't to blame for everything he'd just told her up on the roof. But he'd pushed her away before she'd had a chance to wrap her head around someone waiting outside her home and the trouble they were in. Turning, she braced her palms against the sink and faced Rachel's concern. She couldn't go into details, so she told Rachel the only truth that wouldn't put her best friend in danger. "Harvey and I… We were… I thought, maybe…"
Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment, mortified for believing Harvey was actually going to kiss her.
Even without hearing what happened, Rachel could reason from the disappointed hurt on Donana's face there had been some sort of romantic insinuation or missed opportunity of that nature, and she felt a stab of heartache on her friend's behalf. She'd never understand the relationship Donna had with Harvey — two people willing to sacrifice everything for each other, and yet, despite their undeniable connection, they'd walk the line right up to becoming more, only to turn and run. "You thought he might finally be ready?" she asked gently.
Donna swiped the moisture gathered under her lower lashes, facing the shame of rejection, but there was no judgment in Rachel's gaze or the placating sympathy she dreaded the most. Her friend only seemed interested in supporting her, and she felt a pang of guilt. Of course she was upset that Harvey had given her false hope, but he was also on his way to Cahill's office, ready to do anything in his power to protect her. He didn't deserve to have Rachel taking her side and thinking the worst of him. "I'm overreacting." She shook her head, blowing out calmly through her nose."Harvey caught me off guard, that's all. He and I are fine."
"Donna—"
"I know." Her grip slipped from the basin and she caught Rachel by the elbows, lightly pinching the small indents. "You're here for me. I appreciate that, Rach. I really do."
That hadn't been what Rachel was going to say, but she suspected Donna knew that as well, and would rather end the conversation for now. Although she thought talking things through might help Donna, she had to respect they were different in that sense, and rather than push, she pulled her friend into a tight hug.
She still had hope that Donna and Harvey would one day see what everyone else could: that the two were meant to be together. But until that day came along, all she could do was be there for her closest friend.
...
…
"I appreciated the tip, Harvey. I'll take it under advisement." Sean kept his head down, expecting Harvey to be on his way. Not an unreasonable expectation, considering the man had barged into his office and stated he had no interest in pursuing an investigation once he divulged what he had to say. Which is why he sighed when Harvey's polished shoes didn't retreat from his downcast gaze. "Harvey—"
"How long?" Harvey quickly deciphered the prosecutor's guilty aversion. Even though he'd emphatically stated he had no intention of getting involved, he would have thought dropping a conspiracy that involved pharmaceutical giants and judges warranted more than a shrug. "How long have you known?"
Sean leaned back in his chair with a tight frown. The situation had escalated to a need to know basis. Even if he wanted to reveal the details to Harvey, which he didn't, there were serious clearance level protocols in place.
However, knowing the arrogant lawyer the way he did, he knew not saying anything would inadvertently lead to Harvey's interfering being a bigger pain in his ass than his superiors. "The FBI is investigating. That's all you need to know."
Bullshit that's all he needs to know. He wasn't planning on showing any of his cards, because he'd assumed if Cahill knew his firm was implicated, the man would have done the decent thing and informed him. "Well, maybe you can tell your friends over at the FBI that my office was bugged and I've been getting threats," he snapped bitterly. "Based on the texts, I'd say the evidence I have is fairly credible, wouldn't you?"
"Damn it, Harvey!" Sean scowled at the man's infamous ability to screw him over by withholding information."You said you didn't have anything."
He shrugged nonchalantly. "I lied."
Maybe he'd feel a slightest hint of regret if Cahill hadn't hung his firm and Jessica's client out to dry. But all he really cared about was putting an end to the whole fucking shit-show he'd landed Donna in. "How close are the FBI to making arrests?"
"Not close enough to keep you alive."
With an exasperated growl, Sean swept his face with his hands. As it stood, the few material witnesses that had come forward had been in witness protection for weeks. All of their statements had been given under duress because of threats to their family and friends. Harvey was right, whatever he'd found was credible. and if his situation was the same as the others, then he wasn't the only one in deep shit. "Who else have you told?"
"No one."
The response was so clean and fast it had to be horseshit. Harvey had told someone, and as far as history had taught him, there was only one other person the lawyer would have trusted with the information. "Harvey, you need to listen to me. If Mike knows, then he's in more danger now than he was in prison. I'm the only person who can help, so you need to start talking."
Harvey's gaze jerked away from the prosecutor, his jaw locking as he shoved his hands into his pockets and balled them into fists. After everything that happened with Mike, he could barely entertain the idea of putting Donna's life in Cahill's hands, and he considered going along with the man's wrong assumption that Mike was the one in danger just to determine how things could play out. But, ultimately, there were too many variables between Mike and Donna's roles at the firm to play fast and loose. He needed a resolution to keep Donna safe — one that happened quickly.
"Donna knows." He finally admitted. "Nobody else."
Mild surprise caught Sean off guard, but he recovered in a beat, deciding not to question why Harvey had confided in his secretary instead of his most trusted partner. The revelation actually streamlined the process going forward. It would be a hell of a lot easier to make a secretary vanish than two high-profile lawyers. "Great. Find a temporary replacement for your desk. I'll handle the rest."
"She's not my secretary anymore. Donna was promoted to COO."
Sean's irate palm landed on his desk. Why wasn't he surprised there were even more varying levels of complication to the situation. "Just give me the damn flash drive." Harvey stared at him blankly, and he swore to god, he was almost ready to hand the man over to wolves and let him fend for himself. "Tell me you scanned everything?"
Harvey stiffened, frustrated by the man's patronizing tone. The thought might have occurred to him, or at least Donna, had they been given more time. But he definitely didn't feel comfortable handing over anything with Cahill's flippant approach to Donna. "Consider yourself lucky I didn't destroy everything! And until you tell me exactly how you plan on stopping these assholes going after Donna, you're not getting shit from me."
Sean fought the urge to lurch out of his chair and warn Harvey to pull his head in, stopping himself. The blow-hard lawyer was infuriating but nothing good would come from getting into a pissing match with Harvey's ego. "If you bring Donna here with whatever you've got, I can make arrangements to get her out of the city while we bring you up to speed."
Inside his pockets, Harvey's nails dug deeper into his palms. Locking Donna away seemed like a fine idea to him, in principle. Except he wouldn't be with her and the notion sent panic blazing through him. God knows how long it would be before he could contact her or see for himself that she was okay. And he was sure she wouldn't go willingly. But Cahill wasn't screwing around. The man's concern was stark in his hunched shoulders.
Realistically, he knew handing over the evidence he'd collected would leave him and Donna with no choice but to comply. He wasn't happy and couldn't bring himself to sound gracious just yet, but he made an effort to restrain his aggression. "Okay." He nodded sharply. "I'll bring her in."
Once again, Sean was thrown by a restrained sense of disbelief. He hadn't expected Harvey to roll over so quickly, and he tilted his head, taking an inquisitive peek at the full picture being presented. It was unclear why Harvey had come to him at all. The man obviously hadn't intended to show his hand, hadn't made any inquiry about a deal for his own protection, and just mentioning Donna in the wrong context seemed to trigger active landmines. If he didn't know better, he'd think Dorothy had given Harvey a heart to stick in his Tin Man chest.
Unfortunately, Lions and Tigers and Bears weren't their biggest problem, and he had to put aside his curious observation. Even as COO, Donna was still more easily maneuverable than Harvey. Removing him from any cases with judges under suspicion could risk exposing the FBI's operation or put other people he cared about in danger to smoke the lawyer out. The man needed to stay in plain sight while taking his own safety seriously. "Harvey." He implored the lawyer to listen. "You do realize I can't send you with her."
"Good," Harvey lied. He'd suspected as much, and while he hated the fact they'd be separated, he needed to be doing something, not sitting on his own ass while waiting for the FBI to get off theirs. "Because unless you plan on buying me the wagyu steak at Yakiniku tonight, we're going to be here, going through every goddamn thing the FBI has."
Even though Harvey's retreating footsteps couldn't be heard over the carpet, Sean felt the weight of the man's simmering anger settle in the air as the door slammed closed. When the charge dissipated, silence descended like the eye of a storm.
As he reached for his phone, Cahill braced himself. His boss, the Chairman of the SEC, was going to be furious. But like it or not, Harvey needed eyes on him for his own protection.
...
…
Donna rubbed her temples as she re-read her response back to HR on workplace procedures. She had to sign off on several policy amendments before the end of the day, but her mind kept anxiously wondering about Harvey's whereabouts. He should have been back by now, but she forced herself to focus before texting him in a panic for no reason.
Scanning down to her signature, she was satisfied she hadn't dropped the ball, and she hit send, moving onto an email about Employee Engagement and Wellness when her door opened with a rambunctious swing. At first, Harvey's face flooded her with relief, but her gaze quickly fell to his tight grip on the door handle and then to the briefcase he was clinging onto with bulging knuckles. Her eyes flashed back up to his tie that had loosened by an inch. No one else would have noticed the subtle signs of panic, but those traits wailed in her mind like a car alarm. "What happened?"
"Everything is handled." His automatic response was to reassure her, but when she sunk her head down, sweeping her hair to one side and breathing out a shaky breath, he could tell she didn't believe his calm facade. Letting go of the door, he knew he'd have to invest more into the bluff if he expected her to leave with him. "You were right. Sean's willing to help, but he needs the evidence and for us to walk him through what happened last night."
As soon as the lie left his mouth, she knew it was bullshit. There wasn't a single reason why Cahill would need her account. Harvey had the briefcase, and he knew more than she did. He was hiding something. And even though she'd blindly follow him anywhere, she wasn't sure she could trust his judgment after his indecision on the roof. "No."
"Excuse me?"
His brow furrowed as her hand closed over her mouse. "You don't need me there, Harvey, and I have deadlines to meet. So, unless you tell me what's actually going on, I'm staying."
God fucking damnit. He pinched the bridge of his nose, hurtling out a sigh. If he told her the truth, she'd probably chain herself to the desk and get them both killed. But if he didn't, she wasn't likely to budge either. "I lied, okay."
She threw him a glare that spoke for itself.
No shit.
"Look, I don't have all the answers yet." He stepped up to her desk, glancing over his shoulder at the closed door. As a precaution, he'd had Benjamin sweep her office as well, and the room had been clean, but he still lowered his voice as he turned back to her. "There's an ongoing investigation being run by the FBI. Cahill doesn't think we're safe, and I trust him, so I need you to trust me and let him make the next call."
The other shoe dropped like an anvil in her stomach. When she'd told Harvey to seek out the prosecutor, she knew an investigation would be dangerous. She just didn't expect the ramifications to hit this hard and fast. But if Harvey could put aside his ego to let Cahill plan their next move, then she was prepared to do whatever he asked. "Okay."
He watched as she closed her laptop, then swiveled around to collect her things, and his brow tightened with confusion. "Okay? That's it?"
If the situation wasn't so severe, she would have rolled her eyes at him. "I have faith in you, Harvey. If you say this is the only way, then I believe you."
"That's not what you said on the roof," he huffed, not sure what the hell he was doing trying to pick an argument. But he'd been expecting her to fight him every step of the way, reaffirm his instincts that once she was with Cahill, she'd be safe.
"Do you really want to talk about what happened on the roof right now?" Her brow arched daringly. The reason she'd challenged him to go to Cahill was because he hadn't been looking for a solution. He'd wanted to destroy the evidence and hide. The same thing she knew he would now, instead of discussing the other thing that happened up there.
He swallowed the urge to admit that at some point he would like to revisit the spark that had ignited between them. There was a lot he wanted to say. Too much, for the little time they had before Sean sent her off to god knows where. Stepping back to let her pass, he cleared his throat. "Ray's downstairs. We should go."
"That's what I thought."
She stood up, not angry, but anxious as they made their way downstairs, and defeated by Harvey's hovering presence. His fingers brushed her spine several times before they reached the Lexus, showing he cared while simultaneously provoking the tension between them.
He opened the door for her, but left her to climb in, rounding the car so he could slide into the other back seat. As he buckled his belt, he sought out Ray's gaze in the rearview mirror, but before he could give directions, the man's grief stricken expression filled him with ice cold dread.
"I'm so sorry, Mr. Specter."
Ray's voice shook with fear and Harvey watched in horror as the driver's door was wrenched open and Ray was hauled out. A rough-looking man with a large build took his place in the driver's seat, and Harvey felt immediately light-headed, but the rattle of Donna's door handle jarred him enough to stay rooted in the present. She was trapped the same as he was, and anger steamrolled his panic as the ignition turned over. "You don't want to do this, trust me," he growled.
The engine's roar was his only response as the Lexus merged into the bustling traffic, and he knew engaging with their kidnapper was pointless. It was the time to put on his armor. But, below their captor's line of gaze in the mirror, he extended his hand across the leather, placing it next to Donna's. The silent gesture was the most comfort he could offer, because today she'd reminded him that he didn't sit back when people came at them. He poured gasoline on the fire, and he was gearing himself up for one hell of a fight.
…
AN: As always thank you to Southsidesister (darvey_love) for her wisdom and encouragement! This chapter took me forever to get through. It only felt right that I ended with the promise of something more exciting to come ;) xx
