Silver Justice Read Free Page A

think you may reconsider when I tell you the reason for my call,” Eric said.
    “Spit it out. I’m knee deep in alligators on this investigation.” The light changed, and she goosed the gas.
    “Of course. Because the job always comes first.”
    Silver realized that he was being even more abrasive than usual but said nothing, wondering why her ex was calling. He never got in touch with her unless he wanted something.
    “I’ve filed for custody of Kennedy,” Eric said.
    She almost slammed into the car next to her.
    “You miserable piece of shit. What’s going on in your head? You’ve never done a thing that wasn’t self-interested. You don’t have a moment for your daughter most of the time, anyway. Why would you want to fight me for custody of her, especially given your track record…?” Silver seethed.
    “I’m concerned that her mother isn’t providing the sort of home environment that is optimal for her development,” he stated, somewhat smoother than had been rehearsed.
    “Over my dead body. This discussion is over.”
    “Silv–”
    She punched the off button. Seconds later, it rang again, and she let it go to voicemail. Whatever had she been thinking when she’d married this bastard?
    Silver paged through her phone numbers and placed a call.
    A receptionist answered. “Renkin, Larrabee and Winters.”
    “Is Ben there?” she asked.
    “One moment, please. May I ask who is calling?”
    “Silver Cassidy.”
    Music on hold jangled her nerves before a deep baritone voice came on the line.
    “Silver. Long time no talk. Do you need another divorce?” Ben had handled the parting of ways between Eric and her.
    “No. I’m afraid I’ve got a real problem, Ben.”
    The attorney’s voice became instantly serious. “What happened?”
    Two minutes later, Ben had agreed to meet Silver whenever she had time over the next day, and in the meantime would check on recent filings to get a running start on whatever her ex had cooked up. Ben remembered Eric. Smooth talker, highly intelligent, a corporate turnaround expert wholly lacking in empathy, who treated Silver like a possession rather than a loved mate. Their story hadn’t been an uncommon one – once the baby came, Silver was juggling her duties between the Bureau, her new child and her spouse; something had to give.
    Eric had adapted to her workload and the challenges of raising a family by having an affair with one of his young assistants. When Silver put two and two together on why he was increasingly distant and unavailable, it had been child’s play for an agent with her skills to catch him in the act.
    The only good news had been that Eric had deep pockets and was willing to be generous to keep matters civil, although she’d always smelled a rat in how easily he’d given in. His capitulation had surprised her – Eric played hardball in all negotiations regardless of the stakes; it was just his nature. But his admission that he’d been unfaithful, which Silver had the presence of mind to capture on tape, painted an ugly picture, so it had been prudent for him not to contest anything and simply give her what she wanted, which in the end had only been what she’d needed to provide for her daughter.
    Now, five years later, he was going in for the kill. Any infidelity in the marriage would be ancient history, and he’d waited long enough so that he could frame concerns over her lifestyle as a hard-charging FBI agent without having his past conduct examined too closely.
    Silver knew this was his way of getting back at her. He’d never gotten over being made a fool of with the tape – he’d stammered out four different lies before admitting his infidelity, his pretense of civility momentarily slipping to reveal raw hatred.
    He’d successfully hidden his true colors for their first three years together, but after that, following a difficult pregnancy, his real personality had emerged little by little. Silver had initially attributed it to stress