Free Shattered Virtue by Magda Alexander Page A

almost too hard to hear.
    But, bastard that I am, I must know. Something about her strength, her innocence, her vulnerability draws me like a moth to a flame. And this tragedy forged her into the woman she’s become. “Were their murderers caught?” I know they were, but I need to get her take on it.
    “Yes. But a public defense attorney got them off on a technicality. Their Miranda rights were not properly read. So the admissions they made couldn’t be used in court. Other than the illegally obtained confessions, there hadn’t been enough evidence to tie them to the crime.”
    “But there must have been other evidence, fingerprints and such.”
    “There was. But they’d been working as handymen in and around our house, so there was a perfectly logical explanation for them.”
    “What admissions did they make?”
    “Enough to qualify them for the electric chair. Or so my grandfather said.”
    I mull over what she’s told me, and suddenly her choices become clear. “You want to go after them, don’t you? That’s why you studied law.”
    “Yes.”
    “But double jeopardy precludes them being tried again.”
    “I know.”
    “So what do you want?”
    “I want to understand what happened that night. Why they murdered my parents.” The sheets rustle as she lowers her legs and leans into me. She’s dressed. I don’t have a stitch on. “You can’t tell my grandfather. Promise me you won’t tell him.”
    “Why don’t you want him to know?”
    She rests her cheek on mine and whispers into my ear, “Promise me, and I’ll tell you.” As she speaks, her breasts rise and fall against me.
    Fascinated by this side of her, I whisper back, “I promise.”
    Her tension eases, but she doesn’t move away. On the contrary, she presses even closer. “He would separate my sister, Madison, and me. Split us up.”
    “How do you know?” It takes every ounce of willpower not to reach for her and haul her into me.
    “He did it once. I had a nervous breakdown after my mother died. He kept me in a mental health care facility for over a year, way past the time I’d come to terms with my parents’ deaths. Madison’s sixteen. She won’t turn eighteen for a year and a half. Until then he has custody of her. If he knew I was looking into my parents’ murders, he might retaliate.”
    “Why do you think so?”
    “He’s forbidden me to ask about it. He thinks I might have another breakdown if I do. When I was in college, I tried to find out more, but he became so angry that he threatened to keep my sister and me apart if I followed through. And I’ve already spent enough time separated from her.”
    Did Holden really keep the two sisters apart at a time when they most needed each other? Or is Madrigal’s perception of events flawed? A puzzle. I love puzzles, especially criminal ones. And I’m interested enough to help her figure things out. Who knew Madrigal Berkeley would pique my interest in more ways than one? “I can help you find out the truth about your parents’ murders. That’s what you want, isn’t it?”
    For a second she tenses. “Yes. It is. How can you help?”
    We’re so close, her fragrant breath whispers across my lips, making me hunger for the forbidden fruit of her. “Obviously, I have experience with criminal matters. Plus, I know an ex-police detective who’s very good at finding out things.”
    She leans back to stare at me. “And what would you want in exchange for helping me?”
    “Nothing. I’d do it free of charge.”
    “Why would you do such a thing?”
    “The case intrigues me. I’d like to explore the facts.” More than that, she fascinates me. So much passion beneath all that innocence. I want to know more about her. I want to know her. But I can’t explore passion with her while working on her parents’ case. She’s not only my intern but would be my client as well. She’s forbidden fruit in more ways than one.
    “Thank you.” She hugs me.
    Her breasts rub against me,