Free Legally Yours by Manda Collins Page A

he said a bit louder. “I've
checked her out and I don't think Julie Streeter is responsible for
the leak.”
    What the...?
    “I'm telling you I know! There is no possible
way that Streeter can be the one giving the information to
Albright.”
    She knew he must be talking to Mitchell
Starnes, the head legal counsel at RFG, and she fought to keep from
running into his office to demand an explanation.
    “ I'm still not sure who it is. I may
need more time.” Matt paused while he listened to Mitchell’s
response. “I don't know. Another week? I've got someone here I can
sound out about the attorneys and anyone else on staff who could be
feeding Albright the information.”
    God, Julie fumed, he's talking about me.
    It had all been a lie. Every last moment
they'd spent together flipped like a slide show in her brain. How
could she have been so blind? My god. Of course someone like Matt
freaking Ellis wouldn't have any genuine interest in her. He was
Matt freaking Ellis and he could have any woman eating out of the
palm of his hand in minutes.
    To think she'd actually been on her way in
here to beg his forgiveness! Thank god she had gotten here in time
to hear his little chat with Mitchell. The thought of letting a
snake like Matt know that he'd actually won, that he'd actually
managed to win her trust and even—she was reluctant to even admit
it, but it was true—her heart, made her sick to her stomach.
    “Right, Mitchell,” she heard him continue.
“I'll keep you posted and I'll let you know as soon as I know
something.”
    He laughed. “No, Birmingham definitely does
not have the same appeal as D.C. I can't wait to get back.”
    She listened, numb as she heard him put the
phone down and a rustling that indicated he was gathering up his
coat and briefcase to leave for the day.
    She had to get out of there before he saw
her. But she was too late. She'd only made it to the end of the row
of cubicles before she heard him call her name.
    “Julie, hey! Wait up.”
    Anger making her heart beat faster, she
turned. It was just as well. She should let him know that she'd
learned his little secret before too much more time passed, anyway.
He'd need the extra time to find someone else to pump for
information about the firm and whoever was leaking to Albright.
    Suddenly, she was able to step back and
realize what he’d actually been saying. Someone had been leaking
information about their cases to the Albright firm. Someone in this
firm! Was there no one in this whole freaking building she could
trust? Jesus!
    Her fury gave her the power to speak first.
“Hi,” she said, not returning his smile. “So, what big city move
are you going to try this time to butter me up?”
    His brows snapped together. “What?”
    “Well, I just heard your little talk with
Mitchell. Don't you need more time to wheedle information about the
firm from me? Isn't that what you were asking for?”
    He blanched. So it was true. A knot of
disappointment formed in her stomach. A small part of her had hoped
that he would deny it. That he'd tell her that she'd misheard him.
Or it was all a trick. But, the look on his face—as if he'd been
caught with his hand in the cookie jar, or the nookie jar as it
were, she thought cynically—was enough to tell her she'd been right
the first time. This man, who had brought her back to life after a
long abstinent sleep, had only been playing on her insecurities to
get information from her. Thinking of the things she'd let him do
to her, the things she’d done to him, she fought the bile that rose
in her throat.
    Matt rushed forward, catching her by the arm
before she could turn tail and run.
    “Jules, you have to believe me. It's not what
you think.”
    “Oh please, is that the best you can do? I
couldn't have written this script any better if you paid me.”
    “Look, I know you're pissed,” he said, his
voice taking on that placating tone that she'd heard him use on
witnesses in depositions. How could she