Free Double Jeopardy (Entangled Select) by Linda Wisdom Page B

but it can’t keep on this way,” she appealed to him, grabbing hold of his hand. “Josh, you’re the only one I feel safe saying these things to. It’s times like this I’m embarrassed to work in the public defender’s office. They work to keep people like Steve out of jail when I’m begging the system to keep him in there!”
    “Honey, it’s their job to worry about a person’s rights,” he soothed, uneasily aware she was right.
    Ginnie slipped inside the office and placed her hands on Mitzi’s shoulders. “Come on, honey, let’s wash your face. You’ll feel much better.” Her gentle voice was at odds with her usual acerbic nature. She pulled the younger woman to her feet and led her out while shooting a telling look at Josh over her shoulder . Okay, hotshot, do something !
    He picked up the phone, at first having no idea who he was going to call or what he was going to say. He only hoped he could come up with something in the next few minutes that would ease Mitzi’s mind. “Why not just come right out and ask for a damn miracle while you’re at it? That might be the easiest thing.”
    As Josh quickly made several calls, a question nagged at the back of his mind. Could Mitzi be the one behind these nasty jokes? Could she have misunderstood his assistance for something on a more personal level? The idea of his not daring to trust any woman he came in contact with, no matter how casual, wasn’t a pleasant prospect. He didn’t consider himself a perfect individual, and the hellish limbo he felt himself in at times wasn’t anything he was used to.
    “Dr. Hunter’s on line two for you,” one of the other secretaries called through the open door. “Shall I tell her you’ll call her back later?”
    “No, I’ll take it now. She can’t have any worse news for me than what I’ve already been hearing,” he muttered, picking up the phone. “Lauren?”
    “One and the same.”
    He grinned. “By calling me, you’ve made my day. What can I do for you?”
    “It’s more what I can do for you. Kevin sent over copies of the reports last week and I immediately faxed them to Dana, my psychiatrist friend. She called me last night and said if you’re available, she’d like to get together with you next Friday afternoon around three to discuss what she’s come up with. Shall I tell her that’s all right, or would you like to call her directly?”
    He turned the calendar pages until he came to the appropriate day and scanned his schedule. “There shouldn’t be a problem, as long as you’re free, too, and I don’t need to talk to her ahead of time.”
    “Then I’ll let her know we’ll be there.” A man’s voice sounded faintly in the background. Lauren uttered a sigh of disgust. “Excuse me, but I have to go kick some butt and carve up a few bodies to earn my living. Try to keep yourself out of trouble, Counselor.”
    “I’ll see what I can do.” He was still smiling when he hung up.
    “Josh?” Mitzi hovered just inside the office, still tearstained, and uncertain whether to walk into the room the rest of the way.
    “Come on in.” He quickly returned to the present and gestured for her to enter as he looked over the notes he’d taken during his phone calls while she was gone. “I was right. Steve has been hospitalized for a thirty-day psychiatric evaluation. During his first five minutes in there, he’s already punched out an orderly and slammed a nurse against a wall. At the rate his popularity is growing, I have an idea he’s going to be there a hell of a lot longer than thirty days.”
    The woman looked as if she wasn’t sure whether to smile her relief or cry. “You’ve been a great help, Josh,” she said, in a husky voice bordering on tears. “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to repay you for your help.”
    He shook his head. “Don’t worry about it.”
    “It’s just that few men care about women victims the way you do, and I want you to know how much I appreciate all