Last Night Read Online Free PDF

night would be lost. For now, though, he let the sea mesmerize him, his thoughts drifting along with the waves.
    He remembered his run-in with Dana Hamilton at lunch. Aw, hell, what had he expected? She avoided him all the time. Why did he think she ' d want to go out with him? Why did he ask her out anyway? There were plenty of women around.
    What a crock. He was lying to himself. Since he ' d been accused of rape he didn ' t quite trust any wom an. He doubted that he ever woul d again. He was always aware of the damage to a career—to a marriage—that even an unfounded accusation could do.
    Women could be such treacherous liars.
    To protect himself he dated women with no more morals than an alley cat in heat, or the opposite, saints who'd never lie. Trouble was, the saints, like Gwen Sihida, tended to be boring. He suspected Dana was different, but he'd never have the chance to find out.
    Of course, the article he ' d written hadn ' t helped win him any points with her. Not that he regretted it. Too often justice was a four-letter word. A pervert walked because the DA blew the case. Too bad Dana had to catch the flak.
    "Let it go, Rob, " he said out loud. "Forget her. "
    He knew his pent-up anger, which he tried to disguise with offbeat jokes, was making him bitter. He ' d thought that as time passed and that fateful night became a distant memory that his old personality would return. It hadn ' t. If anything he was getting worse and he hadn't a clue why.
    The telephone rang and he rushed to answer it, hoping it was Zach, yet knowing better. "Garth? Hey, this is a surprise. "
    The image of Garth wheeling himself into the courtroom made Rob ashamed for mopi ng around. Garth never felt sorr y for himself, nor had he allowed himself to become bitter.
    What in hell is wrong with you?
    " I have a client who needs help—tonight, " Garth said. "What are you doing? "
    "Nothing. Send him over. "
    "Great. Hold on a second. " He heard Garth give his client the address, then cover the phone with his hand.
    Rob checked his watch. Almost eleven. What couldn ' t wait until the morning? There were a few seconds of silence and Rob imagined the guy leaving Garth's spectacular home.
    He ' d been there once for a trial lawyers' cocktail reception. Not his favorite group. If he found himself with more than two lawyers at once, he reached critical mass and wanted to run. But he liked Garth, even if he did have some crazy parrot that kept spitting birdseed and threatening to "sue your ass. "
    "Rob, this case is important to me. I don ' t think my client can afford you. I ' m willing to pay whatever it takes to straighten this out. Keep that between the two of us. "
    "Okay. What am I supposed to straighten out? "
    " Blackmail. " There was a long pause. "Maybe something more. I ' m not sure. That ' s what I want you to find out. "
    " You got it. " Rob hung up, then stood there a moment, realizing Garth had forgotten to tell him the client's name. He almost called Garth back, but decided it didn ' t matter. He would find out soon enough.
    He should shower before the guy arrived. On his way to the bathroom he stopped by the refrigerator, his rumbling stomach getting the better of him. Nothing. Not even a frozen egg burrito.
    He rarely ate at home. What fun was eating unless you had someone to eat with you? The best he could do was take a handful of crack seed from the jar on the counter. The sweet-and-sour taste of the bits of dried plum, assorted nuts, and lemon peel did little to fill his stomach.
    He was supposed to meet one of his sources later at Coconut Willie ' s. He could get something there if he was still hungry.
    He showered and toweled his hair dry. He was overdue for a hairc ut, he decided, checking his re flection in the mirror. S ' okay. Tomorrow he ' d hit the grocery store and the Clip Joint. Should he shave? Nah. Why bother?
    He pulled on cutoffs that weren't too raunchy and found a clean T-shirt in the dr yer, along with a load