Hotshot defense attorney James Scott always follows his gut -- even when it tells him an obviously guilty man is a victim himself. Homicide detective Owen Duke doesn't have time for gut feelings -- he lives by logic and evidence. And all the evidence tells him that Scott's client is guilty of the cold-blooded murder of a young ballerina.<br><br>Scott, a notorious media darling, is willing to risk his reputation and his career on the kid's innocence. But his undeniable charm is not enough to save his client's life. He needs Owen Duke, a man who stands for truth and justice, even if the detective hates Scott and his gut feelings.<br><br>What's supposed to be an open-and-shut case quickly becomes a quagmire of lies, murder, and rotting corruption. Suddenly, instead of being a thorn in Duke's side, James Scott is the only person in San Francisco the detective can trust. As the attraction between them deepens, they race to save an innocent man, but can they save their own hearts in the process?

Pas de Deux

Scott sat beside his client at the front of the courtroom. Jenkins wore an expensive suit he had obviously not bought himself, with his hair carefully combed. He looked younger than his twenty-three years. Duke did know that the young man had tested on the low side of average for intelligence, and he had the look of a man who didn’t quite understand what was happening around him. The court had ruled him competent to stand trial, though. There had been a hard fight over that. One that had lasted for weeks and delayed the trial. As soon as Horan won that battle, he decided to up the charges to two counts of first-degree murder.


Chapter 37