Brother from another mother

Trevor [Part-3]

He had left. He had really left.

Harvey's hands shook slightly as he picked up Mike's badge. When he had presented his ultimatum, he had thought Mike would choose him - no, choose the firm, he corrected himself sternly. He had thought Mike would choose the future that had promise instead of the bleak echo of the past. It was what anybody with half a brain would do!

How could the boy be such an idiot? He was throwing away the best thing that had ever happened to him. And for what? For some drugged up piece of scum not even worth the air he breathed?

His large hands closed around the plastic casing of the badge. Good. He needed to feel something solid, something to replace the sudden hollowness he felt inside.

No. He was just being ridiculous. He was only angry because now he had to go through the tedious process of hiring another associate. As for anything else that he felt, hell, it was late! He was tired.

"Mr. Specter."

He turned sharply, quickly wiping all emotion from his face. It was one of the paralegals who had called his name, the one that Mike had always been so sweet on. Rachel. Yes, that was her name.

Her eyes were wide and disbelieving. "What just happened?"

"Nothing," he said coarsely. "Excuse me."

"How could you fire Mike?" she burst out.

Unexpectedly strong irritation surged through him at the question; he was a senior partner at this firm and he damn well didn't need to answer to her. Without even acknowledging that he'd heard, he strode away, still clenching the badge in his hands.

His mind raced over the events that had just transpired. He had timed his visit down to the junior associate cubes deliberately, waiting for a time when the area was usually deserted. Part of him had been absolutely certain that he'd see his associate's things scattered all about as usual. Hell, he'd half been expecting to see Mike still there, hunched over a case file, highlighter in hand, pen in his teeth, his profile illuminated only by the harsh glare of the computer monitor.

He hadn't been prepared at all to see the abandoned badge.

Harvey knew he was damn good at reading people. It was one of the strengths that made him such a fantastic lawyer. But he hadn't seen this coming. Not at all.

Who in their fucking right mind would pick someone of the likes of Trevor over this job? Who the fuck did that? It defied all logical thinking.

And here he had thought the boy was smart.

"Oh my God, man, I knew you'd pull through."

Mike stiffened as Trevor drew him into a one-armed hug. His friend looked haggard - he was unshaven, his eyes red, his dark curls in disarray.

Trevor thumped him on the back and then pulled away, a goofy grin on his face. "Are you here to bail me out?"

"No," Mike said shortly.

The smile faded somewhat.

"I don't have the money to do it again," Mike said coolly, "but I am here to defend you."

"Don't have the money?" Trevor blinked, "Hey, aren't you the hotshot New York lawyer working for Headman Possley?"

"Pearson Hardman," he corrected automatically, even as a stab of pain shot through him at the reminder of what he'd left behind.

Trevor waved a hand. "Whatever."

"Let's talk about the case," Mike said quietly, leading Trevor over to a metal table that looked rather like a picnic table nailed to the floor. He opened up the manila folder containing the CAD transcript and the police officer's report. "I've read the reports, but I want to hear it from you."