Tell Them This When I Die

Don't Lift a Finger

Sarah keeps Peter a secret. She isn't sure why she does it. She doesn't tell her friends, doesn't tell Adam. She drives to Nyx every night she can and sits at the bar. Peter will serve the people in the club, leaning over the counter to talk to her every time there's a lull. He'll get her a Shirley temple, put a little vodka in it. When his shift is over, Sarah will get into his car. It's a beautiful car—an Audi, slick and sleek. Sometimes they don't leave the car, other times he takes Sarah to his apartment on sixth street in the east end.

He does turn out to be rich—very rich. His apartment is on the thirtieth floor of a glittering building. Sometimes they'll go to a dinner somewhere, but never on a night when Adam works. Peter doesn't talk to Eris about it, but he never goes up to the penthouse again, and she doesn't seem to care.

On nights where Adam works, he'll go to any bar that isn't Nyx. He'll drink until he can't feel his nose. He'll drive home when the lights are blurry. Sometimes he tells Sarah he's on the night shift, but then he just drives to a bar and gets drunk. His money starts to waver for the first time in his life.

One night, when Daphne was already in bed, Sarah got the sitter comfortable in the house and drove to Nyx while Adam worked the 'night shift'. Sometimes, Adam sits in his car outside of Nyx and thinks about going in, but he never does. That night, he parked near the back alley. Across the parking lot was an Audi. He saw Sarah get in. Saw the glass fog up.

He knows he told her to. He knows he's not in love with her and he never will be again. But it still cut deep. Him and Sarah aren't getting married, and Adam isn't ever going to get the nerve to walk into that building.

Sometimes, he stares at that number on his phone and hopes he'll get drunk enough to dial it.

Carlos doesn't judge Adam. He goes out with Adam at night, too, so he doesn't mind. He works with Adam on side projects, maintenance work. Budget cuts. They still have monthly charges from KipAlarms for the monitoring and protection of the old police station, which they had the company wire because they couldn't find the money to demolish it. Adam gets an e-mail from Wilkes saying they still don't have the money, so the old building gets to say. It's boring, redundant work.

Leonardo's case comes up quickly. Adam will have to go on the stand as the officer who charged him, and he'll go up against Eris to do it. The date creeps closer and closer. They announce there's no jury, just a judge. Better for Leonardo, worse for Adam.

Eris knows she can bring the sentence down. There's an easy way to do it, but Adam is going to hate her for it. Leonardo gave her the names of half his buyers; says he'll give the other half when the sentence is decided. She has to get the sentence down.

When the day comes, Eris puts on a turtleneck. She doesn't have to wear them anymore, but she decides to reclaim it as her style, her choice. It helps her to lift her chin in the morning, to shake off the feeling of the empty front-row bench Nikolas used to sit at to watch her cases.

Wilkes and Carlos are in those benches today. Maybe they're just there to support Adam, or maybe they're just there to watch the drama. Adam doesn't know which.

He spent last night tossing and turning, willing himself to stay sober so he could handle Eris' surely ruthless cross-examination. She's a shark in court, and she's going to rip him apart if he isn't careful.

She gets there before him, leaning against the wall as Leonardo sits on the bench outside the courtroom. Leonardo is wearing a crisp black shirt, which doesn't belong on him. He's got a plan. A very dangerous, very fickle plan. An awful plan. A horrible plan. A slightly brilliant plan.

Adam and the crown arrive together. She's not the most competent attorney Adam's worked with, but she'll have to do. Eris doesn't look over at him as he walks down the hallway. He doesn't look over at her as they pass, but he feels her there. Maybe even smells a little bit of pine.