Chapter 7 7

Jesenia Wiggins sat in her corner office at Wiggins & Associates. The Manhattan view was spectacular, but she wasn't looking at it. She was staring at a merger file, tapping her Montblanc pen against the desk in a rhythmic, anxious staccato. Tap. Tap. Tap.

It was 2:00 AM.

Her personal cell phone buzzed on the glass desk. She frowned. Only five people had this number. Her parents, her brother, and...

She saw the name on the screen. Dominic Waters.

Her heart stopped. Literally missed a beat. Then it raced, slamming against her ribs. She hadn't heard from him since his wedding day. The day she had smiled, toasted the happy couple, and then went home and drank a bottle of whiskey alone.

She composed herself. She cleared her throat. She answered calmly.

"Dominic?"

"Jes." His voice was shaky. Broken. "I need help."

Jesenia stood up instantly. The pen dropped from her hand. She detected the distress immediately. It was a frequency she was tuned to.

"What happened? Are you okay?"

"I'm leaving Evelin," Dominic said. "I need a divorce attorney. A shark."

Jesenia's eyes widened. A smile tugged at the corner of her lips-a predatory, satisfied smile-which she quickly suppressed.

"I'm the biggest shark in the tank, Dom. You know that."

"She threatened to ruin me," Dominic continued, his voice tight. "Blacklist. Asset freeze. She's going to scorch the earth."

Jesenia's expression darkened. Her reflection in the window looked fierce. "Let her try. Where are you?"

"Heading to my old place in Queens."

"Good," Jesenia said. "Go there. Sleep. Do not text her. Do not answer her calls. Do not engage."

"I... I can't pay you right now," Dominic stammered. "She's going to lock the accounts."

Jesenia cut him off softly. "We're friends, Dom. We'll talk fees later. I'll draft the engagement letter. Pro bono for now."

"Thank you, Jes. I..."

"Go to sleep, Dominic."

They hung up.

Jesenia lowered the phone. She took a deep breath, savoring the moment.

She walked to a locked filing cabinet in the corner of her office. She pulled a key from a hidden compartment in her drawer.

She unlocked the cabinet and pulled out a thick, dusty file.

The label read: Dominic Waters - Asset Protection & Risk Contingency.

She opened it. It was full of notes. Timelines. Detailed analyses of the Carney family trust loopholes she had studied late at night, not to destroy them, but to ensure that if this day ever came, Dominic wouldn't be eaten alive. She had been compiling this file for years. Waiting. Predicting.

She pulled out an old photo tucked inside the cover. It was from law school graduation. Dominic was laughing, his arm around her shoulders. She was looking at him with a hunger she had never let him see.

"I told you she would break you, Dom," she whispered to the photo.

She walked to the window. The city lights below looked like a battlefield.

"Finally," she said to the empty room. "It's my turn."

She sat down at her computer and started typing a subpoena. The war had begun, and she had the nukes.