1 Chapter 1

Teagan De Lupo locked the front door of her two story, narrow, colonial home. Sighing, as she dropped her keys into the tray on the desk just inside the door, she shook her double-breasted jacket off, placing on the coat rack. The house looked, on the inside, just as you would expect from the outside. Standing just inside the door, Teagan looked around. Immediately to her right were the stairs leading up to her bedroom, out in front of her and to the left, the living room, and beyond that, the kitchen. It wasn't much for the price she paid monthly, but it was what Teagan called home. Teagan's now bare feet padded across the hardwood floor, her hand running along the back of her cream colored couch, as she made her way to the kitchen, stomach growling.

Teagan popped some left over home-made lasagna from the night before into the microwave, and quickly changed into her pajamas. It had been a long day and her pant suit was getting more uncomfortable by the second. As the steaming slice of food cooled, Teagan recounted the events of her day.

Teagan's day had started off just like any other. The offices of Giovanni and Franco were walking distance from her house, a good thing considering the traffic on New York's streets. The Law Office is where she had interned during college, and was offered a position upon graduation from NYU. They handled criminal cases, divorces, domestic violence, and more. Franco and Giovanni had been around for many years, and the owners rarely came around the office. Today had been one of those rare occasions.

Mr. Bennie Franco had walked in, not saying a word to anyone an just… walked around. He went from receptionist to receptionist, then office to office glancing around. Teagan had been on the phone with a client and was one of the only ones in the office who had not stopped dead. Teagan had continued with her client while watching Mr. Franco through her window as he took his leisurely stroll. When he made it back to the entrance, a man who could only have been a body guard, nodded at Mr. Franco and opened the door for him. The door slamming shut behind him was like the pin that popped the balloon, as everyone in the office released a breath they hadn't known they had been holding.

The staff had whispered the rest f the day, wondering "is Mr. Franco always so quiet?", "what made him come by?", and "is someone getting fired?". No one had posed any questions to Teagan, however. Teagan wasn't much for gossiping around the office, and after turning down so many after work drink invitations they all just eventually quit asking. Teagan hadn't read that far into Mr. Franco's visit anyways she learned a long time ago that other peoples business was none of hers, and she liked it that way. Drama free an simple.

Teagan preferred to keep any drama she was involved in, in the courtroom. Teagan's thoughts drifted into particulars of her case while she washed her plate and made her way up to her bed. She didn't have a fighting chance when her head hit the feather soft pillow and sleep engulfed her.