Author Note: I don't own anything!

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His eyes burned and his lip felt thick from the repeated punches that left swollen purple marks across his face. The two burly officers that he recognized from the bar fight that made him a temporary resident at SFPD each held one of his biceps and led him carefully to a gray door labeled Conference Tw in bold letters..

The younger officer that he identified as Officer Green pulled the door open and set him with a stare that warned him to be on his best behavior.

"Ms. Bradley will call us as soon as she is done with you. You will not move from your seat or take anything unless it is offered to you by Ms. Bradley or by the SFPD, understood?" Officer Green spoke slowly and carefully like he was talking to a handicapped child.

Roman nodded and he was led inside the room that housed a double paneled glass window, a simple wooden desk, and two chairs.

Sitting on one of the hard chairs was a woman. Her pale skin would have been unflattering on most women, but her skin had a healthy glow that made her luminous eyes appear a brilliant shade of emerald. Her thick hair was the color of chestnut and it framed her delicate face. She was sitting with her hands clasped over a rather thick manila folder that had his name in bold letters.

She stood up smoothly extending her hand to shake and offering him a smile that showed off her pearly white teeth. She made a motion for him to sit and he dropped heavily into the chair never taking his eyes away from her face.

"I'm Jessica Bradley, I was sent from Garrison and McCone in Law. Your father contacted us and asked to have your case be handled discreetly and quickly as possible. May I get you anything to drink before we start?" Her voice was as soft and smooth as water and he felt like a man long denied a drink.

Her polite smile slowly slipped from her lips as he continued to stare intently at her. His voice felt scratchy and raw as he spoke, "Do you have a smoke?"

"It's a nasty habit that I can't seem to shake." She said laughing softly pulling a cigarette from a small silver case in her bag.

"Some nasty habits aren't meant to be broken…" He said raking his eye's down past her eyes to the soft pink blouse that hugged her small frame in all the right places.

"Let's get down to business, shall we? Give me the details to how this debate started with Mr. Ferguson." Jessica said coughing lightly to break the heavy tension in the room. Roman smiled in satisfaction as he admired her blushing cheeks.

"That piece of shit had it coming." Roman said before taking a heavy drag from his cigarette.

"Can you tell me how this all played out?"

"I was having a few drinks while I was chatting up one of the girls at the bar. This asshole came up and started shooting his mouth off" Roman shifted in his chair feeling the weight of her stare. "We exchanged some words after he accused me of trying to fuck his girl. He didn't like what I said and he tried to push me off the stool. I tried to leave to avoid conflict, but he chased me out the door, shoved me into the wall near my car, and pulled a knife. The outcome of the fight you can see in your photos."

Jessica murmured her thanks once he finished his story and preceded to write notes on a yellow note pad. He took the opportunity to admire her dainty hands as she brushed away stray locks of hair from her face. He couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction when he noticed that she lacked any type of ring on her left hand.

"Is my father planning on posting my bail so I can get outta this dump?" He said already knowing the answer to his question since his father wouldn't want to deal with his less than perfect son.

"He wants an update on the situation before he decides. Do you know the name of the woman you were speaking to that evening, Mr. Bryson? It would be beneficial for us to get statements from witnesses and any footage from the security cameras at the bar." Jessica said looking up from her notes.

"Mandy or Sandy... I wasn't worried about learning her name, Jessica." He asked with a smirk slowly covering his lips. "May I call you Jessica?"

"I think it hardly matters due to how quickly you seem to forget a women's name, Mr. Bryson… Or are we on first name basis now, Roman?" She said raising a perfectly manicured eyebrow in a challenge.

He smirked at her and admired the fire he could see underneath her professional demeanor. He noticed that she quickly dropped her gaze and started going through some of the photos that were taken at the crime scene.

"What about the hammer and where did it come from?" She said holding a photo of a hammer covered in blood taken at the crime scene.

"He took it from one of his buddies that were waiting to ambush me. I wasn't really paying attention to all the details."

"You originally mentioned that he pulled a knife and attacked you, but I don't see a knife anywhere at the scene." She stared intently at him trying to force the truth from him. "Where did the hammer come from, Roman?"

His breath caught in his throat as she leaned forward on the table laying her palms flat. The tips of her chestnut hair brushing the surface of the table. He was green with envy at the contact.

"Roman, I can't help you unless you give me ALL of the details…. Whatever you're hiding will eventually come out. I want to help you so please be straight with me."

Roman leaned forward lifting his bound hands so they rested on the table nearly brushing her resting hands. He almost smiled as she flinched from the close contact and he took the opportunity to catch her eyes in an unrelenting stare. "How about a question for a question? It's not fair that you get to ask all of them."

She frowned as she tried to calculate his next move, "Roman I'm here to help you, I'm not trying to deceive you, but I can't defend you if I don't know all of the details."

"Deal or no deal?"

"What do you want to know?" She signed deeply as she leaned back in her chair awaiting the onslaught of questions.

"Hmm. Well, I already know that you're not married. I expect it's because you are a workaholic and you don't have a social life. Too busy climbing the company latter… Probably the reason you're so eager to help me."

"This is ridiculous." She said with an annoyed huff. "Where did the hammer come from, Roman?"

"Mmm, you look so delicious when you're angry." He said mockingly and after a brief pause, "Do you have family, children, or a boyfriend waiting for you at home?"

"That's an inappropriate question! I can't discuss my personal life with you." Her voice was slightly high pitched and he raised an eyebrow in amusement.

"Goody two shoes, I see… Our deal was that I can ask a question for every question that you ask me."

"You do realize that I can walk out of here now and leave you to rot in that cell, right?"

"You won't. Just answer the question."

"…. No kids. No dad. Currently single because I work long hours and I don't have time to date…. And my mom died from breast cancer two years ago." Jessica said suddenly looking tired. Her restless hands rose to tie her long hair into a messy bun atop of her head. The loose hairs fell onto her exposed neck and Roman had to resist the urge to run his fingers down the column of her smooth throat.

Her hazel eyes met his green eyes and he felt the room around them fade till it was just the two of them. He knew she genuinely wanted to help him, but did he deserve the kindness? His life was a constant cycle of fuck-ups and misjudgments. Maybe he should be left to rot… He wasn't sorry for the fight or the carnage he caused. He almost took a man's life and he felt nothing. No sorrow or remorse.

Suddenly he was ripped from his thoughts by a soft warm hand gently holding his much larger callused hand. His eyes trailed up the arm till he stared into Jessica's eyes and he felt like he was home. "Let me help you…please."

Suddenly he did something that was out of character for him. He was babbling about how he met Frank Ferguson and how hostile their relationship was. How he came into the bar throwing his weight around, how he tried to physically provoke him, and how he followed him out of the bar to his car. He explained how Frank and a few of his goons jumped him from behind. And… how he took a hammer from his car and preceded to beat Frank till someone pulled him off.

He expelled the air from his lungs suddenly feeling every exposed under her watchful gaze. He raised his eyes to meet hers and was rewarded with a small smile that made his heart flutter. "Okay, well, I think we can get you off on self-defense, BUT the fact that you went and got a weapon is going to hinder things a bit. I'm going to go ahead and get the information from witnesses and the video footage from the bar. If you felt that your life was threatened that will work in our favor."

She started to pack her belongings into the briefcase, "I'm going to be back tomorrow or the following day to update you on what I have for us. I think we have a chance to win this."

She started to walk past him and he felt his arms swing out to catch her hand in his bound hands. She immediately stopped to look at him and he stood to stand in front of her. He ignored the look of fear that quickly immersed itself in her eyes as he towered above her delicate frame.

"Thank you." He would have thought that it was a different man speaking if he didn't see his own reflection staring back at him in her eyes.

She smiled shyly before gently pulling her hands away from his and walked to the door knocking to signal to the two waiting officers outside that she wanted out. Before she left she shoot him a lingering glance before she walked out.