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.Sara looked down at Guff, then back at the assistants.“Go away.Leave him alone.”As the group dispersed, Guff followed Sara into her office.When he saw her packing up her briefcase, he said, “They fired you?”“Oh, no,” Sara said.“I got relegated to a far lower circle of hell: I’m doing photo ops with the mayor.”“You’re kidding.”“Not a bit.Monaghan chewed me out for Conrad and for wasting resources, but the mayor loves the PR potential of the story.Anyway, Jared’s the one they want in the photo—the mayor needs a good hospital bed to put his arm around.”“How’s Jared doing?”“Physically, he should be okay.The bullet just missed his spine, but it ripped open a lung.He also had some temporary paralysis in his legs, but the doctors said that was just from the shock of being shot in the back.Emotionally, though, he’s on a different track.”“Did he decide what he’s going to do about his firm?”“What’s to decide? Thomas Wayne personally called him up and told him to resign.The bastard didn’t even wait until Jared was out of the hospital.”“I still don’t understand why he has to resign.Can’t he just—”“Guff, to save the two of us, Jared told me confidential client information.More important, both clients wound up dead.The DA’s office may have a public-relations wet dream, but Wayne and Portnoy has a PR nightmare.Every client of the firm is now terrified their secrets aren’t safe.”“How’s Jared dealing with it?”“It’s still too soon to tell.He was crushed when he first found out, but I think he’s realized it had to be like this.Besides, any place that won’t even give you a week to recover isn’t the place you want to be for the rest of your life.”“Is that his rationalization or yours?”“Last year, it was mine; now it’s his.But I think he actually feels it.”“Great,” Guff muttered.“Then at least one good thing came of this.”That was all Sara needed to hear.She had avoided the subject until now, but it was time to talk about it.“Guff—”“We shouldn’t have done it, Sara.We were out of our league.”“Do you really think that? Do you really think we didn’t know what we were getting into?”“But Conrad—”“Conrad knew better than anyone.You remember what he said.”“Of course I remember—and thanks to this, I’ll never forget.When we suggested sending a cop, he was the one who said we should do it ourselves, that that was the only way to ensure the secret.The thing is—”“It doesn’t make it any easier,” Sara said.“It doesn’t make it any easier,” Guff agreed.Sara had hit it right on the head.Just like Conrad used to.“Listen, I’m sorry.I don’t mean to put the burden on you.”“It’s not like that anymore—I don’t mind the burden.And in this case, I deserve it.I just want to make sure you—”“Don’t worry, I’ll get through it.Between the two of us, we’ll have plenty to keep us busy: cases to prosecute, reporters to talk to, essays to write…”“Essays?”“Sure, if I’m going to get into law school, I’m going to need some good essays.”Sara smiled.“You’re really applying to law school?”“Would this face lie?” Guff asked, squeezing his own cheeks.“That was always the plan.This just gave it more immediacy.”“Good for you, Guff.I think he’d really like that.”“Of course he would.Then he’d have another disciple to brainwash.”Sara laughed.They’d definitely get through it.“Speaking of disciples, O Great One, in the rush to get out of there yesterday, I never got a chance to thank you for everything you did.Without you—”“You wouldn’t have stolen the case? You wouldn’t have gone through this ordeal? You wouldn’t have a sofa or a cool DA’s badge?”“I’m serious, Alexander
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