❝𝘪 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘺, 𝘪 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨❞
or in which a lawyer and a private investigator try to take down the evils of hell's kitchen, all while battling their own demons.
book one in the MARTYRS SERIES
[rivals to friends...
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ii. "en garde"
STANDING ON THE THRESHOLD OF 'NELSON AND MURDOCK', in complete honesty, was Silvia's own personal idea of a nightmare. She had been standing outside the law practice's door for the majority of ten minutes, willing herself to go inside while every cell in her body screamed at her to flee.
The thought of facing Matt Murdock again made her feel sick; bottled hurt and anger kept under careful lock and key now threatening to resurface. The pair hadn't seen or spoken to each other in almost two years, driven apart by reasons Silvia still didn't understand.
Threatened with the prospect of seeing him again, she couldn't help but think back to the last time they had spoken. Evenly matched in lack of temper and patience, the pair had exchanged cruel words on either side, tailored to hurt each other in the heat of the moment. Words she remembered so vividly even after all this time, carved into the dark matter of her brain.
He had hurt her without even having the decency to explain why, and in return she had lashed out with words she regretted even now.
And yet some small pathetic part of her, which still lived and breathed despite her futile efforts to suffocate it, wished to see him again. To hear the familiar tones of his voice, to see how he had changed in their time apart and what had stayed the same. She hated herself for it. Hated how she still sought comfort in something long dead, searching for some spark of life in a flame long burned-out.
In a desperate attempt to calm herself, Silvia tried to focus on small details surrounding her, eyes drawn to the shabby cardboard sign taped to the law firm's door: Nelson and Murdock, it read, Attorneys at Law.
Looking past the crooked sign, she could barely make out movement through the frosted glass, the blurred outlines of two people moving in and out of view.
Taking the plunge, she knocked; two short raps that sounded horribly loud in the stillness of the hallway, the breath catching in her throat as one of the figures inside moved towards the glass.
The door swung open to reveal Foggy, cheerful grin returning once more as he regarded her nerves. "Silvia!" He said brightly, stepping aside to let her in. "Right on time too! Damn, I'd forgotten how amazingly punctual you are."
In spite of herself, Silvia's lips tilted in a lopsided smile. No matter how hard she had tried in the past, it was impossible to be miserable when in the presence of Foggy Nelson - something she had learned from experience during their shared years in college. She had often wondered if it was some secret ability of his; an aura of good-humour that followed him wherever he went like a shadow made of sunshine.
