House of Cards

"Flattered. When the best 'protection' he'll afford me is a weak human woman who admits her own uselessness as a guardian. Would you be flattered?"

"No." A smile ghosted over Margrit's mouth. "You're not supposed to be making a counterargument here, Malik. I'm trying to sway the jury. Play along."

"This is not a trial or a courtroom, sharmuta." The last word's sentiment was clear, and a sting of color came to Margrit's cheeks. Malik took a final step forward, curling a hand over-into-Margrit's throat. Air turned to unbreathable fog, clogging her throat and sending her heartbeat into terrorized spikes. She staggered back, trying to escape the dji

"If I see you near me, if I discover you following me, if there is a hint of your presence, I will turn on you and kill you. I can rip your throat out like this, tear your heart from your body. I could make you a sacrifice to the wind, a better fate than you deserve. I will not be watched by one such as you. Do you understand me?"

Hot tears born of fear and rage spilled down her cheeks as Margrit nodded. Malik smiled, triumphant and vicious. "Goodbye, Margrit Knight."

Then he hissed, jerking his hand back so quickly Margrit coughed and clutched her own throat, hardly believing she still breathed.

Water made two bright marks on Malik's wrist, shimmering, almost steaming, before he swiped his sleeve across them and smeared the tears away, leaving red spots behind. Margrit laughed, rasping her throat. "Just like the Wicked Witch, huh? All I have to do is throw a pail of water on you? Get out." She pushed to her feet, drawing from a reserve of anger that went deeper than pain or fear. "Get out of here, you son of a bitch, and don't you dare ever threaten me again. I know how to hurt you now."

Malik curled a lip derisively, then faded in a swirl of fog, leaving Margrit standing alone with the crashing of her heart. Her chest still hurt, though she was unsure if it was from lack of oxygen or newborn relief. Only after long seconds of silence did she collapse back into her chair, fingertips pressed against her eyes as she tried to steady herself. Her stomach was a knot of churning sickness, sending tremors through her body. Tears would solve nothing, but they clung to her eyelashes and made her fingertips wet. She could fling them at Malik if he came back, tiny droplets made into a weapon. The thought gave her something to hang a rough laugh on. She dropped her hand, dragging in a deep breath as she stretched her chin toward the ceiling.

"Margrit?"

Margrit screamed loudly enough to echo and leapt out of her chair. It fell over in a clatter of metal and plastic, crashing against the desk. She found herself with a fist drawn back, ready to hit anything that approached.

Her boss stood in her cubicle door, a hand clutched over his heart.

"Good God, Margrit, are you all right? You scared the hell out of me!"

Margrit croaked, "Russell. You scared me."

"No kidding!" He let go of his heart to hang on the edge of her cubicle and stare at her. Margrit planted both palms on her desk and dropped her head as she tried to calm herself. "Are you okay, Margrit? I thought I heard you talking to someone."

"I'm... yeah, I'm okay. I didn't know you were here." She chuckled weakly. "Obviously. I was... on the phone."

"It's nearly eight. What are you still doing here?"

"Is it that late?" Margrit turned away, picking her chair up. It was heavy and awkward, made worse by her hands still trembling. Russell came in to help, his eyebrows drawn with concern.

"It is. I know you're hopelessly dedicated to the job, but you should have gone home after the trial." He trailed off, frowning at her. "Everything go all right?"

"It's fine. I'm losing spectacularly and Martinez won't take a plea, but that's his problem, not mine. We're back on in the morning. Might even be out of there by noon. I can't see the jury hanging around arguing about this one." Margrit pressed her hands into the fabric of her chair, watching her knuckles whiten. "I came back to follow up on some paperwork, and I guess I lost track of time. What are you doing here?" She glanced up at her dapper boss with a smile that felt fragile. "Even the head man gets to go home sometime, right? You look like you're going out," she added, realizing he wasn't in the suit he'd worn earlier that day. The one he wore now wasn't quite a tux, but its sharp clean lines looked as expensive.

"I am. Di

"It's gorgeous." Margrit smiled and closed the box again as she returned it."I think she'll love it."

"I hope so," Russell said dryly. "It cost a month's salary. You don't have to mention that to anybody."

Margrit laughed. "Russell, you dress so well I can't help thinking a month's salary goes a long way."

He brushed a mote off his suit and shook his head, smiling. "You would, wouldn't you? No, back in the days of the dinosaurs I made some money in stocks. I shop out of that budget. Come on." He tilted his head toward the door. "You need to get out of here. I'll walk you down."

Margrit cast a glance at the paperwork on her desk. "But-"

"Boss's orders. Besides, you haven't yet told me what our rich Hawaiian friend wanted." Russell picked Margrit's coat up off the floor where it'd fallen with the chair and put it around her shoulders. "Will you be abandoning us to pull in a corporate paycheck with a philanthropist's agenda?"

"Well, now that I know I'll never match your wardrobe on what I make at Legal Aid, I'm considering it. No, he saw me talking to Eliseo Daisani at the party last night and wanted to know what I knew about him." Margrit sat down long enough to retrieve her shoes and put them on, then turned off her light and fell into step beside her boss. Malik was probably long gone, but she felt safer in Russell's company.

"I'd think he could find out anything he needed to through more usual avenues. What'd he want to know?" Russell held the door for her, and Margrit, left to lead, headed for the stairs instead of the elevator. Russell muttered, "I forgot you took the stairs," but caught up easily.

"I always take the stairs. That way I can eat as much Ben & Jerry's as I want." Margrit trailed her hand along the railing. "I'm sure he's got people who do nothing but research other people for him, but I get the idea he likes to pretend he's a man of the people. Could I have used 'people' any more times in that sentence?"

"I don't think so." Russell flashed a grin at her, then glanced toward the parking garage.

"Can I give you a lift anywhere?"

Margrit smiled and shook her head. "No, thanks. I'll take the subway home. Probably faster, anyway. Tell Joyce happy birthday."

"I will, thanks. See you in the morning, Margrit."

'"Night, Russell." Margrit tightened her coat around herself with a sigh, then hurried for the subway station.

Halfway home from the subway Margrit took a detour, impulse driving her to the park in the skirt suit she'd worn to work, rather than changing into ru