Conflict of Interest - Chapter 12 (Patreon)

“When were these taken?”

“Three weeks ago,” a young paralegal answered right as Weiss discovered the date and time in small print at the bottom of the photograph.  “There are videos, too.  In the file.”

“Perfect.  Thank you.”

Weiss didn’t look up as he left her office, keeping her attention on the photograph instead.  Yet again, her intuition was proven correct.  Juliette and Peter had been spotted together on multiple occasions, and in intimate situations.

Having verified that connection, Weiss could build an argument around the obvious - the two lovebirds hatched a plan to extort their boss.  The scheme made sense, but she hadn’t yet figured out why Juliette went straight to the police rather than attempt bribery first.  Unless they had attempted bribery but Alden hadn’t admitted to it yet.

“Because why would you do that…” Weiss muttered while typing a message to the man.

If he’d been forthcoming like she asked, this should have come up already.  Instead, she was wasting more time setting up a meeting so she could ask him in person - grill him for details if necessary.  She had to know whether or not he received a demand for money.  If that never happened, this case had another prime suspect: his wife.

“Why are people like this…” she grumbled as the message flitted off to its destination.  With that case moved one step forward, she glanced at the clock and realized that was all she had time for now.  After distracting herself with small projects all morning, she needed to focus on the biggest task of possibly her entire career.

Today, she would ask Ruby to leave the police department.

She nearly asked last week, but she would have regretted that rash decision.  Fortunately, she caught herself before any damage was done and used the weekend to plan exactly what to say.  Now, she felt more confident than ever.  The only thing left to do was present her proposal and wait for Ruby to say yes.

After collecting everything she needed, Weiss glanced around her office and took a deep breath.  Once mentally and emotionally prepared for the task at hand, she left the room and navigated through the sea of sharks she had the pleasure of calling her coworkers.

“Yo Weiss,” Jeffrey called out from the doorway of his office.  “Off to lose another case?  How about a jaywalking one this time?”

“At least I have cases,” Weiss shot back without pause.

Even if she had time to partake in small talk, which she didn’t, she wouldn’t waste it on such a pointless imbecile.  If she had free time, she wouldn’t waste it on anyone in this office.  She’d much rather devote that time to...well, working more.  Or, if today went how she expected it to, she’d allocate time to learning more about Ruby.

Excitement sparked in Weiss’ chest at the thought of working together.  The more she imagined that possible future, the more she wanted it to become a reality.

Although...now that she thought about it, she didn’t like the idea of her worthless coworkers having access to Ruby’s talent.  Ruby deserved better than these assholes and silver-spooned leeches.  But surely there were officers or detectives that Ruby didn’t like working with very much...this would just be more of the same.

Weiss definitely wasn’t selling the irritating colleagues as a reason for making the change.  Before selling anything, however, she stopped by Damon’s office.  After knocking, she opened the door once he motioned her in.

“Weiss,” he greeted her while leaning back in his seat.  “Big day today?”

“I’m heading over right now.  But before I do, I want your personal assurance of what we agreed to.”

“If Ruby Rose walks through those doors, you get my office.”  He left the response at that for long enough that Weiss almost said something, but a smile eventually crept onto his lips.  “And you’ll be a senior partner.”

That was exactly what she wanted to hear.  It was exactly what she’d worked so hard for - the opportunity to show her father, once and for all, that she could be successful without him.  The moment was within her grasp, with nothing more than a conversation and agreement standing in her way.

“And the terms we outlined?” she added.  “I don’t want to promise something you won’t honor.”

“I’ve already spoken to the other partners and they’ve agreed to everything we’ve discussed.”  After a brief pause, Damon chuckled and shook his head.  “Of course, no one thinks she’ll move regardless of the terms.”

“We’ll see about that.”

Armed with the information she needed, Weiss gave a polite nod before leaving Damon’s office behind.

Everyone else failed because they didn’t understand the person they were recruiting.  Considering her coworkers and bosses were some of the worst dregs of society, she wasn’t surprised.  Any of them could be bought for the right amount of money, so they expected the same of others.

Ruby was different.  Already well-compensated, she saw no need for more money.  Humble nearly to a fault, she didn’t want fame.  Knowing those things and more, Weiss had a better chance than anyone else.  She had an offer that Ruby had never been presented before.

With her car already waiting in front of the building, Weiss wasted no time slipping inside and directing it to Stella’s for lunch.  As it set in motion, she picked another mask from the set Ruby made for her, fit the device over her ear, and sat back to wait.

The setup was perfect.  Stella’s had a price point high enough to keep anyone on a public salary away.  Weiss would pay, of course, but she wanted to mitigate the possibility of interruption, as enjoyable as the last one had been.

The senior partners had agreed to every term even after Weiss substantially rounded up in Ruby’s favor.  Now, as the buildings passed by, she was confident that her proposal wasn’t just the best one out there - it was the best one for Ruby.  The opportunity was life-changing; Ruby would understand that.

Spotting the Justice Center in the distance, Weiss took a deep breath and let it out in a slow, measured exhale while tapping her fingers on her leg.  She’d been honest when she admitted that she imagined working together.  Lately, it had become such a common occurrence that she rarely got it out of her head.  They would be unstoppable in whatever they pursued.  No case would be too big or too complicated for the two of them to solve.

But Ruby wasn’t after glory, so Weiss wouldn’t be either - she was willing to make sacrifices for the opportunity to be on the same team.  If Ruby wanted to help people who, in turn, helped others, then those were the clients they would seek out.

The prospect of working together was exciting for more than just their future success though.  Having someone in the office that she actually enjoyed being around would be a welcome change.  Plus, if Ruby no longer worked for the police, there would be no need for the cloak and dagger.  They could go to lunch any time they pleased.  They could be seen at dinner together, or anywhere together, without breaking the rules of their respective workplaces.

Today, both of their lives changed for the better.

On Weiss’ part, she was ready.  More than ready.  So ready that when her car parked around the corner from the restaurant, she wasted no time getting out and hurrying towards her destination.  Her holomask provided anonymity from the people walking past, but she knew that Ruby would still see her - really see her, in a way she’d never experienced before.

As soon as she walked into Stella’s and spotted messy-yet-somehow-fashionable brunette hair, a smile pulled at her lips.  Just seeing Ruby made her want to smile, though today a pinprick of nerves ran alongside the comfort and anticipation of another wonderful conversation.

Ruby spotted her a second later and stood up to greet her.  As usual, expressive silver eyes captured Weiss’ full attention - so much so that she hardly noticed the rest of the restaurant while crossing the distance between them.

Over the past few years, she’d cross-examined Ruby dozens of times.  She’d stood in front of Ruby and asked hundreds of direct questions, yet she’d never been so captivated by Ruby’s eyes.  Like liquid silver, they danced and lit up with Ruby’s emotions.  And today, those eyes were unmistakably happy to see her.

“Ruby.”

Weiss heard the relief and happiness in her voice but did nothing to mask it - there was no reason to do that here.  And she lifted her hand only to hesitate when she realized how awkward a handshake would be.

But Ruby had already reacted to the gesture - not with a handshake, but with a hug.  She wrapped Weiss in a hug that, when Weiss stiffened in surprise, ended just as quickly as it started.

“I’m sorry!” Ruby apologized after practically jumping away.  “I thought you were - but you were - that’s my bad.”

“It’s ok.”  Before Ruby apologized even more, or looked more mortified than she already did, Weiss cleared her throat and willed the blush off of her cheeks.  “I just wasn’t expecting it,” she added.  “But it’s fine.  We can...do that.”

The last thing she wanted was for Ruby to think she never wanted to be hugged.  That wasn’t true.  She just...never had anyone she wanted to be hugged by.

“Right.”  Ruby sat down as if her chair offered some measure of safety and gripped the edge of the table with both hands.  “Still, I’m sorry.”

“Ok, get up.”

When Ruby looked up with wide eyes, Weiss motioned for her to leave safety behind.

“Get up,” she repeated before watching Ruby hesitantly do as told.  Once they were both standing, Weiss tried to calm her steadily-rising heartbeat and pulled Ruby into a hug.

She wasn’t used to being so close to another person, but it felt strangely...nice.  That was even more true when Ruby hesitantly returned the hug, and the two of them shared their moment of closeness for several seconds before Weiss backed away and patted Ruby’s shoulder.

It felt like she should say something, but she opened her mouth only to close it and smile.  As it turned out, that was more than enough, as Ruby beamed back at her before pulling out one of the seats for her.

“Sorry I’m late,” Weiss said while sitting down and watching Ruby sit across from her.

“You’re not!  I’m early because I’m starving.”

“That seems to be a common theme.”  Sliding a menu across the table, Weiss smiled when Ruby gratefully accepted it.  “You’ll let me pay, won’t you?  Since I ‘owe’ you lunch?”

“So you picked an expensive place?”

“I picked a nice place.  Price had nothing to do with it.”

“Are those not correlated?” Ruby asked, but Weiss rolled her eyes.

“We’re not getting into that again,” she said while Ruby laughed and quickly placed an order.  “But I would appreciate if you let me pay for lunch.”

“Alright, alright.  We’ll see.”

Not exactly permission, but enough acquiescence that Weiss felt confident in winning that argument.

“Thank you,” she said preemptively, much to Ruby’s amusement.  “How’s your day?”

“Busy.  Yours?”

“The same.”

“Do you ever wish people would stop committing crimes for like...a day?  Imagine how much work we’d catch up on.”

“I prefer not to tease my mind with such impossibilities,” Weiss replied, smiling when Ruby laughed again.

For some reason, she’d expected it to be impossible to fit Ruby into her schedule, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.  Making time for Ruby was easy, especially when she wanted to spend time together.  Realistically, if they worked together, this would only become easier.  She would buy Ruby lunch every day if that happened.

“Have you heard about those new implants that just came out?” Weiss asked while laying a napkin across her lap.

“Yes.”  While unfolding her own napkin, Ruby gave Weiss an amused look.  “Have you heard about those new implants?”

“An article popped up in my feed.”  Weiss didn’t mention that she’d been reading every advanced technology article she caught sight of recently.  “I thought it looked interesting so gave it a read - have you considered getting one?”

“What makes you think I don’t already have one?”

When Ruby playfully waggled her brow, Weiss smiled.

“Because you don’t fidget enough,” she pointed out.  “Although you do fidget quite a bit...”

“I’ve always been that way,” Ruby replied with a laugh, though Weiss felt a bit disappointed that she wasn’t the cause of those jitters.  “But you’re right - I don’t have one.  I looked into them, but the thought of someone putting something in my head is just...”

When Ruby made a face, Weiss filled in the rest.

“Alarming?  Disconcerting?”

“Scary,” Ruby concluded.  “We only get one brain.  I don’t want to mess mine up.”

In a day and age where people embraced technology in every aspect of their lives, learning that Ruby had a logical core made Weiss like her even more.

“Good,” she said, hardly glancing to the side when their food arrived.  “Your mind is too valuable to risk on some new technology.”

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you care about my brain.”

“I do.”

The admission came easily, and Weiss shared a smile with Ruby before turning her attention to her meal.  Having come to know Ruby like she did now, Weiss would be upset if something happened to her.  Especially something that impacted her ability to work, think, or...be the Ruby that everyone loved and respected.

“Do you want to hear some of the horror stories?” Ruby eventually asked.

“If you want me to legally prevent you from ever getting one, yes.”

Weiss was only playfully serious - unless Ruby expressed legitimate interest, then she was actually serious.  Thankfully, Ruby grinned at the response before launching into her explanation.

“Ok, well, it’s brain surgery so inherently risky.”

“Of course.”

“But the science behind the neural connections is so new, sometimes some...weird...things happen.”

“Enlighten me,” Weiss replied, even though she knew Ruby already planned to do so.

“Death, obviously.”

“Obviously.”

One sentence into the explanation, Weiss was enjoying herself.  Ruby was too, as her ever-present smile confirmed.

“Then there’s people who lose their eyesight, hearing, sense of taste, motor skills, and on and on.”

“You’re not convincing me this is a good thing…”

“I’m not trying to!” Ruby replied with a laugh.  After taking a bite to eat and quickly swallowing, she continued.  “The weirdest ones though - some people swear things are different somehow, but can’t prove if what they’re saying is true.”

Again, that sounded horrible, but Weiss shook her head and remained silent so Ruby kept talking.

“Some people say they can see people,” Ruby said before looking around the restaurant as if someone was listening in.  “As in, people who shouldn’t be there - people who’ve died.  Somehow they’re alive again, but the creepiest part is that they supposedly just stand in front of you and stare.  No talking, no moving - just staring, always.”

“That’s...unnerving.”

“Isn’t it??”

Not at all perturbed by the story, Ruby chuckled and stuck another bite of lunch in her mouth.  Weiss, meanwhile, smiled and briefly considered not bringing up the job offer at all.  She didn’t want to ruin this moment by talking about work - she wanted to sit here and listen to Ruby ramble for as long as possible.

Unfortunately, Damon would want to know how it went as soon as Weiss returned to the office.  So, even though this was nice, and even though she wanted to sit here for hours listening to Ruby’s thoughts, she had a job to do.

Once Ruby agreed, they could go on all the lunches they wanted.  But there was no turning back as soon as Weiss started this conversation.  As with everything else she did, she would see this through to the end.

“I was browsing some old case files recently,” she began in one breath, feeling her nerves crop up but quickly pushing them aside.  “And found one you might be interested in.”

“Oh really?  What is it?”

Of course Ruby was interested - her thirst for knowledge rivaled Weiss’ quest for success.  Knowing that, and taking advantage of it, made Weiss feel guilty in a way, but she pressed on.

“It has no connection to my current cases,” she elaborated.  “Or any cases of anyone at my firm.”

She felt like she had to add that disclaimer, but Ruby’s laugh and accompanying wave suggested otherwise.

“Good to know.  Wouldn’t want to help the enemy, after all.”

Even though Ruby made the comment as a joke, the word only made Weiss more determined.  She didn’t want to be Ruby’s ‘enemy’ anymore.  She wanted to work together, especially when doing so would take their careers to unheard-of heights.  Between Ruby’s tech wizardry and Weiss’ ability to argue a case, their win percentage would soar off the charts.  They would be the best partners Vale had ever seen.  People would line up to pay whatever price they wanted.

But Weiss wanted to work with Ruby for more than just the promotion.  She wanted to work with Ruby because of everything she’d learned over their time together.  Very few people were so confident in their abilities that they invited challenge; Ruby was one of those people without being egotistical or cocky.  Her quietly self-assured, humble personality was the polar opposite of anyone else Weiss knew, and she couldn’t wait to learn even more about the tech master who was so much more than met the eye.

It all started with this conversation.

“The city is covered in cameras,” Weiss said with a motion towards the door.  “But what’s one area that’s still fairly clear of surveillance?”

That was just the first taste, but Ruby embraced it as Weiss hoped she would.  With her brow furrowed and her eyes thoughtful, she mulled over the question before coming to a conclusion.

“The bay?” she asked, and Weiss nodded.  For some reason, it made her irrationally happy that Ruby figured out the answer with so few clues.  Then again, Ruby was probably the smartest person she’d ever met, including herself.

“Exactly.  If you’re out on the bay, there aren’t cameras on every street corner or trains recording footage.  There’s only whatever surveillance is on your boat.”

“So the crime happens on a boat,” Ruby concluded, but Weiss held up a hand to slow her down.

“The crime supposedly happened on a boat,” she corrected, smiling when Ruby playfully rolled her eyes.  “Three wealthy thirty-somethings - let’s call them Persons A, B, and C - set off for a relaxing day on the water.  Person A returns, but B and C are never seen or heard from again.”

“Foul play?” Ruby guessed, and Weiss nodded.

“The police suspect foul play but without bodies…”

“No evidence of murder,” Ruby surmised.  Her fingers tapped the table faster now, and Weiss could practically see her mind spinning into high gear.  “Were bodies ever recovered?”

“Nothing was ever found.  No evidence of blood or a struggle on the boat either.  It was as if the two just up and vanished.”

“That’s what happens when you get thrown overboard,” Ruby replied before a short scoff.  “What about Person A?  What’s their story?”

“Person A’s story is simple - they got drunk and passed out.  When they woke up, their friends were gone without a trace.”

“Helpful…”

“But the police arrested him anyway.”

“What??  But how?”

This was one of the most uniquely challenging cases Weiss could find, but it also showed the lengths the department would go through to pin a crime on anyone - innocent or not.

“They built an argument around testimonies claiming that Persons B and C would never disappear without telling someone.  Therefore, even though there was no evidence of a crime, it could be inferred that one occurred.”

For several seconds, Ruby just stared in jaw-dropped surprise.  In her silver eyes, Weiss watched thoughts flit through one after another, each one cataloged or dismissed with such ease that Weiss longed to hear the internal dialogue.

“Ok, I’m super interested now.”  Ruby’s forward-leaning posture and furrowed brow said as much.  “One, why would the department do that?  Two, what was Person A’s defense?”

“What do you think Person A’s defense was?”

“They’d probably build it around the lack of evidence or just find B and C, but finding them could be hard.  Either they’re in the water, and I’m sure the bay got combed, or...they somehow swam back to shore?  In which case, they could’ve popped up almost anywhere.”

As usual, Ruby was spot on - that was exactly what the attorney handling the case tried to do.

“Tech evidence came back inconclusive,” Weiss explained.  “No one matching B or C’s description got out of the water.  At least, not that cameras picked up.  Keep in mind this was a couple decades ago, so there weren’t quite as many feeds around.”

“What happened to the case?”

“Thrown out after a lengthy trial.  After causing Person A a great deal of grief, money, and pre-served time.”

“That’s not fair…” Ruby mused before shaking her head.  “Dammit - do you have any more details?  Now I need to see this.”

“I can send you the file.  It’s sealed already, so I don’t see any harm in that.”

“I’ll figure it out.”

“I have no doubt.”

In the brief pause that followed, Weiss lightly tapped her fingers on the table and reminded herself to be calm.  The moment had arrived exactly how she’d planned, but now she felt inexplicably nervous.  She shouldn’t be nervous - she had a great offer to make, and Ruby should accept it.

“My firm handles lots of cases like that one,” Weiss began slowly, but Ruby immediately tilted her head.  As usual, she was sharp enough to pick up a change in tone.  “Being on the defending side of things, we have to help our clients out of difficult situations - sometimes situations that shouldn’t exist in the first place.”

When Weiss paused and let that comment sink in, she realized that Ruby hadn’t yet figured out where this conversation was headed.  She was curious, she was interested...and Weiss knew that this was it.

“Ruby -”  Locking gazes with those beautiful silver eyes, Weiss said the words that would change the course of their lives forever.

“You should seriously consider joining my firm.”

“...what?”

Ruby was surprised.  Taken aback, even.  But she didn’t storm out of the restaurant, so Weiss pressed forward.

“You should seriously consider joining my firm,” she reiterated while holding Ruby’s gaze, struggling to read Ruby’s emotions while also remembering what she wanted to say.

“You already know they’ll pay you whatever you want.  You know you’ll have access to the best technology and resources in the world.  But think of the challenge - first, learning how to defend a civilian rather than an officer.  Then, learning how to use whatever comes into your head to win a case.  We’ll build the argument around you, not the other way around.  And I guarantee you’ll have the right of first refusal on every case that walks through the door - you’ll get to pick exactly what you want to work on and who you want to work with.”

“You’re...recruiting me?”

“Not just you,” Weiss replied with a shake of her head.  “Your sister, too.”

That was where everyone else went wrong.  They didn’t consider Yang’s importance to Ruby.  Weiss did, and she knew that Ruby didn’t want to leave her sister behind.

“I already have permission to hire Yang as a lead investigator,” Weiss explained.  “You’ll still work together, and her salary will triple.  Your salary will quadruple, and -”

For a split second, Weiss considered saying that they could work together, but that seemed unimportant in the grander scheme of Ruby’s life.

“And you’d have the full support of my firm,” she concluded instead.

Weiss knew that she’d put together a good offer.  A great offer, actually.  One that touched upon everything Ruby wanted out of her job and life.  Because of that, the answer should be a no-brainer.

Even if the money didn’t matter, even if the prestige didn’t matter, Ruby deserved to have everything else she wanted.  Her work at the department entitled her to as much, and Weiss intended to make sure she received it.

Right now though, Ruby looked at a loss for words.  Her mouth hung slightly open, and so many emotions filled her eyes that Weiss couldn’t get a good read on the situation.

Eventually, Ruby shook her head.

“Is this why you’ve been hanging out with me?”

For a split second, Weiss considered lying.  She even opened her mouth to say ‘of course not’ but stopped before the words came out.  She lied all the time, but now felt like a horrible time to do it.  Instead, she said nothing, and saying nothing was as good as an admission.

The instant she recognized hurt in Ruby’s eyes, she switched into damage control mode.  But there was no time.  Ruby had already stood up.  Her chair was already pushed in.

“I appreciate the offer.”  Her jacket was already around her shoulders, her phone already in her hand - her eyes looking anywhere but at Weiss.  “But no, thank you.  I’d rather stay at the department, where I should be right now.”

“Wait.  Ruby -”

“Sorry I wasted your time.”

Her back was already turned, her wrist already tapped to pay the bill, and her stride led her out of the restaurant - all before Weiss could even get to her feet.

Stunned by the turn of events, Weiss sat alone at that table for two and tried to figure out what just happened.  A small scoff slipped through her lips, but no frustration or annoyance backed up the sound.  Instead, all she felt was...shock, confusion, and a sour feeling in the pit of her stomach that grew by the second.

Didn’t Ruby already know that was why Weiss initially asked to meet?  Had she really not seen through the thinly-veiled excuse of wanting to get to know each other?  Did she honestly believe that after years of little-to-no interaction, they were suddenly destined to become friends?

If Ruby actually believed that, then Weiss had tricked her.  And that...that wasn’t a good feeling at all.

Setting her elbows on the table and resting her chin in her hands, Weiss tried to decide what to do next.  Of all the scenarios she’d envisioned, the worst included Ruby storming out of the restaurant or flat-out laughing at the idea.  It never crossed her mind that she might hurt Ruby’s feelings.

Now, her options for salvaging the situation ranged from bad to dramatically bad.  Chase after her, beg for forgiveness, play the entire thing off as a joke, pretend it never happened, call it a miscommunication, blame her for not catching on...none of those gave Weiss any hope.

Ultimately, her quest was to recruit Ruby, and that was the opposite of what just happened.  She didn’t want to say she failed - there was always a chance that the situation changed - but after seeing the hurt in Ruby’s eyes...betrayal clear as day…

There was nothing left for her to do except go back to work.  Her heart hated the thought, but that was why she never listened to her heart - it was always wrong.

That didn’t make it hurt any less.