Natalie's Risk: Natalie Fitzsimons, Attorney at Law, #3

By Alden Bauers and Alden S Bauers

During a speaking engagement, lycanthrope-turned-lawyer Natalie Fitzsimons befriends energetic young attorney Emma Salducci. Natalie soon discovers her new friend is a werewolf and offers her help in managing the condition. Too bad for Natalie, lycanthropy is the least of Emma's secrets.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Alden Bauers
• Release date: Jun 6, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393439363

Alden Bauers

Alden Bauers was born and raised on Long Island. He currently resides in Spartanburg, South Carolina where he works as a computer technician. He's married and has two young children. When he's not writing or spending time with his family, Alden enjoys modeling the Pennsylvania Railroad in N Scale.

Book preview

Acknowledgements

Iwould like to thank the following people for helping make this book possible. First and foremost are KG McAbee, Steven A. Gentry and CH Babb, whose editing, insights and tough love was invaluable.

One

On a moonlit, May night , Paul Deaver walked through a deserted Central Park with a spring in his step. Five months ago he’d been facing serious charges. But now, he was a free man. Of course nobody other than his lawyer, one Natalie Fitzsimons, the assistant DA, and the judge knew the real story.

Deaver ventured deeper into the park. It was on a narrow, dark path that he heard the rustling. He whirled around and saw nobody. As he resumed his walk, a sense of foreboding crept like a mist through his mind.

He heard it again. Deaver’s heart raced now. He turned to see a squirrel bound out of the bushes.

Jesus Christ! Get a grip!

For a moment, he felt quite silly. He turned to resume his walk when his eyes went wide.

What the fuck?

A massive, hulking creature stood in front of him. Covered in black fur, it had the upper body of a human, but the legs and head of a canine. Its glowing amber eyes glared at Deaver.

Deaver raised his hands, and backed away.

Nice doggy. Nice doggy.

The creature pounced, tackling Deaver to the ground. Razor-sharp claws tore deep gouges in Deaver’s flesh. It ripped his intestines from his body and flung them into the woods. His blood stained the pavement.

ONE NIGHT LATER IN River Falls, New York, Harrigan’s Pub was hopping. The Gin Blossoms’ Found Out About You was playing on the Rockolla while the locals drank beer, shot pool, and threw darts. Natalie Fitzsimons sat at the bar and sipped her cosmo. Her husband Marty chowed down on something that straddled the line between a hamburger and steak tartare.

Gotta love Harrigan’s, Marty said. One of the few places in the state where you—

—can get a burger medium-rare. I know. You tell me every time you order one.

It’s the taste of freedom of choice.

Did it ever occur to you we have food safety rules for your own good?

Whatever happened to ‘my body, my choice?’

Natalie rolled her eyes and sipped her drink. Her gaze shifted to one of the TVs. The local news was on. The sound was muted, but the closed captions were on.

Now to tonight’s top story. College student Paul Deaver was found brutally murder in Central Park last night.

Natalie almost spat her drink across the room.

Hey Sam! Turn that up!

The bartender obliged and grabbed the remote.

Deaver was accused of raping two women and murdering another in January. The charges were dismissed due to lack of physical evidence, the anchorman said. Deaver’s body was found brutally mauled in a remote section of the park.

The last words made the hair on the back of Natalie’s neck stand up. She polished off her drink with two gulps and set her glass forcefully on the mahogany bar.

Sam took her empty glass.

Get you another?

Please.

Wasn’t that the guy you defended?

Indeed. And that’s all they’ll be talking about this weekend.

Sam set a fresh cosmo in front of Natalie.

What’s this weekend?

Marty put a hand on Natalie’s shoulder.

My amazing wife is going to give the keynote address at the New York State Women’s Bar Association conference up in Saratoga Springs. Three days at the Gideon Putnam, free.

Sam served Marty a fresh pint of Labatt's.

No kiddin’? Congratulations.

Natalie sipped her drink.

Thank you Sam.

You don’t sound too excited.

They’re all going to want to talk about Paul Deaver. I’m sick of having that albatross around my neck.

LATER THAT NIGHT, NATALIE drifted into a deep sleep. She dreamed she was in court. She