As Ben-jamin “El Supremo” Shapiro’s lifeless body bled out onto the floor and police and paramedics were rushing madly into the courthouse, Dan and I walked out into the halls laughing and patting ourselves on the back. “You were brilliant in there,” I told him.

“It’s been awhile since I killed a fellow attorney in the courtroom,” he smiled.

When we reached the courthouse steps, Dan stopped to breath in the air. “I feel alive again,” he said. “After you blew up that movie set on the steppes on Eastern Europe, I thought my career was over. I want to thank you.”

I shugged. “It’s the least I could do for killing your most famous client.”

We shared a few more laughs before we received an unwelcome guest. “Well played, well played,” Jimmy Del Greco told us as he appeared lightly clapping behind a pillar. “I guess you think you’re invincible now.”

“You’re wrong Jimmy,” I replied. “I’ve always thought I was invincible.”

“Keep that filthy money,” he continued. “The studio never needed you anyway.”

“Woah woah woah!” I retorted. “Sounds like you’re itching for another fight. You tried to set me up out of billions and your lawyer tried to kill me. Now I’m no legal expert, but I’d venture to guess that I’d have grounds to sue you. What do you say? Wanna go back inside for round two?”

“Now wait a minute,” Jimmy said then adjusted his coat. “This is about to be a shit storm in the papers and stock prices will likely plummet. We need to save some face here.”

“No, YOU need to save face here,” Dan interjected.

Jimmy nodded. “Alright, so what do you want?”

I wasn’t prepared to answer. It never occurred to me to ask Jimmy for anything. So I looked to Dan. “You want to stop the embarrassment and plummeting stock prices?” the lawyer asked. “Then fire Greta and make James the sole director of Chatty Cathy.”

Jimmy shook his head. “No can do,” he said. “Greta’s contract is ironclad. No one can fire her. Not me, not God. No one.”

I straightened out my tie and began to speak terms. “Then I guess we’re going back to our original terms,” I said. “Let Greta and the press know I’ll be at work on Monday.”

Jimmy glared defiantly at me.

“And while you’re at,” I continued, “go ahead and begin negotiating my contract with Pablo.”

“Actually,” Dan warned Jimmy, “call my office. You’ll be negotiating with me.”

That was an odd demand from Dan, and I didn’t object. But Jimmy stood there motionless on the courthouse steps. While words failed him, I knew he wouldn’t take this lying down. So as he departed down the steps, I had to get in one more parting shot.

“And Jimmy,” I shouted, “this isn’t over between us.”

TO BE CONTINUED….