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handled quickly and efficiently. A point of pride with her was that she would already be on top of something before Max ever asked about it. However, she had no clue about any business pertaining to Los Angeles on any docket and she felt herself start to freak out.
    â€œNo! Hanna its nothing you missed, I assure you. Now, I’ll need you to handle things for me in my absence. If you don’t feel comfortable dealing with something yourself, pass it off to one of the boys here or one of the senior associates. I am not sure how long I will be gone so if you feel you need assistance, hire someone.”
    â€œSir?!” The woman nearly fell over at that suggestion. Did he think she was incapable of handling matters on her own?
    â€œHanna!” He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder before she jumped out of her own skin. “I am well aware you work your ass off for me and this firm nearly twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. While I am gone you will need to handle everything in my absence. This does not mean overload, it means delegate.” Max could see her starting to calm down at his reassuring words. “If you need an assistant to take the menial work off of your hands, you have my blessing to hire someone. Make sure they are properly vetted. Mr. McManus can handle that for you.” After giving her a light pat on the shoulder, Max turned crisply and the five men continued down the hall leaving the young woman standing with her mouth agape.
    The law firm of Julian and Associates was the oldest in the state, the most respected, and had owned the building where it was housed for as long as the Capitol itself stood. Granted it had been modernized along the way, but it held that enduring aura of rich, judicial tradition with its well worn hardwood floors, mahogany walls and oxblood leather accents. With a staff of over one-hundred-fifty that included the best and brightest legal minds in the country. One would expect to see a gray-haired old codger at the helm of the firm rather than the elegantly dangerous man who now strode through the hall toward the elevator. The gleaming brass doors to the lift opened as soon as they reached it and the five men stepped inside. Once the doors closed, Max placed his hand on the mirrored wall to the right of the doors and a faint glow emanated from beneath his palm as it read his hand print. He then leaned in and a tiny, nearly invisible hole in the mirror gave off a blue beam of light as it proceeded to scan his eye. The cleverly camouflaged security devices verified Max’s identification and the elevator car began its descent. Though the digits above the doors listed nothing lower then the basement level, the elevator kept going down. In fact, the lift was sinking to a depth nearly ten floors below basement level. When the car finally came to rest, the doors opened up to a large corridor leading to a giant steel door flanked by two very large, very heavily armed men. The men were dressed in immaculate black combat uniforms, complete with tactical combat vests and stood vigilantly in port arms stance. As soon as Max and his lieutenants came into view the two guards snapped to attention. They instantly lowered their weapons, placed their left fists over their chests and bowed their heads in perfect synchronicity and salute. Once the five men exited the car, blue beams of light emanated from the ceiling and proceeded to move down horizontally along the walls, finally disappearing into the floor. With the scan of the men completed, the heavy door opened for them and they proceeded forward, past the guards and into a buzz of activity. The heavy door opened to reveal an expansive room about the length and width of a tennis court. Computers hummed, phones rang and a melody of half a dozen different languages could be heard amidst the organized chaos. On each side of the room were two doorways spaced evenly apart and flanked by two workstations, each