TWENTY SIX

Alecia walked into the hotel room, dropping the few bags of books on the counter. She glanced at the clock. She had a few hours to curl up and read before Ryder came back to the hotel

– if he came back. Seattle wasn’t that exciting when there was no one around. She flipped on the TV and watched the news, hoping for more information about the case her husband was so immersed in.

The Hendrix' firm was fighting for a pharmaceutical company wanting the town council to give it land for a large plant that would bring many jobs to the area. It was a simple matter, except for the fact the land belonged to 20 families who had been living there their whole lives.

   Alecia finally began to understand the reality of what Ryder meant when he talked about his father's plans, his father and council was slowly, gradually uprooting all the humans from their lands and forcing them into the suburbs

The case was making headlines because a top law firm from Cal