CHAPTER EIGHTEENOnce I’d escaped from the dark confines of the plant, I ripped the mask off and gulped air.
“Jesus.” I leaned over at the waist and planted a hand on each knee, trying to regain my bearings.
I could feel Amber approach from behind.
“That was … even worse than I imagined.”
“Yeah. It is kind of gross.”
I took a last deep breath and managed to straighten up. “I’m sorry. I feel like such a …” I struggled to say the word. The one I had in mind was “wuss.”
“Don’t worry about it. Honestly. You aren’t the only one to react this way.”
“Really?”
She nodded. “I’ve brought other aspiring legal interns here. They come with the best of intentions and lots of glowing hopes of doing the right thing.”
“I’ll bet.” I thought of my own initiation into the world of the public defender
