But deep down, I was irate at Derek.
I was still shaking with anger, but I wasn’t going to let her on to that fact. I wanted to make sure she was okay. I wanted to make sure he hadn’t popped back up. My P.I. had called me that morning and told me what was going on. That Derek was now in L.A. and that all signs pointed to him knowing where Abby lived. I had rushed over to her place hoping to get her to come home with me. Just to stay for the night until things could settle down with whatever the hell Arthur was talking about.
But when I showed up at Abby’s apartment and saw him standing there, I could no longer contain myself.
He knew where she lived. He had tracked her down and tried to corner her. The idea still shook me to my core, and I knew I had to speed things up. I had to get him out of this town and out of her life for good. So long as he was here, Abby and I would never be peaceful. Abby would never be able to look towards her future if someone from her past was always pulling her back.
Now, I was waiting in my office for the lawyer to show up. I had two large piping hot coffees on my desk as I watched the clock edge closer to seven. I figured a good night’s rest would help me calm down for this meeting, but I didn’t sleep a wink. I had Arthur working overtime for double the pay to figure out where the fuck this asshole was staying and how the hell he figured out where Abby lived.
“Knock-knock.”
The sultry voice of Deidra Prowler penetrated my office. She walked over to the chair in front of my desk and sat down, making herself at home as if she’d been here before. She crossed one leg over her knee and reached for her coffee, and I could see why people called her a shark. Every movement she made was fluid. Like she was floating underwater and had all the time in the world.
But her eyes were cold and black. An endless abyss of darkness, devoid of any emotion that would have been deemed as genuine.
“I hear you had a fun little encounter with the ex yesterday,” she said.
“Then you’re up to speed,” I said.
“I have to say, the display of manhood is alluring. But you need to be careful. It can easily be misconstrued as aggression in court.”
“He’s trying to come at this from a common law marriage perspective.”
“Don’t worry, I’ve read your case file and taken plenty of notes from Arthur. A nice man, by the way.”
“That he is,” I said.
“It’ll be easy to squash without anyone ever knowing about it. The State of California only recognizes common law marriages when it’s convenient for them. They aren’t a thing until monetary values are exchanged and the state can benefit from it.”
“That’s what he’s trying to do,” I said.
“No, this Derek character is trying to sue her for everything. There is no monetary value specified and no detailed means of obtaining it. He’s greedy and his lawyer is an idiot.”
“His lawyer, from what I’ve heard, is a seedy bastard.”
“Who’s very greedy and will rob his client blind. He knows what he’s doing. Trust me, this ex of your fiancé’s will get what’s coming to him, both from us and from his lawyer.”
“The first piece of good news I’ve heard in days,” I said.
“The truth of the matter is that this man took everything from your fiancé and ruined her life. His actions cost her everything. No judge in their right mind will take the common law route and award him half of anything that is or ever could be hers. Just because they had some of their finances tangled up doesn’t mean anything. The big thing is whether or not they filed taxes together, and I pulled some strings. Turns out, they didn’t.”
“Thank fuck.”
“Indeed. Had they, this case would look very different,” she said. “California law is complicated, but not heartless. No judge will rule in his favor.”
“So what are we going to do about squashing this quietly?” I asked.
“We’ve got two options. We could wait until he serves her and counter-sue his life from his lungs, or you could strike a deal.”
“You mean pay him off,” I said.
“If it’s money he’s looking for, you can leverage that. Give him a slice of whatever pie he believes Abby has, and in exchange you can obtain a written agreement that says, well—whatever you want, really.”
“Signed, sealed, and delivered?” I asked.
“Just that simple.”
“And how much will this cost me in regards to you?”
“Does it matter when you are getting your fiancé out of harm’s way?”
Oh, yeah, she was a shark all right. But she was a shark that came bearing answers and I was willing to take whatever road I needed to fix this right now.
“Can you get in touch with Derek’s lawyer?” I asked.
“Already did. Paid him a little call at four this morning just to stick it to him,” Deidra said.
“And he’s agreed to this?”
“He’s getting money immediately. He’ll make his client agree to anything, just to get his hands on it.”
“Done. Draw up the paperwork that says something akin to ‘leave us the fuck alone forever’ and cut him a check for fifty grand. Bill me personally for whatever it is I owe you alongside that fifty grand and send it to my residence.”
“Done, done, and done,” she said. “It was a pleasure doing business with you.”
“Oh, and Miss Prowler?”
“Yes, Mr. Murphy?”
“Call me when everything has been signed and delivered.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” she said.
The rest of my day was stacked with meetings. I saw Abby come in at a little past nine. I wanted to go over and hug her,
