“The kid was in his office. That’s all I know.”
“The boy’s reaction?”
“Ran to the woods.”
“Did you see him do that often?”
He scratched the side of his face. “I don’t know. Maybe. When I was his age, I would’ve been back there all the time.”
“Don’t ever repeat that.”
“Why?”
“Makes you sound familiar.” I scribbled the boy’s name on my pad. “If you had to guess, how often did you see him coming or going? Once a week? Every day?”
A line creased his forehead. “I can’t remember. Probably at least once a week, but I can’t say for sure.” He held up his finger. “I remember seeing him come out of there one day when it had been snowing. I thought it was weird he was out in the cold. Snow was up to his knees and it was bitter freezing cold.”
I made a note of that. “Did you ever notice Dara with him?”
“A few times. But I wasn’t watching their every move.”
I tapped my temple. “You’re taking in more than you realize. We’ve just got to unearth it.”
Irritation radiated off him. “She played along the tree line a lot. Shel didn’t like it when she got too far out of sight.”
“Does Shel work?”
“She’s an office manager at a dental office.”
“Any animosity with co-workers?”
“Not that I know of.” His answer was more of a question than resolute.
“Wouldn’t she discuss that with you? If you had plans to run off together, wouldn’t you know about her work?”
He folded his hands on the table. “We didn’t talk much.”
“Your relationship was mostly physical?”
“None of your business.”
“She didn’t confide in you? About her sister?”
“None of your business.”
I packed up again. “We’re done here.”
“Kane Zegas will be here at five.”
Gerard handed me a stack of messages. I grumbled and slammed the door to my office.
I had a client who wasn’t going to help me get him acquitted. The mother of my child was a pain in my ass. I missed Blake more than I knew I was capable of. And I was in no mood for Wicked’s fucking attorney.
I had half an hour to prepare and my head was anywhere but where it needed to be. If I wasn’t on my A-game, the bastard would run circles around me. I was a great lawyer. He was the best.
I spun around in my chair and stared out the window. Marlow didn’t mess around.
Was she feeling okay? Did she need crackers? Ginger ale? Pizza?
I yanked on my hair. Why did I give a fucking fuck?
I picked up my phone. “Communicate through an attorney, my ass.”
The intercom buzzed. “Mr. Whitley, Counselor Zegas is here.”
I grunted in frustration. “Send him in.”
I stood and straightened my tie when I really wanted rip it off.
Without knocking, Zegas strode into the room and made himself at home in one of my chairs. “Got any whiskey? The good stuff.”
“News is that bad, huh?”
“How the fuck do you get yourself into this shit? And did you draft this document?” He waved papers in the air. “You left your ass hanging wide open.”
“You representing me or Marlow?”
“I feel like I’m refereeing between two toddlers.”
I handed him a tumbler. He raised it to me and downed half.
“Rough day?”
“Truthfully, I don’t have time for this shit.” He tossed the rest back and went to the bar for the bottle. “You gave this woman everything she wanted and she’s pissed. In what universe does that make sense?”
“Hers.” I tipped back my drink.
“How did you even get her in bed? I’ve had all of three conversations with her, and I needed a valium and a stiff drink after.”
I white-knuckled my glass. “She can be challenging,” I said through my teeth.
He lifted his eyes to the ceiling. “Oh for fuck’s sake. I can’t believe that just pissed you off.”
“How angry am I going to be when you hand over what she wants now?”
He took off his glasses and set them on the arm of the chair. “Do you want this kid?”
“Uh-uh. You tell me what she wants before I answer any questions.”
“I should have said no and dealt with Daniel later,” he muttered. “She wants full custody.”
I shot out of my chair. “What did you just say?”
Full custody? Over my dead body.
“You heard me.”
He was so casual about the entire thing, as if he hadn’t just threatened to destroy my whole world.
“What else?” I barely got the words out, but I needed to know.
“That’s it. You can walk free and clear.”
Free and clear? Was that what she thought losing my child would be?
“What about child support?”
“Nope. I advised her to go for the maximum.”
“I’m sure you did.” I paced by the windows. No child support. Just a clean sever. It felt like she’d cut me in two.
“What kind of shit attorney would I be if I didn’t? She’d never have to worry financially again.” He topped off both of our glasses and held mine out to me.
I took it and emptied the contents in one swallow. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. “And if I don’t agree?”
“She’ll take you to court.”
I threw the tumbler against the wall. The shatter made me feel better, but only for a moment.
“Tell your client, not a chance in hell.”
“You do want this kid.” Why was that so surprising?
“Yes, I want her,” I yelled. Shit, I was turning into Marlow, unable to control my temper.
“I’ve been married a long time.” He shrugged. “My wife has a boyfriend to keep her happy, so maybe I’m not the best person to offer advice.”
“What the hell does that have to do with me?” I snatched the whiskey off the table and drank straight from the bottle. “If we go to court, I know exactly what you’ll do. Paint me as unfit, yet good enough for the money.”
“That’s not a bad strategy.” I glared. “I want this resolved as much as you do so I can get back to what makes me real cash.”
“Any chance I could hire you away from her?”
“You’d be
