Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
Case
Tessa’s busy writing when I get out of the shower, so I kiss her head and tell her I’ll see her later. I chuckle at the thought of her so distracted by her writing that she barely acknowledges me. What a woman. A marvelous, unpredictable, beautiful woman.
I head across the field toward the house, and I feel like I’m floating. Fucking floating! I’ve never floated over a woman in my life. In fact, I would have bet my life men didn’t get all floaty—that it’s a girl thing. But Christ, here I am practically skipping though the grass. Ridiculous! A few months of challenging flirty fun, a few smokin’ hot sessions between the sheets, and somehow I’ve turned into a thirteen-year-old girl.
I shake my head, but I can’t stop grinning like an idiot. My cell rings but I don’t answer it, because as I walk onto the job site, Mack’s brow is cocked and he’s staring at me like I’m a fucking mythical creature.
“Freshly showered and smiling like a tween girl.” He cocks his head. “You got way more than lunch, didn’t you?”
I don’t answer, so he shrugs. “I don’t know what you see in her. She’s a goddamn menace, a spoiled brat who needs her ass spanked and the attitude fucked out of her.” His mouth hitches slightly on one side. It’s as close to a smile as I’ve seen on him. “A woman who’s been properly fucked should be limp and silent for at least a few days.”
I laugh because we’re not all that different when it comes to women. The difference? Mack likes his women sweet, obedient and calling him daddy . Tessa doesn’t have an obedient bone in her body, and I fucking love it.
“Now where’s the fun in that, Mack?” My cell starts ringing in my pocket again, so I pull it out. “It’s so much sweeter if you’ve gotta fight for it, bro.”
Looking down at the screen, warmth spreads through me. Lulah’s calling and her ID is a picture of me, Reece, and Lulah. I was wrong. I’ve definitely floated before —the day I saw Reece for the first time.
Before I can answer it, the ringing stops and that’s when I notice it’s the third missed call from her. And there are four other missed calls from my brother-in-law and two from my sister. Fear fills my chest. Then I see the text notifications. The first’s from Lulah.
Lulah:
We need you home. I’m in pre-term labor.
I only glance at the second — it’s something about evidence that will jeopardize my custody case, but I’m already dialing Lulah’s number.
“What’s going on? Is the baby okay? Lulah?” I demand, not wasting time with pleasantries. Something’s wrong. I’m happy—mostly—and deep down I know I don’t deserve to be, so I know something’s wrong.
I catch the thought and pause. Since I left the Ransom and was basically hailed a hero and a traitor simultaneously, I’ve been waiting for the other shoe to drop, but Tessa’s words from last night hit and I shove the thought aside. This isn’t about me or the universe’s cosmic karma.
I hear a groan in the background, and it ends in a loud curse.
“The baby is fine. They stopped Lulah’s labor but put her on bed rest, so other than being annoyed as hell, she’s fine too.”
“Jeff?”
“Keep up, Case.” I hear a muffled Lulah telling him to be nice and he sighs. “Did I hurt your girly feelings, Case?
“Nope.”
“Good. Your sister called me when you didn’t answer her. What the fuck is going on over there?”
“What are you talking about? House is only a few weeks behind?—”
“I’m not talking about the house, Case.” Lulah curses in the background. And Jeff moves the phone away from his mouth to warn her that the baby can hear now, and she’d better watch her mouth. When he returns to our conversation, he’s even more irritated. “Who’s the fucking woman, Case?”
“Jeff!” Lulah barks, indignantly.
“Do as I say, not as I do, little girl.”
I cock my head, ignoring their squabbling. “The woman? What woman? I?—”
He cuts me off with an irritated growl.
“Just check your goddamn email and phone your sister. I don’t know what the fu— zz you’re up to but you better fix it, Case. And fast, because Reece is relying on you and if you break her heart over some chick you decided to fuck, I will kill you.” He hangs up before I can even respond.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!
After listening to my phone messages, I plop down onto the playhouse porch and swear. Hanging up, I tap on my email app. Scrolling through several spam emails before finding the one from my brother-in-law’s firm, I open it.
All the air leaves my body. My parents had hired a private investigator to get dirt on me. The fucking guy across from Tessa’s when we had our little tussle and later at the beach, wasn’t a stalker, but he was spying. On me .
Looking skyward, I smooth my beard before glancing back down at the pictures.
Tessa and I in her driveway, clearly having a physical altercation, and my expression? He must’ve taken a lot of shots in quick succession to get just the right one where I look the most volatile. I look like a monster; no, I look like…
Python Keller.
There’s another shot of the cops putting me in cuffs and more of us on the beach later that night. My shoulders fall. I’ve got Tessa over my lap, and there’s no denying I’m spanking her and in the next shot she’s sitting on my lap while my hand is between her legs. I scroll. And the final two pictures? Me naked outside my trailer. And then a fucking shot of Tessa tied to the cupboards, her shirt ripped open.
I hold my breath. The guy must have been right at the kitchen window. Rage surges in me. How dare he look at Tessa, how fucking dare he. And then my next thought hits. I’m going to lose Reece over this. Jesus. And she’ll grow up in a cold, loveless, house full of expectation and pressure to be perfect. Just like I did.
And Tessa… her privacy invaded—naked, tits on display in the pictures seen by a bunch of lawyers and the judge. Fuck! I grind my jaw. And my own parents orchestrated this. We weren’t doing anything wrong. We’re both adults and the beach isn’t public, it’s Tessa’s property. In fact, every picture is taken from Tessa’s property.
But none of that matters. I know that. Because the damage is done.
I’ll be lucky if Judge Horse-face doesn’t lock me up. For a brief second the voice inside me says it’s what I deserve, but I shake it off, thinking instead of Tessa and what this might mean for her. What if the PI sells the negatives to the media?
My phone rings in my hand just as I’m turning to head back to Tessa’s cottage. She needs to know.
“Hey, I just saw them,” I answer, expecting my brother-in-law, but it’s my sister.
“You need to get home. Judge Hortense has called everyone in for a meeting tomorrow morning. David told her you needed to get a flight, and she didn’t seem to care.”
“None of that was real. I mean, it was, but it was taken completely out of context.”
“It doesn’t matter Case; it doesn’t look good. And as they say, ‘a picture’s worth a thousand words’.”
“I’ll use ten thousand if it gets me Reece and saves Tessa from further embarrassment.”
“Just get here and we’ll strategize when you do.”
I nod even though she can’t see me, and sign off. Throwing my phone to the ground in frustration, I scrub my hands over my face.
“I have to leave, Mack. Can you handle things here?” I follow Mack’s eyes as they travel to the cottage across the field.
“Can I hog-tie her?”
Rising, I stand next to him. “Not unless you want me to kick your ass.”
He lets out a gruff laugh but holds his hands up in surrender.
“No one ties her up but me,” I add with a growl.
Mack just shrugs. “No promises then.” He claps me on the shoulder. “Go fix your shit. I’ll be here.”
Since there’s no time to waste, I take off at a jog toward my bike, mentally preparing myself for the fight of my life. And this time not just for Reece, but Tessa too.
“Daddy!” Reece jumps into my arms, and I close my eyes, hugging her little body tight, hoping it isn’t for the last time.
“Hey gumdrop, how’s my girl?” I kiss her silky red curls and breathe in the scent of her bubblegum shampoo.
“Lemme see pictures of our house, Daddio!”
I reach into my pocket and realize I don’t have my phone. I groan. “I’m sorry, gumdrop, I forgot my phone in my rush to get home to you.”
“It’s okay, Daddy, you’re my home too.” She squeezes me tight and then changes the subject. “I got to put the date on the board all week at school, Daddy. Because I got twenty-five stars.”
“Oh wow! How’d you get so many stars?”
Her serious blue eyes hone in on mine and one little palm goes to my bearded cheek. “Because Daddy, I’m a very well-behaved young lady. And,” she says elongating the word, “I keep everything very tidy.”
I smirk and tickle her chin and neck. “Of course you are?—”
“She has her teacher fooled about the tidy part,” Lulah says rubbing her belly. “Your room is a disaster, isn’t it, little miss?”
“It’s artistic expression,” she says with the giggle, wiggling out of my arms so she can escape my friend’s pretend wrath. I watch her run back into the house before turning my attention to Lulah.
“Jeff’s mother sent her a book with artwork from the Louvre. She’s obsessed.”
“She’s going to be the smartest kid ever born to an outlaw biker.”
Lulah gives me a sharp look, her brow arched. “An RCMP officer who went undercover as an outlaw biker.”
“Right,” I say.
And because she reads people too well and knows I’m not buying what she’s selling, she frowns. “Come on, they’re in the den.” She nods her head toward the house. “Want a coffee?”
“That’d be great. Although I fear I’ll need something stronger if this goes sideways.”
“We all might.” She shrugs when I lift a brow at her and look at her belly. “My stronger will be a little different than yours, don’t worry. Maybe a fully caffeinated coffee for me.” She rolls her eyes. “Wooo.”
I wrap my arm around her shoulders, and we walk in to face the music. “Aren’t you supposed to be on bedrest?”
“Shh, don’t remind Jeff. You’ll get me in trouble. He says I’m only allowed up for an hour twice a day. And it’s been an hour and a half already.”
I cross my arms. “I’m on Jeff’s side for this one, Lulah.”
She sticks her tongue out at me and turns toward the stairs. “Guess you’re making your own coffee then.”
“If it means you doing what’s best for the little one, I will.” This time she gives me the finger and I chuckle, knowing she wouldn’t dare do that if Jeff were near.
I walk into the den, not bothering with coffee. I need to know what we’re up against more than I need caffeine.
There’s a sense of impending doom with the way the judge is looking at me. Having my brother-in-law, David, and Jeff here doesn’t change a thing in the way she glares at me. This time I’m not dog shit on her shoe, I’m the maggot that ate the dog shit on her shoe.
“Where are Liam and Siobhan Callen? This is an informal meeting, but they need to be here.” The judge frowns, looking down at the paperwork on her desk.
Greg Chambers, the Callen family lawyer for as long as I can remember, steps forward. He’s aged since the last time I saw him, but his eyes still hold the shrewdness of a man used to winning.
“I’m here on their behalf as they were unable to get here on such short notice.”
For the first time the judge looks unimpressed by someone other than me and it feels good not to be on the end of her disapproving glare. She grunts and makes some notes.
“And what do you have to say for yourself, Mr. Callen?” Her head swivels to face me and she pins me with a scrutinizing glare.
“I made it from another province, so what’s their excuse again?”
“Mr. Callen, you need to concentrate on you.”
“I was on private property and everything in those pictures was consensual, your honor. It was my parents’ private investigator that was trespassing.” I shoot Greg a look fit for Python Keller before looking back at the judge.
David speaks up. “Your honor? May I request that the identity of the woman be kept off the record? And those pictures be inadmissible. My client and his companion are entitled to privacy. I also request that those pictures be destroyed.”
“Mr. Callen, and his lady friend, should have thought of that before traipsing around naked like teenagers high on ecstasy.”
“With all due respect, Your Honor. The private investigator crossed the line by going onto private property. What my client does in his free time on private property shouldn’t be used against him. And besides, none of this proves their original complaint, which was that Mr. Callen has not shed his undercover outlaw persona and that he isn’t adjusting to living in the ‘real’ world. He has not done anything illegal. Has had no contact with anyone from the Motorcycle club beside the informant that assisted him in his investigation and his time undercover.”
“This wasn’t regular biblical sex, Your Honor. These were deviant acts. If they were even consensual. Tying a woman up and smacking her around are exactly the type of things an outlaw biker would do.”
Judge Hortense laughs. “Deviant acts? Mr. Chambers, you apparently haven’t read a romance novel recently or seen some of the most popular movies of the last ten years. But yes, this depends on the woman’s consent.”
“What kind of a role model will they be for a young impressionable little girl, Your Honor?” Greg shakes his head as if he’s personally offended. “Especially the woman—if we can even call her that. Is that who’s going to teach Reece how to be a proper young lady?”
The judge nods, scribbles on her notes. “Careful, Counselor. The woman in question isn’t here to defend herself and she isn’t the one petitioning for custody.”
My jaw shifts and I clench my fists, fighting the urge to clock the old man I’d once considered family. David steps on my foot so I relax my hands.
“Your honor, the woman in question is an upstanding citizen, a successful professional, who would make an excellent role model for women’s independence and self-sufficiency. Besides that, Case is at work every day, building his house. He goes grocery shopping, pays his bills, does everything a law-abiding citizen does. And he visits his daughter, showing up for every scheduled visitation and speaks with her on the phone every day. He even reads her a bedtime story nightly.
And when he’s with Reece, he takes her to the zoo, museums, parks and playgrounds. Your Honor, I wish I’d had a dad like Case growing up. These accusations are ridiculous and a waste of the court’s time. We need to give this man his daughter and let them move on with their lives. They’ve missed enough time together while he was serving and protecting the public.”
“Counselor, while your client was caught with his pants down, I do see your point.” She shoves her glasses high up on her nose and holds a finger up to David, who’s mouth is open to speak. “The private investigator did trespass onto private property.” She looks at me. “And this has nothing to do with the woman. Her conduct isn’t our concern right now.”
“Your honor, I’d like to know if this is how Mr. Callen plans to behave when he has custody of his daughter?” Greg asks pointedly.
“What I do, legally, when my child isn’t present, shouldn’t be anyone’s business,” I growl, and then swallow hard, knowing I’ve been too aggressive by the judge’s pinched expression.
“And yet here we are looking at your business.” Judge Hortense cocks her head staring at the photos, flicking through them, tossing them across the desk as she does. A wrinkle forms between her brows and her eyes flick to mine. “I’ll need to talk to her, make sure these acts were consensual.” She turns to Greg.
“Is there an official police report for the legal incident?”
“No, Your Honor. But it’s clear in the photos that he was detained.”
“Why is there no police report?”
“Because I’d done nothing wrong.”
“Or is it because you’re about to be the officer’s new lieutenant?” Greg asks, not even looking at me.
“Okay, okay. I’m done here today. There is enough evidence to proceed more formally. I’m going move this to the courtroom, where you’ll all have your chance to present evidence.” The judge holds her hand up, stopping my rebuttal.
“What is the name of the woman in these pictures?” She picks up a pen and poises it on the sticky note in the file. “Anna, we’ll keep the name out of the official notes for now.”
“With all due respect, we decline to answer that at this time, but we can forward the information directly to Your Honor. If the name is spoken aloud here today, it’s already too late to put the cat back in the bag.”
She sighs. “Would you rather she be subpoenaed?”
“No, Your Honor.”
“Approach.” She waves just her fingers to call David forward. She passes him the pen and he writes the name down.
Judge Hortense’s eyes go wide for a split second when she reads the name before she gains control of her expression, and it returns to its dour state. Shifting in her seat, she says, “I want to talk directly with her before I make any decisions on the admissibility of the picture evidence.”
“What?” I blurt. “Why?”
My brother-in-law puts a hand on my chest, stopping me from moving toward her in what I’m sure could be considered an aggressive move.
“What my client means, respectfully,” he interjects, shooting me a look that speaks volumes about my ignoring his ‘let me do all the talking’ rule, “is that he has no issues with your request. As long as opposing counsel is not privy to the conversation.”
“I’d like all pictures, and original files with no other copies made. If any remain outstanding, and leak, there will be consequences.”
“Yes, Your Honor.”
The judge turns to Jeff suddenly. “You’re the child’s current guardian?”
“Yes, Your Honor.”
She looks to a man near Jeff who I hadn’t even noticed in the room. “And you’re the child’s advocate?”
The man nods.
“Do either of you have anything to say?”
“I don’t know these people, Your Honor. And the fact that they didn’t even bother to show up today gives me pause on their ability to parent a child,” Jeff says.
“I agree, but we’re going to give them the benefit of the doubt a little longer, and let this play out.”
“Your Honor, my only concern right now is the scheduled visitation not being adhered to by the child’s grandparents. I feel it’s having a detrimental effect on the child.”
The judge looks down at her desk, glancing once again at the paperwork. “I see they’ve missed…” Her brows rise and she looks to Anna. “Is this correct?”
“Yes, Your Honor.”
Her eyes flick to my parents’ lawyer and narrow. “There’s a temporary hold on visitation for your clients.” She turns to Anna. “Where can we fit this into the schedule? I want it as soon as possible.”
“We have an opening in three weeks.”
The judge back at Greg. “You’ve got three weeks. I won’t let this drag on, so you better be ready. I’ll be making my decision by the end of that day. Dismissed.”
“Why are you so pissed?” David asks in a whisper as he packs up his files. “Everything went better than expected.”
“My parents are assholes,” I grind out, watching their lawyer fill his briefcase.
My jaw ticks. My parents are no longer just fucking with me now. They’re fucking with Tessa. She doesn’t deserve to be dragged into this. It’s why I didn’t want to tell her about Reece until our date… tonight .
Shit! My head falls and I glance at my watch. It’s five o’clock and I don’t have my phone or her number. I might’ve recalled it if I’d actually put it in my phone, but I only texted my number with her phone.
The image of Tessa all dressed and waiting for our date has my gut sinking. I didn’t want to be another man that disappointed her but without the ability to contact her, I’ll be just that. I’ll need to get another phone and pull my contacts from the cloud.
A sharp knock on the door has us all turning.
“Enter.”
“My apologies for disturbing you, Your Honor, but one of the child’s guardians, Lulah Grizell, is being rushed by ambulance to St. Joseph’s hospital.”
Jeff’s already to the door by the time the guard finishes speaking. Luckily David’s fast thinking has him holding me back before I can run after him.
“Your Honor, if by chance the child’s current guardians are unable to care for her during this emergency, I’d like to request Mr. Callen be awarded temporary custody.”
My parents’ lawyer pipes up, but Judge Hortense’s head whips around so fast I feel like I’ve got whiplash by proxy.
“Your clients haven’t shown up for this child. I’d be an idiot to grant them custody in this situation. And I am not an idiot.” She assesses me, her lips twisting. “Janet Eloise has given me a lot of feedback about your supervised visits with Reece. All positive. So, with my limited choices, I’m going to grant you temporary custody until her current guardians are able, or a decision in this case has been made.” Her eyes narrow. “But I can revoke this judgement at any time Mr. Callen,” she warns. “Do not step out of line.”
“Thank you, Justice Hortense.”
Her eyes rise from her papers, just her eyes.
My parents’ lawyer starts to protest but the judge scowls at him. “Perhaps your clients haven’t realized children don’t always run on their guardians’ schedules. If they aren’t here for this emergency, then how will they be in the future when Reece needs them?”
“I can call them right now. They can be here in a few hours.”
The judge’s scowl deepens, and she removes her glasses, leaning back in her chair. “Is that so?”
I don’t hear the rest because I’m rushing to the car.