Monday morning Emilie woke to her phone vibrating across her nightstand.
“Hello.” Didn’t the caller know she didn’t want to leave the dream world where Reid was close and the air crackled with the possibility he would lean closer?
“I still need your article.” The crisp voice belonged to Olivia. Her editor.
“It’s only Monday. We just met Friday.” Emilie rubbed her eyes and yawned.
“Didn’t think I’d interrupt your beauty sleep at eight o’clock.”
“Eight?” She bolted upright, then swung her feet around and over the edge. “Leaping lizards.”
“Reverting to childhood?” Olivia’s tone was sarcastic.
“I have a protective order hearing at nine.”
“And an assignment I can give you eight more days to submit. I need an exposé as big as your Rodriguez article.”
The article that had almost gotten her killed? No thanks. Emilie was ready to be done with that kind. On the other hand, if the subject didn’t matter, her mind wasn’t interested. “Olivia, I don’t have anything.”
“I had a feeling you’d say that, so I’m sending you a list with twenty potential topics. Let’s get you that Pulitzer.”
She groaned as her phone buzzed with a message before she’d even set it down. Olivia was as serious about wanting an article as Emilie was that words had abandoned her.
Thirty minutes later she flew from her house to work to pick up the file before hurrying across Old Town to the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court. It was a good thing the court was a few blocks from her town house, because Nadine Hunter was already pacing outside the metal detector. As soon as she spotted Emilie, she hurried over. “Reggie’s here. I thought you said he wouldn’t come.”
“It’s his hearing too.” Emilie readjusted her hot-pink court bag on her shoulder, then showed her ID to the guard. “Remember, the judge, the bailiff, and I are there to protect you.”
“Right now. But you won’t be later.”
It was true, and Emilie refused to make promises she couldn’t keep. The guard waved them through. When she stepped next to Emilie, the young woman was trembling. Emilie stopped and placed her hands on Nadine’s arms.
“Nadine, look at me.” The woman’s gaze skittered everywhere but at Emilie, until she repeated her words. “We won’t let anything happen. I promise. Once we have the protective order, he can’t come near you or the police will take him to jail.”
“How do you know?”
“Because this isn’t the first time I’ve helped someone. I needed one too, and it worked. It’ll be okay.” She infused passion into her words. “Let’s get up to the courtroom.”
Judge Monica Bell sat at the bench, black robe billowing around her as she leaned forward, a hand over her microphone as she listened to two attorneys argue.
Nadine looked overwhelmed by the room and the atmosphere. Emilie tried to see it through the eyes of a first timer instead of someone who appeared in this room in front of this judge multiple times a month. While not as formal as some, there was still a seriousness and heaviness to the room. A clear sense that decisions issued here affected lives long-term.
The court reporter was positioned next to the judge, as was a bailiff. The line was short, and if everything went well, they’d be in front of the judge in ten or fifteen minutes. Emilie used that time to quietly remind Nadine what to expect. “It’s most important to look at the judge and ignore Reggie when you’re explaining why you need the protective order. I’ll make sure you explain why Jonathan must be included.”
“If he isn’t, I can’t have the protective order. Reggie will already punish me, but if Jonathan stays with him, I’ll never see my son again.” Nadine’s voice rose, and Emilie placed a calming hand on her.
“I won’t let that happen.” Emilie kept an eye on the comings and goings, wondering who Reggie had hired to be his attorney. That person could wait until the hearing to file their appearance, keeping her in the dark. Some lawyers found a strategic advantage to the surprise, but the reality was Emilie’s approach to the hearing remained unchanged. She asked the same questions and advised her client in the same way. It was simply a courtesy to be alerted ahead of time and know whether an agreement was possible.
Reggie stood by himself, a tall and thin man built like a runner. Based on what Nadine had told her, Emilie was careful not to underestimate his strength. He spent a lot of time in a gym, but had a metabolism that didn’t let anything he consumed stick around.
“Miss Wesley.” Judge Bell’s voice pulled her from her thoughts.
She startled as she realized the other attorneys were done and had moved aside with their clients. “Your Honor?”
“We’re ready for you. Is your client with you?”
“Yes.”
“How about her boyfriend?”
She glanced to where he’d waited. “He was against the wall over there.”
“No, Your Honor.”
“Take a moment and look for him while I work with the court reporter to wrap up my order from the previous hearing.”
“Yes, Your Honor.” She turned to Nadine. “Stay right here. You’ll be safe with the bailiff in here.” Emilie moved past the bar and into the gallery. A moment later she pushed through the door and into the hallway. He wasn’t waiting there.
Where had Reggie gone?
She described him to the deputy waiting in the hallway, but he didn’t remember seeing a man of that description. She then walked to the metal detector and asked the deputies stationed there if they remembered seeing him. As she expected, they didn’t remember him either. After one more pass through the hallways, she returned to the courtroom. A pulse of fear began to build. “Nadine, where’s Jonathan?”
“With my friend Amy.”
“Is she someone Reggie would expect to watch your boy?”
“No. I don’t think he knows who she is. He definitely doesn’t know where she lives. She moved a week ago.”
“Did you text her about it or communicate in any way that he could read?”
“Nope. Just calls.”
“Okay.” Emilie turned to the judge. “I couldn’t find him anywhere, and none of the deputies remember seeing him.”
“All right.” The judge opened a file, then flipped through the pages. “Are you ready to proceed?”
“Yes, Your Honor. Could I let Nadine call her friend and warn her that Reggie has left? I would feel better if she was alerted to keep Jonathan close.”
“You may have a minute to make the call.” The judge nodded to Nadine, and she quickly took out her phone and placed the call. After she hung up, the judge looked at Emilie with the faintest hint of a smile. “Ready?”
“Yes, Your Honor.” Emilie quickly walked Nadine through the questions. The judge asked a few of her own and then granted the motion.
“Go check on your boy, and be sure to check with the police in a couple days to determine whether the order has been served on the defendant.” She stamped a sheet and handed it to the clerk. “Because he was here and then left as I called the hearing, I will make this a permanent two-year order with the caveat that he can petition for a hearing at any point. Good luck to you, Miss Hunter.”
“Thank you.”
Emilie echoed with her own, “Thank you.” After they were in the hallway, she turned to Nadine. “Any questions?”
“So I need to ask the police about the protection order?”
“To ensure it’s been served. That’s technically when it becomes effective. Also, keep a copy with you always. Put one in the diaper bag, one in your purse, and one in your car.”
“I won’t have a car now.”
“That’s okay, keep it with you, so it’s always available if you need to show it to police.” She led Nadine back to the front door. “Do you have a way to get to Jonathan?”
“I’ll take the bus.”
“No, I’ll take you. Let’s go make sure your little guy is okay.”