Despite the fact that she couldn’t stand the man, Kenzi had to admit Harrington behaved like a pro after Messie’s testimony cratered the prosecution case. He did not object to dismissal of the charges and instructed law enforcement to take Messie into custody for interrogation. She suspected the Sentinel would be arrested by nightfall.
“Not a bad job,” Harrington said.
She almost blushed. “Thank you. I’ll admit I had—”
“For a dilettante. You got lucky and no serious damage was done. But in the future, I hope you’ll stay in family court. Criminal law is for the big boys.”
“But I—”
He walked away, leaving her gaping in mid-sentence.
Just when you thought it might be remotely possible to like him…
Maya’s reaction was completely different. She wrapped her arms around Kenzi and hugged her the instant the judge told her she was free to go.
“Thank you,” she gasped, tears streaming down her face. “You believed me. You fought for me.”
“I did my best.”
“You were brave. Strong.”
“You’re the strong one. You survived that nightmare father. Twice.”
“Will they let me see my daughter now?”
Michael had revealed Brittany’s location, a smart move since he now faced possible conspiracy charges for giving Messie the keys to LORE and Maya’s car. In the space of a few moments, Maya had been transformed from dangerous murder-mommy to the best parent available.
“I’ll stop by Judge Benetti’s office before I leave, Maya. But you know, he’s going to ask—”
“I’m quitting Hexitel.”
Thank God. “What brought you to this decision?”
“I should have done it long ago. I always sensed there was something…not right there. But I was so desperate for family. Support. Something I’ve never had.”
How true that was.
“After I heard Candy tell all those lies about me on the witness stand, I realized what a fool I’ve been. My stupidity almost cost me my child.”
“If I can tell the judge you’ve severed ties with Hexitel, I bet Brittany will be back in your arms before bedtime.”
“Thank you so much. I can’t say it enough.” She hugged like she never intended to let go. “Thank you.”
After a few more moments, Maya turned to Emma, arms outstretched. “And you too.”
Emma held up a hand. “Sorry. Not a hugger.”
“Oh. Right.”
“But.” Emma stepped forward and touched Maya on the shoulder. “I’m very glad about the way this turned out. So give Brittany a big hug for me.”
“I will.” She turned back to Kenzi. “Can I admit something? When I first met you…I didn’t like you very much.”
She didn’t blame her. “I was having a rough day.”
“I thought you were superficial. Self-absorbed. I was in the KenziKlan and that was fun and harmless, but in person, you seemed much more interested in yourself than your clients.” She offered a broken wet smile. “Look how wrong I was.”
“Thanks, but you weren’t entirely wrong. I have some soul-searching to do.”
Emma made a face of mock astonishment. “What? Kenzi Rivera admits to imperfection?”
“I know. Hard to imagine. Sign of inadequacy, I guess.”
“No. A sign that you’re glowing up.”
“Really?”
Emma nodded. “And I think the whole KenziKlan will agree. You’ve come a long way since high school, kiddo. And you still have some miles left on your journey. But don’t we all?”
Kenzi packed her briefcases and banker boxes and headed out of the courtroom. She was almost through the door when she spotted someone sitting in the back of the gallery.
Her father.
She started to speak, but felt tongue-tied. Why did he always have that effect on her?
“Did—Did you see how it ended?”
“I did.”
“And…”
He cleared his throat. “It occurs to me that I may have voiced some objection to you taking this case.”
That was putting it mildly. But she kept her mouth shut.
“And I may have expressed some…lack of confidence in your ability to handle a criminal matter.”
Wait for it…
He drew in his breath, then slowly released it. “It is just possible that I may have been mistaken.”
Not exactly an apology. But as close as she was ever going to get from him.
“And now,” he added, “I hear rumors that you’re going to use this high-profile success to start your own firm. Where you can be managing partner. And you won’t have to deal with…me.”
“Nope.” She wasn’t even sure where that came from. She had been thinking about leaving, but now she knew exactly what she wanted to do. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“You’re not?”
She stepped forward and gave him a friendly jab in the chest. “I’m not starting my own firm. I’m launching a hostile takeover of your firm.”
“You’re…what now?”
“And then I’m going to take over Crozier’s firm and merge the two to form the biggest firm in the state. With me as its queen. I’m going to own Splitsville.”
“That seems…rather unlikely.”
She pivoted on her heel. “You just wait and see.”
As she walked to her car, Kenzi realized it had been days since she livestreamed to the KenziKlan.
Had she outgrown it?
Should she put it in her past?
No. Put it to better use.
Maybe it was time she put her entire life to better use.
She set down her boxes, pulled out her phone, and started streaming. Since this wasn’t her usual airtime, she made sure copies would be stored on YouTube for later viewing.
And told the story of the case’s tumultuous final day…
“So that’s how it turned out, KenziKlan. Justice was done and a flawed but loving mother will be reunited with her daughter. Which is wonderful. Because we’re all flawed, but there’s nothing more important than family and never will be. Here’s what I’ve learned, and what I hope you will learn too, if you don’t already know it. You want to be religious—fine. If it helps you, I’m happy. But when people start exerting coercive control, look out. No one should dominate you, and if anyone tries, run. Immediately. I don't care what they offer or what they promise. Run. And if your husband tries to turn your daughter into a weapon he can use against you—shoot him.”
She paused. “Okay, I meant with a camera. Video the rant. Record the abusive phone call. Don’t resort to violence, but do collect evidence. Because you are important. You matter. And you don’t have to take that crap from anyone. Hashtag KenziKlan. Hashtag RiveraLaw.” She paused, then added, “Hashtag MeToo. Hashtag Time’sUp. Hashtag GirlPower. Hashtag InThisTogether. Hashtag…LoveIsAllWeNeed.”