CHAPTER 23
Ford
I glance down at my watch.
Crane my neck over my shoulder to stare at the clock on the courtroom wall.
Down to my phone.
They all say the same thing. Five till ten.
And Viveka is still not in court.
This shouldn’t alarm me, but for some reason it does. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but something feels off for me. I could probably chalk it up to pre-hearing jitters. Even after nineteen years of practicing law, I still get a little tingle in my nerves before I get up before a judge or jury. I think it’s even more prevalent today because I’m going up against Viveka, and I don’t want her to lose.
Of course, I have to put those feelings aside. Just for at least the next hour it will take us to argue the merits of the case in front of Judge Boyer. Then it will be over.
Then we will start.
The sound of the courtroom door opening has me spinning in my seat. I’m disappointed to see Drake Powell walking in. His eyes immediately go to the plaintiff’s counsel table where Viveka would sit before sliding over to me. He gives me a wink and a thumb’s-up sign. My smile back is lukewarm at best.
He struts up the aisle that separates the two sides of benches and sits in the front row directly behind me.
When I turn my wrist, my stomach churns as I see it’s one minute until ten and still no Viveka. I grab my phone, prepared to text her, when the door behind the judge’s bench opens and the bailiff steps through, followed by Judge Boyer.
“All rise,” the bailiff says, and I push out of my seat, buttoning my suit jacket as I do. Judge Boyer climbs the raised dais and prepares to sit down, but she notices that Viveka isn’t at her table. Her eyes cut to me with question, and I’m prepared to argue on Viveka’s sake for a small recess when the back courtroom door opens.
Viveka hurries in carrying her briefcase in one hand, her purse hanging over her shoulder. She looks fabulous in a charcoal-gray pantsuit with wide legs and matching heels. Her hair looks beautiful… pulled to one side for a braid to rest over the front of one shoulder, the top swept low across her forehead, just above her brows.
“I’m so sorry I’m late,” Viveka calls to the judge without looking at me. Her voice sounds frazzled, and her shoulders are a bit hunched.
“I haven’t sat down yet, Miss Jones,” Judge Boyer says back easily. “So technically, you’re not late.”
Judge Boyer has always been known for being fair and easy to deal with, but this is exactly one of the reasons I like working with her so much. She even goes out of her way to be nice to people, and that’s something the older judges could learn something about.
The judge sits, and I start to follow suit since I’m allowed to do so. I cut another look at Viveka, see her busy unpacking her briefcase, and—
What the fuck is that on her forehead?
I almost didn’t see it the way she had her braid pulled across, but the harder I stare, the more I can see she’s been cut and has had stitches. There’s also purple bruising she tried to hide with makeup but couldn’t quite conceal completely.
Without thought, I step away from my table and take the two steps to hers. I can feel Judge Boyer’s eyes on me, but I ignore her.
When I reach Viveka’s side, she refuses to look at me, now busy straightening the papers she pulled out. Turning slightly so Judge Boyer has my back, I ask her in the lowest possible voice I can manage. “What the hell happened?”
Viveka refuses to raise her head, and my skin grows tight. “It’s nothing.”
I’m not sure what makes me do it, but I crane my neck all the way around to look at my client sitting in the front row. His eyes are pinned on Viveka… on her face… and he’s smirking.
“Son of a bitch,” I hiss under my breath. When I turn back to Viveka, my eyes lock on hers. “I’m going to kill him.”
“Don’t,” she breathes out so I barely hear her, but the pleading in her eyes speaks volumes.
My gaze breaks free, traveling up to take a closer look at the cut. Dead center, not too far below her hairline. I have no clue exactly what happened, but I know Drake Powell had everything to do with it.
“Is there a problem?” the judge asks, and I slowly turn toward her.
“Your Honor.” My voice is solicitous and professional, which is amazing given I feel like I’m shaking with fury. “I need a moment to discuss an issue with opposing counsel.”
“Make it fast,” she says.
I nod at her before turning back to Viveka. Leaning close so she has no choice but to look me in the eye, I repeat, “What happened?”
She just stares at me.
“Tell me what happened, Viv, or I’m going to make a scene,” I warn. I put one hand down on her table and notice it’s shaking.
“Ford, please,” she says whisper soft. “You make a scene, and you’re going to out us. And this is my career on the line, too.”
Son of a fucking bitch.
I take in a deep breath, close my eyes, and let it out slowly. I try to will myself to calm down, but all I can see in my mind is that cut on Viv’s forehead. My eyes pop back open, because if I keep them closed, I’ll imagine the worst.
“Just tell me what happened, and I swear I won’t make a scene in here,” I tell her. “I have to know, or I’ll go crazy wondering.”
She keeps her face stoic, but I can see the understanding deep within her eyes. No surprise, but she tries to downplay it. “I didn’t see who it was. It happened in my driveway when I got out of my car. It was fast, and he slammed my head down onto my car just once before he took off running.”
Fire burns in my gut. Deep in that fiery pit of fury, I’m convinced Drake Powell is behind it. He’s too cowardly to do it himself, but I bet he set it up.
I know it.
But I have to make sure.
I hold Viv’s gaze a moment longer before straightening up and turning to the judge. “Your Honor, if I could indulge the court for just five more minutes. I need to have a word with my client to go over some new evidence I’ve just learned about. I promise I’ll be brief.”
Judge Boyer makes a shooing motion with her hand, then turns her attention back to her computer monitor.
I cut another short peek at Viv, and I can see her visibly tense up with worry. I try to give her an encouraging smile, but it comes off stiff and forced. I can’t reassure her because all I can think about is avenging her.
Turning to Drake, I make a jerking motion with my head to the courtroom doors at the back. A silent demand that we talk outside. I made Viv a promise, and I’m not going to do anything in open court.
Drake’s brows furrow in confusion, but he stands up from the bench. I march toward the doors, knowing he’s following. When I exit, I make an immediate right and enter the stairwell I’d taken just a few short weeks ago with Viv after our first hearing.
When Drake steps through the door, I turn to face him. He doesn’t even give me a chance to bait him into the truth because he gives it up all on his own. He starts laughing and throws a thumb in the direction from where we came. “Did you see her face? Can’t think of a nicer person for that to happen to.”
It’s not an all-out admission, but he takes way too much pleasure in it. A buzzing noise fills my ears, and my fingers curl inward. “She says she took a fall down the stairs,” I grit out.
Drake snorts. “That’s her story, huh? Clumsy, that one.”
Fuck this. I don’t need him to admit it.
I’m on him fast, taking every bit of violent aggression I normally burn out of my system on the rugby field and direct it right into his face with my fist. I catch him on the right cheekbone with a roundhouse and his head snaps to the left. He goes stumbling into the wall just before the stairs. I reach out and grab him by his collar so he doesn’t fall, which I wouldn’t mind seeing, and I swing him toward the opposite wall. He goes careening into it, using his palms to catch himself before his face slams into the cinderblock slab.
“You fucking did that to her,” I snarl. I grab him by the shoulders and spin him to face me. Drake’s hands come up instinctively to protect his head from further attack.
That’s fine.
It leaves his throat exposed and my hand goes to it, pushing him back and pinning him to the wall. I squeeze, and his eyes bug out of his head in fear. I lean in close. “Tell me… did you do that to her?”
Drake’s hands come to mine, and he tries to peel my fingers away. I release my grip slightly, so he can talk.
“Tell me the truth,” I hiss. “If you don’t, I’m going to beat you bloody.”
“It was just to scare her,” he blurts out with wide eyes. “The bitch is costing me money, so I had one of my boys rough her up just to scare her.”
I’m not even thinking. My free hand is pulling back and I let it fly, this time catching him dead center in his nose. He howls in pain and doubles over, his hand covering his face.
“Are you scared, Drake?” I ask softly as I bend over him.
He nods furiously as he pulls his hands back from his nose. No blood, which disappoints me.
“Now you know how she must have felt,” I spit as I grab him by his shirt and throw him back into the wall again.
The fucker starts crying like a baby, and I want to beat the shit out of him for that. Hiring someone to do his dirty work because he doesn’t have the balls for it and then crying when he takes a few punches.
I lean in, put my face right before his, and curl my hands tight into his shirt. I give him a little shake and say, “Get out of this courthouse. Go back to your office or home or wherever. I’ll call you after the judge makes her decision.”
Releasing my hold on Drake, I step back and run my hands through my hair. I take some deep breaths to calm down.
“What the fuck is this all about?” he asks, anger now tinging his voice as he gingerly pokes at his nose. “Why the fuck do you care?”
I give him an out-and-out lie without a single care in the world. “Because if the judge ever found out you did that, I’m guilty by association. I’m not about to fucking lose my license because of your games.”
“She has no clue—”
“Just shut the fuck up, Drake,” I growl and point to the door. “Now get out of here before I get the urge to beat some fucking manners into you.”
“We’ll see what Midge has to say about this,” he says, feeling much more emboldened now that I’m winding down.
“Go for it,” I taunt. “Run to Midge like a baby. Make your complaints known. I’ll take the ass chewing she’ll give me. Then I’m going to get in my car, come to your house, and kick your ass really good like you deserve.”
“That’s… that’s… criminal,” he sputters.
“As is hiring someone to beat up a woman,” I snarl. “Don’t make this nastier than it already is, Drake.”
He opens his mouth as if to argue with me, but the stairwell door swings open and the bailiff sticks his head through. His eyes go to Drake, then to me, then snap back to Drake. It’s clear he took punches as his right cheek is red and swollen. It will be purple tonight, and his nose is swelling up, too.
“You all right?” he asks Drake hesitantly.
“He’s fine,” I answer for him, and then turn to Drake for confirmation.
Finally, he nods at the bailiff. “I’m good.”
Not buying it for a second, the bailiff stares at Drake for a moment before turning to me. “Judge Boyer would like to get started.”
He disappears back through the door, and I grab onto it before it can swing shut. I don’t look at Drake, but I tell him the words I think are important to my own set of ethical standards. “I’m going to go back in there and represent you diligently. We’ve got a good shot at winning, and I expect I’ll be calling you with good news after. But if I ever see your fucking face again, you’re not going to like what happens. And consider this my termination notice. Find another attorney for any other matters you have.”
♦
It’s a good thing Viveka was first up to give her arguments to the judge. Not only would it let me rebut whatever she said, but it also gave me more of a chance to calm down. I was still wired when I walked back into that courtroom.
I simply told the judge that my client wasn’t feeling well, but I was prepared to move forward.
So we did.
Viveka was a pure joy to watch. Passionate and eloquent. She did a superb job with her expert’s testimony on the stand, although I was able to rattle him a bit on cross examination.
My argument was easy as the weight of the evidence was in my favor. My expert’s findings were vastly different than Viveka’s. I don’t pretend to even figure out where the truth actually lies. I’m not a bird expert. My job is to put it before the court and let the judge figure it out.
Viveka’s approach was to ask for everything for those poor woodpeckers. She asked for a protective circle around the active cluster Dr. Mellman found, including the area between it and the one lone nest in the tree she tied herself to. Dr. Mellman testified that if the area in between was de-forested, it would discourage communal helpers from coming to the lone nest.
When we’re finished, Judge Boyer leans forward in her chair to peer down at us. “I’d like to thank you both for your eloquent arguments and the expert testimony you presented. You both did a fine job for your client. At this time, I’m going to adjourn court, read through your briefs and take some time to consider the evidence. I understand how important this matter is to both of your clients, and I’m trying to balance the federal laws with the private ownership. I should have a ruling by the end of the day, and I’ll be calling each of you.”
This was not unusual. Often judges can rule on the merits as soon as arguments are done. Many times, a judge will sit on it, sometimes for days. With the ability for lawyers to appeal, it’s imperative that decisions not be made rashly, and Judge Boyer understands that.
The bailiff recesses court and in just a few minutes, Viveka and I are left alone in the courtroom. I watch her pack her stuff up, shoulders stiff. I can’t tell if she’s on edge because we don’t have a ruling on the merits or she’s upset about the way I behaved. Regardless of the fact I confronted Drake in private and away from the court’s eyes, it was still obvious to everyone in the courtroom I was upset about everything.
Add that to the fact I wasn’t upset until Viveka walked in late with a cut to her forehead and then I immediately pulled my client out of the courtroom, I’m sure the courthouse gossip is talking about it everywhere right now.
“Viv,” I say softly, but my voice still carries in the now-empty courtroom.
She twists her neck, looking over at me slowly. Her expression is guarded. “What did you do to him?”
It sounds almost as if she’s worried for the douchebag.
“I punched the bastard,” I growl as I walk up to her table. “I guess what I don’t get is why that would bother you. Why would you even care about him?”
Viv’s eyes flare with indignation. “Why would I care about him?” she hisses. “I don’t care about him. I care about you, you big moron. You could have gotten in serious trouble, Ford. Like lost your law license kind of trouble for attacking a client and fucking the opposing counsel. I don’t give two shits about him, but you can damn well better believe I care about you—”
She cares about me.
I snatch her to me so hard I get just a momentary image of her eyes going even wider with surprise before my mouth descends on hers. She grunts from the contact, pushes hard at me for just a nanosecond, and then she’s kissing me back.
There aren’t two fucks given between the two of us that we might be caught. The bailiff could walk back in, or maybe Judge Boyer forgot something on her desk. Hell, any number of attorneys or court personnel could walk by and look inside.
Fuck them all. Nothing is making me break this kiss.
Except when Viv pulls away. She goes up to her tiptoes, and I bend to put a very gentle kiss to the left of the cut on her forehead.
She lets out a shaky breath. “I was so scared you were going to get in trouble. Promise me that you’ll let it go. Whatever you did to that asshole, promise me it’s over, okay?”
“You can press charges,” I murmur. “I’ll support you if you want to do that.”
I get a tiny shake of her head. “No. This case is over, all but for the ruling. Let’s just let it go.”
“Okay, Viv,” I say as my hands go to the side of her head. I hold her in place. “Letting it go.”
“Thank you,” she says with a smile.
“So… you care about me, huh?” I ask slyly.
“I kinda do,” she admits with a sheepish grin.
“It’s mutual,” I say. “And I have an idea.”
“What’s that?”
“Let’s take the rest of the day off and go to my apartment, because it’s like only three blocks from here.” I tilt my head and brush my lips against her cheek. She shivers slightly. “You can tell me all about what happened last night, I can get all kinds of pissed off, and then work my aggression out on your body. Are you with me?”
She nods, and I move my lips down to her neck. My voice goes husky. “We’ll cuddle for a bit, let me recharge, and then I’ll make love to you… slowly and taking my time.”
“Um… yeah, I like that.” Her voice is breathy, and her hands drop to my belt where she tucks the tips of her fingers inside.
“Maybe we’ll nap after that for a bit, because we deserve it, but more than likely, I’m going to spend the afternoon playing with your body. I feel it’s my duty as your boyfriend to take your mind off what happened to you last night, as well as keep you occupied until we get Judge Boyer’s ruling.”
Viveka pulls back from me so I have to look at her, and her eyes are questioning. “You’re my boyfriend?”
I pretend to think about it by staring up at the ceiling in contemplation, but there’s no need. I know what I am to her and she is to me. “Yeah… I’m your boyfriend.”
“At least for the next few months,” she teases.
But it’s not funny. I shake my head and run my nose along her cheek, before pulling her in for a simple hug. “I don’t see a time limit, Viv. In fact, I really can’t see an end for us.”
She doesn’t respond.
She hugs me back really hard, and that’s all the answer I need.