Page 3 of Riot
I let her lead the way, thinking about what she’d told me.When we got to the correct courtroom and Lana reached for the door, I put my hand on hers to stop her.“When this is over, I want to read their file.”
“Not happening.”Her reply was instantaneous, no hesitation.
“You’ll give it to me so I can be prepared for what happens next, Lana.”
She gave me an arrogant lift of her chin.“Only if you’re all in.”
I opened the door and stepped back for her to precede me.“You fuckin’ know I am,” I whispered angrily.“It was guaranteed the moment you told me their story.”
She smirked as she entered the courtroom.“It was guaranteed before that.”One thing Lana was good at was reading people, so there was no doubt in my mind she’d taken in every minute detail of my reaction to Violet when she stepped out of that fucking car.
Lana led us down the center aisle and through the gallery.She had me and Caleb sit in the first row of seats behind her and Violet.The boy had a complex look of fear, anger, frustration, and worry on his face.It was an all too familiar feeling.
“Your dad hit you?”I asked the question softly, for the kid’s ears only.
“He tried to, but he was drunk.Has shit aim when he’s drunk.”Caleb didn’t look at me.His eyes were firmly on his mother.
“He hit your mom?”
Caleb was silent so long I wasn’t sure he was going to answer me.Then he nodded his head.“Yeah.He fuckin’ hit her.”
I knew I should probably correct the kid’s language, but fuck it.If the kid could testify against his father, he could fucking swear.“This the first time?”
He snorted.“First time I caught him.Mom lies and tells me she hit a door or fell down the stairs.She stopped trying to make up an elaborate explanation months ago.”
“Christ.”I scrubbed my hand over my mouth.I looked at Violet.I barely had a view of her profile, but I could see her trembling where she sat.Lana leaned in to speak with her several times.She laid a hand on Violet’s arm in reassurance.Violet didn’t say anything, only nodded occasionally.
“All rise,” the bailiff commanded.I stood with Caleb as a short, round woman with a stern expression entered from the side.“Court is now in session, Judge Evelyn Whitmore presiding.”
“Take your seats.”Judge Whitmore waved her hand absently as she situated herself in her chair and opened a folder.When she looked up, she removed her glasses, an impatient look on her face.“We seem to be missing half of the involved parties.”She raised an eyebrow and addressed the other lawyer in the room.“Counselor?Where’s your client.”
The guy adjusted his glasses while tapping frantically on his phone.“Uh, he should be here, uh, any minute now.”He didn’t stand or look up from his phone.
Judge Whitmore continued to look at the guy who was completely ignoring her.“Excuse me, Mr.Todd.Am I interrupting something important?”Any idiot could see she was heading past irritated to straight up pissed off.Everyone except for Mr.Todd, apparently.
“I’m letting Mr.Harrington know you’re here.He doesn’t like to be kept waiting and preferred to arrive after you did so he doesn’t have to be here a moment longer than he needs to be.”
“Bastard,” Caleb muttered.A bit too loudly.
“Can’t argue with that assessment, young man.”Judge Whitmore pursed her lips.“But I’m going to have to ask you not to use that language in my courtroom.”Poor lady looked like she’d swallowed a lemon.
“I’m sorry, Your Honor,” Caleb said softly.“My mom taught me better.”
Judge Whitmore looked slightly startled, but also studied Caleb closely, as if seeing more than just a disgruntled, angry preteen.
“Apology accepted, young man.”She took a stack of papers from her desk and straightened them before laying them back in front of her.I knew the look of a person considering their words before speaking.Not that this woman cared if she broke protocol or said something someone might take offense at.No.I pegged her as a consummate professional in the face ofunprofessionals.She was determined to stay above their level, even if it meant she had to ignore stupidity on occasion.“Mr.Todd?”She pointed to his phone.“Your client?”
“He hasn’t answered me yet, Your Honor.”He peered at the screen briefly.“Uh, as soon as he opens the message he’ll know to come to the courthouse.”
“I see.”Judge Whitmore didn’t look the least bit impressed.“In that case, I’m going to assume Mr.Harrington is unwilling to be here for… however long it takes him to get here, and we’ll get started now.”She raised her hand and motioned to the bailiff.“Will you please relieve Mr.Todd of his phone, Officer James.There are no phones permitted in court, as you know.Officer James will have someone check your phone with security and you may pick it up when you leave.”
“Your Honor.You can’t start until my client arrives.He has the right to face his accusers.Also, I have multiple important clients who need me at a moment’s notice.The phone stays with me.”
“Sure he has the right to face his accusers.Which is why he was called here today.If he chooses not to show up, that’s his choice.If he chooses not to show up, that’s his choice.Also, either the phones goes with Officer James, or you go to jail and this hearing is over.Then I’ll let the young man go with whomever he chooses, which I likely will anyway given your client’s conduct regarding respect for the court by not showing up.Because it’s inconvenient for such an important man to wait on something as trivial as emergency custody of his own child.”She raised an eyebrow.“Your choice.”
When he sighed and handed over his phone, she continued.“Now.This hearing is for emergency custody of Mr.Caleb Harrington solely to his mother, Mrs.Violet Harrington, temporarily suspending the parental rights of Mr.Douglas Harrington.Is that about the gist of it?”
Lana stood, her shoulders back.“It is, Your Honor.”
