COLE
After a seven-hour flight, I stride through LAX with a head full of questions and a growing knot in my gut.Jessica Davis had a daughter and listed me as the father.The same Jessica who'd dreamed of changing the world one court case at a time.What the hell happened?
My rental—a black Land Rover Discovery—pulls into the parking lot of a grey office building that screams government bureaucracy.Time to sort this mess out so I can get back to my peaceful life of contracts, sunsets, and solitude.
The receptionist's eyes travel over my body as I approach her desk."I'm looking for Ms.Emily Miller."
She gives me another head-to-toe inspection before picking up her phone."I'll get her.Please wait there."She points to a row of chairs that look designed to numb asses.
I lean against the wall instead, listening to the symphony of ringing phones and murmured conversations.A small woman with light brown hair emerges from one of the rooms, her steps purposeful but cautious.There's something in her eyes—a protective glint that makes my spine straighten.
"Mr.Walker?"
I shake her outstretched hand."Call me Cole."
"Emily."She leads me to her compact office, closing the door with a soft click."I'm glad you came, though I'm sorry about the circumstances."
"Where is she?"
Emily's chin lifts slightly, her posture shifting from social worker to guardian."Before we get to that, I need to verify your identity."
Emily's eyes study my license with the intensity of someone who's seen too many people try to game the system.
"She's staying at my house," Emily finally says.
"Is that allowed?"
Her arms cross."That sweet girl needed a safe place after finding herself alone in the world."
"What about grandparents?"
"Gone.No aunts or uncles either."Emily pulls out a document and slides it across her desk."Samantha mentioned two days ago that her mother put her father's name on her birth certificate.I've been working around the clock to find you since then."
My eyes scan the legal record.Mother: Jessica Davis, with her familiar looping signature.Father: Cole Walker, but no signature.Just my name, written in Jessica's hand, tying me to fifteen years of absence I never knew about.
"How do I know she's mine?"The words taste bitter."Yes, my name's there, but—"
"I understand."Emily's voice softens."A paternity test would be wise.But before that..."She meets my gaze."See her."
I lean back, crossing my arms."And why would I do that?"
"Humor me, Cole."There's something in her tone—a challenge wrapped in concern.
Standing, I gesture to the door."Take me to her."
The L.A.sun hits like a physical force as we exit the building.Emily hesitates when I offer her a ride, and I can't help but roll my eyes.
"I'm not a serial killer or planning to hurt you.Just being a gentleman."
She chuckles, tension bleeding from her shoulders."Fine, let's go."
During the drive, questions bubble up."What happened to Jessica?Last I heard, she was headed to law school."
Emily's fingers twist in her lap."She...she waited tables.By day at a restaurant, and at night..."She bites her lip."At a strip club."
The steering wheel creaks under my grip."What?"
That brilliant, ambitious woman who'd lectured me about civil rights over midnight pancakes...reduced to serving drinks in a strip club?What the hell happened to derail her so completely?
