The Lonely Hearts 06 The Grunt 2 (31 page)

“Yes, Uber,” David said, pulling out his phone from his wallet.  “I have the app downloaded.  I always keep it me.” 

“Funny, I always have a condom on me,” Gavin said, eyeing a woman as she walked into the bar.  They made eye contact immediately.  Giving a small grin, he winked at her, letting her know that if she wanted, she could have his complete attention tonight. 

Brett followed Gavin’s gaze to the redhead with the wide hips and big breasts as she came over and sat at the corner of the bar.  He turned to Gavin. “Not tonight, dude.  Give your dick a rest.”

“You need to go home to your wife and make up before there is no one at home waiting for you or
your dick
,” Gavin said, motioning for the bartender. He perked up a little.  “Excuse me, kind sir.  Can I get a drink for the lady?”

David looked over at Brett and hit him on the shoulder. “One more round on me and then you go home?”  It sounded like a question, but it was an order. 

“I’m not drunk yet,” Brett said, words slurring.

“That’s the point,” David answered.  “While you’re still in shape to talk to her, go home and make up with your wife.  Put her first.  Talk to her.  Reassure her.  Do whatever married men do to stay married.”  He shrugged and looked when the bar door opened.  This time a black woman entered wearing jeans and a Cardinals t-shirt, cut into a V-shape in the front. With long braids pulled back from her face and a pie face complete with big brown eyes and a dimple in her chin, she strutted over to the bar and sat beside the redhead. 

“Do you feel like suddenly hanging out for a few more hours?” Gavin asked David under his breath. 

“On it,” David said as the woman looked over at him and grinned.  He hit Brett on the arm. “Go home or you can break my baby sister’s heart and I can shoot you in the other leg. Then you’ll definitely be retired out.”

Gavin laughed and turned to Brett. “I think he’s serious.  He’s got that whole Captain America thing going on.” It was time to get rid of the dead weight.  Brett would only dampen the mood, and these girls looked like all they wanted to do was have fun.  

Brett laughed. “Alright.  Alright.  Call me a cab or an Uber or
whatever
.  I’ll go home and figure this out.”  He knew exactly what they were up to, and he didn’t want to be around to witness it.  If he were going to spend time talking to any woman, it would be Courtney.

***

Brett had never used Uber before, but it was quite a handy little service.  A young man, using this job as second income for his new little family, picked him up in a Toyota Prius right outside of the bar a few minutes after David reserved the ride, and then drove him home with almost no conversation and music from a peaceful jazz station on the radio. 

When they pulled up outside of the house a half an hour later in the rain, he was glad to see Courtney’s car in the driveway, but he was nervous too.  How would he handle this?  What would he say?  What wouldn’t he say? He had a knack lately for putting his foot in his mouth.  He’d have to work harder on that.  He’d have to work harder on everything.

Closing the passenger door to the driver’s car, Brett limped slowly up to the door.  Being bullheaded, he had left his crutches at the Lawless’ house earlier when they went to the bar.  So now, he was only using the boot, which was sort of uncomfortable, after such a long day.   

The rain washed over his face and body, making his cotton t-shirt cling to his taut lean muscles and highlight the dog tags under his shirt in between his wide well-formed pecs.  As he approached, the front porch light came on. 

Courtney opened the door and stepped out on the porch in her nightclothes, wearing his favorite shirt and with her hair in a flirt ponytail. 

Brett walked slowly, keeping his eyes on her, like she was the prize he would win if he could just make it.  Holding on to the rail, he moved up each step until he was up on the porch.  Just a few more steps.  Making his way over to her, he stood at her feet, his large frame loomed over her petite body as he breathed hard. 

Courtney lightly touched his chest. 

“I’m sorry,” he said quickly.  It was better to get that out of the way first. “I was wrong.”

Courtney looked up at him.  Her hazel brown eyes were still red and puffy from crying. “I’m sorry too.”  She grabbed his large hand and looked at his wedding ring.  “I know it’s late, but can I talk to you?”  She restated that question. It needed more authority.  “I need to talk to you tonight.” 

Brett touched her face, looking at her full lips, the adorable curve of her nose and the determination of her small chin.  “Of course, we can talk.”

“I don’t want you to say anything tonight. I just want you to hear me out. I want you to hear what I want, not just for you but for us and for me.”  She didn’t blink. 

Brett was just glad she was giving him another chance.  On top of that she didn’t want him to do all the talking, which meant, he’d be less likely to fuck it up.  His voice broke through the silence of the night and sound of rain hitting the ground.  “Whatever you want, baby.  We can talk all night if that’s what it takes.”

Courtney was glad to hear him say that.  Leading him into the house, she closed the door behind her and locked it.  “I put on some coffee.” 

Brett looked down at her in her night shirt and tall socks and felt desire start to rear its head.  Maybe it was the whiskey or the sight of her nearly naked but he wanted to take her right then and there in the living room on the floor. 

Inhaling the scent of strong Columbian coffee, he quickly pushed away his aching desire.  Tonight, there would be no distractions, not at least, until she had said what she had to say.  Then he would have her. 

“Where do you want to do this, baby?” he said, hearing the television going in the den.  He walked toward it, hearing Joe’s voice.  “What’s that? What are you watching?”  He stopped in the doorway and looked across the room at the television.  She had been watching their wedding video while he was away.  Joe was giving his Best Man speech. He stood there and watched it for a moment and actually smiled.  That had been a good day for everyone, especially for him. 

Looking over at her, Brett reached his hand out for her, dripping water in a pool around his feet on the hardwood floor in the hallway.  “Come here.”

Courtney walked up to him and hugged him tight, ignoring his sogginess.  She closed her eyes tight.  “I don’t want to ever forget why we did this,” she said, voice quivering.  “I don’t want to forget that feeling that I felt the day I married you.”   

Brett ran a hand down the back of her head as he held her in his tight embrace.  “I don’t either, baby.  I promise you,” Brett kissed her shoulder, glad that he had taken David’s advice and come home. “We’ll fix this together.”

Chapter 24

“I selected an enormous Marine Corps emblem to be tattooed across my chest. It required several sittings and hurt me like the devil, but the finished product was worth the pain. I blazed triumphantly forth, a Marine from throat to waist. The emblem is still with me. Nothing on earth but skinning will remove it.”   

—Major General Smedley D. Butler

When Mr. Benson’s office called, Brett and Courtney were out shopping for food and enjoying the day with Bella.   After hearing the news, they had dropped everything immediately and hightailed it to his office. 

“The test came back.  There is a 99 percent chance that Cameron is Leo’s biological child.”  Mr. Benson threw the results on his desk and walked over to the window.  “We have to get you ready for the trial.  Leo Tabor’s lawyer filed for temporary visitation, but I was able to get that thrown out.”

“How?” Courtney asked.

“Cameron has never been around Leo.  Even though we have established Leo as the biological father, a judge still needs to decide custody.  For now, considering Brett has been the presumed father and has cared for him his entire life, it is better for things not to change until the trial.”  Mr. Benson pushed another file over to Brett. “Your friend was very helpful in me making my case early this morning.  These pictures of Leo in the bathroom getting high may have persuaded the judge a little more than normal.”

Brett looked at the black and white still shots from the video Gavin had recorded with his baseball cap and felt himself turning red.  “This piece of shit wants custody of my son?”  He pursed his lips together. “Over my dead body.”

Mr. Benson noted Brett’s rage.  They’d need to make sure that during the next few months, it didn’t get the best of him. 

Brett felt like he was going to throw up.  “I guess I had been hoping even if he weren’t mine biologically that he wasn’t Leo’s either.”  He raked a hand over his face.  “Okay,” he said, taking in a deep breath and trying to find his center.  “How do we get ready for trial?”

“I’ve set a date, 60 days from today.  A couple of my junior partners will meet with you each week to help get you ready with answering questions and outlining any additional information that you need to provide.  We’ve also submitted our first set of interrogatories to the other side.  He has to have them back within 30 days from today.  If you look at that combined with the evidence compiled by your friend Gavin and the sworn testimony he’s been able to secure, then we are looking good. We have a chance.”

Courtney looked at Brett. “What evidence?”

“Gavin’s been snooping around.  Leo’s got a past. He’s a coke head, a philanderer, a disgrace to the Navy.”  Brett just didn’t understand.  “It just doesn’t make sense.  Why does he think that he’ll get Cameron considering how fucked up he is?”

Mr. Benson had asked the same question. “It has to be financially driven. Maybe Amy’s parents are paying him, but I doubt it.  They would have come for you much sooner than this, unless they didn’t know where he was and just now located him.  There could be many different ways he’s being paid.”  Mr. Benson took a seat.  “If we can find out what his motive is, then we will do better in court.”

“You can’t let me lose my son,” Brett said seriously.  He gripped Courtney’s hand. 

Mr. Benson hated to make promises. “I have two boxes of Amy’s belongings in the back office with our team combing through everything, hoping we can use something else as evidence.  Right now, we have a diary with detailed accounts of affairs with men on base and her acknowledgement that she was keeping Cameron’s paternity a secret from you.”

Courtney looked over at Brett, expecting him to get angry at the news of Amy’s deception, but he barely blinked.  He was over her, over everything that she had done and glad to be rid of her.

Brett pushed up to the end of the chair focused on something far more important than his late wife’s previous lovers.  “What else do we need to seal the fate of this case?  What ensures me a win?”

Mr. Benson looked over at Courtney and then to Brett.  They were good kids.  It truly was a pity that they were forced to go through this, but he had seen many couples like them over the years.  “Patience.  In my experience, at the very end of a case because of stress and other things, people get impatient, and they start to make stupid mistakes.  Do yourself a favor, don’t be one of them.  If you come into contact with Leo, do not engage him.  You and I both know that this situation is so tense, you’ll end up in jail, and that won’t look good to a judge.” 

Brett laced his fingers together.  “What else?”

“You’ve done everything you can do.  Now, you have to let me do everything that I can do. I’ll make sure that Cameron doesn’t have to be exposed to the man before the trial.  If needed, I’ll get continuances if we get on the scent of his true motivation behind this and need more time to compile evidence.”

Courtney was outraged. “This could take years, couldn’t it?”

Mr. Benson couldn’t lie. “Unfortunately, yes it could.”

“Whatever it takes,” Brett said, standing up. 

***

“How long is this going to fucking take?” Leo screamed into his cell phone as he sat outside the lawyer’s office.  The lawyer that the Ripley’s had hired called him just before his appointment with the lawyer holding Amy’s money and told him that while paternity had been established, the judge had decided against allowing temporary visitation.

“You said temporary visitation upon establishing paternity would help this case?” Leo said, hitting the dashboard. “Now you’re telling me that I can’t see him until after the trial?” His brow furrowed. “What kind of Mickey Mouse bullshit is this?”

If Leo had just given the lawyer time to answer, he would have told him three minutes ago “They’ve got evidence on you, Leo.  The judge felt like you could potentially be bad for the boy.  He won’t know until the trial. Now I’ve got 25 pages of questions that you need to get on right now and get answered.  You know the drill. I need your tax returns, your DD-214, and your bank statements. Everything.”

“Why do I need to turn that in?  It’s not like I’m divorcing the kid.” He had all of it, but it wasn’t exactly stellar.  He was in the red for his checking and savings.  His DD-214 said that he had been discharged Other Than Honorably and his tax returns told the story of his two daughter’s that he hadn’t seen in two months.”

“No, but you are petitioning for full custody of this young boy.  And if you fall short of that, you may end up with joint custody or visitation.  Either way, you’re going to have to start paying child support and they need to review your entire life and make sure that they are not snatching a child out of a perfectly good home and giving him to a deviant.” 

“Are you calling me a deviant?” Leo snapped.

“No, I’m saying that’s what the Courts don’t want to happen. I’m calling you to tell you what happened with the case.” 

Leo didn’t want to hear anymore. “When is the trial set for?”

“In 60 days,” the lawyer said, tired of dealing with the man.  He was not the guy that Rev. Riley had made him out to be, but attorney-client confidentiality made certain parts of his knowledge on Leo privileged.

Leo gripped the steering wheel and shook it.  “That’s too far out.”

“It’s the soonest we can do this.”  The lawyer was confused. “Why are you rushing this? As I explained to you, this isn’t something that can happen overnight.  This man was raising this boy as his own and has been for the last five years.” 

Leo moved the vents so the air would hit him dead smack in the face.  “If we get to trial in 60 days and the judge says that he’s mine, will he be mine that day or that week?”

“Once the judge makes the ruling, it immediately goes into effect. But the trial more than likely won’t be just one day. It could be two days. It could be two weeks.”

Leo didn’t want to hear the negativity. “Can it be done it two days?”

“If everything is in order, I suppose.”

Leo shook his head. “Then get it in order.  I know that the Riley’s are paying your bill, but if you can get it done in two days and I can get my son with paperwork proving that he’s my son, then I’ll make it worth your fucking while in less than a week. I’ll double what they are paying you.”

“Leo, I set my fee and that’s what I expect to get paid. I don’t provide service any differently to my clients. I’ll give you the best I’ve got to give. But we’re facing an uphill battle and you doing coke in the bathroom of a strip club doesn’t help your case.”

Leo paused. “What?”

“They have photos of you doing what appears to be cocaine in a strip club,” the lawyer said, disgusted. “That’s why you don’t have visitation right now.  And don’t be surprised if a part of the process before going to court includes you submitting to a drug test. I can almost guarantee that order will be coming next.”

Leo had done coke with a couple of guys over the last few weeks, but only one had come around recently.  It had to be that fucker, Jake.

“You’re my lawyer. What happens if it was coke,” he said, looking at his watch. He was going to be late in two minutes. 

“If it was coke, then your case just became that much weaker, Mr. Tabor,” the lawyer said rolling his eyes.  “Was it coke?”

Leo knew that it was quite possible that his lawyer would report all of this back to the Riley’s. And he couldn’t afford that.  “No, it wasn’t coke. It was Adderall.  I snort it to make it take effect quicker. I’ve been on ADD meds for years.”

The lawyer knew it was a very good possibility that he was lying. “Even if that were the case, you were still abusing a controlled substance in the bathroom of a strip club.” 

“If I had to choose between cocaine and Adderall as a story, I’d pick the fucking Adderall,” Leo said to the lawyer.  “I’ve never had a DUI. I’ve never been admitted to any facility for drug use. Get creative and I’ll focus on how to handle the drug test.” 

“If there is something that you need to tell me, Leo, now’s the time,” the lawyer said, hitting his pen on his desk.

“As a matter of fact there is. I’m late, so I need to talk to you later.  Just have your secretary send me the email of whatever questions I have to fill out.” 

“I need them back in 30 days to get what you want done.”

“You’ll have them,” Leo said, hanging up the phone.  What a joke. 

***

Richard Clemmons had been a lawyer for over 20 years.  And while his small firm had only been marginally successful, he never had come to work one day and not felt like he had done at least one thing to make the world a better place and he’d never seen anyone as slimy as Leo Tabor. 

He sat in his office now, looking like a Ken doll, perfectly squared away but a complete mess on the inside.  Pushing his tuna sandwich away from him on the desk, he plopped down the other file on Amy Black. 

“I’ve looked through everything, Mr. Tabor.  It clearly says that you have a certain amount of time to secure full custody of Cameron Black and legitimize him as your rightful son before I can release these funds to you.”

Leo felt like the man was speaking gibberish to him. So many words, but not saying shit.  He threw up his hand. “How much time?”

Mr. Clemmons looked the paperwork.  From the time of the death, you have exactly 30 months.  You are at exactly 27 months and 15 days as of today.” He closed the file. “She made this very simple, sir.  And we notified you upon her death per her final wishes that also detailed in this document.  If she were to accidentally die, you were to be notified. You would have 30 months or 2 and half years to secure custody.  Has this custody battle been going on for two and a half years?”

“No,” Leo said, throwing his head back. “I was married okay. What am I supposed to do?  Go home and tell my wife that my fuck buddy died in a plane crash and I need to stop by Jacksonville and pick up our kid?”  He laughed hysterically.  “Then my bitch of an ex-wife serves me with papers out of the blue.  So, I had no choice.  I had to try to seek custody.”

“For the money,” Mr. Clemmons said, narrowing his gaze on Leo.

Leo didn’t answer that. “I have two and a half months to secure full custody.  If I don’t, what happens to the money?”

“Quite simply, it goes to someone else.” 
He didn’t know how much clearer he could be. 

“Who?” Leo asked, sitting up as far as he could in the chair.  “The Riley’s?  Brett Black?  Who?”

“I’m not at liberty to tell you that,” the lawyer said calmly. 

“Can you give me a fucking hint?”  Leo pushed out of the seat and stood up.  He paced the room.  “How would you feel, Counselor, if $750,000 was at your fingertips and there was nothing you could do about it because of a time crunch from hell?”

Mr. Clemmons rested his elbows on his desk and looked up at Leo. “I think I would be more concerned about my son.”  He motioned over at the photo of his four grown boys and their mother in the frame next to the lamp.   Even after being married 22 years to the same woman, he had never cheated, and he never would.

“Well, if I’m flat broke, I can’t very well take care of him, now can I?” Leo said, rolling his eyes.  “I’ll be back here in 75 days for that money.”

“If you bring me what I need to fulfil the requirements of this document, I will make sure that check is made out for you in the amount of $735,000.”