Free Jase (Kings of Korruption MC Book 3) by Geri Glenn

thirties.
Neither acknowledges me when I sit.
    Looking
around, I’m relieved to see that Paul isn’t here. Maybe he won’t
show. Maybe he was all talk. I barely finish that thought before he struts into the
room, his shoulders squared, and his eyes narrow in on
me.
    He walks over
and stands in front of me, smirking. “Ellen.”
    I look up at
him, not knowing how to respond. My lawyer told me that under no
circumstances was I to engage Paul in any conversation whatsoever.
She told me that I should avoid him at all costs and document
everything he says when he attempts to contact me.
    “ Oh, what? Now you’re just going to ignore me?”
    Before I can
respond, Stella walks in alongside a man, both in black robes. They
stop and she motions for me, while the man next to her motions for
Paul.
    Walking off to
the side where we can speak privately, Stella keeps her voice low.
“I’ll go in there, plead your case, and hear what the plaintiff’s
party has to say. There’s no doubt in my mind that the judge will
remand this case to a later date. He’s going to want clarification
and evidence on some of the issues being brought forth. You just
have to wait out here and be available in case the judge wants to
talk to you, but I doubt he will.”
    “ Okay,” I respond, my body wound tight with fear. Stella turns
and heads for the door, waiting for the bailiff to open it. Just as
she’s about to go in, she gives me a wink and disappears
inside.
    Paul’s lawyer
must have spoken to him about talking to me because he takes a seat
on the far side of the room. Though he doesn’t attempt to converse
with me again, he stares at me the entire time, making me squirm in
my seat. The man to my left leans over and raises his chin in
Paul’s direction.
    “ That your ex?”
    I give him a
tired smile and answer, “Yes.”
    “ Guy’s a creep. Good on ya for gettin’ away from that crazy
fucker.”
    I smile wide.
“How can you tell he’s creepy?” I whisper back.
    “ Look at the way he’s lookin’ at ya. That shit’s not cool.” He
doesn’t take his eyes off Paul as he speaks. “When you leave, let
me walk you to your car, okay?”
    I pull away in
surprise. “How do I know you’re any safer?”
    He looks away
from Paul and grins at me. “I guess you don’t, but I will tell ya
that I’m a happily married man.” He points at his wedding ring.
“And I’m worried that this guy will give ya trouble when you try to
leave. You don’t need that.”
    Warmth fills
my belly at his kindness. His wife is one lucky lady. “Okay, but I
don’t have a car. I’m calling a cab.”
    “ Then I’ll wait with ya for your cab.” I can tell he’s not
going to budge on the issue.
    “ Thank you,” I whisper.
    Just then, the
doors to the courtroom creak open and both lawyers walk into the
room. Stella motions for me to follow her, her mouth drawn into a
tight line. I follow her up a steep set of concrete stairs and down
a narrow carpeted hallway, right into a small interview room.
    I take a seat
next to her and wait for her to speak. “That Paul is a real piece
of work, and he’s not going to go down without a fight. This is
what we have. If you agree, you sign this paper and we can all go
home until the next court date, which will be in two weeks.”
    She holds a
stack of papers out to me, but uses her finger to point at each
paragraph as it explains the terms. “The judge has granted Paul
weekly visitation, but since he’s had limited contact with Bryce,
she agreed that supervised visits are best while we continue our
case.” Her finger moves to the next paragraph. “Paul claims that
you moved out of your parents’ house in an attempt to hide from him
when your child was born.”
    I blink at her
in complete shock. “My parents kicked me out, and I was a child
myself. I went to live with my friend and her family, and Paul and
I continued to go to the same school for the rest of that year. I
never hid from him!” My nostrils