by Krysta Scott
There was no indication from the doors themselves. They were universally the same shape and size. All were fashioned of dark mahogany wood. That was interesting in and of itself, as most minds gave themselves away by dressing their doors in an obvious portrayal of their personalities. Juveniles doors were often colors consisting of pinks or blues, some emblazoned with race car decals, daisies, or other childish symbols. As the memories aged, the colors faded, but the character was still represented by some type of symbol such as bumper stickers or posters. Nikki’s mind gave none of those indications.
As he neared, he examined them more closely and realized that Nikki did have a tell. More subtle than most, but easy to read once discovered. The door knobs were different. One was shaped like a cat. Another, like a dog. Garrett dismissed these as being from her childhood. The next three doors, offered a peace sign, a maple leaf, and a corvette. Adolescence? His curiosity piqued, he almost opened one of them, but stopped himself.
No. No use getting off track. He would have time to delve into these idle musings later, if he so desired. A twinge of guilt pricked his conscience. He wasn’t the intrusive type. This was a job. Nothing more.
He walked past a door with a crystal knob, then brass, gold, silver. These were much harder to decipher, but his gut told him he was not yet at the right door. The third door from the end had an antique ivory knob with an old fashioned key hole. He paused, then reached out and turned. Locked. Whatever lay behind this door, Nikki kept even from her own awareness. Garrett wanted—no needed—to know what that was.
He bent down and peered through the key hole. Nothing. No light, no flash of color, no images. The memories there were hidden, buried deep. Again, off track. He wasn’t going to be able to solve this puzzle tonight. Reluctantly, he turned to the last two. One had a white knob with a doll painted on it, and the other was a scale.
He smiled, thinking he should have started on this end first. The door he needed was the one with the scales of justice. He turned the knob and walked through. Nikki wasn’t hiding this part of her life.
Garrett saw her sitting for the bar exam. Her thrill at being selected to act as Guardian ad litem for children. Her first case showed her arguing with a mother. Determined to convince her that it was in her child’s best interest to visit his father, and when she wouldn’t listen, recommending the child be placed in the custody of his father.
In another case, Nikki admonished a father not to speak to the child regarding her mother’s infidelity so that the child could know and love her mother on her own terms. In case after case, Nikki worked to help parents get off drugs, to work through their grief, to let go of their anger, all for the benefit of the children. When she lost a case, she was heartbroken, crying over a grilled cheese with fries kicking herself for not being good enough to help her young charge.
The sight of her hunched over mindlessly eating a fry, eyes misting with tears tugged at Garrett’s sympathy. If only he could console her somehow. Let her know she wasn’t alone. But he could only watch as these visions passed. They were outside the forty-eight-hour window. Garrett was unable to help. Nikki intrigued Garrett further when she won a case. She wasn’t filled with arrogance, she was happy that those children—her children—would have strong healthy bonds with their parents. What an amazing woman.
She was elated when she got it right and horrified when she got it wrong. Torturing herself for days over what she should have done to alleviate the child’s pain. Her devotion to doing the right things was so strong that he wondered if he should listen to Nikki’s reasons before he tweaked her mind. But her choices weren’t always correct, and by staying in her mind, he could be saving her from the same disappointment she’d experienced before.
Sorting through her memories, he located the Hanover case. Nikki didn’t feel the same anxiety as Sam. Although nervous, she navigated the courtroom with ease. She listened to Sam’s tale and took every outcome into consideration before reaching her conclusion.
His lips twitched when he discovered that his presence irritated and distracted her. Turnabout is fair play. Nikki had been telling the truth when she stated her reasons for not recommending his clients. Another factor in her favor, she played fair. So Garrett decided to give her a straight message. The grandparents are the best choice. Parker is a bad seed. An aberration. Lori is a good child. They will take good care of her. Then, as an afterthought he added, allow me to speak to Lori.
Briefly, he considered placing a thought that she found him irresistible, suggest a casual dinner. Afterward she would be filled with an aching need to rip his clothes off and have her way with him. But just as it occurred to him, he discarded the notion. Not only was that not fair play, it would be no fun if he couldn’t win her over on his own.
This was business no matter how tempting it was to make her hot for him. Purpose completed, Garrett left her mind.
Chapter Five
Nikki’s dreams that night were much more pleasant than they’d been the night before. Hawaii was bliss, digging her toes into the sand, her long sundress billowed in the wind as she walked the line between beach and ocean. A breeze ruffled through her hair. She breathed crisp clean oxygen into her lungs. The illusive peace she craved enfolded her in a hug. The scene shifted. She lay in bed, staring up at a bamboo ceiling fan. A small smile curved her lips. Garrett’s face appeared over her. “Are you happy?” His fingers traced her bare arm. Her smile broadened. “Yes.” Although she disliked this man, his touch ignited her desire. She moved in to kiss him.
He vanished.
She woke, heart racing. Closing her eyes, she willed herself to return to the dream. She threw the pillow over her head in disgust. Why the hell would she want to be in his arms? But she did. She groaned realizing the thought both shocked and excited her.
****
Garrett entered Nikki’s office with Sam trailing him. Mountains of paperwork and files were arranged in neat piles. The only vacant space on the surface was the place in front of her chair.
Her walls were equally chaotic with a mish mash of art from local talent and a multicolored array of children’s drawings. The drawings had uneven lettering stating ‘thank you for helping me’ or ‘for Nikki, you’re awesome!!!!’ amongst flowers, stick figures, and two dimensional houses.
There was only one thing that indicated he’d stepped in an attorney’s office. The bar license that hung in the center of the wall behind her desk. It wasn’t much of an ego wall. Just her license. No other awards, certificates, or professional accomplishments joined the lone indication that she was indeed an attorney.
“To what do I owe the honor of seeing the two of you so early in the day?” Nikki speared him with a narrowed gaze over the stack of files. Without waiting for an invitation that would never come, Garrett took one of the two chairs in front of her desk and indicated to Sam to do the same. The old man perched on the edge of his seat prepared to flee at the first opportunity. He really needed to calm down, but he didn’t know this was all a matter of formality. Nothing could change the outcome of this meeting. Garrett eased into his chair, flung his arm over the back, and waited.
“Well…” Sam fingered his tie while his eyes traveled over the décor of her office rather than her. “I’ve discussed matters with my client and…well…”
Could the man not get it out?
“What’s wrong?” Nikki demanded.
“My client can’t afford this litigation. With a home study on top of that, there’s just no way. I’ve recommended she dismiss her case.”
Finally. Garrett let out a breath, waiting for Nikki’s acquiescence. Instead, she clicked her pen. In and out. In and out. In and out. Her face twisted into an expression of confusion.
“The expense of a home study isn’t an issue. Don’t you remember? DHS is picking up the tab?”
“Oh, come on.” Garrett locked stares with Nikki, willing her to remember the subliminal suggestions. Last night, he was sure he made an impression, that his me
ssage had sunk in. “You have to agree that dismissing the aunt’s action makes sense.”
Nikki’s gaze did not waver. “In point of fact, I don’t.”
Nor was he given any indication that her resolve had waned. What had gone wrong? He wasn’t a novice dream caster. A shiver of apprehension shot up his spine. He squeezed the arm rest of his chair until his knuckles whitened.
Her mind was his to control. He convinced judges to reduce their sentences from life in prison to twenty-five years. With a simple flick of a mental switch he changed the course of a wandering unfaithful spouse into a dutiful and considerate husband. How the hell could he fail to change the position of one powerless woman? It made no sense. Sharp teeth gnawed at his conscience, provoking a notion that couldn’t be true. If it was, all certainties in his life would be sucked into a meaningless vacuum, and where would that leave him? More importantly, what would that make him?
Sam loosened the crooked knot of his tie. “That’s not the point. It’s the litigation. With discovery and how many days of trial it will take. My client doesn’t have the stamina to handle that kind of scrutiny. She feels she can’t deal with it.”
Nikki rested her mouth on one fist as she turned her attention to Sam. The intensity of her gaze had not lessened, and stubborn determination crept onto her face. “You aren’t thinking this through, Sam. A home study might resolve the issue of custody, and there would be no need for a trial. I insist we wait until the home study is complete.”
Garrett couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Worse, Sam’s face had smoothed into a comfortable pose of contemplation. The bastard was actually considering Nikki’s words. Garrett refused to let her ruin his plans. “Are you forgetting that the aunt is a stripper?”
“That’s not true,” Sam sputtered. He didn’t utter another word but he sat straighter his expression alert. Now he was strong and confident. A man who wouldn’t back down. In one small act of defiance, Nikki stripped away all of Garrett’s work from the night before.
“She’s a bartender.” Nikki smiled a ‘don’t mess in my territory or else’ challenge. Her expression, smooth as silk and too slippery to grab hold of and crush. White hot anger seethed beneath his skin. How dare she meddle so casually in his affairs?
“You don’t know that.” Garrett’s words barely escaped his clenched jaw. “She could be lying.”
Her smile broadened. “Even if she were a stripper, I wouldn’t rule her out.”
Sam’s head swiveled from Nikki to Garrett.
“How can you be so naïve? That type of person is not suitable to raise a moral, law abiding citizen.”
“Right,” she said blandly. “And your clients have really done a great job there. You’re letting stereotypes rule your decision making and that’s not wise.”
Truth be told, Garrett wasn’t prepared for a fight. He had been so sure that his work last night was complete. He’d gone through the door and sown the seeds of a different opinion. His work should have taken hold. Instead, Nikki appeared as certain of her opinion as she was when he’d first met her. No one born into solitude should have been able to counteract his will. Yet she had, and that meant only one thing. Someone else had intervened. Someone he didn’t know.
“So, you’re going to let a meth head have custody of this child?”
Nikki leaned forward. “None of that has been proven. I don’t let surface appearances dictate my recommendations. Sometimes the one who seems most appropriate ends up being the most detrimental to a child’s well-being.”
“I’ve never known that to be the case.” Garrett straightened his tie with a swift tug.
“You’ve practiced family law for…what…twelve seconds? You haven’t come near to seeing the atrocities I have. I had a case once where the mother was a stripper. The judge gave custody to the dad. That weekend, the dad took the child camping and while she was swimming, the father got high on marijuana. Because he wasn’t paying attention, his daughter drowned.”
“That’s horrible.” Sam looked back at Nikki, slack jawed.
“You can’t let one case control your opinion.” Garrett tried to remain in charge of the conversation that was quickly slipping from his grasp.
“That isn’t the only one. I had a guardianship where the paternal grandmother obtained custody on very slim grounds. Even though there was a court order, she wouldn’t let the mother visit her children. However, she had no problem letting her alcoholic son see the kids. Before the situation could be resolved, the grandmother allowed her son to drive the children to school drunk. They died in a car crash.”
“Is that true?” Sam eyes grew wide.
“What’s your point?” Garrett noted that Sam’s resolve to dismiss the case was crumbling with every word Nikki spoke. He shook his head in frustration. It was time to wrap up this conversation.
“My point is that the very people who think they are protecting children, sometimes end up harming them.”
“I think we’re done here.” He wasn’t going to get anywhere today. Until he discovered who protected Nikki, he would have to go through with this farce of a custody battle.
She grabbed a stack of papers, tapping on the desk to straighten them. “Fair enough,” she said.
Garrett searched her expression for smugness before signaling to Sam, who rose with him. Garrett hung back as Sam slipped out, and leaned over Nikki’s desk until they were nose to nose. “Who’s protecting you?”
She leaned back, steepling her fingers and locking her eyes with his as if she were in perfect control of the situation. The frustration of their encounter melted off her face, replaced by a self-assured smile. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Her gaze held his, waiting him out, unhinging every notion he knew was true. It was a fact that she couldn’t sidestep his mind-push without help. Unless she was hiding a secret of her own. His eyes traveled down her neckline, searching for the tell-tale bulge of the amulet, but there was no hint of anything beneath the smooth surface of her turtle neck sweater. “Someone has to be protecting you.”
“You’re used to getting your way all the time, aren’t you?”
If she noticed his perusal of her attire, she gave no indication. She sat still, watching him. No huff of indignation. No spark of outrage. No reaction. Irritation burned a trail from within. Where had this cool veneer come from? If he couldn’t influence her actions in her dream world, then he had to find another way to get to her. Problem was, the conscious world was not his playground. It belonged to people like her. Except people like her shouldn’t be able to thwart his power. And now she had the edge because she had done the impossible.
Fury and the burn of competition fueled him. Things were about to change. She was either protected or one of his kind. He had to know the answer for sure. He rounded the corner of her desk and took great satisfaction when her eyes grew wide.
****
Nikki bolted from her chair, distancing herself from Garrett. But that proved difficult. She found herself wedged between her desk and credenza with nowhere to go. Garrett drew closer. He was so near she could feel the warmth of his breath. He smelled of cinnamon and cloves. Not an unpleasant aroma. She squirmed in discomfort. “What are you doing?”
He didn’t reply. An electric tingle passed through her at his nearness, compelling her to lean into him. She gripped the edge of the credenza to hold herself in place, determined to resist. She considered yelling for help. Just what she needed, her colleagues thinking her weak. Her own fury took hold. After all, what could Garrett do to her in such a public place? She took a deep breath, ignoring the pleasure his scent created, and stood her ground. Waiting.
“You’re afraid of me aren’t you?”
She raised her chin. “You’re confusing me with Sam,” she said haughtily. His arrogance stirred a resentment she rarely felt. Irritation snaked its way from the depths of a past she had thought long since managed. Through clenched teeth, she continued. “I can’t be bullied by
you like he can.”
“Is that what you think I’m trying to do?”
“Aren’t you?”
Garrett shook his head, slowly extinguishing the last remnants of her anger with his gaze. His finger traced her collar bone leaving a blazing trail of heat in its wake. She froze conflicted between the notion to move closer and the desire to flee. The tenderness in his touch made her inhale sharply. His spicy scent soothing her into submission to his will. She parted her lips as her head bent backward. Was she truly succumbing to Garrett simply because he touched her? She ground her teeth together annoyed at her confusion.
“Why do you cover such a pretty neck?” The question swelled with sexual innuendo. She swallowed hard to keep from responding in kind. His finger trailed her neck line. She sucked in a breath. Then abruptly, he pulled his hand away and stepped back. The wave of disappointment that engulfed her surprised and annoyed her. Why was she just standing there letting him get away with such disrespectful behavior? “You need to leave.”
Instead of obeying, he folded his arms and favored her with a measured look. He pursed his lips. Heat rose up her cheeks at his scrutiny. She glanced down at her desk, anything to avoid his gaze. She hated herself for the display of weakness. Her eyes lit upon the golden pen he had handed her to sign the papers. She grabbed it and thrust it outward. “Here’s your pen. You can go now.”
He raised an eyebrow, a flicker of amusement crossing his face. She knew how she must look to him. Fumbling. Awkward. Not the least bit a worthy adversary.
“Keep it.” His low tone undermined her command, agitating her further. Why wouldn’t he leave? Infuriating didn’t begin to describe this unwanted intruder standing there acting as if there was something wrong with her. She could call for security. Have him escorted out, but all she could think of was the snickers she would hear behind her back. That she didn’t have enough control to oust another attorney from her domain.
“Get out now,” she hissed. “Or is your abominable behavior a quality of the Guild.”