by Lee Taylor
“Did your father tell you that you couldn’t come to basketball practice?”
Trey nodded and ducked his head. “He said I couldn’t because you would be there.”
“I see. Well, son, he doesn’t have the right to do that. I’ll talk with Marsha Vargas, your probation counselor. She will arrange for you to come to practice.”
Seeing the boy relax for the first time, Dameon stood up.
“Come here, Trey. Sometimes as we get older, we think that we don’t need hugs. But we do. Not only do you need a hug, but I need one too.”
Dameon held the boy firmly for a long moment and then walked him to the door, his arm draped paternally around his shoulders.
“If you hurry, you can catch the #4 bus and be at your dad’s within the hour. You don’t need to tell your dad you came here unless you want to. That’s your choice. But before you go, you need to hear me. Remember: after court session on Monday, you will be seeing and talking to your mother. You know how much she is missing you, don’t you?”
Trey swallowed hard and his eyes filled again with tears.
“Okay, just remember, come Monday, you and your mom will be together again. You got that, Trey? You’ve got my word on it. And son, if you know nothing else about me, know that when I give my word, I don’t break it—ever.”
~~~
Dameon barked into his cell phone. “Where the fuck are you?”
Eric paused. “Uh… in my office?”
“Stay there. I’ll be there in 20 minutes.”
Seventeen minutes later Dameon strode by the surprised receptionist and barged into Eric’s office, slamming the door behind him.
“Okay, Eric, what’s going on? None of this makes sense. I’m going to tell you this and you better hear me. I’m in love with her, Eric, and I haven’t even fucked her yet. I haven’t thought about anything or anyone since I met her. She’s so far under my skin you’d need a bone scan to see it. And, buddy, I just spent 30 minutes with Trey Chambers crying in my arms, terrified that after his parents go to court on Monday, three fucking days from today he will never see his mother again.”
Dameon planted his hands on the corner of the conference table and glared at his friend.
“Now Eric, for the second and last time that I will ask you: What the God dammed fuck is going on?”
Eric hesitated then nodded. “Thank you, Dameon. If you hadn’t called, I was going to call you.” He pointed to the chair across from him. “Sit down, friend. This is going to be an off-the-record conversation. There are some things I still can’t tell you but I’ll tell you as much as I can.”
Dameon hesitated, seething with anger. He took a deep audible breath then sat down across from Eric and flicked his hand.
“Talk.”
Eric raised a brow at the command and shrugged.
“First, as I told that hard-headed woman of yours, in twenty years I’ve never seen a subpoena like the one Jesse received. The Lawson and Schemer firm is out of D.C., okay? Dameon, they are the most vicious, hard-assed lawyers you’ll meet. As I told Jesse, they are scorched earth vultures. They don’t take prisoners. And Garrett and his daddy hired twelve of them to take Jesse down.”
Eric stood and went to his liquor cabinet. Dragging two glasses and a bottle of Jameson off the shelf, he poured a healthy portion of the libation in each glass and handed one to Dameon. “Trust me, you’re going to need this.”
Sinking back in his chair Eric took a long swallow and shook his head.
“I gotta tell you, bro. I love Jesse but she is one mixed up babe. I’ve never had a more difficult client. That determination, that drive is what sets her apart. Her self-sufficiency has saved her life repeatedly. But the hard lesson she learned too well and burned into her soul is that when the chips are down she can’t trust anyone but herself. She’s convinced that the only way she will get through this is if she handles it solo. She’ll barely let me help her. She’s sewed me into a straitjacket and fuck it, I’m the only thing that stands between her and her losing Trey.”
Eric threw Dameon a beseeching look.
“I’m really struggling with her, Dameon. And now this last expedited order has doubled the danger. Are you ready for this, bro? Garrett has told the court Trey is in physical peril if he is with his mother. And the court is listening closely enough to expedite the hearing and not let Trey see Jesse until after. I should add that in addition to the subpoena, Jesse received a restraining order from the court ordering her not to see or speak to Trey until after the hearing.”
Dameon shuddered then took a swallow of the whisky and faced Eric.
“Which judge will hear the case?”
“I managed to get it before Sylvia Thompson. She’s a tough judge, but fair. She always comes down on the side of the kid. That was the best news I’ve had in this fucked up mess.”
Relieved, Dameon nodded. He knew Judge Thompson well. He’d worked with her often. They’d get a fair hearing.
Putting down his glass, he met Eric’s gaze. “Goddammit, Eric, Let. Me. Help. You.”
Eric sighed and reached for the bottle to refill his glass.
“For better or worse, man, not only are you not helping, you are part of the problem.”
Dameon reared up. “What the hell are you talking about?!”
“They’re going to use you, Dameon. They’re going to use the fact that you arrested her against her. They’re going to use the fact that Trey was arrested and you have him in a tough probationary program. They’re going to get you to tell them she keeps a shitload of guns in the house with a 15-year-old boy. And finally they’re going to use the fact that her primary client is a man that the APD is convinced is part of the Mexican Mafia.”
Eric lifted his glass to Dameon and added with a sigh, “And then they’re going to go into all that went on in the Army.”
“What went on in the Army?”
“You know this, Dameon. She was special ops, undercover. According to the Army, on most of her missions she was never there. The missions didn’t happen, they were off the books.”
Eric went to his desk and picked up a thick file. He tossed it on the table with a thump, then sunk back down into his chair. He pressed his fingertips between his eyebrows and exhaled deeply.
“Just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse, these arrived about an hour ago. Why I was gonna call you. Those conniving well-placed sons of bitches at Lawson and Schemer have come up with pictures of her. Let me tell you—as if you don’t know—Jesse is one hot babe. Especially dressed the way she is in these photos. They’ve blanked out the faces and uniforms of the others so it looks like she is with a group of men enjoying what she is doing. Forget that these photos are as classified as the missions. It doesn’t matter. They exist. And Martin Lawson is going to use them. Before you ask, yes, we could get them declassified but Jesse refuses. I’ve already talked to her. Plus we’d have to convince the judge to delay the hearing. And you know that the Army could take months if not years to declassify what she did.”
Eric opened the folder and passed it to Dameon.
“Jesse hasn’t seen these yet, so technically I haven’t been told that I can’t show them to you.”
Dameon rifled through the stack, his anger getting a chokehold on his throat.
“You’re telling me they can use these? For Christ’s sake, Eric! Out of context?”
“Yes, they can and we can’t provide the context—at least as far as Jesse and the Army are concerned.”
Dameon was livid. “Even given the fact that it makes it impossible for her to defend herself?!”
“Yes, even so. That’s the rub. Could Jesse petition? Yes, she could. But she would have to go through her commanding officer and she refuses to do that.”
“Why?”
Eric sighed, then stared down at the desk for a moment before meeting his friend’s eyes. “That I can’t tell you, Dameon. Something happened and, yes, I know what occurred. But I can’t tell you, man. I w
ill tell you that I understand why she doesn’t want to go to her superior officer. Moreover, I agree with her.”
“Tell me, Eric. I have to hear it.”
`Eric shook his head and sighed. “I can’t, Dameon.”
“Does it have to do with why she left the Army?”
`“Yes. It does.”
“And it involves her commanding officer?”
Eric nodded. “I can’t say anymore. It truly is attorney client privilege.”
In the silence that followed, Dameon’s heart was racing. He berated himself, furious. Damn, why hadn’t he been more insistent? Why had he agreed to let her handle this alone?
Eric pushed away from the table and strode to the floor-length windows, peering out into the dark night. After a moment, he turned back to Dameon with a quizzical expression.
“You know Dameon, while I can’t tell you, her father might. You need to talk to him, bro. Sean was super impressed with you. I know that Jesse has sworn her father to secrecy but if he understands how serious this is he may be willing to break his promise to her.”
Returning to the conference table, Eric sat down and leaned forward resting on his forearms. His eyes betrayed his concern. Dameon noted that there wasn’t a hint of a smile on his friend’s usually cheerful countenance.
“My honest opinion, Dameon? I need help. If I don’t get some way of answering all of the charges these assholes are going to make? At the most Jesse is looking at being with Trey a couple of times a month—in court supervised visits.”
Dameon’s anger had quieted to a simmering, more dangerous rage. He rose to his feet. Leveling a hard glare at Eric, he threw down his marker.
“A few minutes ago, Eric, you said you were the only person standing in the way of Jesse losing Trey. You’re wrong. There are a lot of other people who stand in the way of her losing him—not the least of whom is me.”
Chapter 28
“Hell, yeah! Of course, I’d love to have a drink with you, Dameon. Any time you want to come to Georgia, man, let me know. I’ll give you the royal treatment. Where the hell are you now?”
“Third table to the left, in the back corner.”
Sean O’Donnell jumped to his feet and glanced around Paddy’s Lounge, a startled frown marring his brow. When he spotted Dameon in the corner, his frown morphed into a huge grin. His eyes shining with excitement, he barreled across the crowded tavern, shouting before he got there.
“Well, smack my mack! I’ll be damned. What the hell are you doing here, Dameon? And why didn’t you let me know you were coming? Damn, man, I’m heading out of here tomorrow night for a three-month stint in Korea. Fuck, I would’ve hated like hell to ’ave missed you! And, Christ, how did you know where to find me? Don’t tell me this corn patch of a town knows me so well that—”
Sean’s glee stuck in his throat when he caught Dameon’s expression.
“Fuck, Dameon. Is Jesse…? Trey…?”
Dameon shook his head and clasped Sean’s arm pulling him close.
“No, Sean, it’s okay. They’re both… fine.”
He gestured to the chair across from him and waved the barmaid over.
“What are you drinking, Sean?”
“Hell, what I always drink. Wild Turkey.”
Dameon nodded to the waitress. “Bring us a bottle and two glasses.”
Sean settled into his chair, his brows knit in a heavy frown. His words were clipped.
“I’ll give you five seconds to spit out why you’re here, man, then—”
“I need your help, Sean.”
Sean startled then relaxed somewhat. “Oh Christ, what’s that hard-headed daughter of mine done now? Goddammit. I told her if she didn’t give in to how you both feel about each other, you’re not going to be able to get people to sit in the same room with you. Hell’s bell’s the sparks between you two could light a man’s ass on fire.”
Dameon allowed himself to snort in appreciation. He wished it was as uncomplicated as Jesse pushing him away, afraid to get close. He gave a pained smile then shook his head.
“No, Sean. Nothing that simple. I take it you haven’t heard from Jesse?”
“Should I have?”
“Yeah, you should have. But since you didn’t, I’m going to do what your daughter would consider unethical and bring you up to date. Let me put it this way, Sean. While this is obviously about Jesse, it’s also about Trey. You appreciate what I’m doing with your grandson? Well, everything I’ve done is about to be wiped out. It’ll send him down the drain. And take your daughter with it.”
“God. Dammit. Dameon. Spit it out.”
“Garrett filed suit demanding full custody of Trey. He claimed that living with his mother puts Trey in physical danger. The court decided that his claim had enough merit that they expedited the hearing. They also slapped Jesse with a restraining order forbidding her to see or speak to Trey until the hearing.”
Sean was incredulous. “Jesus fucking Christ. When’s the hearing?”
“Monday.” He glanced at his watch confirming that it was past midnight, “Two days from today.”
Sean face contorted with a mix of anger and dismay. “Damn, Wolf. I can’t get out of this mission. Hell, I’m leading it—”
“I’m not asking you to, Sean. But I am asking you to help me. Help me understand. The information I’m giving you came from Jesse’s lawyer. Eric Grant is a friend of mine, a fellow Ranger. After holding your sobbing grandson in my arms for thirty minutes, I told Eric he’d be short a critical body part if he didn’t fill me in.”
Dameon paused to give the clearly upset man time to absorb the seriousness of what they were up against.
“I had to go to Eric because since Jesse received the summons, she’s refused to see me or speak to me. She’s completely shut me out. She also warned Eric that if he revealed information to me OR to you, she’d fire him. The fact that Eric is going over her head should tell you we are in a shitload of trouble.”
Dameon gave O’Donnell a quick overview of Garrett’s case and how the lawyers planned to use Dameon and his office to smear Jesse.
“I can handle the things they’re saying about her arrest and Trey’s arrest. After my testimony they’ll be damn sorry they used that tack. But, Sean? I need to know why Jesse won’t go to the Army. Why she won’t petition or at the very least get a letter from her commanding officer supporting her. Why did she leave, Sean? Eric said you know. He’s prohibited by attorney client privilege to tell me. You’re not. I’m telling you, if I’m going to be able to help your daughter keep her son, I need to know what happened.”
Sean put his head in his hands and was silent for a long moment. When he looked up at Dameon, the sheer agony raging in the man’s eyes was difficult for Dameon to face.
“Dammit, Wolf. She was always such a superstar. It killed her that she had to leave the way she did. She’s a proud woman, an honorable one. She stands on principle and has a fierce sense of right and wrong. And fuck, the irony is that they practically ran her out all to protect that dishonorable fucking son of a bitch.”
Seeing the strain on Sean’s face, Dameon could only imagine how difficult this was for Sean. Not only was he furious at whatever had happened, but by telling Dameon, he was also breaking a promise to his daughter. Dameon kept his silence, giving the struggling man time to come to grips with his emotional dilemma.
Sean met his eyes and didn’t look away throughout the challenging retelling. “On the surface, it’s a familiar story. Hardly new. At the end of a mission, her commanding officer, Col. Elliott Caldwell, came on to her. He attacked her and tried to rape her. Jesse’s a fighter. What the hell was she supposed to do? Let him rape her? Jesse hit him, hard enough to break his nose and knock out a tooth when she split his lip. Caldwell called in his aide who didn’t see the assault—only the aftermath. Caldwell was enraged. He claimed that Jesse came on to him and when he refused her, she attacked him. He called her a cunt and in front of his aide said that she was a
shame to her rank, to her unit and to her country. According to Jesse he said: ‘I’m going to run you of out of this man’s army if it is the last thing I do. The Army is no place for oversexed sluts.’ ”
Sean took a long swallow of his drink and stared vacantly at the wall, his face flushed, his eyes dark with anger. Dameon marveled at the man’s restraint. His own anger was so intense he could barely breathe. His chest felt like an accordion that a demonic musician had squeezed all the air out of and failed to open it to let new air in. He carefully put his glass down on the table. He had the urge to break something, smash it. The glass seemed a more likely target than the half empty bottle of whisky.
Sean brushed at his eyes and continued, his voice vibrating with emotion.
“The Colonel also claimed that she was drunk, which as you know well, is not what my daughter does. If they’d done a sobriety test at the time, it would have shown that the bastard had polished off a bottle of Jameson’s before he attacked her.”
He paused and absentmindedly sipped on his drink. Taking a deep breath, he continued.
“The rest won’t surprise you. Colonel Caldwell put together a case that made Jesse out to be a slut and a sexual predator, a nymphomaniac. Her general, Tom Peters, who happens to be a friend of mine, would have had no choice but to file an Article 38 against her, at minimum an Article 15. You can’t attack your superior officer without consequences. Tom Peters told me privately that with the financial resources that fucker Caldwell had, it was a certainty that Jesse would lose the case. That would mean a loss of rank, pay and a serious blot on her record. Not only that, the fucking media would have a field day. Can you imagine what those vultures would have done with a gorgeous redheaded bombshell as their primary witness? Over time, they’d have crucified her. As you would expect, Jesse blamed herself. Said she never should have gone to his suite. And hell, she shouldn’t have. The deciding factor in her leaving the Army was that she knew that Garrett would grab it and run with it. She’d lose Trey for good.”
Sean closed his eyes but not before Dameon saw the tears collecting in the corners.