by Lee Taylor
“Trey, I’ve told your parents that you and I have talked privately. I want you to tell them some of the things you told me. Even though that is hard, it is important. Do you understand?”
When Trey nodded, the judge continued.
“You indicated that you were nervous about being in your father’s house. Tell me about that.”
Trey visibly swallowed then pinned his gaze on the judge.
“It’s just that there are lots of people and parties and stuff. My dad has this big house with a pool and tennis court and people like to come. And sometimes I don’t like the parties.”
At the judge’s encouraging nod, he continued.
“Right now, my dad is angry. At my mom, and me too. I don’t like the way he talks about my mom. She doesn’t talk that way about him. Coach taught me you are supposed to be respectful to your mother and father, and especially to women. Coach never talks that way about Zoey’s mother. And they’re divorced.”
“Do you see a lot of the Coach?”
“Yes, he practices with us three times a week. And then at games. I see more of him than my Dad because when I’m at my dad’s house, he’s never there.”
“Trey, what would you like to do? Where would you like to live?”
Trey hesitated then gazed imploringly at the judge.
“I… I don’t want to make my dad angry, but I would like to be with my mother. Her house is more peaceful. She works with me. She’s teaching me martial arts and she loves my basketball. I didn’t get a chance to see her as much when she was active duty but we talked on Skype and stuff. When she came here I thought we were going to be able to see each other a lot. That’s… that’s what I want.”
“Thank you, Trey. I’m going to ask you to go back to the conference room with Officer Hernández while I talk to your parents.”
After Trey left, Judge Thompson addressed the room.
“At this time I’d like to clear the courtroom except for the parents and their counsel. Chief Macarios and Officer Vargas, you may stay as my ruling will have a direct impact on the way you work with Trey during his probation.”
When the room had cleared, the judge turned to Jesse and then to Garrett.
“I spent time with Trey in private this afternoon and asked him what he wanted. How he would like to live. He was forthcoming in a way I don’t usually hear from young men. You heard some of his answers. I felt it was important that you hear him rather than assuming that the decision I’m about to render comes only from me. I made my decisions based on what I heard from Trey as well as from the testimony I heard today. The evidence you both presented confirms it. Chief Macarios summed it up. He said that Trey needs strong supportive adults around him who believe that he can succeed. I am concerned with the case that Doctor Chambers brought against Trey’s mother. It is filled with innuendo and half-truths. It does not speak well to the character of the man who brought it. Trey is correct. In healthy households of divorced parents, the parents speak respectfully of their former spouse, at least in front of their children. They do not try to undermine them.
“I am awarding primary custody to Ms. O’Donnell, Trey’s mother, with regularly scheduled visits with his father as agreed to by Dr. Chambers, Ms. O’Donnell and Trey.”
She rapped her gavel.
“Thank you. This case is closed.”
Chapter 31
Jesse struggled to breathe. She couldn’t believe it. Had she truly won custody of Trey? She looked behind herself, searching for Dameon. She had to see him. Thank him. He walked toward her and held out his hand to shake hers. She frowned, not understanding his formal response.
“Congratulations, Jesse.”
His tone was curt. His hard gaze sent shivers of dread up her spine. She fought for her breath and tried to speak. Her words were convoluted, and caught in her throat.
“Dameon, thank you. I can’t—”
“You’re welcome. But thank your attorney. Eric did a splendid job with a very difficult client.”
His simmering anger got her off guard. Oh God, how could she make him understand?
“Dameon, please, let me talk… I—”
His harsh words cut through her stammers.
“Don’t, Jesse. Don’t make it worse. I could have handled just about anything but the fact that you didn’t trust me enough to tell me about what that asshole, your superior officer, did to you. Did you truly believe that I would think less of you?” His frown hardened. “Apparently you did. You had me pegged, right, Jesse? You lumped me in with all those other sons of bitches who took advantage of you.”
She held up her hand clutching at his sleeve, she needed to make him understand.
“No, Dameon, no. That’s not true. Maybe at first… in the beginning…”
Dameon’s voice was brusque, as cold as his expression.
“There was no beginning, Jesse. In order to have a beginning you need to have a middle and an end. We have nothing. It’s over. I’m glad that you got custody of your son. You deserve him. And Trey deserves to have a mother like you.” As he turned to go he said over his shoulder, “I only wish that you had had as much faith in me as I had in you.”
Trey came running around the corner. His eyes lit up when he saw Dameon and his mother.
Dameon clamped an arm around his shoulder and pulled him close.
“Good job up there, Hotshot. You were impressive. That wasn’t an easy thing for you to do. I was proud of you, Trey. I saw a young man on the stand, not a boy.”
He hugged him then turned to leave. “See you at practice tomorrow night.”
Trey jumped back in surprise and looked to Jesse.
“Aren’t you coming with us, Coach?”
Dameon shook his head. “No, son. You and your mom need time together.”
Led by Shaunda, the basketball mothers and many of the players came rushing in.
Shaunda grabbed Jesse and gave her a huge bear hug.
“Oh, girl. I’m so happy for you and Trey. I’m not going to stop crying for a week. Happy tears, honey!”
Jesse didn’t try to brush away her tears. Instead, she tried to say what she was feeling. “Thank you. I didn’t know you were coming. I can’t thank you—”
“Girl! Us not come? You’ve got to be kidding! When Wolf told us what was happening every one of us signed on. I’m just glad I got to talk. You’re family, Jesse. Part of our family. Wolf’s family. You’re Wolf’s woman.”
Jesse looked up to see Dameon walking out of the courtroom instead of joining the group. When he closed the door behind him Jesse was struck to the core with the hideousness of what she had done.
Blessed numbness settled over her as she and Trey accepted congratulations from the group and from Eric. Somehow her father got the news and though it was 14 hours later and in the middle of the night, she and Trey had a tearful conversation with Sean. From her father’s gruff tone and frequent watery snuffles, Jesse knew that she wasn’t the only one crying.
Clinging to the table for support, Jesse acknowledged that in the midst of overwhelming happiness the person she most wanted to share it with wasn’t there. The hole made by his absence was like a giant vortex sucking her down.
~~~
Dameon waited outside the courtroom for Garrett Chambers and his attorneys. When the group of men came toward him, he stepped into their path. Garrett’s face flamed with anger. Dameon was sure that if he wasn’t such a coward, the irate man would have thrown a punch at him. Dameon guffawed. If only he would. The prick would be pissing blood for a week.
But it wasn’t Garret Chambers that Dameon was after. He moved in front of Martin Lawson, not letting him pass. The short pudgy man had to arch his back in order to meet Dameon’s gaze. Apparently he’d learned in the past that if his glare was menacing enough he could make up for his small stature. With other men it might have worked.
The pretentious bastard puffed up and said in his most withering lawyer’s voice, “What can I do for you, Chief Mac
arios?”
Dameon smiled. “There’s nothing that you can do for me, counselor. However I can help you. It’s always useful to know when the axe is going to fall, don’t you agree?”
Dameon made a point of looking at his watch, then continued.
“If my contacts in the U. S. Department of Justice are as strong as I know they are, you will be receiving a phone call in approximately three minutes.
“While you may not agree at the moment, it is a very good thing that you and your expensive gang of venomous bulldogs got your ass kicked in court today. I trust Dr. Chambers is paying you enough to make up for the ignominy of your defeat. Suffice to say that the U. S. Army was interested to learn that you and your law firm were using classified intelligence documents to smear a highly decorated United States Army Major. If my information is correct, and it is, you will be spending more time and money defending your scurrilous—and I might add, illegal—actions, than you’ve ever spent on a case. But then defending your firm against treason is likely worth the cost, don’t you agree?”
At that moment, Martin Lawson’s phone buzzed.
Dameon’s grin widened. “When you speak to Colonel Anderson, please tell him that Wolf sends his best. I haven’t seen Trevor since I was his unit leader in Afghanistan.”
Dameon nodded pleasantly then turned and walked down the hallway leaving the silent group of stunned men staring after him.
~~~
“Mom, I wish Coach could be here with us. I thought he would come to dinner with us to celebrate.”
Jesse stared at her earnest son across the table. She’d barely been able to eat but Trey had inhaled down enough food for the two of them.
His troubled expression struck her, doubling the pain smothering her. Knowing that she couldn’t avoid the issue, she breathed deep and met his anxious gaze.
“I wish he had come, too, Trey. I’m going to be honest with you. I really hurt Dameon’s feelings. He’s angry with me right now—for good reason.”
Trey frowned. “What did you do?”
Jesse sighed. Letting go of the pent-up air in her chest didn’t help. It just reminded her that she had to take another breath.
“I did the worst thing I could have. I didn’t trust him. The way I should have. I shut him out when he needed me and I needed him.”
“Why, Mom? Why would you do that with the Coach? He makes everything okay.”
Jesse shuddered at the truth of Trey’s words. “I don’t know. Sometimes, Trey, things from the past affect you more that they should. I let things that have happened to me in the past blind me.”
“But you’re always telling me you’re supposed to live in the moment, Mom.”
Jesse shook her head. “That’s the easiest advice to give, Trey, and the hardest to live. But, sweetheart, tonight let’s celebrate that we get to be together. Let’s talk about how we’re going to fix up your room. Let’s buy all new furniture—not only for your room but for the whole house. And then in two days you leave for D.C. for your class trip. Just think honey, seven days of fun. And no homework!”
Trey smiled shyly. “I’m gonna miss you, Mom.”
“I’m going to miss you too, honey, but we have a lot to look forward to when you return.”
Trey stood beside the table and moved awkwardly toward her. “Mom?”
“Yes, honey?”
“Coach said you never get too old for hugs. You look like you need a hug.”
Jesse closed her eyes, too overcome with sadness to pretend otherwise.
She managed to choke out, “Yes, Trey. I do. Thank you.”
~~~
After Trey left for D.C., Jesse insisted that Eric meet her for coffee. She was nervous to see him and his serious expression didn’t help. Not seeing the shred of a smile, she decided not to try to humor him.
“I know you’re angry with me, Eric. And I’m sorry. But I need to understand. How did you do what you did? How did you put this together?”
“First, Jesse, yes, I am angry. We came very close to losing Trey. As much as I admire your drive and determination, it gets in your way, sweet cheeks. But this time it could have had irreparable consequences.”
Jesse knew he was right. She’d been castigating herself for two days, horrified at how close she came to losing her son. She knew that she never would have survived the loss and her role in it.
Eric shook his head. “It’s over now, Jesse. And you won. But don’t misunderstand. You also lost. You hurt one of the finest men I know, my best friend in the world. And frankly you hurt me. I’m a hell of a good lawyer, Jesse. But you didn’t trust me to take a piss without your holding my dick.”
Jesse was startled by his outburst. Eric was the most even-tempered man she knew. And one of the funniest. But there was nothing humorous in his expression or his words. “Oh God, Eric. I’m sorry. Please, please forgive me.”
Eric sighed and held up his hands. “Of course I will. I’m sorry, sweet cheeks. I didn’t mean to dump on you like that. You were under a lot of stress. You went a little crazy.”
Jesse didn’t trust herself to answer, her pain was too intense.
“You ask how I did it? I didn’t, Jess. Dameon did. Dameon travelled across the country, Jesse. He tracked down your father. He made Sean tell him why you left the Army. What you wouldn’t let me tell him. He flew me into Georgia for a strategy session. We spent five hours going over those fucking pictures with members of your Ranger unit.”
At Jesse’s shocked gasp, Eric nodded.
“Yeah, Jesse, Dameon insisted your father give him the names of your unit members who were at Benning. He brought us all together in his hotel room and we worked out the strategy for your defense. Dameon led us every step of the way. We went over the locations on the pictures. Dameon knew your squad couldn’t testify but that he could. He already knew most of the places, your guys helped with the rest. It was your dad who remembered that you got commendations for most of those missions. Dameon came up with the idea of tying them together. Making it crystal clear that what those pictures really captured was the brave work of a courageous soldier in a dangerous place. He proved that you were a hero, not a whore.”
Jesse finally found her voice. “Dameon did that?”
“Yes he did, Jesse. Whose idea do you think it was to bring in Trey’s old coach? Dameon remembered how Coach Straight taped Trey’s games and sent them to you no matter where you were in the world. He talked to the principal at Trey’s school, and the basketball mothers and…”
Eric stopped and shook his head. He must have seen the pain on her face because he reached out and took her hand. For the first time since they sat down, his expression was soft, consoling.
“Jesse, Jesse, Jesse. That man is so much in love with you.”
Jesse was shocked and then sickened at the implications of what Eric said.
“Oh God, Eric. You… you… I think you’re right. Or you were. Dameon was in love with me.” She paused not wanting to put the painful reality in words. “But, he’s not anymore.”
She rested her head on the table trying to get a breath. Her chest was so tight it hurt to breathe, much less talk.
Eric’s voice came through the tunnel of her grief.
“Honey, I don’t know what to say. You’re breaking my heart.”
~~~
The discussion with Eric tore her apart. As she often did when trying to deal with a difficult problem, Jesse went to the park to run. To her surprise for the first time in memory, running didn’t help. It took too much effort. She sunk down on an empty park bench and began to cry. Although it was four a.m. in Korea, Sean’s voice was wide awake.
“Dad? I know what happened.”
“Do you now?”
“What have I done, Dad?”
“I don’t know, girl. What have you done? Did you thank Dameon?”
“He won’t talk to me. He said that we’re through….”
“I have a hard time believing that. I know how angry he w
as but—”
“Well you should believe it.” Not able to hold back her sobs, Jesse started to cry again, deep wrenching sobs.
Sean’s voice was anguished.
“Oh daughter, my dear daughter, I’m aching for you. I could say a lot of things now. But I think you need to spend time thinking about what happened and why you did what you did. I will tell you that I don’t believe that Dameon is gone. But darlin’ if he is, and you let a guy like that—a man so different from those other assholes in your life—slip through your fingers? Hell if you all but shoved him out? You need to figure out why, daughter, or you will never be happy. And Jesse, I want you to be happy more than anything in the world.”
Chapter 32
At the sound of breaking glass, Jesse shot up in bed. Her Sig was in her hand before her feet hit the floor. The first crash was followed by three others, and what sounded like as many shattered windows. What came next stopped her cold on the stairway, her gun raised protectively in front of her. There was no mistaking the sound of gunshots no matter how incongruous they were. In the rapid burst, she counted five shots. The eerie silence that followed was as frightening as the gunshots themselves. Jesse hovered on the dark stairway, then crept back up the stairs and reached for her phone on the bedside stand. Without thinking, she hit Dameon’s number. Realizing her mistake, she clicked end and called 911 instead.
At the dispatcher’s crisp inquiry, she whispered, “There’s someone in my house. Please send a squad.”
Just speaking the words galvanized her. Grateful that Trey had left for D.C. yesterday morning, righteous anger rolled up inside of her, chasing her fright. How dare someone attack her, in her own home, no less?! Oh God, what if Trey had been home? Hearing nothing but ominous silence, with her gun in one hand, she flipped on the lights in the hallway and headed to the kitchen, switching on lights along the way. A sight stopped her at the doorway. In addition to broken glass everywhere, she saw the rocks. They were hard to miss. The message was clear. As clear as the words painted on the rocks in blood red paint. Her fear quieted and anger took its place. Someone, some foolish person, was trying to scare her. You didn’t throw rocks in someone’s window if you wanted to kill them. Jesse silently shrugged, admitting that five bullets made the threat a helluva lot more sinister.