“Can I tell the ADA this information today?” Cat asks. “Or when will the locals be informed, if they have not already?”
“They have not,” Royce says. “But they will be shortly. As for today, I’ll go see your ADA. I can go with you or you can sit this out.”
“I’ll join you,” Cat replies. “I want to tell my readers I heard his vow to do the right thing, myself.”
He nods and then looks between myself and Cole. “I’m sure you have ideas Cole about where this takes you and Lori.” He eyes Cat. “Where are we meeting?”
Cat gives him the location and he stands with all of us following. A round of handshaking occurs before Savage says, “Great damn news.” He rubs his hands together. “What’s next?”
Cole looks at Cat. “Call me when this meeting is over because I’m what’s next. I soft-served yesterday. Today, I’ll be letting him know that we’re suing the DA for inaction that endangered Lori’s life.” He looks at me. “And we are going to sue them.”
“Agreed,” I say. “Because someone else in North Carolina is dead. We’re suing for that person and her loved ones.”
We share a look and he wraps his arm around my shoulder, kissing my temple, and while this is not the gift of final closure, it’s a start. I know that Cole will sleep a little easier tonight, and those demons of his will be a little quieter.
***
Hours later, I’ve spoken to my mother and confirmed she’s safe and having a lovely time in the Hamptons. At present, Cole and I are sitting on our living room couch eating pizza when his phone rings and Cat is his caller. He places her on speaker phone. “The ADA assures us that they were already looking into new suspects.”
Cole snorts. “Of course, we know that’s a load of lies, but okay. I’ll call him now.” He says a terse goodbye with a promise to call her back and then kisses me. “I want to do this now, before the bail hearing in the morning.”
“I want you to do it now. Roger, as crazy as he is, Cole, remember, what he did was what you wanted to do. He wanted to hurt someone he thought hurt someone he loved, even if he saw me as hurting his sister indirectly.”
“He gets no sympathy. None. As far as I’m concerned—”
I lean in and kiss him. “Make the call.”
He cups my head and kisses me before standing up and punching a number into his phone. I listen as he does what he does, the attorney, not the man, working, and he’s crazy good at being that attorney. When it’s done, he calls Cat and says simply, “He understands that I’m coming for them. He’s going to make that clear to the DA tonight.”
He disconnects and looks at me. “They’re going to press to have Roger Adams held for mental evaluation.”
“Then all is well.”
“No,” he says. “All is not well, Lori.”
I stand up and walk to him, wrapping my arms around him. “It is for me. I have you.”
He tangles fingers in my hair. “And you’re not getting rid of me. Ever. You know that, right?”
“Promise?” I ask.
“I promise, but do you really need to ask that?”
“Death,” I say, thinking of my father, and the near miss with my mother’s stroke, “is a dark spot for me. Someone else is dead. It has a way of making you appreciate every moment. I think that’s what we need to do Cole. We need to appreciate every moment. We need to get past this and live, every moment, now.”
He lowers his forehead to mine. “Every moment, for now. Yes. We will.” He pulls back to look at me. “After Monday. After I know Roger can’t get out and come after you again.”
“All right then. We make a deal right now. Roger is dealt with and then we, together, box up the past and seal it away. Deal, Cole?”
He inhales and blows out a slow breath. “Lori.”
“Okay. Deal. I’m making it for both of us.”
“Is that right?”
“Yes. That’s right. Now. Let’s go to bed.”
His lips curve. “It’s six o’clock.”
“And your point?”
“That we have plenty time before we have to sleep,” he replies, picking me up again and heading toward the bedroom.
And this time when he sets me down on the mattress, I shove at him, push him to his back and climb on top. Because right now, I think Cole needs to learn the same lesson he taught me; that sometimes, even when you don’t have complete control, life can be pretty damn good.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Lori
Monday morning doesn’t arrive to the sound of an alarm. It arrives to Cole wrapped around me, his hands all over my body, him pressing inside me. His demons are back, and while I won’t complain about waking up with this man inside me, I just want to get us past this day. He is dark and wild, and there is no conversation. Not even when we’ve both shuddered into release. Instead, he silently leads me into the bathroom, and we stand under the hot shower together, both of us lost in our thoughts. We really don’t have to voice those thoughts. He’s worried that Roger will be released. I guess I should be, too. The man attacked me and I’m not sure I’ve really even let that sink in which is a testament to how much I love this man. He’s what matters.
We soap each other up and I’m relieved when we end up laughing, his tension seeming to lift and fade, if only for a little while. And then for the first time as husband and wife, we get ready for work together. That is surreal, so very surreal. I walk into our closet, and pick out my clothes for today, with his clothes hanging opposite mine. Not that we haven’t lived together for months, but today we are married. It’s different. It’s forever. I pick out a pale pink suit dress, one of many outfits Cole basically bought for me—not basically, he had a personal shopper with really amazing taste do it because he knew I wouldn’t spend his money. Which is now our money, and I still can’t get used to that.
I’ve just stepped into my dress when Cole, already dressed in a gray pinstriped three-piece suit, joins me in the closet, and stops at the built-in set of wooden drawers in the center of the closet. “Today is a lucky tie day,” he says, opening his tie drawer. “And since I don’t have one, come pick one and we’ll make it lucky.”
I pull out the pink silk tie I bought him a few weeks ago when I’d promised to spend money and buy clothes.
“Do you really think pink makes the statement I want in court today?”
“It says you’re confident enough to wear pink and own it like the courtroom.” I glance up at him. “And me, so yes. I say wear the pink tie.”
He pulls me close. “You, huh?”
“My heart,” I say, with a message I’m trying to get across. “Actually, all of me. And that still scares me, Cole. Love means you can be hurt, but it’s worth the risk.”
His eyes soften, understanding in their depths. “It is worth the risk,” he says, kissing me. “And I will own the courtroom, just like you too own me, sweetheart.”
“I should have recorded that,” I tease, helping him with his tie.
We are laughing again as we exit the closet, and I add a pink lipstick to my lips to finish off my makeup while trying not to think about one little detail that could be big enough to become life-changing: I still haven’t started my period.
***
Fifteen minutes later, I attempt to get Cole to agree to let me go to court with him, but he fights back so fast and hard that I leave it alone. He, in turn, leaves for court with Smith of Walker Security by his side. Thanks to the picketers and press, I leave for work with Savage as my escort, which means I can’t go to the drugstore and buy a pregnancy test.
We arrive at the office building with another Walker employee at the wheel of the car, and to find picketers are indeed in place. “I pray an announcement about the FBI investigation is forthcoming, which should end this mess,” I say.
“It’s hard to say when that will happen,” Savage replies. “They may want to stay quiet while on the hunt.”
He’s
right and that’s not a good thought, but I set it aside. It’s all working out, and right now, I just want in the building. Our driver makes that happen and easily. He maneuvers us to a back entrance where we exit the car and end up inside the safety of the building without mishap.
Once we’re in the elevator, Savage says, “Reporters make me want to breathe fire out of my ass, and wipe them all out.”
I laugh at the ridiculous statement, but that’s the thing about Savage. He’s just ridiculously Savage and it’s really quite charming. He knows how to take the edge off and when we exit the elevator I pause just outside to say, “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“Everything you’ve done on this case and for us.”
“No thanks needed. You two do good work. And if you need me, on or off the books, you both can call me. That’s called friends.”
“Friends,” I say, and I’m oddly comforted by the fact that I have a bond with this man, that despite his humor, is a killer. And he is. I saw him in that bathroom. I know how easily he took down Roger. And I see that something in his eyes that says there is a dark, brutal side to him.
Once we’re in the offices, Savage stays by my side, and we enter the executive lobby to see Maria. I introduce Savage and when we approach Ashley, she quickly offers me my pick of the donut selection, a “welcome home donut” she calls it. “American pastry,” she jokes.
I laugh as she holds the box open, but I decline. “Too many French pastries. I need to run and eat right for about a week to pay for my Paris sins.”
We chat a few minutes, and I really do like this woman. She was a bitch to me back at the restaurant, but she’s been through hell and was an emotional wreck. I get it. It’s easy to throw daggers when you feel like the world is throwing swords.
“I’ll have a donut or ten,” Savage says, hovering, and in about thirty seconds, he’s flirting with Ashley. I escape into Cole’s office where I often work now and shut the door. Where we work together, game planning, and being the team we’ve become.
Savage stays ridiculously close, hanging out in the lobby outside Cole’s office. He and Ashley continue to flirt, because everyone seems to flirt with Savage, and I’m fairly certain this means his fling with our movie star client some time back was just that—a fling. I shut Cole’s door, and dial my doctor’s office, forced to leave a message for the nurse. I press my fingers to my temples. I’ve never really thought about being a mother, not even when I thought I was pregnant right after meeting Cole. I’m not sure how I feel about it. I just know that Cole is struggling with this need to protect me. I’m not sure he can shove his demons back in that box if he has me and a pregnancy to face. Now is not the time for this. Oh God. Please let now not be the time for this. I want a baby to be something we talk about and decide if it’s right for us, together.
My man cannot do this now. I don’t want to do this to him now.
I dial Cat. “Any news yet?” she asks immediately.
“Not about the case, but I still haven’t started my period.”
“It’s been like two more days,” she says. “This isn’t months. When this happened to me, I skipped completely. I was normal the next month.”
“Savage is hovering. I want to take a test.”
“If you got pregnant in Paris, it’s not likely to show up yet.”
“Can you bring me a test?” I ask. “Wait. No. There are picketers.” My phone beeps and I glance at the number. “It’s my doctor’s office. I’ll call you when I hear from Cole.” I switch lines. “Hi,” I say. “I should have started three days ago and I have not. I was in Paris, and I was late taking my pill a few times and—”
“Paris last week?”
“Yes.”
“You didn’t miss your period because you screwed up your pill less than a week ago. If you’re pregnant it happened before that. Take a test. It should be 99% accurate at this stage.”
“And if it’s negative?”
“Then relax. Stress and the time change could affect your period, even on the pill.”
I breathe out. “Okay. Yes. I’ll take a test.”
“And listen to your body. Do you feel pregnant? Some women know right away.”
“I don’t. No, I don’t feel different. If I take a test and it’s negative, then I start back on the pill like normal?”
“Yes. That will be fine.”
I disconnect and decide that between trying to find a way to privately buy this test, and waiting on news from Cole, I’m going to lose my mind.
***
Cole
The pink tie was a good decision. It reminds me of Lori and she’s what today is about. I’m about to walk into court when Reese catches me at the doorway. “I hate that I can’t be in there with you, man,” he says. “But—”
“You have court and a client who needs you,” I say. “And there’s nothing you can do in there. There’s nothing I can do but pressure the ADA to do his job and let the judge see the face of Lori’s husband and protector as a reminder that she was attacked.”
“Call Cat when it’s over and text me.”
“I will.”
A few minutes later, I’m sitting in the courtroom and it kills me to sit back and pray that my promise of a lawsuit gave the DA enough pause to allow the ADA the freedom to do his job. The side doors open and Roger is led into the room and I swear, every muscle in my body locks up and my fingers curl into my palms. He was smart to stay away from me. I would have beat the shit out of him. Oh yeah, I would have.
Lance Miller stands behind the prosecutor’s table and surprises me by waving me forward.
“The Feds called the DA,” he says. “My boss knows he fucked up now, but he’s not going to admit that. He will, however, let me do my job now.”
“That’s good to hear,” I say. “But that isn’t going to shut down my legal action. Another woman is dead because your boss didn’t act.”
“I know that,” he says grimly. “I absolutely know that.”
“Are you able to speak about the FBI investigation today?”
“On a limited basis. For the safety of you and your wife, we’re allowed to do so, but in the judge’s chambers. If I can convince the judge to hear you speak, are you in?”
“Hell yeah,” I say, “but we both know that’s unlikely.”
“The circumstances are out of the ordinary. If nothing else, I’m going to try to get you in chambers.”
I nod and sit back down, and it’s not long until we’re on our feet for the judge’s entry. Lance gets right to it and asks for a chamber meeting. A few minutes later, I’m called into chambers as well. Everything is smooth and fast. Roger is sent for a mental evaluation that may only buy us a few days before he’s free, but his attorney has been told about the investigation. Roger will now know that the killer is not our client. His attention should shift away from our team. Away from my wife.
I exit the courtroom, text Cat and Reese, and then dial Royce Walker. “Where are we on an arrest?”
“The suspect is still in North Carolina and they’re comparing evidence between our cases and theirs today. They have eyes on him twenty-four-seven and they expect an arrest this week. I’ll keep you posted.”
I disconnect the line and I know that I need to call Lori with the good news, but I can’t seem to make the call. I text her instead: Roger is being held. Arrest pending in North Carolina. More when I get there.
More.
That’s the problem. There’s more to come and I’m not sure what that more is, but it’s a knot in my chest that I want to punch away. This isn’t over yet. That’s what my gut is telling me. I look down at my pink tie, the tie that Lori came home with after I insisted she spend money. She bought nothing for herself that day. She can’t accept the freedom of just being secure and safe. I can’t tell her I believe she is when I don’t. Not yet.
When I tell Lori she’s safe, that she finally has her fairy tale
ending, I want her to know that I mean it. That it’s real. And I can’t tell her that yet, but as I start walking and motion Smith forward, I vow that I will. And soon. Once I tell her our world is right and perfect again, I’ll live my life making sure it stays that way.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Lori
The next morning Cole and I wake to the news that an arrest has been made in North Carolina, a man arrested for the murders our client was accused of committing, and of course, the press is everywhere. We’re fully dressed in the kitchen, me in a suit with a cream-colored blouse, Cole in a navy suit with a white shirt, and coffee cups in our hands when he finally reaches our client. “You’re vindicated, man,” he says. “You’re free in all ways.” He listens a minute. “We need to do a press conference and you’ll have offers thrown your direction. We have a partnering firm Maxwell, Maxwell, and Maxwell, that can manage them for you and ensure you are well taken care of.” Maxwell, Maxwell, and Maxwell being Cat’s brothers, who handle corporate and contract law.
Once Cole disconnects, I sigh. “This is all pretty surreal.”
“Yes. Yes, it is. And we did this together.”
“And that,” I say. “Is pretty special.”
“Yes, it is, sweetheart. We’re a good team.”
Warmth fills me as he strokes my cheek, and it stays with me on the ride to the office that includes my mother calling me, excited about the case, and the arrest. I love that she has followed it. I love that she is in this with us. And of course, there is a call from Cat. “I can’t believe it’s over. It’s surreal.”
“I said the same thing.”
We chat a few minutes and right before we get to the building, she whispers, “Any other good news?” she asks, obviously talking about my period.
“No,” I say. “None. And you know shopping won’t be easy right now.”
Dirty Rich Cinderella Story: Ever After: Lori & Cole Page 7