North (Wilkerson Dynasty Book 2)

by Kathi Barton

  “Even though you’re her mother? Amy doesn’t strike me as a person who would just not like someone for no reason. What did you do to her to make her dislike you?”

  “Nothing. What a thing to say to me. I think it’s about time you minded your own p’s and q’s up there and leave me to my thoughts. To think that someone actually pays the two of you for sitting around on your asses all day and spreading gossip. Just wait until I tell Shelton. He’ll have your jobs taken from you so quickly, you’re not going to be able to say anything.”

  “Yes, well, I’m doubting very few things you have in your head are going to come to pass, Fran. You’re going to be serving a little bit more jail time for your little prank last night.” Fran told the woman to not call her by her given name. She wasn’t her peer. “Peer or not, you’ll do as I tell you or I’ll have to get all business-like on your ass. I’m the one in charge today, and the sooner you remember I carry a gun and a Taser, the sooner you’re going to be able to go back to your cell unharmed today.”

  Fran didn’t bother arguing with them. She knew her rights, and she also knew she had Shelton right where she wanted him. He’d be able to carry on without her, she knew that, but she made him look good when they were out on company functions. Told him the names of people that were around him. Fran was his ally when it came to social functions too. He’d be the laughingstock of the entire county if she didn’t keep him in line.

  When they stopped in the parking lot behind the courthouse, Fran looked around for her daughter. She wanted to see Phoenix, to find out if she was being treated well.

  Instead of seeing the daughter she loved, sometimes more than money, she saw Amy. There were several large men around her today. While she had no idea why anyone would want to be seen in public with the wretch, there they were, falling all over themselves like puppies at a tit. Men were so stupid.

  Then she noticed Amy was in a wheelchair. Her leg was wrapped up in some sort of plaster thing, and she was being lifted, chair and all, up to the landing where the back doors were that she was being led to.

  Jerking on the chain to get the other women to stop, they both turned to her and asked her if she wanted to be dragged in. Shaking her head, they jerked on the chains harder, making her fall down in the gravel.

  “Now look what you’ve done.” She sat up, not an easy thing with chains on her wrists and ankles. “Help me up, you idiots. You’ll have to take me back to the jail. I’m not going to be seen in this mess you’ve made of me. Look here. You’ve broken the skin on both my knees, and it’s ruined my stockings. Take me back. Better yet, take me by my home, and I’ll get what I need there. Of all the stupidity. What were you thinking?”

  Not only did they help her up, one of them nearly tossed her on top of the car nearby, she’d been jerked up so hard. As it was, she was off balance and nearly fell again when she was told she was scheduled to go in now. Not after she had herself a pamper party.

  “Pamper party? Is that what you call getting cleaned up for an outing? Good Christ, woman, don’t you ever think about the appearances you make when you’re out? That’s all I can think about.” The driver told her it mattered little where she was going. “It matters to me. I demand you take me by my home so I can get cleaned up and fix my makeup. I cannot believe you don’t have some makeup for people like me to use when they have a visitor.”

  “What sort of person do you think you are? A jailbird? A convict? A divorced woman? You’re all those things before you’re anything else in my book.” Fran told her she didn’t care for her book. “Well, isn’t that just too bad for you. You’re not going to your home. I’m not even sure if you’ll have one after today. Get your butt in gear, or I’ll drag your fat ass right into this courtroom and not care a bit if you’re dirty or have a boo-boo that you need to have looked at. Now. It’s up to you. Walk or dragged? I don’t have all day.”

  Not only was she dragged into the building, but each time Fran fell on one of the larger rocks in the lot, she would be pulled across the lot until the other officer helped her up. Again and again, she demanded to be taken home, and each time they both ignored her in favor of humiliating her in front of anyone around. Not that she cared if the poor saw what she looked like, but there were people there, mostly her friends, who were going to see her in a not so nice look. Damn this shit, Fran thought. She was going to do some serious looking into some petty lives when she was free from this place. And she would be too. There was no way that Shelton would leave her hanging like some sort of degenerate.

  Fran was seated in a little room that had several chairs in it, all of them with large round eye bolts screwed into the floor like the ones in the van. She was shoved into one of the chairs then bolted to the floor, like a wild animal.

  “You don’t have to do this to me. I think you’ve done enough to show you think you’re better than I am. Little things like this only show how ignorant you are about the class differences we have.” The woman asked her where she thought she was in the class differences. “Well above you, that’s for sure.”

  “Are you now? Well, perhaps you should have another look, Fran. I’m not the one wearing chains and being watched over by armed guards.” She laughed as she stood up. “You might well have more money than I do, but you certainly don’t have any manners. I think that’s just on you and your daughter Phoenix. Amy must have been raised by someone else. It surely couldn’t have been you. You’re a terrible person.”

  Not dignifying anything she said with a comeback, Fran closed her mouth. When they laughed at her, she knew they’d get what was coming to them as soon as she got into the courtroom. A tell-all was going to be forthcoming, and they’d both be fired by the end of the day. Either she’d do it, or she’d have Shelton do it. Either way, it was a done deal.

  It was another forty-five minutes before she was moved into the courtroom. Once there, she thought for sure she’d be released to have a little bit of dignity. But no, she was not only taken there in the heavy chains, but she was locked to the table, so she wasn’t even able to scratch her nose if she wanted. Fran could not understand why they were treating her this way. She’d not done a damned thing wrong except hurting, not killing, Amy’s husband.

  The first person she saw when she was finished being chained was Phoenix. She, too, was being treated poorly. The second person was Doug, the man who’d skipped out on marrying her daughter. Amy was also in the room, again with all those men. Fran wondered which one she’d married, if any of them.

  Today was going to be enlightening to a great many people, especially those who’d tried to take advantage of her while Shelton got his shit together. After today she was going to make sure he understood that if she wasn’t happy, he was going to be extremely unhappy. Or dead. Right now, to her, it was looking like he was going to be pushing up roses. Daises were so cheap in her book. Hell, they even grew along the side of the road. No, he’d be pushing up roses even if she had to plant them herself.

  Chapter 7

  North wasn’t sure where he’d lost control, but it was sort of funny too. The bailiff had helped him add chairs to his side of the table. Not only was his dad there, but all four of his uncles, Shelton, and Amy. Only because there wasn’t any place for her to sit on the other side of the room while she was in her wheelchair.

  When the judge was seated, she cocked a brow at him. “Is an invasion going to happen here today, Mr. Wilkerson? Or have you decided to have all your family here to celebrate your birthday or something?”

  “No, ma’am. They’re here for support, they told me.” She looked at the men and waved back at his dad when he waved at her. “I believe we’re working up to becoming Wilkersons and Son soon.”

  “Are they the silent part of the Wilkersons? From what I’ve heard, the lot of them have been having a wonderful time since they’ve been released from their marital bonds. I’m happy for them, but see no reason for them to
have to sit in a courtroom all day.” He nodded, and all of them explained how they were here for each other, talking over one another and getting louder each time they were making a point. “I guess I was wrong. They’re not all that silent, are they?”

  “No, Your Honor. More the overly opinionated part of the firm. I’m enjoying their input, if nothing else. It’s nice having them around. Don’t you think?” She said it was even better to see them smiling again. “Yes, I must agree with you there. But they are here for support. If you’d rather they took another place to support from afar, I’m sure they’ll move.”

  “No, I sort of like seeing a supportive family. In my line of work, I see more splitting of a family rather than something like this.” She looked at his mother-in-law, Fran, and then at Phoenix. “I’m thinking this is just the kind of case I was thinking about. Well, what are we taking on first here? Divorce, hit and run, or damage and attempted murder?”

  “I’m sorry. I thought this was just for the divorce.” She picked up the folders that had been handed to her and looked them over. “I wasn’t prepared to handle the other cases today. I’m not saying I won’t, I just hadn’t been made aware of the changes.”

  “Give me a moment, North.” He knew this woman well. Her Honorable Lorinda Wessex had taught at the college where he’d gone for a long time until her promotion to the bench. He knew her to be fair and smart. She was also a no-nonsense type of judge. “From what I’m seeing here, it looks like it won’t take you much in prep work. If it looks like it’s not going to work, I’ll reschedule the other hearing. You tell me when we get to them if you feel like you can handle it. I’m sure some of the staff you have there can make you some notes on it.”

  All five of them nodded and pulled out their briefcases. So he’d not laugh with Amy when she snickered, he turned his back to them and looked at the judge. She, too, was having a hard time maintaining control over her humor.

  “Your Honor, we’re here today to discuss violations of the prenup of Ms. Francine Small Hamilton, as well as to execute a divorce from Mr. Shelton Hamilton.” Fran said she wasn’t there to divorce anyone. Ignoring her, he moved on with his claims. “I have evidence to support that Francine has violated seventeen of the twenty-one points of the prenup that could be grounds for divorce. I’m aware this is a no-fault state. But for purposes of Mr. Hamilton retaining his wealth, it needs to be brought up just how much has been done to ruin this union.”

  He handed a copy of the list to not just Fran, but the judge as well. Starting with the most recent violation, North was thrilled he’d be able to bring out the pictures to show just what sort of depraved woman Fran was.

  “On August tenth of this year, Ms. Hamilton, as well as Mrs. Hamilton, engaged in a—for lack of a better word, Your Honor, an orgy.” He handed Lorinda the photos first, then to Fran and Phoenix. “This caused the young Mr. Doug Schmidt to not only back out of the wedding that was to be executed in two days but also Mr. Hamilton to be left to pay for the wedding that had gone well over budget that was no longer going to happen.”

  “Excuse me. I didn’t really want to marry him in the first place. He was just a starting point for me to work my way up to someone old and rich. Like a sugar daddy.” Phoenix smiled at Lorinda like this was something special. “And none of this would have happened had it not been for that stupid cow over there. If she’d done what I wanted and hadn’t bitched about the pictures I wanted to be taken, then Daddy wouldn’t be stuck with a wedding that didn’t happen. People need to remember that I’m the bride.”

  “What person are you calling the cow, Ms. Hamilton?” Abby stood up, and he winked at her as the judge continued. “Mrs. Wilkerson, did you take these photos as well? There are some good shots in them.”

  Amy and he snickered.

  “No, Your Honor. Those were taken at the home of Mr. Hamilton. Shelton called me the night before I was to take the wedding pictures and warned me that things might not go as was contracted. We did have a contract, and both the Hamilton women didn’t want me to stick to what they’d ordered. I called Shelton when things began to look savage, and that was when I was informed my services were no longer needed.” Lorinda asked if she’d been paid. “Yes, Your Honor. With a bonus for having to put up with the two of them. If you don’t mind my saying this, they’re not the nicest people you could ever want to be around.”

  “Well, I mind you saying that. You should have just done what I wanted, and that would have been the end of things. As it is now, I’m stuck in jail for trying to keep my honor intact.” North heard Amy say something like “good luck with that,” but he didn’t acknowledge it. He was still trying to not burst out laughing at the two women who were going back to jail. Hopefully. “When is this charade going to be over with? I want to go home and take a bath. Wear my own clothing. As it is now, I’m going to have to have the hospital look at my wounds. Those officers treated me like I was nothing more than...well, a criminal.”

  “You are a criminal. Now, hush up and let me see what else is going on here.” North waited for Fran to say something more, but she only sat there glaring at Lorinda. “Mr. Wilkerson, please go on with what you have there.”

  North was going over the things purchased with Shelton’s credit cards that had been for other men when Lorinda asked him to stop. She asked him how many more items he had on his list.

  “Ten more. All basically things that were specially mentioned as grounds for divorce, as well as reasons for no alimony to be paid out. I also have a list of things his daughter, Phoenix, had done to make sure she doesn’t get anything from the estate.”

  “What? Wait a minute. I didn’t sign anything that says I’m going to have to follow rules. You have to support me, Daddy. I don’t have anything to fall back on. What will I do while living in the house with you? You don’t want me to be bored, do you?” North said she was forty years old. “You keep your fucking mouth shut. I’ll deal with you later. Of all the nerve of some people. What does it matter to you where I live anyway? My daddy will take me in simply because I’m his daughter.”

  “So is Amy.”

  North was sure that had Phoenix been able to stand up, she would have flown across the room and torn him apart. As it was, all she did was use every combination of curse words he’d ever heard. His favorite by far, before she was told to shut up, was fucking waddle duck. He was going to have to remember that when he needed a good laugh.

  The judge took over from there. “I’ve seen enough. Mr. Hamilton, would you please stand?” Shelton did, and so did everyone at his table. “I can see right here that you’re going to have all the support you’ll ever need in this family. I also want to congratulate you on getting a wonderful son-in-law in North Wilkerson. I am granting you your divorce. There will be no waiting period, nor will there be any payments made out to either your ex-wife or your daughter. Good luck, sir. I believe you’re going to need it after today.”

  The room erupted in cheers. The only people not happy were Fran and Phoenix. When Lorinda asked him if he was ready for the next bit of Hamilton drama, his dad stood up.

  “I’m going to take that case, Your Honor. I’ve been talking a great deal with Shelton here, and I think I can make a good case on behalf of him.” Lorinda said she didn’t doubt that one bit. “Thank you, Your Honor. I might need some reminders about a few minor things as we go.”

  Within minutes the courtroom resembled a bar fight on a Friday night. Not nearly as destructive, but just as loud with name-calling and threats. Through it all, his dad and uncles sat there, cool as they could be, just watching the two women try and get to each other to beat the other down. North went to sit with his wife and held her hand.

  “Is this something that happens a great deal to you?” North told Amy he’d never been more entertained than he was at this very moment. “Watch it, buddy, or they’ll have you locked up right beside them.”

  “I�
�m not worried. I know you’ll come save me.” North watched as Lorinda tried to regain control of the room. When her gavel broke and went flying across the room, Amy grabbed it out of the air one-handed, like a professional first baseman. “Good job. If the photography business ever takes a dive, you could probably get a position on the Cleveland Indians team.”

  “Shut up!” The room was as silent as a funeral home when Lorinda stood up, yelling. “Bailiff, I want you to take these two women back to their respective jail cells. Perhaps then we can get some work done around here.”

  “I’m not going back to jail. I have a great many things to do. Since you arbitrarily granted my husband a divorce, which you can bet I’m going to dispute, I need to make arrangements to get my things. Who knows how long it will be before I can get someone to help me sue this idiot for doing me so wrong?”

  “I’ve given it all away.” Fran looked at Shelton and asked him what he’d said. “I did. I decided it was a terrible reminder of how you screwed me over with purchasing other men’s suits, so I had a service come and pack it all up and take it all to a second-hand shop. All of Phoenix’s things as well. I have to tell you both, it was the most liberating thing I’ve ever done. That is if you don’t count my getting you two harpies out of my life.”

  North stood up and made his way back to his table. He had no idea why, but he had an awful feeling the shit was about to be rained down on Shelton like he’d never felt before. Even Amy, wheelchair and all, was making a move.

  As soon as he stood between Shelton and Fran, the seat she was sitting in toppled over and dumped her and Phoenix to the floor. North saw Amy pull her dad back out of reach just as the bailiff moved to untangle the two women. Dad was gathering the uncles up and pushing the table away from the mess on the floor.