Impact (Suncoast Society #32)(54)

That Cris should be a little more understanding and just try to get along better.

He was done making excuses. If he had his way, he’d make sure they never set eyes on that baby.

Ever.





Chapter Eighteen


That evening, when Tilly was finally ready to leave work for the day, Loren insisted on going down first and taking everything except the baby. She made Tilly wait inside the lobby, within sight of the front door.

There were no signs of paparazzi, so Loren pulled up in front of the building. Tilly dashed out, quickly got the carrier fastened into the car seat base, and jumped into the passenger seat.

She glanced behind them as Loren sped off toward the Interstate. “No one, huh?”

“Nope.”

“How pissed off is Ross at me for getting you into this?”

She grinned. “He actually told me he was proud of me for how I handled it.”

Dale Waters had one of his partners dealing with the mess. The photog had already bonded out and a restraining order had been issued against him for both their condo and the office premises. Tilly knew that’d hold him for about one day, until he figured a way around it or joined forces with another photog.

“They’re like damn cockroaches,” Tilly grumbled. “You stomp one, five more jump out of the woodwork.”

“So what did the little f*cker do that pissed you off in the first place?”

“I’d gone to a deli a few blocks away that we order from a lot. Apparently, he followed me there. I went to use the bathroom after I ordered, and by the time I got out my order was ready and he’d grabbed it. He was holding my f*cking hoagie hostage for a goddamned quote about Nick’s next movie.”

She snorted. “Seriously?”

“Fucking seriously! I told him to go f*ck himself and walked away without my goddamned food. Which I’d already paid for, by the way, so I was doubly pissed off. I got back to the office and ordered something to be delivered and watched the little f*cker drive in and park and wait.”

“And then?”

“It escalated quickly,” she said. “He was waiting downstairs when I left. I shook him on the Interstate—”

“Freeway.”

“Seriously?” She gawked at Loren. “It’s a goddamned Interstate.”

“Anyway.”

Tilly took a deep breath. “Anyway. He was waiting there for me the next morning. I walked in the front door of the building and he followed me but the receptionist threw him out after I told her who he was. So he hung around the front door. Which, as you noticed, you cannot see the parking lot from the front door.”

“Oookaay?”

Tilly examined her nails. “He might or might not have ended up with four mysteriously flattened tires from sidewall punctures.”

“Amazing how that sometimes spontaneously happens.”

“They can’t fix those, either.”

“Pity his bad luck.”

“Well, he shouldn’t have been parked in our building’s private lot. It’s clearly marked and specifically says tenants and clients only, all others will be towed. It fails to warn against mysteriously flattening tires, however. I had the building receptionist call a tow truck and the cops issued a trespass warrant against him.”

“And he’s been after you ever since.”

“Well, I had to go back to Florida the next day, so he lost track of me for a while. This all happened a couple of weeks ago. I honestly expected him to start tailing me before now but fortunately the condo is listed in a different trust name than either the production company or Landry’s business, so it’s not as easy to track down. Is the dude behind us?”

“Nope. I’ve been watching. No cars following us.”

“Maybe I should head back to Florida.”

“And give him the advantage? Never!” Loren grinned. “Besides, this is fun.”

“Again, Lor, you’re using that word wrong.”





Dale Waters stopped by the condo that night on his way home.

Tilly knew this couldn’t be good news.

“For starters,” the attorney said, “I’m sorry for your loss.”

Cris nodded. “Thanks.”

“If you want me to file a wrongful death lawsuit—”

“We do,” Landry said. “Immediately.”

“Will do.” He held up a sheaf of papers. “Wow, Cris,” Dale said. “You sure know how to make an impression on someone.”

“What?”

He handed Cris the papers. “Your cousin Santino has already hired an attorney. They’ve filed notice they plan to sue for custody of the baby. They want an emergency hearing before the judge.”

“I hope he can afford it,” Landry said as Cris passed the paperwork to him to look over. “You have our permission to run up their legal bill as much as humanly possible. Call their attorney and chit-chat, if you wish.”

“Oooh, fun,” Dale said, rubbing his hands together. “I don’t get many cases like that not involving celebrities. I also took the liberty of filing a counter-motion on your behalf and getting the hearing set before the same judge who handled the guardianship. Friday morning, so clear your calendars.”