Impact (Suncoast Society #32)(64)

“Yes, technically, your Honor, but—”

“Two weeks,” the judge emphasized. “Your client’s emergency motion is hereby denied in its entirety, with prejudice. The counter-motion to quash the emergency order is granted. The standing custody order is hereby upheld, pending the outcome of the next hearing, where I will render my final ruling. Schedule a hearing with my clerk immediately for two weeks from today. Mr. Waters, the birth father is deceased, correct?”

“Yes, your Honor.”

“Then feel free to draw up adoption papers as well, to be prepared and save this court’s time.”

The other attorney protested. “Objection. Your Honor, my client would at least like to—”

“Overruled. Your client is being given two weeks to prove why two people who have multiple marriages under their belts are more fit than three parents with a stable, long-term relationship nearly twice as long. If they cannot prove that point in two weeks, I see no reason why I should keep this child’s fate in limbo. I refuse to burden the guardians or this court with an unresolved custody issue that shouldn’t be in question in the first place. In other words, I’m doing you a favor by granting a continuance. We are adjourned.”

Everyone quickly rose as the judge stood and departed through a door behind his desk.

Tilly fought the urge to crow and point across the table at Santino and his wife.

She couldn’t resist one little jab, however. “Unfortunately, Santino, I am not able to have children, either. So please don’t try that sympathy tactic on the court. Because unless your wife was raped by a monster when she was fifteen and as a result suffered injuries that forced her to finally have a hysterectomy last year, then I guarantee you, you won’t win this one.”

Landry patted her on the shoulder. “Behave, love. It’s all right. We can afford this little delay.” He stared at Santino. “Feel free to look up our company, sometime. Crislan Global Software Solutions. We made the Forbes top 50 in tech companies last year.”

As they were walking out, Landry leaned in and whispered, “And that’s how you properly twist the knife once you plunge it in, love.”





Chapter Twenty-Two


That was only round one of the gauntlet, Cris knew. When they reached the waiting room, Dale started talking to Louisa Gonzalez. Cris’ mother stood and walked over to him.

“I hope you’re happy about the pain you’ve put this family through! Now we can take that baby and—”

“Sorry to disappoint you, Mother, but the judge denied Santino’s motion.”

She looked shocked, he was pleased to see. “What?”

“It’s been continued,” Santino said. “And it doesn’t look good for us.” He glared at Cris.

Landry stepped forward, the vicious smile on his face both warming Cris and nearly making him giggle. “Pity you didn’t show this much interest in your sister when she was alive. Perhaps she would have reached out to you instead of to us.”

Landry’s smile faded, the way it always did before Landry delivered a verbally lethal blow to someone in a meeting when they’d failed to perform as required.

“As I said in there, we have the money to take this as far as necessary. Katie will have the best of everything, including the love of three parents, love that Sofia obviously felt was lacking from her own family. Katie will grow up surrounded by a close-knit group of friends as well, and will never want for anything. She will go to the finest college she can qualify for. She will be loved.”

Landry leaned in. “And I can guarantee you something she never will be—abandoned. She will never suffer the fate her mother suffered.”

Cris noted with more than a little satisfaction that his uncle didn’t look very well. “And she’ll never be beaten the way you beat me, old man,” Cris called out at him. “She also won’t be raised with your abusive views, either.”

His uncle tried to stand, but his aunt and Dante both grabbed his arms and made him stay seated.

Cris turned back to Santino. “The world is changing, Santino. Change with it, or be left behind. Every day, less people share your narrow-minded view of the world. All that matters is if someone is a good person and can provide for a child. That’s all that should matter.”

“She was a drug addict!” Santino shot back. “We couldn’t trust her!”

“She was clean when she died,” Tilly practically screamed, silencing the waiting room. “The initial toxicology reports from the autopsy? No drugs in her system. Which is in line with the emergency room drug screens, urine and blood, that they did on her last Wednesday when we took her to the ER after we rescued her. She wanted a better life. She reached out to you people months ago and you spit in her face. How loving is that, huh? But as soon as you find out there’s a baby, oh, you’re all about the family. Well, guess what that makes you all—hypocrites. You should all be ashamed of yourselves. None of you deserve the right to have kids, and you damn sure aren’t getting your hands on this baby.”

Tilly stormed out of the waiting room. Cris was torn whether to follow her or rip into Santino himself before Landry decided the matter for him and gently shoved him toward the door.

Before he exited, he looked back. Landry shook his head at Santino. “Hope you’re loaded, because I’m prepared to spend millions to make sure we retain custody. Buckle up, buttercup, as they say. It’s going to be a looong, expensive ride. By the way, you can adopt a Chinese baby for less than one hundred thousand dollars, or so I’ve heard. You do the math. I will bankrupt you long before you’ll even put a noticeable dent in our current 401k balance. What kind of life can you provide for her then, hmm?”