Legend (Arizona Vengeance #3)(39)

“Fine,” she clips and pivots away. She takes the steps like a fashion model, clearly at home in such high heels. I watch as she walks down the driveway and to a blue economy car parked parallel on the street. As she starts to pull away, I text Legend. Not emergency but Lida was just here. I convinced her to leave.

I hit send, turn to knock on the door so Lucy will let me in, but Legend is already responding. I’m coming home. Please stay there.

Done, I reply.

Lucy must have been watching out the window because I hear the lock being turned and she swings the front door open to let me in. She’s got Charlie settled in the mamaRoo in the living room and she’s holding the largest butcher knife that Legend owns.

“You are awesome,” I tell her as I nod at the knife.

Lucy lets out a relieved sigh and her arm that was holding it relaxes. “That freaked me out.”

“What happened?” I ask as I come in and shut the door behind me, engaging the lock again.

“She knocked and I opened the door. Figured she was selling something. She asked for Legend first and when I told her he wasn’t here, she told me she was here to see her baby. I panicked. I just told her she had to leave and slammed the door in her face. That’s when I called you.”

    “You did an amazing job, Lucy,” I tell her sincerely as I take the knife out of her hand. “Legend and Charlie are lucky to have you.”

She puts her hand on her chest and gives a nervous laugh. “I think I aged ten years.”

“It’s all good,” I reassure her, hoping my voice sounds more confident than I’m feeling on the inside. I walk into the kitchen to return the knife to the knife block on the counter. “Legend’s coming home now.”





Chapter 17


    Legend


If I thought being a famous hockey player with lots of money would get me immediate access to my attorney, I’d be wrong.

He’s apparently in a deposition and I’ve been wearing the living room rug thin with my incessant pacing since I got home.

I’m lucky a cop didn’t pull me over because I was breaking sound barriers it seemed as I drove from the arena to the house. I had just put on some workout clothes after our film review when I got Pepper’s text.

While I was confident that Pepper had things in control, I couldn’t anticipate what Lida would do next. Would she return? What lengths would she go to so she could see her child?

I put an immediate call into my attorney, Jim Foppiano, but was told by his receptionist he was not available. I insisted she interrupt him. She advised me she could not as he was in a deposition. With acute frustration, I left my contact information and made her promise me she would stick it under his nose the minute he was done. She gave a surprised gasp when I told her I was Legend Bay so I’m pretty sure the message will be passed along.

Pepper is sitting on the couch in the living room, watching me carefully. I’d sent Lucy home half an hour ago, as there was no way I was going out again today. My protective instinct that’s rearing up right now dictates that I might not ever leave this house again unless Charlie can come with me.

    Charlie is oblivious to this all. Sensing me upset perhaps, she was fussy with me when I tried to hold her. Pepper intervened, softly saying, “Let me try.” When I put her in Pepper’s arms, she quieted and eventually drifted off to sleep.

Didn’t make me jealous in the slightest and even though the majority of my emotions are negative right now because of Lida showing up, the amount of tenderness I felt as I watched Pepper soothe my daughter is a much needed balm.

I look at my watch, check my phone to make sure my ringer is on—which it is as I’d checked probably ten times prior—and I glance at Pepper. She’s got her feet curled up under her while the mamaRoo does it’s rotational magic as Charlie sleeps in it.

Pepper stares at me with worry and I try to give her a reassuring smile. “Sorry. I’m trying to keep my cool.”

“Don’t chill on my account,” she says with a smile. “You have every right to be wigged out.”

Pepper recounted everything to me, including her own opinions on Lida’s demeanor. She seemed put-together, Pepper said. Was definitely angry but not overly aggressive.

What stressed me out is that Pepper felt she was “determined.” She’s not going to fade away and I want to have my attorney be ready to defend.

The phone rings, startling me so bad I almost drop it. For a moment, I’m ashamed at myself because for the first time in my life, I actually feel weak.

    Helpless.

Inadequate.

I shake that shit off and I’m relieved when I see it’s my attorney calling me.

“Jim,” I say curtly into the phone and then proceed to tell him exactly what happened. He listens patiently then asks a few questions.

“I want a restraining order against her,” I tell him. “I’m prepared to pay any price.”

“That’s not going to be so easy,” Jim says in an easygoing kind of way that pisses me off.

“Then I’ll find an attorney who it will be easy for,” I snap at him.

“Legend,” Jim replies and his voice is now firm and professional. “Let me explain the law to you. Right now, you have full custody which means Lida has no right to see Charlie. She can go through the proper legal channels to do it. However, one visit to your house is not enough to warrant a court stepping in to protect you and Charlie. For me to get an injunction against harassment, Lida has to have committed at least two specific acts of harassment in the last year.”