Page 52 of Recklessly Rogue

She laughs. “So much better.” She shakes her head. “My sister loves us, but she’s got her own kids, her own career, her own life. Mandy and Will’s kids live in Omaha and Chicago. I’m not saying we would ever take their places but I know Mandy misses them so much and she’s so great with kids. And Will…” She trails off, looking at Will with clear affection.

“I’m depressed,” Will says with a shrug. “I’m doing pretty good right now, but it’s up and down, you know? And having other people around, people to focus on, to help, to care about, helps me a lot.”

I let out a breath and feel Ruby squeeze my hand.

“Okay. Well…” I run a hand through my hair. “I can at least speed up the divorce process. Let’s get you untethered legally as quickly as possible.”

I’m losing options here to help her. And Elliot.

“What do you mean?” Ruby asks.

I look down at her. “That process can take six weeks minimum and that’s if Christopher doesn’t give us any trouble. I think we all know that’s not going to happen.”

“But how can you speed it up?” she asks with a frown.

“I can…” Pull strings, use my connections, call in favors. I’m certain I know someone who knows someone who knows a judge in Ohio that can make a divorce happen quickly. “Grease the wheels.”

Ruby’s eyebrows arch. “You’re not talking about paying off a judge! Henry, please tell me…”

“Of course not.” I’m sure it won’t come tothat. We know important people who can just make things move faster.

“Then what?”

“I can just bump her up in the queue.”

Ruby shifts on her chair to face me more fully. “But if you move April up, that means someone else gets moved back.”

“Well…yes.”

“No.” Ruby looks at April. “Sorry, babe. But we can’t do that. Other women have been waiting. They need this too. Maybe more than you do. You’ve got us. Some of them might not have anyone. We’ll keep you safe. We’ll help you navigate things.”

April nods. “I know. We should do it the right way. I can wait.”

Ruby nods. She meets my eyes again. “No power plays, Henry.”

I lean closer. I don’t know why. Everyone here is hanging on every word everyone is saying. “The advantage of knowing people with power is being able to get things done. Easier. Faster. Better. This is what I can do.”

It’s starting to look like this isallI can fucking do. And I’m not happy about it.

“I have to believe the system can work for everyone,” Ruby says. “That’s really important to me. I know some people get favors and have privileges, but Ihaveto know that the people I know can still have good things happen doing it the regular way. The system has to also work for people who don’t have power and money, Henry.”

“Isn’t that why you want to go to law school? To have more power?” I ask.

She swallows. The room is completely silent.

I’m guessing she hasn’t told them she wants to go to school.

Finally, she nods. “Yes. But I’ll have to use the system. I’ll have to follow the rules. No skipping steps. No favors. I want to be a lawyer so I can help people navigate that system. Not to find work-arounds.”

“The system sucks sometimes.”

She nods. “I know. But maybe I can make it suck less for some people by being there, helping them, being on their side.”

“Ruby,” I say, my voice tight with frustration. She’s going to be everyone’s favorite lawyer. And it will break her heart multiple times.

“Just help us file the papers theusualway.”

“I need to do more,” I say quietly.

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