Page 92 of Play Dirty

“Are you telling me to find another lawyer?” I ask bluntly.

He blinks, as if surprised I’d even suggest it.

“You won’t find a better lawyer than me,” he says.

“Then act like it. Stevie just found out her sister was fucking her fiancé.” I point to the article on top. “She lost her temper but no one was hurt. She broke some glassware, made a nuisance of herself, and then left. She paid for all the damage to the club. The only person who was hurt that night was Stevie.”

He sighs. “I understand all that but?—”

“Apparently, you don’t.” I stand up and put both my hands down on the desk. “I love her. She’s the most important thing in the world to me other than my kids. And I’m not trading one for the other because Brenna is jealous that I’m dating a supermodel. Either make this go away or I will find someone who can.”

He stares and for a second I’m afraid we’re going to have a pissing contest.

But then he backs down.

Apparently, his hefty hourly fee is enough to get him back on board.

“All right. What do you want to do?”

“I’ll get Stevie to give you details, in writing, on every one of these incidents. And you will spend your time researching all of this.” I dump a folder on his desk. “That’s all my research—which, by the way, you should have done but I saved myself some money—on Philippe Lilleberg. Including the names and numbers of players in the league who are willing to go on the record about his off-ice temper.”

“I see.” He looks surprised as he thumbs through it. “I didn’t know about this stuff.”

“I’m not fucking around here, Luke.”

“I see that.” He pauses, his voice suddenly softer, his gaze friendlier. “You love her? Plan to marry her? Make her a stepmom to your kids? It’s a big step, Marty.”

“Absolutely.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yes. Don’t ask me again.”

He’s back to all business. “Right. So, let me work on this, and we’ll get before a judge in a couple of days. My understanding is that Brenna is flying in with her attorney.”

“I don’t give a fuck. Make this go away.”

He nods. “I’ll do my best.”

“I’ve already put in a call to Madeline Aronson,” I say, dropping her name because I know the impact it will have. She’s not a divorce lawyer, but she’s the number one celebrity lawyer in the country. If you’re in the public eye and have a legal problem, she’s who you call. She also has a years-long waiting list.

He has no way of knowing I couldn’t actually reach her.

I did leave a message, though, so that part is true.

And if I have to, I will call in every favor ever owed to me to get her to take my case. No matter how much it costs.

Harper told us when she took over the team at the beginning of last season that we could go to her with anything—personal or professional. She’s a billionaire with ties to all kinds of people. And not only is she my boss, her husband is one of my closest friends. That’s the only reason I haven’t reached out to her yet. I don’t want to muddy our friendship with stuff like this, but I will.

It’s a last resort but it’s the wild card I’ve kept close to the vest.

I don’t want to play dirty because of my kids, but I absolutely will to protect them—and Stevie.

Chapter30

Stevie

My nightmares returnedwith a vengeance ever since Marty got the call about Brenna’s request for a restraining order. I’m both heartbroken and mortified, regretting so many of my life choices. I’ve spoken to my therapist three times in the last week, and last night I slept at Chey and Ivan’s because I didn’t want to wake Marty with yet another nightmare. Instead, tonight I cried out so loudly it woke Chey.

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