Page 6 of Riot

“Caleb,” I whispered, my heart breaking.“You don’t have --”

“No, Mom.I do have to do this.”His voice was firm but not unkind.“He doesn’t get to hurt you again.For any reason.”For the first time in his young life, Caleb met his father’s gaze and didn’t flinch.“I’m the reason Mom’s leaving him,” Caleb began.“I told her she had to because…” He trailed off and I willed him not to tell the judge he’d wanted to kill his father and had threatened to do so unless I left.He swallowed and closed his eyes briefly before focusing his hate-filled gaze on Doug.“Because Mom deserves someone who doesn’t hurt her all the time.”

Mr.Todd stood, a sad smile on his face.“Your Honor, are you really going to allow this to be on the record?”

“Mr.Todd, I’ll deal with you when this hearing is over.Not another word.”She turned back to Caleb.“Mr.Caleb, will you look at me, please?”Caleb hesitated a moment, but did as instructed.“Good.Say what you came to say, Mr.Caleb.Why do you want your mother to leave your father, and why do you want your mother to have full custody of you?”

“He’s a monster,” Caleb said without preamble.“I thought he might have hurt Mom before, but until a few months ago she’d always make up excuses, tell me how clumsy she is and everything.But you can only trip over a non-existent stray dog, or sleepwalk and fall down the stairs, or accidentally run into someone’s lit cigar and burn yourself, so many times before the people who love you have to read between the lines.”

“If that’s all true, Mr.Caleb, why did you not say something earlier?Sounds like you’ve neglected your mother even though you profess to be concerned.Seems like you’re only concerned now when you’re angry at your father for grounding you for bad grades.”Mr.Todd stood now, moving away from his table and toward Caleb.It was an obvious intimidation tactic.

“Mr.Todd,” Judge Whitmore called sharply.“You are out of line.I’ve instructed you to remain silent, yet you continue to believe you’re in charge.You are not.”

“I’m allowed to cross examine the witness.”

“This isn’t a trial, Mr.Todd.”She leaned forward as if speaking to a child.“This is an emergency custody hearing.The two have very different functions and rules, as a lawyer of your reputation should know.If not, may I suggest you have an associate better versed in the nuances of family court handle this hearing for you.”She gave Mr.Todd a smile that held little humor.“You will get your chance to speak when it’s your turn.Until then, I suggest you sit down and keep your objections to yourself.”She leaned forward slightly, staring at Mr.Todd and Doug.“When that time comes, if I even get a hint of a vibe that makes me believe you’re trying to intimidate Mr.Caleb, you’ll be in even more trouble than you’re already in, Mr.Todd.”

She turned back to Caleb.“I apologize for the interruption, Mr.Caleb.”I liked that she treated Caleb like an adult and not a child who didn’t know his own mind or was unable to accurately give his account of what happened.“Please continue.”

Caleb looked decidedly uncomfortable but put his chin up defiantly before he spoke.“I didn’t want to be the reason Mom and Dad split up,” Caleb said, his voice steadier now.“I thought maybe I was wrong.Maybe Mom really was just clumsy, and I was wrong about what was going on.But yesterday, I saw him.”His voice cracked slightly prompting another chin lift from my sweet boy.“I came home early from a friend’s house because I forgot my math book and had homework.I heard yelling from upstairs and thought maybe Mom was watching a movie or something.”

I closed my eyes, bile rising in my throat.I hadn’t known Caleb had seen anything.I’d been so careful to keep him away from Doug’s outbursts.

“Go on,” Judge Whitmore encouraged, her face neutral but her eyes kind.By contrast, I could see the rage building in Doug’s eyes.I’d seen that look too many times to count and it never boded well.It was hard to hold a little whimper back, but I thought I managed.Until Lana put her hand over mine and squeezed tightly, a reminder to stay silent.

Caleb’s shoulders straightened.I saw Riot shift his stance slightly, moving just a fraction closer to my son.It was subtle, but I felt a rush of gratitude for this stranger who seemed genuinely concerned for Caleb.

“He was hitting her.”Caleb’s voice dropped to almost a whisper.“Not just once.Over and over.She was on the floor, and he kept hitting and kicking her.Calling her worthless.Saying no one would ever want her, that she was lucky he even looked at her.”Caleb’s voice shook with rage now, his hands clenched into fists at his sides.“He said if she ever tried to leave, he’d kill her.That he’d make it look like an accident.”He glared at Mr.Todd and snorted out a humorless laugh.“He even said Mr.Todd could get him out of any legal stuff if her death was investigated.”

I could feel the tears streaming down my face as Caleb recounted what he’d witnessed.The shame burned through me.Not because of what Doug had done, but because my son had seen it.He was witness to the violence I’d allowed myself to endure.There was no way he could understand that I’d kept myself in an impossible situation because I knew that if I left, Doug would either make good on his threat to kill me or make sure I never saw Caleb again.Either way would put Caleb in his sights, and I had to be my son’s protector.

Judge Whitmore nodded, her face impassive but her eyes sharp.“What did you do when you saw this, Mr.Caleb?”

“I ran in and jumped on his back.”Caleb’s voice had steadied, pride replacing the rage.“I tried to get him off her.He threw me off, but it was enough time for Mom to get up.She got between us and begged him not to touch me.”His voice caught.“She was bleeding and could barely stand, but she was protecting me.”

From the corner of my eye, I saw Riot shift his weight, his jaw clenched so tightly I could see the muscle jumping.His hands were no longer relaxed in front of him, but balled into fists.I’d seen the same look on Doug’s face.In fact, they showed identical expressions.The difference was, Riot let his rage show in the set of his jaw, the way his eyes narrowed, and the slight snarl of his lip.Not to mention the way his clenched fists made the veins in his muscled arms stand out in a threatening relief.Every ounce of that malice was directed at Doug.

Then Riot turned his head to look straight at me.That anger smoldered around the edges of his visage, where Doug’s face was carefully neutral.Riot’s gaze burned into me like acid and for the first time, I saw the man for the killer he was.I sucked in a breath.I’d seen that exact expression on Caleb’s face when he’d pulled Doug off me.It was why I’d thrown myself between the two of them.I absolutely would not let Caleb kill his father.

Riot held my gaze for several seconds before focusing back on my son and Doug.There was something in his gaze that told me I was in so much trouble, but it felt different.He was angry with me, yes.But there was no malice in his anger.Kind of like when your dad caught you sneaking out of the house to go see your boyfriend.He was always mad, but you knew you weren’t in any real danger.You just hated disappointing him because you were a daddy’s girl.There was absolutely no reason for me to believe Riot wasn’t just as violent, or more so, as Doug.I was certain he could be if he wanted to be.But that anger wasn’t directed at me.It was directed at Doug.

“What happened then, Mr.Caleb?”Judge Whitmore prompted Caleb to continue when he paused for too long.

Caleb blinked several times as if pulling himself back into the moment.“Then he turned on me.He didn’t hit me.He tried to get me to…” He trailed off, his angry gaze so filled with accusation and loathing I was worried the judge would see into Caleb’s very heart and know the boy was capable of killing Doug.Then Caleb cleared his throat.“He tried to get me to help him punish my mom for… something.I don’t remember.”Caleb turned to the judge.“I would never,everhurt my mother, Your Honor.For any reason.”

“Of course you wouldn’t.Then what happened, Mr.Caleb?”

“He was angry, but he left.He stormed out of the house and took off.I made Mom pack a bag and we left.Mom was too hurt to drive so I called…” Caleb trailed off, clearing his throat before starting again.“I called a friend who sent Ms.Thompson to pick us up.”I could see the tension in him.Caleb was choosing his words carefully, not wanting to reveal anything that could possibly get someone else in trouble with Doug.He was a powerful man in the city, and his reach was long.

“I see.”Judge Whitmore looked from Doug to Caleb and back.I was sure the other woman could feel the tension from both father and son.It was something that had been building for months.Caleb hadn’t known everything, but he’d known something was wrong, and whatever it was centered around his father.

“Your Honor, we would like to know who this person is so we can question them ourselves.”

“As I’ve already told you, Mr.Todd, this is a hearing.Not a trial.There are no charges being filed, only a hearing on the appropriateness of emergency custody of your client’s son.You are not entitled to anything at present.”

“Again, I would like to note my objection for future appeals.”

“I’ve had enough.Either you’re too stupid to understand, or just a petty, mean-spirited person who believes he’s above the law.Either way, I’m finding you in contempt of court.You were warned multiple times and refused to change your attitude so here you are.”

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