Page 29 of Shaded Amethysts
Gage’s sexy, talented body had me completely relaxed, but my nerves kicked into overdrive as we rode together to the courthouse. Ringing my hands together, I asked, “What if Judge McCreery won’t listen to us?”
“She will,” Gage answered, never taking his eyes off the road.
“How do you know that?” I asked, hoping that some of his confidence would seep into me.
“Because she has to. It’s what’s right,” he answered simply.
His words and sentiment made perfect sense. I just prayed they would turn out to be accurate. This could easily go the other way, if the judge became angry with us for questioning her decision. It didn’t really matter, though, because we had to try. Scout needed us to fight for him.
Even though we arrived a few minutes earlier than we had agreed, Grant, Molly, Scout, and Meg were already at the entrance to the building waiting for us.
“You two look awful chummy for this early in the morning.” Meg waggled her eyebrows suggestively at us, as if her words didn’t make her insinuation perfectly clear.
Refusing to be ashamed of the truth, I answered, “That’s because we spent the entire night naked and entwined in Gage’s bed where he rocked my world so many times that I lost count.”
The look of immense pride that arose on Gage’s face was undeniable as Molly’s eyes widened in surprise over my brazen pronouncement. Meg’s mouth fell open before she snapped it closed as she gawked at me.
“Well, this has to be a first… Meg is speechless,” I quipped.
Everyone except Grant and Scout chuckled. The moment of levity was quickly shattered when Grant said, “We’d better go inside.”
We presented a united front as we walked in a wide line toward the judge’s chambers. We didn’t really have a plan, other than to snag her before she went into the courtroom for the day, so I asked, “Who is going to do the talking?”
“I can,” Meg volunteered before adding, “Judge McCreery and I go way back.”
I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing, considering how off-putting Meg’s bristly personality could sometimes be, but decided having an impartial police officer represent our group might be smart.
When the judge emerged, Meg stepped forward and said in a professional tone I’d never heard her use, “Good Morning, Your Honor.”
The stern woman glared over her thin glasses at Meg. “I thought I told you never to step foot in my courtroom again, Officer Ryan.”
Meg held up her pointer finger before she said, “Technically, I’m not in your courtroom.”
Seeing that this was going nowhere fast, Grant wheeled his chair forward to try his luck. He quickly told the older woman the gist of Angie’s crimes, but his persuasive, charming personality and dazzling blue eyes didn’t sway the now-annoyed judge in the slightest.
As the woman turned to leave, my desperation kicked in. I took a step forward and yelled a little too harshly, “Wait!”
The judge seemed to turn around in super slow-motion. When her beady eyes bored into me, I shifted my weight from one foot to the other, but refused to back down. “Please don’t give Scout to this woman. He doesn’t even know her, and she’s not a responsible or suitable parent.”
“Ms. Biggs,” the judge snapped at me. “Coming here with unsubstantiated claims after a case is closed is highly unprofessional and inappropriate behavior for someone who wants to practice law.”
“I know this is highly irregular, and I’m sorry. You can ban me from practicing law or put me in jail, if you need to, but please do right by Scout. Grant and Molly are his parents.”
Gage stepped forward to stand by my side and said, “Here’s your evidence.”
Judge McCreery’s expression couldn’t look more perturbed, if he had just peed on the hem of her black robe. Ignoring her angry stare, Gage held up his cell phone screen and played the video of Angie buying drugs from the bartender.
“They could be exchanging anything,” the judge decided after watching the clip.
“But I found the drugs on her person when I arrested her. The bag is in the evidence lockup, if you’d like to have a look,” Meg weighed in.
The judge’s gaze traveled to each of us as she contemplated our story. Lifting her chin stubbornly, she said, “The judgment stands.”
My ears were ringing as blood pounded in my head. Gage reached out to steady me. This couldn’t be happening. Our last chance to keep sweet little Scout where he belonged, with his parents, had just slipped away. He was going to have to live with the woman who was willing to leave him in a stranger’s care, just to get her next fix.
“But…” the judge continued. I tried to listen to her, but the world was spinning around me.
Turning to Gage, I asked, “Did she just say the custody arrangement was reversed?”
