Page 56 of Worthy

“That’s far enough, Mr. McFadden. State your business,” Scott demands.

Gerald’s sleazy smile makes an appearance before he says, “I need to speak with Aiden Shaw.”

Aiden tries to push through our human wall, but we deny him. “I’m Aiden Shaw,” he says over our shoulders.

“Great. Here you go.” Gerald tries to hand him the envelope, but I take it from him instead.

“What’s this?” I ask, fairly certain I know the answer.

Gerald ignores me and stares at Aiden, “Mr. Shaw, you’ve been served. You have a custody hearing in 12 days, Friday at 2:00 p.m.”

Aiden nearly flips his lid, “That’s in less than two weeks and the day before the playoffs! This is ridiculous! Patricia signed away all of her parental rights to Penny!”

Gerald shrugs, “You might be correct, and you’ll probably win just for showing up, Mr. Shaw. But win or lose, we still make $400 an hour and have no problems dragging this out. If your ex-wife wants to sue for custody and is willing to pay, then so be it. I think you might find the information in the envelope quite compelling.”

This guy is more than sleazy. He’s a dirty crook, and I don’t like the way he smells. “Are the O’Sullivans your clients as well?” I ask on a whim.

His startled expression is all the answer I need, but he quickly schools his features and says, “That’s attorney-client privilege. Have a good day.”

Once Gerald is gone, Aiden looks at me perplexed. “Why did you ask him that?”

“Call it a hunch. I think Patricia and her lawsuit are somehow connected to the O’Sullivans. The rushed nature of the lawsuit and the timing of the court date are setting off all kinds of alarm bells for me.” I begin pacing and biting my thumbnail while I try to put together the puzzle pieces.

Aiden steps in my path and wraps his fingers around my wrist, gently pulling my hand away from my mouth to prevent myself from chewing my nail down to the nub. “How are they connected, Anna?”

“I don’t know, Aiden. But that’s what I intend to find out. More importantly, I’m going to need your help to do it.”

Aiden has three away games this week, so he won’t be around, which makes implementing our plan a bit more difficult. With time running out, the moment he gets back, we’ll have to go for a power play.

Martha and Reggie sift through the legal documentation that had been delivered to Aiden for the hundredth time, unable to comprehend that Patricia filed a custody suit. She isn’t simply asking for visitation. She’s seeking full custody, along with $50,000 a month in child support. We all know that the money is the real reason behind the suit, not that Patricia truly wants to take care of her daughter.

Aiden may have the paperwork from his divorce from Patricia in which she gave up any right to Penny, but now she’s saying that she signed under duress and that her signature isn’t valid. In addition, she states that Aiden is guilty of “child endangerment” because there was an attempt on Aiden’s life, yet he still takes Penny out in public.

Penny has remained at home since the incident, and the only time she’s been out and about has been for church. Despite Aiden’s daughter being surrounded by as many as seven bodyguards—there is always a chance that the judge may still side with Patricia. Adding fuel to the fire, pictures of me with Sean and Conor O’Sullivan at the grocery store were in the envelope Gerald McFadden had handed to Aiden. Nothing about my demeanor indicates that I was being intimidated, but then again, Patricia and her legal team have no idea that we have a video of the entire conversation.

Aiden still had the ace in his pocket, so he photocopied all of the evidence he had and gave it to Roger, who, in turn, handed them over to the FBI. Roger ensured that the person he gave them to was someone he trusted, his best friend and mentor, Deputy Director Robert Finnegan.

There’s not much we can do until the court date other than let Aiden’s lawyers handle it and feed them information as it comes in. In the meantime, those of us who have remained here watch the Rockets play from the comfort of the living room. We whoop and holler, rooting for the guys as they try to gain more points to solidify their standing.

Aiden has always been a leader both on and off the ice, but for the three away games, it was definitely more “off.” He skated when the other two centers were exhausted or if the team needed to regain the lead, but Swank played like a man possessed and helped the Rockets bring home three more victories. By adding six points to their standing, they have moved into the top twelve in the league. The next three games will all be played here in Savannah, and I’ll be attending.

I take a few extra minutes to tuck Penny into bed while she reads me a story. She chooses one of my favorites—The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien. Penny yawns after she finishes the first chapter and places a bookmark between the pages.

“I’ll read a chapter to you every night, Anna. Can I still call you that since your name is Savannah?”

“I don’t see why not. It’s a shortened version of my name. Jerry sometimes calls me ‘Savvy,’ and Jessie occasionally calls me a Butthead. So, if you want to continue to call me ‘Anna,’ that’s perfectly fine by me.”

Penny puts the book back on the shelf and then snuggles in under the covers so only her head peeks out. “I’ll only have to call you ‘Anna’ for a little bit longer. Soon, I’ll get to call you ‘Mom.’”

I kiss her forehead and wish her a good night, not commenting on her last statement. I shut off the light and head downstairs to wait for Aiden, who will be home soon. I’ll need to talk to him about how we should address our fake engagement with Penny.

It was one thing to keep my job a secret from Penny, and I shouldn’t have told her I was a bodyguard. But after protecting her twice and barking orders both times, it wouldn’t have been long before she figured it out on her own. That’s assuming she hadn’t already. Letting her continue to pin her hopes on something that’s not real feels wrong on all sorts of levels.

When I get to the living room, I expect to see Martha and Reggie, yet only Jerry and Jessie are there waiting for me. Jerry is scrubbing video feeds from the surveillance system—although there haven’t been any pings—and Jessie is scrolling through something on her phone. Plopping myself between the two of them, I lean back and sigh.

“What are you guys looking for, and where did Martha and Reggie go?”

Jessie smirks and winks. “They went home. I think they needed some couples’ therapy if you know what I mean.”

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