Page 10 of Maverick

However, when she went up to bed an hour later, she was surprised and happy to see that not only was Maverick in her bed, but he had pulled the blankets back so that she could jump in quickly after changing. The way they were resting was as romantic to her as it would have been had they made love all night. It also gave her just the right amount of—

“Grace, he’s talking to you.” The kiss to her nose both embarrassed her and had her smiling at Maverick. She’d completely forgotten where she was and what was going on around her. Being in the courtroom this morning had completely slipped her mind. “He wants to know if you’re here on your own free will.”

“Yes, I am, your honor. I was just putting my words together in my head. I didn’t mean to leave you hanging there.” The judge, Honorable Janet Orr, told her that it was refreshing to have someone in her court of law who seemed to have a good head on their shoulders. “I’ve been with the Strong family, and they’re very good at not saying anything until they have all their thoughts in order. I’m working on being like that as well. In all things. It certainly helps when you have plenty to say.”

Her uncle scoffed, and the judge asked him to use his words if he had something to say. Instead of answering her, he just waved it off. The judge told him that was to use his words or she’d fine him a fine for being disrespected in her courtroom.

“She’s just sucking up. Not that I blame her, she’s here under false pretenses anyway. Or I am. I’m not sure what possessed her to have me arrested like she did. I’m her only living relative, and there isn’t any way that—your honor, do you suppose I can have a word or two with my young niece here? It won’t take all that long. I just want to talk to her.” Honorable Orr asked her if she’d speak to him. It was then that all the men with her and their wives stood up. She was sure that had there been room, they would have surrounded her as well. Gracie said that she wasn’t going to be caught in the same room with him alone. Not if she could help it.

“This is a court of law, and if he wants to talk to me, though I don’t have any idea what it is that he’d have to say to me, he can say it right now. I have nothing to hide.” She looked over at Bradon. “You’ve caught me unawares enough that I know your tricks now. I will not be harmed again by you. You’re a monster, a liar, and a thief. But it’s the monster part that I want to keep away from. Tell me what you want then we can move on from here. I certainly want to get this day over with.”

“Your honor, she’s being unreasonable.” Orr told him that she’d answered his questions, and if he wanted to talk to her, he’d better be getting on with it. “Christ, this is another shit show that she’s the star of. All right then, I want you to drop the charges against me, Grace. I think you’ve been a bad girl long enough, and it’s time that you did your duty by me as your only living relative to do what I tell you. It’s the least that you can do, considering how much I’ve done for you.”

“In the event that it has past your weak mind, I’m an adult, the same as you are. And you’ve done nothing for me but to rob me, beat me, and to burn me out of my home. I will and do what I want when I need to. And as of right now? You’re no longer my family. I have a wonderful one right here beside me. More family than I thought was possible when I was a child.” She asked to approach the bench and was granted permission. Bradon’s attorney joined her. “This is the autopsy that was performed on my grandparents, Emma Grace and David Shipley. In that file, you will also find the updated autopsy of my parents, Angel Grace and George McKenna. Both of these reports were performed under the watchful eye of the FBI, who I’m told have a special interest in this case.”

While Orr looked over the paper work, Bradon was asking if he could see the reports as well. His attorney, she’d not caught his name told his client to sit down and be quiet. Of course, being the way Bradon was, he told the man to fuck off, earning him a fine of five hundred dollars.

“I don’t have anything to pay, even for a bribe, your honor. Grace is going to have to pay that. Since she is the one that provoked me. See what I’ve had to put up with over the years? How am I going to be getting out of here if she keeps piling things onto my list of things that she believes that I’ve done? It’s just not fair, I tell you. Not at all, and you should put a stop to it before someone gets hurt.” Which opened up the next set of paperwork that she had in her hands. Handing off another file, Bradon seemed to get pissier with each one. “What have you been doing, Grace? Prying into things that have no concern to you? That’s going to cost you, I hope you know.”

“It’s a copy of my parents and grandparents’ wills, if you must know. In addition to the autopsies that have been done, I’ve decided that someone of authority should have a look at some of the other lies that you’ve been telling me about the will.” She could tell by the look on his face that he’d not expected her to have them, much less use them against him. Even though he’d been told that it was being looked into by Maverick just a couple of days ago.

He told her to stop this nonsense right now. “I don’t think so, Bradon. As I said, I’m no longer afraid of you, and I don’t like you. Not at all. You left me without funding, took money out of my inheritance as well, and killed off the most wonderful people that I knew. Then there was the fact that you beat me at all times when you found me, got into my accounts at the bank, and did more heinous crimes that we’re only just uncovering. As I said, you’re a monster.”

“Your honor, this stuff that she’s giving you, it’s not right. I’m her only living relative, and I don’t—” She cut him off.

“Mr. Shipley, it appears here that you’re the sole reason that she has no one left but you in her life. And I’d just as soon you not bring that up again. It’s not relevant to this case or any of the extra paperwork that has been filed against you. Not to mention making her life more than just a little difficult by doing things against her that frankly should have had you in prison long before now.” Orr laid the files on her desk. “Do you have anything else to add to this, Mrs. Strong? I know that Strong family very well. I’m sure that they’ve done some powerful things to get you what you were robbed of.”

It was Mr. Barkley Strong who handed over the files that he had in front of him. There were quite a few of them, too. Not only had they found things that Bradon had done as an adult, but there were things that they were finding out about his teenage years. Since he had an open record, his parents made it so that it would be there for anyone to find when checking him out for a job or loan. They were able to find out that he’d spent several weeks as a young sixteen-year-old in the local jail cell for smashing seventy mailboxes and stealing mail from the people in his neighborhood. Most of which were federal offenses according to the Mail Fraud Act. She thought that was the name of the law. Not that it mattered if she knew or not. It was up to the judge to figure things out from here on.

Bradon was still yelling about how unfair she was being when the judge told him to keep his trap shut or he’d have to find out about his trial from the newspaper like everyone else did. The little bastard told Orr to mind her peas and honey, or she’d be on his list, too. That was all it took for him to be taken away by the federal officers for threatening a sitting judge. Honestly, Gracie had no idea that was a real thing. She’d seen it used on television before but never in real life. She wanted to dance a jig that he was in more trouble than she’d even thought about, and that would mean that he’d be out of her hair for a few more weeks. The judge told her how sorry she was that she’d had to put up with him all her life.

“Getting justice now for my family is more than I could have hoped for, your honor.” Bandon was literally kicking and screaming about his day in court as he was being dragged away by several officers. No one paid him any mind, and she was glad that he was gone. For the next forty or so minutes, things went very smoothly, and she was ready to call it a day when the judge said she was ready for the next case. That was fine by her. She needed out of this stuffy place.

Since neither one of them had had any contact with the Strong versus Dutch trial, Maverick took her hand into his, told his family that they’d see him in the morning, and they were out the door. The sunshine had felt very good on her face as she held herself up to it. The courtroom was nice, well lit, decorated with some flowers and planters but it was a room of criminals and bad people. Being out here made her feel like she had been able to wash all that off her and be a new her.

“Are you ready to go home? However, I’m a bit hungry though. Would you like to get some early lunch with me and pick up some snack foods and drinks so we never have to leave the bedroom again?” The brow-wiggling thing was just the perfect foil for all the seriousness of the day. He must have had a great deal of practice when he’d been younger because he had sharpened it to a fine art by now. Bursting out laughing was just what she needed, and she told him that. “Good. I love that you’re not going to allow him to fuck up your life anymore.”

“I didn’t want him to do it in the first place. The very fact that he thought that he could lie all this time and get away with it shows how inexperienced and trusting I was and how much of a cheat and a liar he was. I don’t ever want to talk to him again. Though I guess I will have to go to the courthouse again, but other than that, I’m finished with his ass.” Maverick pulled her into his arms and held her.

Swaying back and forth with him like this made her happy. It was, she had discovered over the last few weeks, more than enough for her to calm herself and feel better about herself. The simple things of life.

A pretty flower in the garden that was pushing its way up from the newly weeded area. A discovery of a whole other room that no one had known about was something else. The house had been left as is, and they were finding all kinds of treasures and fun things all over the house when the walls had been taken down for better warmth and cooling.

The air had turned warm again, making it possible for the two of them to walk over to the place that was called, of all things, Scotties Den—in honor of the school mascot, a little scotty dog. They stayed open late on Friday nights to host the football teams and patrons of the gridlock. She’d been reading their menu online, thinking about the fun they had with letting people know about the specials and listening to people rave about how delicious everything on the menu tasted. The first thing she was going to try was the creamed chicken over mashed taters. As well as the other homemade things that were mentioned as well. And the fact that they didn’t take credit cards but paper checks endeared her to them in a very special way.

Grace also wanted to go to one of the football games to feel the excitement of the people. She thought that it had been years since she’d been to one, and she was going to make it a habit to go to them whenever she could. Home or away, she just didn’t care where she was.

“For the most part, I really don’t know anyone on the team, but I get caught up in the game myself. A little before halftime, I usually help out with the concession stand when it’s the busiest. Would you like to help me?” Laughing she told him no, she was going to stay seated and enjoy her game. That made anyone around them within hearing laugh. “All right then, I’ll bring you some hot nachos and a large pickle. That’s a hometown favorite, I think.”

She was almost too full to stay awake when they left the little diner. But the moment that they worked their way up to the bedroom, her nerves took off, and she was suddenly terrified of disappointing Maverick. He asked her what was wrong and she told him.

“Honey, you could never disappoint me. Ever. And if you’re not ready for the next phase of this relationship, then that’s fine, too. My cock doesn’t think so, but my heart and mind do.” He lifted her chin up to see him when she laughed. “You, my dear, have been teasing me all week. A touch here. A few strokes over my back. It was as if you were trying to drive me crazy all the time.”

“I didn’t think that you noticed. You never said anything.” He told her that he was trying his best not to jump her in the most inconvenient places. “Like where?”

“The grocery store a couple of nights ago. In the kitchen with all the men asking me questions that I couldn’t for the life of me answer because I had no blood in my brain. How about the time that you came up on me while I was on the phone with a client? I nearly strangled myself, trying to get my tie off so that I could finish the conversation with him. You had me all twisted up.

After dining, they decided to walk around town for a little bit, just looking at the houses and the way people were gearing up for Halloween. It, too, he told her, was a big deal around here. He held onto the dessert they’d gotten, taking home a whole pie for them to enjoy later. The two of them walked to their home and got a pleasant surprise. Not only was the kitchen finished up but the living room floors had had their final coat of stain on them.

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