Page 142 of Tortured Tones

“Oh, it will.” Wilson shut the notebook and tossed it beside his computer. “But character history comes into play. You know that. The court will want what is best for Josh.”

“That isn’t Luther. You know that.”

“I do. But we have to follow the law.”

“Fuck the law.” Tears burned at the back of my eyes. “What happened to compassion, and seeing through the bullshit to find the truth? Luther had me followed and provided an insane amount of stress on my client and his daughter, the band, and me. Isn’t there something in that?”

Wilson sighed, slumping his shoulders. “It’s not illegal to hire private investigators. He’ll probably get a smack on the hand and be told not to do it again.”

Fuck, I hated my ex with a passion. Fire raged through my veins. As I sat straight, trying to remain professional, my soul shattered and tore in two. I’d never win. I’d always be under Luther’s hold. I hated that. I hated him.

There was a knock on the meeting room door. Bonnie, the firm’s receptionist, entered and tapped her long, pointed fingernails against the door. “Sorry to interrupt, but Cole Tanner and his lawyer, Patrick, are here to join your meeting.”

“Cole?” My heart scrambled into my throat. “What? Why? What are they doing here?”

Confusion flitted across Bonnie’s face. “Um, Mr. Tanner says it’s urgent and has important information for your case.”

Wilson raised a questioning eyebrow at me. “Did you know about this?”

Does it look like I did? “No. I...I haven’t talked to him since I left Boston two weeks ago.” I didn’t want to see Cole. It would hurt too much. But shit...if he had one more piece of evidence I could use against Luther, I’d take it. Even if being in the same room as him would pulverize my heart. “Please, let them in.”

Bonnie spun on her chunky Mary-Janes and returned two minutes later. Cole strode into the room with his lawyer carrying a briefcase. As I worked my gaze upward from Cole’s designer boots to his jeans, over his T-shirt, his shoulders, then his face, my pulse quickened. Those green eyes made my heart ache, made it difficult to breathe and impossible to think straight. How could I love him so much when we’d hardly been together?

Cole rushed forward and squatted beside me. Warmth and worry shimmered in his gaze as he cupped my face. “Hey? I’ve missed you.”

“Cole? What are you doing here?” Anguish tore through my whispered tone. “How did you know where I was?”

“Beckett.”

Damn him. “Why are you here?”

He tilted his head toward his lawyer. “We have something that might help you get full custody of Josh.”

“Don’t play with me.” My heart had been tampered with enough. “Not after everything we’ve been through.”

“I’m not. Trust me.”

He rose to his feet and held out his hand to Wilson. “Sorry for the interruption. I’m Cole Tanner. Ava’s friend. This is my lawyer, Patrick Lopez. We have additional information that will be useful in Ava’s case.”

“Wilson Brooks.” My lawyer shook Cole’s hand then Patrick’s. He waved to the chairs for them to sit. “This is unusual. I’ve gone down every avenue for Ava, so what new evidence could you possible provide to help her case for full custody?”

A cunning glint sparked in Patrick’s dark eyes as he undid the button on his designer suit jacket. Shit. He reminded me of Luther’s lawyer.

Patrick settled onto the chair, grabbed a folder from his briefcase, and placed it on the desk. “From my understanding, Luther is refusing to negotiate a new parental agreement and is adamant on proving Ava is an unfit mother. Is that correct?”

“Correct.” Wilson dipped his chin.

“Looking into her case via a colleague of mine . . .” Wilson opened his mouth as if he was about to protest with how the fuck did you do that...but Patrick held up his finger. “I am a family law expert, have my contacts, and methods, and have dealt with clients like Mr. Carrington before. He’s a power-tripping narcissist who has manipulated and taken advantage of Ms. Matthews since their bitter public divorce. He’s not concerned about the well-being of his son. Cole has hired me to assist Ava and ensure that the new evidence we have uncovered is handled with care and in the manner she sees fit.”

“Hire you?” Wilson shot daggers at Patrick. “As in, take over the case?”

“Given that we’re days out from the hearing, I am happy to work with you as co-counsel if needed. Mr. Tanner is covering my fees, so no form of payment is required. My sole purpose is to ensure Ms. Matthews gets custody of her son.”

“Really?” My heart tapped against my ribs. I could just kiss Cole. But I couldn’t get my hopes up. There was so much information Luther had at his fingertips that would be held up in court. “What have you found on Luther I don’t already know?”

Sitting beside me, Cole clutched my hand and squeezed it. “What we have will hopefully not just get you more time with Josh but full custody. Patrick is confident.”

I’d had too many setbacks to let belief spark inside my chest. “How confident?”

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