35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

ALEX

I got to the kitchen and looked around for the kids, but they were nowhere I could see. I was hoping they would be because I could use some of their calm energy right now. I’m guessing since this wasn’t a normal social visit it’s probably a good thing they aren’t. I felt all these judgmental eyes on me but for now I had to tune it out.

“Where is it?” I asked not wanting to fake pleasantries. Abby looked at me and came over, giving me a hug.

She whispered in my ear, “Are you okay?”

I hugged her back and nodded. Matt handed me the summons and it was exactly what I’d been hoping for. He was suing me for defamation.

I looked between Matt and Jack. “Is this a joke?” I shouted as I flailed the paper with my hand.

“No and it will never make it into a courtroom.” Jack was doing most of the talking.

Maggie and Abby looked confused, and I shook my head and started laughing, “What sane person would sue someone for saying they could beat them up? That they wouldn’t need drugs to have sex with them, that they could overpower them. It even calls me a little girl with a big mouth.” I was now laughing hysterically.

Matt and Jack weren’t laughing when Jack said, “He’s trying to bankrupt you, Alex. He can play this game until you have nothing left.” I laughed again and had that moment of clarity and calm.

“I don’t think so.” I simply stated while staring right at Jack.

Jack said, “How do you plan to stop him?”

“By proving what I said was true.” Sounds easy enough.

“Oh yeah, and how do you plan to do that?” He snapped. I think I broke Jack.

“By taking it to the ring. I want to fight him fair and square. Prove that he absolutely needed to drug me to overpower me. Prove that I could not only take him down but neutralize the threat.” They were all looking at each other like I was crazy. Abby and Maggie’s mouths were on the floor.

Jack said, “How in the hell do you think we can make that happen?”

“Petition whatever judge is going to throw this bullshit out. I want to have stipulations that say when I win, he gets five years for what he did and no chance of early release. There will be no rules for the fight. No one gets in trouble for any injuries caused and no one can step in to help unless someone is rendered unconscious— then that ends the fight anyway. If he wins, he can get whatever he’s asking for monetarily in this lawsuit.” Maggie and Abby’s mouths were still on the floor and Matt was turned around trying not to laugh.

Jack raised his voice more than normal. “Do you really think a judge will go for something like that? This isn’t the movies, Alex. This is real life. Judges don’t allow fighting to the death as acceptable alternatives to court proceedings.”

“I also want the media there. I want it to be a fucking zoo.”

He yelled, “Alex, did you fucking hear me?” I smiled thinking I’ve never heard Jack yell before much less use the word, "fucking".

“Yes Jack. I hear you. I see you. I know what you’re saying but this is what I need you to do for me. If you can't, I’ll get someone who can. I only need a body in the room with me that calls themselves an attorney to do this because this lawsuit is shit. I just need to be able to plead my case. He’s an arrogant asshole who would love a chance to beat up a woman and I want to give him that chance.”

He looked terrified at the prospect of not at least trying to protect me— probably from myself.

He said, “Alex, the guy is twice your size. Do you really think you can win this?” There is nothing else that I’ve wanted to do since this whole thing happened. So yes, I think I can win this.

“No doubt in my mind.” He let out a sigh as his head fell forward. Matt and Jack were like brothers to me, and this could not make them feel good at all.

“Fine. I’m going to take this on. Meet me on Monday at my office and we’ll go over the details. No more talking right now.”

Maggie screamed, “Are you crazy? ”

I said, “We’ll find out soon enough I guess.” I didn’t want to get into a fight with my friends. I just wanted this over with.

Abby mumbled through tears, “Alex, the guys don’t want us hanging out with you, you know brunch and kickboxing, until you figure this out.” I smiled as the tears welled up in my eyes, but I had a feeling this was coming.

“I figured that might happen, it’s okay. I need some time to focus on this.”

Maggie went to reach for my arm but I politely moved out of her reach and she asked, “What does Roman think of all this?”

I winked and said, “Roman who?”

I saw the sad eyes again. I felt the tears getting ready to fall so I hugged the girls fast and got the hell out of there.

***

ROMAN

Let go and let God. My new mantra, I guess. The penthouse wasn’t the same without her in it. At least it was quiet. That gave me the perfect opportunity to sit quietly and talk to God for the first time in, I don’t know how long. I just needed him to watch over her and if it was meant to be it was meant to be.

My phone was ringing. Maggie’s name was scrolling across the screen. Maybe it’s just Matt from Maggie’s phone.

“Hello.” Maggie sounded like she was crying.

She sniffled and whispered through sobs, “Roman, she’s lost her mind.” I just looked up and thought, “Good luck up there, God.”

I sympathetically responded, “Maggie, she needs to figure this out on her own. ”

“Do you know what she’s getting ready to do?”

No idea.

“Nope and I don’t know if I want to. She moved out. I told her I need space from her craziness.”

Maggie laughed and said, “Smart man. Doubt you’d be able to watch this shitshow. If you really don’t want me to tell you I won’t, but if she gets her way, you’ll find out.”

“Do you think I need a head’s up?” Surprises are not my thing lately.

“Probably,” she murmured.

“Ok, what is our very special girl up to?” I sat and listened without saying a word as Maggie told me everything Alex had planned. At least now I know who she was working on this with— it had to be Bruce. I couldn’t believe he would go along with something like this, but he trained fighters, and from what Jules said they all had a past— most of them worse than hers.

“Maggie, you’re right, that’s going to be a real shitshow. I really hope it goes her way.” I agreed as I tried to swallow the lump that now formed in my throat.

There was silence on the other line. “You…you’re not going to try and st..stop her?” She stammered.

I laughed through the frustration. “Seriously? You think anything I say to her will help? She lumps me in with the rest of the men who’ve jilted her.” Why does everyone think she’ll listen to me?

She was sobbing loudly now. “Sh..sh..she doesn’t but I understand wh..why you’d feel that way.” That’s when I caught a glimpse of her photos on the shelves in front of the sofa. Oh, dear God help her.

I met mom, dad, Harrison and Amelia at the steps of the church, and we walked in together. I took a deep breath right before I entered, promising every prayer was for Alex until I walked through those doors and realized I was there for me. The overwhelming sense of peace that enveloped me was so calming. I knew Alex was in good hands now and so was I. If only I could get her to church maybe she’d see that what she’s doing isn’t what she should be doing. I sat next to mom and put my elbows on my knees, clasping my hands together and bowed my head. I prayed for Alex to find the peace she so desperately needed. I prayed for God to protect her because I couldn’t. Then I prayed that God would guide me; that he would set me on the path I’m supposed to be on, with or without Alex. Mom put her hand on my back, and she left it wrapped around me when I finally picked my head up. I felt the weight of the world lifted from my shoulders. I was carrying way too much. I know I was going to have to see her on occasion with all the projects we had going on together, but I knew I could handle it now. It wouldn’t be easy seeing her but knowing that I’ve officially left it up to God will make it easier. I still think she’s special and is going to do great things. It just might not be with me and I’m okay with that. After church I texted her.

***

ALEX

No brunch Sunday. What am I going to do with my morning then? I guess I can get a jumpstart on the meetings for this week coming up. I can go to the grocery store, I definitely needed to do that. Maybe I’ll sit and read this ridiculous lawsuit again. No, better not do that, I needed to relax. Getting out of my head is what would be best. The gym is my go-to distractor.

Thankfully, the gym in my building wasn’t crowded. I even got to swim laps and had the sauna all to myself. It was so relaxing in the warm dry air— I felt a sense of peace wash over me. It reminded me of how I felt when I was wrapped in Roman’s arms. For once I’m glad he doesn’t have to deal with me anymore, though. I’m shocked it lasted that long. The feeling that overcame me was probably finally accepting Roman and I weren’t meant to be.

I checked my messages before I got in the shower. There was one text.

ROMAN: “I went to church this morning. I prayed for you.” I smiled knowing where that peace came from, now.

ME: “I think I knew.”

***

I was in Jack’s office at 9:00 am Monday morning to go over the countersuit.

“I managed to get a meeting with the judge for you to plead your case in his office rather than in a courtroom, since we all know it’s ridiculous.” I can’t believe it even made it out of the clerk’s office to be honest.

“When is that?”

He laughed and said, “He thinks the lawsuit is nuts and wants to throw it out immediately, so he’d like to see us all ASAP.” Hopefully the judge will let me talk.

“Does he have time right now?”

“He told me to bring you in as soon as you got here.”

That’s what I want before I’m too nervous to say what I needed to.

“Good, let’s get this over with.”

We got to the judge’s chambers and Jack whispered in my ear, “Tanner’s here too. I don’t want you losing it or doing what you did in that courtroom here.” I could feel my pulse in my eyes again just knowing he was nearby. I took a couple of deep breaths before I responded.

“I promise I’m only going to sit there and let you do the talking. Please ask him for everything I told you to.”

“The judge is going to want to talk to you. I want you to be respectful and not take an attitude with him. If you want things to go your way you have to ask nicely.”

I was biting my lip because I was just ready to rip this guy's head off, but I knew Jack was right and I had to make this happen before I could do that. I took another deep breath.

“I promise.” I balled my hands into fists to hold in the tension as much as I could.

“Then I promise to ask for everything you want.” He reached over and patted my shoulder before entering the judge's chamber.

The first person I saw when Jack opened the door was Tanner and Jack placed his hand on my lower back to guide me to the opposite side— furthest from Tanner.

The judge looked at us and said, “Mr. Fletcher, how are you today?”

Jack responded, “I’ve been better your Honor.” The judge laughed. I couldn’t even bring myself to react. I was concentrating too hard.

“I can imagine you have. These are some unorthodox matters before us.” He looked over at Tanner and his lawyer and continued, “Mr. Robino, did you really have your firm draw up this garbage?” I was kind of shocked the judge talked to them like that, but it was a bunch of garbage .

Then he continued before the other attorney could even respond. “I’m not even going to give this any consideration. I’m going to throw…”

I looked at Jack for help.

Jack interrupted the judge and said, “Excuse me your Honor. Before you do that, my client would like me to ask something on her behalf.” The judge looked at me curiously, but I could tell I had no expression on my face right now and would be hard as hell to read. All I was trying to do was hold in the anxiety I knew was trying to escape.

He cautiously asked, “What would that be Jack?”

First name basis, huh? Is that a good thing or a bad thing? It sounded like sympathy.

Jack continued but shook his head a little and proceeded to explain. “Your Honor, my client is concerned that Mr. Ellington is going to keep harassing her with lawsuits to try and bankrupt her. My office is not the cheapest in town. If she has to continually pay legal fees and court costs, just to get these thrown out, it could end up costing her a lot of time and money. She runs a very successful real estate business and is now starting a nonprofit to help people in underprivileged circumstances. She’s seeking a permanent solution to the problem.”

Jack is damn good at his job and a good friend to boot.

The judge asked intently, “What would a permanent solution to the problem be for her?”

Jack cracked his neck and let out a deep sigh before saying, “She would like to prove that the lawsuit is bogus and that there was no defamation.”

“And how the hell would she be able to prove that?” I liked the judge’s use of profanity like he was assuming what everyone was assuming, that I couldn’t do this and that it was nuts. I smiled and waited for Jack to continue. I love being underestimated .

He forced the words out, “Well, she would like to fight him.” His head dropped right after he said it.

The judge laughed and looked at me and said, “You’ve got to be kidding, right?”

I laughed a little and so did everyone else in the room.

I calmly stated, “No, your honor. It’s not a joke.” Jack reached over and put his hand on my arm as the room went silent.

Tanner blurted out, “Absolutely. The answer is yes.”

The judge glared at him and said, “You will speak when I speak to you. Do you understand me Mr. Ellington?”

He sneered, “Sure.”

The judge raised his voice without yelling, “The correct response is ‘Yes, your Honor.’ Not sure.”

I thought Tanner was going to growl at him when he huffed out an irritated, “Yes, your Honor.” I acted unfazed, even though I wanted to smile, but now I felt like the judge might be a little more sympathetic to me.

The judge looked at Jack and said, “Mr. Fletcher, this is highly unusual. Why would you even suggest such a thing to your client?”

Jack’s face pinched up in pain. He frustratedly explained, “Oh no your Honor, I didn’t, and I wouldn’t. You see Ms. Kennedy has been a family friend since she was eighteen years old. She’s like a sister to me and to my wife, and she’s the godmother to my child, soon to be children. We all did everything we could to talk her out of this. She threatened to go to another law firm, and I don’t trust my family with just anyone, so here we are.” My heart swelled but I held it together the best I could. I knew I was going to get my turn to talk, and I needed to be ready .

The judge looked at me and said, “Ms. Kennedy, do you know how lucky you are to have such good people in your life? Why would you want to do something like this?”

This is what I was hoping for. And of course, I know I have good people in my life or else I’d never be able to do this.

I looked over at Tanner, scrutinizing him from head to toe then turned back to face the judge. “Your Honor, I’m sorry for bringing this on everyone. Trust me, I know what I’ve done to people in this whole process. But men like Tanner can’t keep going around thinking there’s no consequences for their actions. I understand that the legal system only has so much authority and the law is what it is. I want Tanner and people like him to know that there’s people like me out there who aren’t going to allow this behavior. I want women to know they aren’t powerless to men like Tanner. If they want to fight back, they can.”

The judge looked at me and said, “You think getting into a ring with a man twice your size to prove you can hold your own is what women need to see?”

Hold my own? That is not my plan at all. I sat up straight and blew out a breath.

With a smile on my face I said, “No, your Honor. I’m not going to hold my own. I’m going to win. I’m going to prove that there was never a time where Mr. Ellington could’ve done to me what he did without drugging me. In return I want him to have a five year sentence with no chance of early release on top of all the things he was already assigned.”

I couldn’t get distracted so I didn’t even look in Tanner’s direction, but I could hear him chuckling and whispering to his attorney.

The judge said, “Where shall we have this little brawl, right here on Fountain Square? ”

I mean, I would but I don’t think that would be a good idea. Honestly, right here right now in this office is fine but I want him humiliated.

“No, your Honor. The gym where I take kickboxing classes and is also an MMA studio— they have a ring.”

The judge shook his head and said, “I can’t even believe I’m considering this. Mr. Ellington, how do you feel about what Ms. Kennedy is suggesting?”

I knew he would lose points if he said he wanted to do it. No real man wants to hit a woman, and no real man would go along with a man hitting a woman.

Tanner said, “What do I get if I win?”

The judge looked at me wondering the same thing, I’m sure.

“I’ll pay whatever restitution he’s asking for in this lawsuit.”

Tanner was now laughing hysterically.

He choked out, “You’d pay me two million dollars if I beat you up in that ring?”

I turned my head slowly in his direction and glared with the heat of the sun. “Absolutely.”

The judge seemed rather irritated with Tanner as well. “Okay, I’m going to sign this. How much time do you need to prepare for this Ms. Kennedy?”

“Honestly, I’m ready to go right now, but I think Saturday would be best so I can work this week. I have a lot going on with the relocation of an entire community thanks to Tanner and his brother Marcus.”

The judge asked, “The Representative from the Burrow Township district? ”

“Yes, your Honor. Marcus revoked a historical preservation assignment to make millions of dollars and didn’t care about the entire community he was displacing.” The judge shot Tanner a glaring look.

“Okay, Saturday at 10:00 am. That will give me time to get there.” I looked at Jack who was trying to be cool about this, but I could tell he wanted to get out of that room because he couldn’t believe this was going to happen. As soon as the judge signed the paper, he handed it to his clerk to get it filed and Jack and I went out to the hall to wait for a copy.

We went out to lunch and talked about what just happened and I told him I wanted this to be a circus.

He said, “I know you’re all pumped up about this, but do you really, in all honesty, think you can win?”

“Jack. I’m betting $2,000,000 that I can.”