Time for breakfast. I need to get back into training today. Marcellus is out there somewhere right now training just as hard as I am. He wants the belt in the way I want it. This is going to be a fucking war.
* * *
The meeting with the lawyer goes as well as can be expected. We’re ushered into the office and after all the polite pleasantries are exchanged we pass over all the pictures Grace has in the folder.
The lawyer looks uncomfortable as she shuffles through each one.
“This really is an invasion of privacy,” she sighs. “But right now it isn’t something we can go to court with.”
She makes a quoting motion with her hands and says, “Having you followed, isn’t really against the law. He is doing it in an ‘effort’ to ensure the safety of his daughter, or least that is what he will tell the court.”
“But that’s crap, he is obviously doing this in order to scare Grace into doing what he wants.”
Shaking her head, she says, “More than likely yes, but all he would need to do is ask for proof of anything he said to her.”
Grace sits back, stunned. “But I wouldn’t lie.”
“And I haven’t said you would. He sure will though.”
We sit back in our seats. I feel dejected but I know we are still in a better position than Grace was fearing.
“What about his threats of taking us to court over custody rights?”
The lawyer nods and explains, “He can take you to court at any time, and if I’m being completely honest, in cases like this you always want to avoid going to court if possible. It can get very messy. You don’t want a judge sticking their nose in this. It could turn out differently than either of you expect.”
Grace sighs sadly and I reach over, squeezing her hand in comfort.
“So what do you advise we do?” I ask, feeling like all of this is just bullshit.
“Abide by the original custody agreement and begin documenting everything he does. Keep records and proof of any times he violates his end of the agreement. Especially keep records and document any threats he makes, and immedia
tely report them to me. If at any time we feel he is a legitimate threat to either Grace or Hope, we can start a process with law enforcement. That will go a long way if it comes to defending your custody or seeking to modify his.”
There’s this long, cold silence as we let this sink in. Taking in our worried faces, the lawyer sighs and scoots closer to Grace.
“Grace, you are a good mother who has a steady income and a stable home environment. Hope loves you and is happy. That goes a long way with judges. Carson would have to find egregious issues to get anything changed.”
Grace nods and I give her hand another squeeze.
“While we don’t want to take that risk if we don’t have to, I personally feel if he does try to remove your custody he will fail. He is using scare tactics because he thinks you are weak.”
Both of us nod our heads. We wished for more, I know, but right now I think we are both reassured as much as we can be.
I may not have a legal right in what happens to Hope, but I sure as fuck will do everything in my power to ensure that she is safe and happy. She is going to be my daughter soon enough when I marry her mom.
Fuck, Carson.
Going through the courts might not be our best option but that really hasn’t changed anything. Grace has the best defense legal defense money can buy now if it comes to it. And out of the courtroom, she and Hope have me.
Carson has been using his money as a way to influence what Grace does out of fear. That has ended. I want to see that fuck try something, anything.
* * *
“Jab, jab and then haymaker,” Dale shouts to me as I go through the motions with Alexander. He’s a fast fucking guy. Brett will step in next to help me go through my leg drills, but right now Alexander is moving around the ring to help me speed up my foot work as well as my charging and retreating.
Alexander is a middleweight guy who stepped into one of our trainer/fighter spots last year as he came off a shoulder injury. He was floating around the middleweight class awhile before they started to push his limits with some tough fights. He rose to the challenge and he is getting close as hell to a title shot himself.
I rush Alexander across the cage as I keep swinging. I’m not going full speed or strength but I notice the fucker who’s weighs eighty pounds less than me is not backing up one inch. Guy has balls of steel; he is going to make a great champion when he gets the shot.