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“I love you too.”

The steady hum of the conversation in the courtroom hushed in an instant as the judge stepped out of a back room and walked behind the desk. It wasn’t as stately as the high seats she’d seen on TV, but it was at the head of the room.

Everyone stood, and Remi waved at the kids to do the same. They scrambled to put the writing pad and pencil behind them as they got to their feet.

The judge waved a hand, and Camille nodded for them to sit. The formalities of the judicial system were a mystery to Remi, but thankfully, Camille stopped to explain things as often as necessary.

The heavy wooden door of the courtroom squeaked, and Remi turned around. The man in the sand suit was heading toward the entrance, but someone slipped in just before he could close the door.

Remi grabbed Colt’s sleeve as the pounding in her ears grew into a roar. Tasha strutted straight past the man as he began speaking to her. She didn’t slow down or give him a shred of attention.

Colt pushed his chair back and stood, blocking Remi’s view of the woman she’d hoped to never see again. Remi’s grip tightened on Colt’s arm as Tasha walked straight up to the judge’s desk.

“Your Honor, this is a closed hearing,” Camille said as she stood to her feet.

While Camille looked completely unfazed, Remi’s panic skyrocketed, leaving her with chest pain and blurry vision.

Abby patted Remi’s shoulder. “That’s the woman!”

“I know, sweetie,” she whispered back. Her own words sounded muffled as she kept her gaze on Tasha. She wore light-wash jeans, an off-white baggy sweater, and tennis shoes that had seen better days. Her brown hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail, but she held her chin high as she halted in front of the judge’s desk. A police officer was already making his way toward her.

“Judge, those kids are my sister’s, and that man isn’t fit to take care of them.” She pointed behind her at the table where Remi and Colt sat with the kids and Camille. Tasha’s speech had a lazy twang and the words were drawn out too long. Abby was easier to understand in most cases.

“Who are you?” the judge asked.

“Tasha White,” she spat back.

“This is my courtroom, and you are speaking out of turn.”

The police officer inched closer to her, ready to move at the judge’s order.

“If you had objection to the matters involved in this hearing, you should have filed a motion in my court,” the judge said. “If you are a named party or a family relation, you can have a seat. Otherwise, leave.”

Tasha crossed her arms. “I am a family member, and–”

The judge stood in a flash, and Remi jolted. His peaceful expression from a few minutes ago was gone, replaced by a reddening anger.

“Leave this courtroom. You have no business here, and you’re hindering the judicial process.”

“I have every right to be here, and I won’t leave because–”

The judge gave the officer a nod. “You will leave. I won’t have this in my courtroom.”

Tasha jerked her arm away from the officer. “He hit me! He tried to strangle me! He tried to kill me!” she yelled and pointed at Colt.

Remi’s mouth opened as the anger brewing inside her threatened to boil over, but Camille reached across Abby to grip Remi’s shoulder with a firm hand.

The judge rested his hands on the desk and leaned forward. “This isn’t criminal court, and we have rules and appointments for a reason.” He waved his hand at the officer. “Get her out of here.”

The officer wrapped his hand around Tasha’s upper arm, but she pulled back. Another officer ran into the courtroom just as she swung her elbow at the officer trying to restrain her. She barely missed the man’s head, and the second officer didn’t hesitate to tackle her to the ground.

Remi stood, scooting the wooden legs of her chair against the tile floor, and grabbed for Abby. Tasha and the officers rolled on the floor, moving closer and closer to Remi, Colt, Camille, and the kids.

Amidst shouts and thuds, Remi and Colt moved the kids back. Remi held Abby to her chest, hoping to block out some of what was going on. The last thing the kids needed to see were supposed adults fighting, especially with law enforcement officers.

It was still hard to believe Tasha had strolled into the courtroom with confidence and confronted the judge. Maybe she hadn’t gotten word about the warrant out for her arrest after what happened back in Blackwater, or maybe this was her last-ditch effort in her attempts to get custody of the kids and the trust that came with that role.

Remi had never had money, but she was seeing with her own eyes that people would do desperate things for a dollar. She clung to Abby and kept an eye on Tasha as she resisted arrest.