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Riot held my gaze for several seconds before focusing back on my son and Doug.

There was something in his gaze that told me I was in so much trouble, but it felt different.

He was angry with me, yes. But there was no malice in his anger.

Kind of like when your dad caught you sneaking out of the house to go see your boyfriend.

He was always mad, but you knew you weren’t in any real danger.

You just hated disappointing him because you were a daddy’s girl.

There was absolutely no reason for me to believe Riot wasn’t just as violent, or more so, as Doug.

I was certain he could be if he wanted to be.

But that anger wasn’t directed at me. It was directed at Doug.

“What happened then, Mr. Caleb?” Judge Whitmore prompted Caleb to continue when he paused for too long.

Caleb blinked several times as if pulling himself back into the moment.

“Then he turned on me. He didn’t hit me.

He tried to get me to…” He trailed off, his angry gaze so filled with accusation and loathing I was worried the judge would see into Caleb’s very heart and know the boy was capable of killing Doug.

Then Caleb cleared his throat. “He tried to get me to help him punish my mom for… something. I don’t remember.

” Caleb turned to the judge. “I would never, ever hurt my mother, Your Honor. For any reason.”

“Of course you wouldn’t. Then what happened, Mr. Caleb?”

“He was angry, but he left. He stormed out of the house and took off. I made Mom pack a bag and we left. Mom was too hurt to drive so I called…” Caleb trailed off, clearing his throat before starting again.

“I called a friend who sent Ms. Thompson to pick us up.” I could see the tension in him.

Caleb was choosing his words carefully, not wanting to reveal anything that could possibly get someone else in trouble with Doug.

He was a powerful man in the city, and his reach was long.

“I see.” Judge Whitmore looked from Doug to Caleb and back.

I was sure the other woman could feel the tension from both father and son.

It was something that had been building for months.

Caleb hadn’t known everything, but he’d known something was wrong, and whatever it was centered around his father.

“Your Honor, we would like to know who this person is so we can question them ourselves.”

“As I’ve already told you, Mr. Todd, this is a hearing. Not a trial. There are no charges being filed, only a hearing on the appropriateness of emergency custody of your client’s son. You are not entitled to anything at present.”

“Again, I would like to note my objection for future appeals.”

“I’ve had enough. Either you’re too stupid to understand, or just a petty, mean-spirited person who believes he’s above the law. Either way, I’m finding you in contempt of court. You were warned multiple times and refused to change your attitude so here you are.”

“I’ll take care of the fine before I leave, Your Honor.” Mr. Todd’s smile was filled with as much contempt as the charge. But so was Judge Whitmore’s.

“Oh, I don’t think you quite understand, Mr. Todd.

You’ll most certainly pay a fine, but that’s not the extent of your punishment.

You’ll also spend one hundred eighty-six hours in jail that I will not allow to be commuted to house arrest. I’m sure at some point you’ll call someone who can make this all go away for you, but until that time, I hope you’ll use your stay in the county’s correctional facility to reflect on your behavior today and contemplate how you could have handled things with me differently.

I’d also suggest you think about how you treat others, Mr. Todd.

” She turned to Caleb. “Now, Mr. Caleb, do you want to stay with your mother?”

“I do, Your Honor. I don’t want anything to do with my father ever again.”

“All right then. I believe you’re an intelligent, articulate young man and are more than capable of deciding who you want to stay with.”

“I don’t want to ever have to go back with him, Your Honor.”

“That’s between you and your mother. I’m not putting restrictions on you being able to contact your father if you wish.

Assuming divorce proceedings are eventually finalized, custody will be determined at a later date.

I have every confidence your wishes will be heavily considered at the appropriate time, Mr. Caleb. ”

“Will you make it so he can’t call us? I don’t want him bothering my mom, and I have my own phone.”

Judge Whitmore studied both Doug and Caleb for a long moment before responding.

“I think that in this situation, I’m going to grant your request, Mr. Caleb.

You’re not to contact your son or your wife for any reason, Mr. Doug.

If there is an emergency, you will go through nine-one-one and let the authorities contact her.

Failure to follow these conditions will result in a contempt charge and land you next to your lawyer in county.

” She addressed Lana. “Ms. Thompson, is there anything more you wish to discuss?”

“Not at this time, Your Honor. Thank you.” Lana’s tone was soft and respectful.

It was obvious she had seen this scenario playing out in advance, assuming her side of the table minded their manners.

I thought we’d done a fantastic job. I suppose now it was time to reap the benefits of our restraint.

“Mr. Devereaux.” Judge Whitmore inclined her head. “Might I have a private word with you?”

Riot looked from Caleb to me, then to Lana. “Keep them here and stay with them. Do not let them out of your sight.”

Lana raised an eyebrow. “Please,” she said mildly.

“Thank you,” Riot said, turning to follow the judge to her chambers, but Judge Whitmore crossed her arms over her chest and stared him down.

Riot gave a disgruntled sigh before turning back to Lana. “What I meant was, will you please keep Violet and Caleb company until Judge Whitmore is finished with me?”

Lana’s lips twitched, but she nodded her head with a serious expression on her face. “Absolutely, I’ll keep them company, Riot. Violet and Caleb are two of my favorite people.” She gave Riot a death stare. The message was clear. Fuck with Violet and Caleb at his own risk.

“I appreciate you taking the extra time out of court, Lana. Thank you.” Riot gave her a slight nod before turning back to Judge Whitmore. “Better?”

She gave a curt nod. “Better, young man.” Then she led him to her chambers and shut the door.

I sat forward, putting my elbows on the table and my head in my hands.

I wanted to get away from Doug. I wanted Caleb away from him too.

Right now, the deputies were handcuffing Mr. Todd to take him away.

I knew Doug would have someone on this the second he got outside.

I didn’t want to make eye contact, so I sat passively and tried to ignore everyone around me.

“Hey, you OK?” Lana rubbed her hand up and down my back, trying to soothe me.

“Yeah. I just want to get out of here and lock me and Caleb in our room for a day and a half. Just forget everything.”

“Mom, you know he’s not going to leave us alone. Right?”

I sighed, reaching up to stroke his face with my hand.

He was getting peach fuzz on his cheeks.

He tried to keep it shaved off, but he’d missed a spot this morning.

“That’s not for you to worry about, OK? I’ll figure something out.

Just be aware and protect yourself. I’ll protect you too. We’ve got each other’s backs, yeah?”

“Always, Mom.” He looked uncomfortable. “Look, I’m not saying I trust him just yet. But maybe we could ask Riot to hang out with us for a couple of days? Just until things blow over.”

“That’s a very good idea, Caleb.” Lana leaned against the table next to me.

“Riot’s a solid guy. I wouldn’t lie to you about that for any reason.

Yes, he’s on parole. Maybe he’ll feel comfortable telling you what happened.

But trust me when I tell you he didn’t do anything someone in his position wouldn’t have wanted to do themselves. ”

Caleb sighed. “Maybe I was wrong and it’s not a good idea to hang out with the ex-con.”

“Caleb, honey.” Lana gave him a stern look.

“When you hear his story -- and I don’t see a scenario where he doesn’t tell you his story at some point -- you’ll not only understand, but you’ll also remember what you said just now and realize you were wrong to judge him without knowing all the facts.

Riot is exactly the person you want protecting your mother and you from a man like Doug Harrington. ”

Caleb hung his head. “I’m sorry. You’re right. I shouldn’t judge. That was wrong.”

“Christ.” Lana shook her head. “Are you sure that kid has Doug Harrington’s DNA?”

“Very sure. Though, I agree admitting he’s wrong is not something Doug does easily.”

Caleb snorted. “Or at all, really.”

That got a small laugh from me. Or it might have been a sob. Either way, Caleb pulled me into his skinny arms and held me tight.

“It’s gonna be OK, Mom. It’s gonna be OK.”