Top Dog

“Yes, but father trumps uncle almost 100% of the time.”

I sat back in my chair and sighed.

“You say he’s already filed paperwork?” I asked.

“Yes. And we’ll have to file something soon. Otherwise, people are going to come looking for Lanie.”

“Over my dead body,” I said on the verge of losing it.

“The only thing I can tell you is to make your life as spotless as possible. Take pictures of your home. Of where you live. Of the places you frequent that Lanie enjoys. Paint your life as cheerfully as possible. Prove that she’s safe with you. Then, we go from there and try to swat at the grenades this man throws at us.”

“That's really all you have for me?” I asked.

“Until we can get proof that this man’s an unfit human being? Yes.”

I pulled out my wallet and threw some money onto the table. I wasn’t hungry, and I didn’t feel like staying to chat. I was angry, and I was frustrated, but more than that I was scared. By the way my lawyer was talking, this man actually stood a chance of taking Lanie away from me. And then what? If he was willing to go all that way to try and get money from me and I refused to pay, what would he do? Would he actually raise Lanie once he was stuck with her, or would he simply abandon her again, like he’d done her whole damn life?”

I started back up the mountain, and my mind was blank. I was at a loss for what to do. I was a sitting duck, and for the first time in a very long time, I didn’t know how to protect us. I had built an empire in the security business, and I had no idea how to protect Lanie from this. I had no idea how to keep her safe from the shitshow her asshole of a father was trying to start.

The only thing I could think of doing was so preposterous even I couldn’t wrap my head around it.

I walked through the door of the cabin and found Lanie and Amanda in front of a movie. Lanie was asleep on Amanda’s shoulder, and Amanda was holding her close. She turned to look at me and could tell something was wrong. I watched her face fall. She got up, tucking Lanie in on the couch before she walked toward me.

“Brian?” she asked. “What happened?”

“Could we talk?” I asked.

She nodded, then I held out my hand for hers. I led her back into my room before I shut the door, then proceeded to sit on the bed next to her. I still couldn’t believe I was about to ask her what I was, but I was desperate. I was willing to do anything to keep Lanie with me. To keep her from being given to a man who had an ulterior motive that had nothing to do with that beautiful little girl. I could feel Amanda’s eyes on the side of my face as I sat down next to her, and she took my hand and squeezed it comfortingly.

“Brian, you’re scaring me. What happened at the meeting?”

“It’s bad,” I said.

“How is that possible?” she asked.

“He’s filed paperwork painting himself as the perfect father. A clean home. Sober. Married.”

“He’s married?” she asked.

“Yeah. And apparently, judges don’t like ruling in favor of single parents when it comes to stuff like this.”

“But you’re her uncle. You’ve been raising her, and he’s never been involved, right?” she asked.

“It doesn’t matter. He’s still her biological father.”

“That’s bullshit,” she said.

I could hear the frustration in her voice as I panned my head over to her.

“There has to be something your lawyer can do,” she said.

“He’s trying his best, and the PI is digging into Bob’s life to expose the truth. But until I can find something to use against him in court, I have to paint myself and my home as the perfect place for Lanie to be.”

“Is there anything I can do t

o help with that?” she asked.

That was the phrase I was hoping she would ask.