“There has to be something we can do,” Simon said.
“If we don’t have anything new to bring up at the next hearing, the judge could easily make his ruling this Friday,” Aaron said. “The truth is, we’re running out of options.”
“So, I should just give up my son?” she cried. “Just let Gary take him from me forever?”
“I’m not saying give up,” her lawyer said gently. “We might have to retreat for now. Accept Gary having Finn and then maybe revisit this in a year or two.”
“No.” Air squeezed out of her lungs. “I’m not accepting this. I’m not giving up my son for a single day. No. I have to fix this.” Almost delirious with fear and grief, she got to her feet. She had no idea where she was going to go, or what she was going to do, but she wasn’t going to let anyone take Finn from her. “We can run away. Me and Finn.”
“What?” Simon got up and curled his fingers around her shoulders. “You can’t do that. Heather, that’s kidnapping.”
“I have to fix this.” Another sob wrenched from her and she collapsed against Simon, too shaken to stand on her own now.
“Aaron, there has to be a way,” Simon said as he held her tightly. “I don’t care what underhanded tactics you have to use now. Stop Gary.”
“There might be dirt at his residence,” Aaron said. “It’s the one place the investigator didn’t have access to because Gary rarely leaves long enough.”
“So, that’s it?” Simon demanded. “We can’t get into his house, so we let him win?”
“The truth is, Simon, there might not be any dirt to get,” Aaron said. “I believe there is something, because we can’t explain how he makes child support payments without a job. But if we’re wrong, risking breaking into his house might not solve anything. How would we even get him out of the house long enough?”
“The court hearing,” Simon said. “He’ll be out of his house for hours during Friday’s hearing.”
“You want us to break into Gary’s house while the court hearing is going on?” Aaron sounded taken aback. “That’s crazy. Do you have any idea what kind of risk we’d be taking?”
“Then let me take the risk with you,” Simon said. “Send your investigator to Gary’s house and I can go with him. Act as a lookout. Let me incur the risk along with your law firm.”
She pulled away from him, no longer able to listen to their insane conversation in silence. “Simon, you could get arrested. Dover couldn’t withstand bad news like that. Not after a board member’s arrest.”
“It’s a risk I’m willing to take for you,” he said in a dark tone that made her tremble. The expression on his face hardened, and she knew in her heart that there was nothing she could say that would sway him.
Heather had done everything she could to make sure Simon didn’t get tangled up in her family drama, but now he was about to pay the ultimate price. Dover would be destroyed if word got out that its CEO had broken into his girlfriend’s ex-husband’s house. There was no spinning that kind of scandal.
“I won’t ask you to do that,” she said.
He cupped her face in his hands, his intense gaze piercing right through her down to her very soul. “I’m doing it. For you and for Finn. I don’t care what happens to me. You’re all that matters.”
She took a step back from him, too overwhelmed by his barely-contained fury to withstand his touch. His anger was so palpable she could actually feel it. Gary had managed to push them all so far over the edge that Simon was really going to go through with this. Risk his life’s work to save her son. It should have comforted her, but she was terrified. Terrified that Simon would do anything to protect her and Finn. The way any father would protect his family.
Simon focused his attention on her lawyer. “Let your investigator know that I’ll be ready to go with him this Friday.”
“In that case, I’ll have no choice but to try to stall proceedings during the hearing,” Aaron said grimly. “I hope the judge doesn’t realize I’m slowing things down on purpose, because if he does he’ll hold us all in contempt of court.”