“Ms. Blaire—”
“Is your promotion worth the suffering of a nine-year-old girl?”
Brad’s expression tightened. “It’s not about my promotion.”
“Then what is it?”
“Ms. Blaire.”
Unable to stop herself, though she knew she should shut the hell up, Cassie flung an arm at where Anna sat. “Look at her. She is a child. She doesn’t deserve to be dragged through this. Didn’t the message you received from Mr. Cooper clearly state he would bankrupt my client to see his demands met?”
Crimson color flooded Brad’s face. He straightened like someone shot a rod down his spine. “That was a personal communication, Cassie.”
“One you put directly in my hands!”
”Not as evidence, Cassie. Not as official documentation on this case.”
“Oh, come off it. You know Mr. Cooper is full of shit, and you’re going through with this anyway. Tell me it doesn’t relate to your damned promotion. Prove to me, and this Court, how it doesn’t.”
“Counselors!” Judge Larkin’s voice boomed through the courtroom.
Cassie snapped her mouth shut, but continued to hold Brad’s glare. Maybe she’d pulled a low punch by bringing up the letter he left on her nightstand, but she was sick and tired of Miles Cooper’s charade. And Brad’s ambivalence. Whether she understood his legal obligation or not, the entire thing was absurd.
“I will remove you both from this courtroom if you can’t control yourselves,” Judge Larkin warned. “And you, Ms. Blaire, will further watch your language.” He gestured between them, his scowl deepening. “I don’t know what’s between the both of you. But you will not act like children in my courtroom.”
He turned to Brad, his tone much lower. “Do I want to see this letter Ms. Blaire references?”
“No, Your Honor.”
His gaze narrowed sharply. “Perhaps I should rephrase the question. Do I need to see it, counselor?”
Brad took a deep breath, held it, then let it go audibly. Cassie curled her nails into her fists. She should have kept her damned mouth shut. Revealing that he’d shared that letter could land them both in a passel of trouble. It was confidential correspondence between client and attorney.
“No, Judge,” Brad answered, shaking his head. “It was a personal correspondence. If you would strike mention of it, I would appreciate that.”
“I’ll take it into consideration.” The aging man rubbed the bald spot on the top of his head, then adjusted his glasses before tapping the document he held in one hand. “This strikes me as a bunch of malarkey, if you want my honest thoughts. But I can’t let that inclination ride given the very sound logic Mr. Steele presented. If there is a chance, then more discovery is warranted.”
Beside Cassie, Jennifer let out a sob. She reached for her client’s hand, squeezed it in reassurance, even as her own throat constricted.
Judge Larkin pulled off his wire-rimmed glasses and folded them closed. “Mrs. Cooper, I understand your concern for Anna. But I’m simply afraid I don’t have a choice here. May I ask you a question directly?”
Jennifer cast a curious look Cassie’s way. She nodded, giving her client consent. “It’s fine. This is just a preliminary hearing.”
“Y-yes, Your Honor,” Jennifer answered, fighting through a tremor in her voice.
“If it were discovered that your brother indeed engaged in inappropriate sexual contact with Anna, how would you respond?”
Cassie blinked at the same time the color rushed from Jennifer’s face. She’d spent enough time in Judge Larker’s courtroom to understand he was leaning in their favor. However Jennifer responded would influence his decision heavily. And if she responded the way Cassie presumed she would, Brad was about to go home to New York licking wounds.
“That’s easy, Your Honor. My brother and I are not close. The only contact I have with him is at Christmastime, and then only because he likes to ski.” Jennifer let out an uncomfortable chuckle. “We hardly see him, and certainly don’t have family time. I wouldn’t allow him inside my house if he was a predator. I wouldn’t hesitate to lock him out. Anna is my world.”