Текст книги "Surge "

Автор книги: Sloan Storm

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Текущая страница: 13 (всего у книги 15 страниц)

I leaned back, laughing.

“Patience,” I began, refocusing on the road in front of me. “There’s a long way to go yet.”

A few seconds later, Darren interrupted us.

“Let’s get you in here, Dyson.”

I frowned. “What are you talking about? I’m not due to come in yet.”

The radio buzzed in my ear again.

“I’ve been running some numbers here. If we take a chance now, get you in, we can work on that oversteer enough to get you through the finish.”

I shook my head. “No way. I’ll never make it. I won’t have enough fuel.”

“You’re losing a bunch of it because of the oversteer anyway, Dyson. It won’t make a huge difference but it might be enough to keep you close to Gunter at the end.”

He had a point.

“Okay, when should I come in?”

“Eleven laps.”

When the time came, I pulled in and glanced in the direction of the observation tower. I saw Ava standing there. I was going to be there for at least a minute so I called her over the radio.

“Did you see Dieter?” I asked.

Ava hesitated for a moment. “Y-Yes, I did. How did you know about that?”

“I know about everything that happens with my team.”

“Oh really,” she replied. “Do I have you to thank for that?”

“No,” I said, glancing up towards her. “You earned that. You’re one of us.”

In my ear piece, I heard the sound of a hard swallow.

“Thank you for saying that, Dyson.”

“Of course. Oh I almost forgot to ask. Did Dieter tell you about your other surprise?”

“Maybe.”

Just then, I felt the reassuring thump of tires striking the ground beneath me. Getting the thumbs-up from my crew, I accelerated out of the pits.

“Good, we’ll have something to celebrate over, after I win.”

Ava giggled, sending vibrations into my ear piece and through my body, straight to my crotch.

“I’m looking forward to it,” she said.

Ten laps later, the adjustments we made helped, but not by a lot. I was still fighting the oversteer, but I felt like if I could just get out of traffic and into some open air, I’d have a shot. There was only one way to do it, though. And no one was going to like it, least of all Darren.

With only five laps to go, I began to take chances that I knew would piss him off. I used ridiculously low lines and did everything I could to minimize the drift coming into the turns, especially turn one off the straightaway, the worst of them all.

The laps ticked off, one by one. I was making steady progress, but still in third. Gunter was almost five car lengths ahead of me. Coming into the home straightaway, I took a chance and passed the car right in front of me on the high side. Luckily, the risk paid off, and as I hit the corner at the end of the straightaway, I stayed clear of him.

Darren went ballistic.

“Dyson!” he screamed. “What the fuck was that! You could have just as easily…”

“Shut up man!” I yelled in return. “One more word, and I swear to Christ I’ll turn this radio off.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Darren fired back, “Don’t threaten me like that. If you don’t…”

I’d had enough.

I turned the radio off before another sound entered my ear. Dead ahead, only a couple of car lengths away, was Gunter. I managed to close the gap, and as we rounded the turn into the home straightaway, I took the low line and passed him.

Ripping by the grandstands, I heard the roar of the crowd over the wailing of the engine. The hair on the back of my neck stood up as I took the lead with one lap to go.

However, as the car entered turn one, it got loose.

Nothing about the way it had acted the entire day prepared me for how it behaved. I managed to steer out of trouble and keep my lead ahead of Gunter. As we worked our way around the back side of the course, I wondered what Darren must have been thinking. It was nice to not have him screaming in my ear for a change.

Now, distraction free, I was able to focus on the road ahead. And, as we came into the final third of the course, it became obvious how much concentration I’d need. Just ahead, we were about to hit traffic as we caught up to cars not on the lead lap.

In the distance, I heard a loud groan from the huge crowd. I gripped the steering wheel. Something wasn’t right. There was no reason for that kind of reaction this far out from the grandstands. And then, while coming over a rise, I saw the reason for the sound come into view.

A massive pileup, heading into the last turn before the straightaway, choked the road ahead with dark billows of smoke.

Shit.

Somehow I had to get through it and come out the other side unscathed, in case we finished under caution. Approaching the scene, I noticed debris everywhere. There was no sense in trying to avoid it piecemeal. On pure instinct, I accelerated, and drove into the darkness of the pileup. But as soon as I entered the blackness, I lost traction and started to slide.

Oil.

Gunter followed right behind me, and unless I could somehow straighten my slide, he would likely make it through and win the race. I did everything I could to steer through, and as we emerged into the sunlight once again, I noticed Gunter in my mirror.

The lingering smell of fire and fuel burned my nose and eyes, causing them to water. The last turn leading into the home straightaway was dead ahead. With oil-slick tires and battling oversteer, I downshifted as aggressively as possible, avoiding the brakes at all costs.

I hit the turn, and as I did, I lost the back end. It kissed the wall.

Gunter appeared in my peripheral vision to my left. At the last instant, I accelerated out of the turn, straightening it and pulling even with him.

Together, side-by-side, we roared down the home straightaway.

In the distance, I could see the checkered flag waving, the officials apparently deciding to forgo the caution.

I had nothing left—the car was at its limit.

If Gunter edged past me now, there would’ve been nothing I could do about it. The grandstands went by in my peripheral vision, a blur of color and chaos.

Just ahead, the finish line…

AVA

I made my way through the crush of people in the aftermath of the race. I didn’t think it was possible to put this many people in such a small space at once. Chest to chest, toe to toe, we inched along like a horde of insects.

Even though I’d been around the racing circuit for a couple of months now, I didn’t see a single face I recognized for at least ten minutes. In fact, it wasn’t until I felt someone grab me from behind that the first people I recognized appeared in front of me.

Anastasia and Svetlana. Really?

While people streamed past us in every direction, Anastasia stepped towards me.

“You think you win?” she began, glaring at me. “You fool.”

Before she could say another word, Svetlana spoke.

“Dyson, he love many women. Soon you will be gone.”

In all honesty, I’d forgotten about the Grid Girls.

Although I’d been surprised by their appearance in Dyson’s motor coach in Los Angeles, he hadn’t given me any reason to doubt him afterward. Even so, there was a small part of me, like a tiny ember in a fire not fully extinguished, which forced me to listen to them in spite of their ridiculous behavior.

“So what?” I began, stepping towards them and invading their personal space for the first time ever. “Am I just supposed to take your word for it? What do you think? Because you’re beautiful and men fall all over themselves to be around you—that every man is the same?”

Passersby took notice of my aggressiveness. While they didn’t stop, people in the immediate vicinity slowed down and watched with interest. The two girls glanced at one another in the first display of doubt I’d ever seen from them.

“I don’t care whether you happen to be right or not,” I began, edging closer to them. “If you don’t stop harassing me, I can promise you will regret it.”

Just then, a man’s voice I didn’t recognize offered his opinion from the throng of passersby, “Catfight!”

I straightened my spine and stared at them. If they wanted to fight, then I was ready.

“Well?” I said, daring them to say or do anything.

As before, they remained silent but glanced at each other for a split second. The next thing I knew, they began to back away from me. Something inside just told me to let them go, not pursue.

Nevertheless, I watched them.

Svetlana pointed at me. “Dyson never love you. Ever.”

Seconds later, they vanished into the crowd. I shook my head and turned, continuing in the direction I’d been on before they interrupted me. Following the signs and the excitement, I eventually wound up at my destination – the winner’s circle.

Pushing through the sea of bodies, I emerged, and after briefly being stopped by security, I continued on to join the celebration with the team. With his victory, Dyson had a real shot at winning the overall championship from Gunter. At the center of the celebration, I noticed Dyson, trading high-fives and hugs with everyone, even Darren.

I stood there for a few minutes just admiring the camaraderie, glad to be included in such a happy event. It wasn’t long before Dyson’s eyes met mine. He froze in place, raising his arms above his head. Over the next few seconds, he silenced everyone in the immediate area and gestured for me to approach.

Not exactly thrilled about being the center of attention, I walked with my head down, only glancing up on occasion to smile at faces I recognized along the way. Soon enough, nothing stood between Dyson and me. He straightened his arm, extending his hand in my direction.

I took it, moving closer to him amid a smattering of applause.

Before I could say anything, Dyson pulled me towards him. His scent was something I’d come to love, just like him. It was an indescribable mix of fuel and sweat and danger. I barely had a chance to slide my tongue across my lips before he pressed his mouth against mine. He held me close, squeezing me in a hard embrace, consuming me the entire time.

The crowd around us fell completely silent. At last, he broke his mouth free from mine. My eyes fluttered open. He smiled down at me.

“Did you already forget?” he asked.

My awareness still under the influence of a sudden haze of lust, I looked up at him, confused.

“Forget about what?”

Dyson chuckled at me, turning and gesturing towards his car.

“Here,” he began, pointing towards it. “Come look.”

Uncertain, I looked at him in silence.

“It’s okay,” he said, motioning for me to continue in his direction. “I promise. You’ll like it.”

Trusting him, I did as he asked and within a couple of seconds stood by his side. After I’d walked towards him, the crowd of people closed in around us. Dyson smiled at me.

He slid his arm around my shoulder, pulled me close and we moved towards his car. Once we stood no more than a foot away, Dyson pointed towards the front of it. I followed the line of his arm with my eyes, gasping when it came into view.

“Surprise,” he said.

To my disbelief, the name ‘Bella’ stretched across the nose of the car. I looked down at the letters and raised my hands to my face, covering my mouth. Within seconds, tears streamed from my eyes and cascaded down my fingertips. I stood there for I don’t know how long, shaking my head and staring at the name.

“I dedicated it to her,” Dyson began. “I hope you don’t mind.”

Overcome, I turned towards him. I had no words to communicate the way I felt inside. For him to think of me, my sister, and Simon in that way touched me in a way that no man, or for that matter any person, ever had.

Sobbing, I reached up for him.

Dyson embraced me, pulling me close and leaning in towards my ear.

“Are you happy, baby? Are you happy?”

I nodded, nuzzling against him, still overcome with feelings of sadness and gratitude mixed into one. We lingered there, in the midst of several hundred people who looked on in silence. Eventually, we separated and the surreal nature of it all started to sink into my awareness.

“I got this,” Dyson began, turning and facing the crowd of people. He raised his arms above his head once again. “Everyone! Everyone! We are having a huge party at the hotel. Everything is on me. Whatever you want, I got you!”

When he finished speaking, a huge roar erupted. In less than a minute, the crowd started to disperse, streaming away from us in all directions.

Well-wishers paused on their way out and congratulated Dyson once again. He spent the better part of fifteen or twenty minutes thanking fans and supporters for standing by him during the past few months.

After he finished, Dyson hugged me close once again.

“We need to get going to the party,” he began. “All the guys are there waiting for us. Marco, Dieter, Darren, and the rest of the team.”

Looking up at him I smiled and said, “Okay, can I have a second?”

Dyson frowned at me, confusion stretched across his brow.

“Sure,” he said. “Whatever you want. Is everything okay?”

I nodded. “It’s better than okay. It’s incredible.”

I reached up, hugged him and kissed him on the cheek. Caressing the spot with my fingers I touched his face briefly before turning away and looking at the hood of his car once again.

Kneeling next to it, I extended my hand towards the lettering spelling out my sister’s name. I couldn’t explain it, but in that moment I felt closer to her spirit in the aftermath of a car race than I did visiting her gravesite. I touched the letters with my fingers, dragging the tips along the raised markings. I said a silent prayer to her memory. Although we were different people, we were the same family, and I loved her and missed her very much.

“Bella,” I began, draping my palm across most of her name. “I don’t know whether you can hear me or not. But, I want you to know that Simon—he’s a wonderful boy. He’s bright and caring, and I love him more than anything in this world. I want you to know that I’ll always do whatever I can to protect him and give him the life that I think you would have wanted for him.”

Another surge of emotion pulsed through me. I glanced up in Dyson’s direction. He’d been talking to reporters, but when I looked up at him, he stopped.

“What is it?” he asked. “Is everything all right?”

I nodded. “Yes, everything is fine.”

I looked away from him and back towards the letters spelling out my sister’s name.

“Someday, Bella, all of us will be together again,” I began, swallowing hard and trying to keep my emotions at bay for a few seconds longer. “But until that time comes, I want you to know that I will always love you and that your son will always be proud to have you as his mother.”

With that, I moved my fingers towards my lips, kissing them. I stood, reaching towards her name one last time and pressing my hand against it. Afterward, I turned and looked towards Dyson.

Smiling at me, he said, “Are you ready? Everyone’s waiting for you.”

I nodded at him and smiled in return.

“Yes, more than ever.”

AVA

Dyson had a room in the hotel where the team held their after party. It was close to midnight by the time we made our way to it.

By then, I was completely exhausted and hardly able to keep my eyes open. We entered the room, and I immediately headed towards the king-sized bed in the center, flopping my body backward on top of it. Dyson followed behind me, walking through the door and laughing after seeing me spread out on top of the bed.

“Too much excitement for you today, Ava?”

I rolled my head to one side and glanced up at him, just in time to see him peeling off his T-shirt.

“I’m going to grab a quick shower,” he began, tossing his shirt aside. “Care to join me?”

“Only if you want to hold me up the entire time.”

He chuckled and turned away from me, stripping off his clothes while walking towards the bathroom.

“Get some rest, sleeping beauty.”

He vanished from sight, closing the bathroom door behind him. A few seconds later I heard the sound of the water hiss from the showerhead. I rolled my head once again, staring straight up towards the ceiling.

Not only was I physically drained, but the mental pressure I’d been under finally started to wear me down as well. With the sound of the shower running in the background, I began to wonder what, if any, future I had with Dyson.

He’d been kind and sweet to me, but also less so at other times.

Deep down, that wasn’t the kind of relationship I wanted. Who would? Worse yet, I still couldn’t stop thinking about the various insults and threats Anastasia and Svetlana made to me. And the truth was, I really had no promises from Dyson that I’d be any different from them in three months, six months, or a year.

What if that came to pass? Immediately, I thought of Simon. He was already so fond of Dyson. If I continued seeing him and things didn’t work out, having Simon hurt in that situation would be worse than any pain I might feel breaking up with Dyson.

I missed having my sister in my life. At the same time, I wondered how much different Simon’s life would’ve been. Even though I tried my best and loved him like my own, the fact was he wasn’t my son.

Maybe my exhaustion got the better of me because I began to feel overwhelmed all of a sudden. In spite of the day being so wonderful, I still had no idea what tomorrow would bring. I propped myself up on my elbows and shook my head. Dyson was still in the shower. Sitting up, I scooted to the edge of the bed and stood.

My cell phone.

In the aftermath of the race and the party that followed, my phone battery had died. Picking up my purse, I reached inside, grabbed my phone and the charger. After plugging it into an outlet nearby I placed my phone down on the dresser and started to walk back towards the bed.

No sooner had I reached it then I heard the sound of my phone vibrate with a new message. I turned and walked back over to pick it up. Jillian had phoned a couple of hours before. I called my voicemail and listen to her message.

Hey, it’s me. Um, so, I was out earlier and when I came home there was a message on the home phone for you. It’s an attorney? From child protective services? Okay so, apparently, a couple of nights ago, Gene got arrested for DUI. According to the lawyer, during the process of booking him on the charge, they discovered that Gene had abandoned Simon. I guess that means that he’s in trouble because of deadbeat dad laws. That’s all I know right now, call me back when you get this message… I’ll be up pretty late. Love you. Hope you’re okay.

I frowned and pulled the phone away from my ear. What kind of trouble would Gene be in exactly? Without wasting another second, I called Jillian. She answered after the second ring.

“What’s all this about Gene?” I began, sitting down on the edge of the mattress.

“Yeah, I don’t really know. That reminds me, I forgot to give you that lawyer’s phone number,” she said, her voice trailing off. “Let me get it. I’ll be right back.”

A few seconds later, she returned and I took down the number.

“Okay, thanks, I’ll call first thing tomorrow.”

“Ava,” Jillian said, “Is everything all right with you?”

Stretching the charger cord to its maximum, I set back down on the edge of the bed.

“Yeah, I’m just really tired.”

“Um, all right. It’s just that Simon and I watched the race on TV today. I would’ve thought you’d be more excited.”

I exhaled and reached up towards my eyes. Rubbing them with the tips of my fingers, I squinted and replied, “I was… I mean, I am. I don’t know… I’m sorry. I just have a lot on my mind right now.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

I dropped my hand away from my eyes. Blinking away the exhaustion from them, I said, “Not right now. I’m with Dyson. He’s showering. It’s just not a good time.”

“Dyson is showering and you aren’t in there with him? Something must be wrong…”

I smiled. “It’s not like he didn’t try, believe me. I’m just not thinking straight right now. I can’t explain it.”

“It’s okay,” Jillian began, the tone of her voice softening. “The two of you have been through a lot. What you need right now is just some time together, you know? Give things a chance to see how they work out.”

I shrugged, glancing in the direction of the bathroom. Dyson had turned off the water, but I wasn’t sure when.

“Maybe you’re right… I just don’t know right now.”

With that, we said good night to each other and I promised I would let her know what I found out when calling the attorney the next day. After we hung up, I stood from the bed and placed my phone down next to the charger.

Afterward, barely able to stand any longer, I collapsed into the mattress and rested my head on a pillow. I lay there for several minutes, maybe ten. I really couldn’t say. Soon after, I heard the sound of the bathroom door open, followed by Dyson’s footsteps.

They came to a stop at the edge of the bed.

I cracked my eyes open a fraction to see him standing there looking at me.

“Sorry about that,” he began, looking down at me with a damp towel hooked around his waist. “I didn’t wake you? Did I?”

It took every bit of energy I had to keep my eyelids from closing. “No, I hadn’t fallen asleep yet.”

Dyson nodded, turned and disappeared from view once again. While I lay there, I heard him rummaging through his suitcase.

“Who were you talking to?” he asked.

“Jillian,” I muttered, closing my eyes once more. “We got a really strange phone call from child protective services today. She called to tell me about it.”

Through my eyelids, I noticed the room get dark right around the time I heard the sound of Dyson flicking the light switch. A couple of seconds later, my body shifted slightly when he climbed into the bed.

“Nothing serious, I hope?” he asked.

“I don’t know. I have to call them tomorrow.”

I finished speaking and felt his arm curl around my stomach. He leaned in, brushing my hair aside and kissed me on the back of the neck.

“Mmm…” I purred. “You have no idea how good that feels.”

“You can tell me all about it in the morning. Now shut up and go to sleep.”

My body went limp in his embrace.

AVA

I gasped for breath, shooting into a seated position. Snapping my head from left to right, I blinked, not recognizing my surroundings for a few seconds.

“What’s wrong?”

I turned my head, looking down at Dyson. My sudden movement startled him to awareness. I reached up, rubbed my eyes with my fingers and then ran my fingers through my hair, trying to reorient myself.

“It’s nothing,” I replied. “I’m sorry about that.”

I looked at him again and he closed his eyes, dropping his head back down on top of the pillow.

“It’s okay,” he grunted.

Still in my clothes from the night before, I slid off of the bed and looked at the nightstand to check the time. It was just after ten thirty in the morning. Surely the attorney would be in by now, even though they were a couple of hours behind us.

I walked around the end of the bed and reached for my cell phone. Picking it up, I looked at the piece of paper where I’d scribbled the attorney’s number and dialed it. After I navigated through the automated phone system, his extension rang.

After the fourth one, a man answered.

“This is Edward Marshall.”

Unplugging my phone from the charger, I turned and walked in the direction of the hotel room window.

“Yes, um, Mr. Marshall, my name is Ava Walters, and I am the legal guardian for Simon Walters. I was told you have some information for me about his father, Gene Philo.”

“Oh yes,” the attorney replied.

Turning my back towards the window, I glanced in the direction of the bed. Dyson lifted his head.

“Gene?” he began, frowning at me. “What’s he…?”

Before he could say another word, I waved him off, silencing him. Just then, Mr. Marshall spoke once again.

“Let me grab that file,” he began. In the background, I heard the sound of paper being moved around. “And please, you can call me Ed.”

“All right.”

I turned and looked out the window.

Down below, people sat at an outdoor restaurant. For some reason, I became fixated on a family. The mother, father and two little kids – a boy and a girl.

I reached up and slipped my thumbnail between my lips, tapping against my tooth while I waited for the attorney. Just then, Dyson grabbed my waist from behind, startling me out of my trance-like state. I turned and swatted him across the upper arm. Dyson chuckled, leaned in and kissed me on the cheek before walking away in the direction of the bathroom.

Soon after, Ed returned.

“Ms. Walters,” he began. “Do you know Mr. Philo?”

“Yes, I do. He’s my nephew’s biological father. Oh and you can call me Ava, by the way.”

“Oh, all right then, Ava.”

Before he could say anything else, I asked, “I received a message from my roommate last night. Something about a DUI arrest and deadbeat dad laws?”

“Yes, that’s correct. Do you have a few minutes to talk?”

Before long, I realized I’d already begun to pace back and forth.

“Of course.”

Ed cleared his throat. “Yes, well, it seems that during Mr. Philo’s arrest and booking, it was discovered that he owed several years’ worth of unpaid child support.”

I frowned, shaking my head in confusion.

“Unpaid child support? I wasn’t aware of that.”

“Okay, is Bella Walters a relative of yours?”

I nodded, “Yes, she is… was, my sister.”

The attorney paused for a moment. “I see. Is she deceased?”

“Yes she died several years ago. I’m sorry, but what does this have to do with my sister?”

“Um, according to state records, Mr. Philo was ordered to pay child support to your sister after she won a judgment in her favor. There are no records of any payments ever being made.”

I sat down on the edge of the bed. “Knowing Gene, that doesn’t surprise me.”

“Well, be that as it may, as the legal guardian, you are entitled to receive these funds from Mr. Philo.”

Nothing would have given me more pleasure than to take Gene’s money from him and give it to his son, but there were people sleeping under bridges who had more cash than he did. I did my best to explain that to Ed so that he would understand what a useless exercise it would be.

“Sadly, that’s a very common outcome in situations like this,” he said.

Just out of sheer curiosity, I asked, “What’s going to happen to Gene? I’m assuming he’s still in jail.”

“Well, I’d venture a guess he’s looking at three to five years, especially considering his numerous prior offenses.”

I sighed into the receiver.

Just then, Dyson appeared in my peripheral vision and walked in my direction. He leaned against the dresser across from me while the attorney spoke once again.

“I’m sorry this wasn’t a more helpful call,” he began. “These kinds of situations can be frustrating.”

I looked up at Dyson. He stared down at me with a concerned expression on his face.

“It’s just that, nothing ever seems to happen to Gene. He got my sister pregnant and then disappeared. Meanwhile, because of the state’s stupid adoption laws, I can’t be anything other than a temporary guardian for my nephew. It’s just frustrating to no end and frankly, completely unfair.”

Ed remained silent for a few seconds.

“Yes, I’m sure it is. If you don’t mind, I’m assuming, based on the temporary custody in place, that Mr. Philo hasn’t waived his parental rights. Is that correct?”

I closed my eyes, rubbing my forehead with my free hand. “Yes.”

“Mmm hmm,” the attorney muttered. “Would you mind if I placed you on hold for a few minutes? I have something I need to discuss with one of my colleagues.”

I nodded. “Sure.”

After he placed me on hold. I looked up at Dyson once more. Nodding with his chin in the direction of the phone, he asked, “What’s going on?”

He’d managed to hear bits and pieces of the conversation, so while I waited for Ed to return, I filled in the gaps for him.

“What’s he doing? The attorney?”

I shrugged. “He said he was going to talk to someone else. I don’t know about what.”

Dyson eased himself off the dresser and sat down next to me on the bed. Without saying a word, he leaned in towards me and kissed me on the cheek. Smiling, I glanced at him.

Just then, the attorney came back on the line.

AVA

“Ava?” he said. “Are you still there?”

“Yes, I’m still here.”

Ed exhaled into the receiver. It was the kind of sound you’d associate with bad news. Truthfully, I didn’t know how much worse it could possibly get. Before he spoke, I reached towards Dyson. He took my hand in his and squeezed it.

“I apologize for the short delay,” he began, once again shuffling paper in the background while he spoke. “As I mentioned, I consulted with one of my associates here who’s a bit more informed than I am with regard to some of these issues. In any case, he was able to confirm my suspicion.”

Ed paused for a moment. I jumped in to fill the silence.

“Suspicion about what?”

“I think there may be a way to force Mr. Philo to waive his parental rights in this case.”

I wrinkled my brow, thinking I must’ve misunderstood what he meant.

“What do you mean? Force him? How?”

“Well, as it relates to his DUI offense, what I’m proposing wouldn’t affect the outcome there, but unless he’s able to find a way to repay all of his back child support, the state would be willing to reduce its portion of his jail sentence mandated by deadbeat dad laws. That is, of course, assuming he would do what we asked of him.”

Ed paused once more. I squeezed Dyson’s hand hard.

“What is that?”

“Well, it’s quite simple. All he has to do is waive his parental rights, and this office would skip enforcement.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I shook my head.

“Wait, are you telling me that you think Gene will give up his rights and clear the way for me to adopt Simon?”

“Oh yes, quite. In fact, I don’t see what alternative he has.”

I looked at Dyson. He’d heard enough of the conversation to know what was going on. I had to take a breath to keep myself from getting too excited. The last thing I needed right now was another huge letdown.

“I-I don’t understand why the state would do that?”

“That’s a matter of simple economics, Ava. By going this route, we can save considerable expenses in terms of prosecuting Mr. Philo and then putting an administrative framework in place to make sure he repays his back child support, which we both know is highly unlikely. And, from Mr. Philo’s perspective, giving up rights for a child he’s scarcely seen in exchange for having his prison time reduced by, oh, eighty percent or so? I don’t see how even someone of Mr. Philo’s questionable character would pass on a deal like that.”