Rock God (Hearts of Metal Book 3) (25 page)

“I believe you are forgetting something, Mr. Deity. Please tell the court what condition the defendant was in when you first met her, and do remember that you are under oath.”

A chill ran down Shayna’s spine. This was what they had feared. Would the judge now look at her like she was a lunatic? What would that mean for the disposition of the case?

Dante didn’t flinch. He answered the question calmly, as if he were discussing the weather. “She was exhausted and had blisters on her feet. I took her to the hospital.”

Shawn’s lawyer grinned like a rabid shark. “But it was a little more serious than that. Allow me to refresh your memory.” He showed Dante the papers. “My client received this insurance claim report in the mail two weeks after the incident. Attached is a copy of the hospital’s treatment statement. This is your signature on the copay receipt, correct?”

When Dante nodded, the attorney presented the papers to the judge. “Ms. Gray was treated for extreme fatigue and multitudes of blisters from walking a great distance. From the enormity of the sores, it could be speculated that the defendant actually walked from her former home in Portland all the way to Sacramento.”

The judge’s brows rose almost to his hairline, and he lowered his spectacles to look at Shayna. “Did you?” he asked.

Shayna didn’t think anyone was supposed to ask her anything unless she was on the stand, but this was the judge and she wasn’t about to make him mad.
Oh God, now I’m going to lose this thing.

“Yes, your honor,” she said weakly, so embarrassed she wished she could sink into a hole.

Shawn’s lawyer swiveled his pudgy neck to give her a smirk before turning back to the judge. “I believe this new evidence should lead us to question the defendant’s mental capacity at the time she filled out and submitted the divorce papers.”

Dante was questioned briefly on Shayna’s sanity and emotional stability. He declared that she had been mentally competent from the moment they met, and talked about her professionalism and dedication to her writing. “Any mother would suffer a bout of depression after losing a child, especially if her husband was not supportive…and was in fact having an affair in the midst of a tragedy like that. I think leaving such a selfish and disloyal spouse like Mr. Jones was the sanest thing she could do,” he finished with a smile.

Shawn leapt up from his seat. “You’re one to talk, you fu—”

“Silence!” the judge thundered. “Mr. Jones, you
will
be silent or you will be charged with contempt of court. The witness is dismissed from the stand and we will take a half hour recess while I deliberate.”

Everyone’s eyes seemed to bore holes in Shayna’s back as Dante led her out of the courtroom, holding tight to her hand. She clung to his grasp like a ship at anchor in a whirling storm. It was the longest half hour of her life.

“What if he wins?” she asked, huddled with Dante on a bench outside the door.

He shrugged and traced his finger in lazy circles on her palm. “So what if he does? It’s not like we can’t afford whatever he’s asking. It’s only money—and it’s not going to make him happy. Only your humiliation and degradation would, and we’ve cheated him of that. We’ve even given a little back.”

We.
The word made Shayna’s heart surge with warmth.

Dante looked up and frowned. A woman with a plastic ID tag on her lapel was walking towards the courtroom, giving them an avid stare, and he clearly didn’t like it.

“The press is here,” he said. “No doubt they’re gathered outside with their cameras.” Giving her hand another reassuring squeeze, Dante continued, “Now, you don’t have to comment them, but you should do your best to look happy at the end of this.” With a wicked gleam in his eyes he added, “And maybe I’ll give Mr. Jones something to watch on TV tonight.”

Shayna smiled back. “I
am
happy, Dante…now that you’re here. I missed you so much that it hurt.”

His smile faded as he took her hands. “When I came home to find you gone, I thought it would kill me. I should have brought my cell so you could call me. I should have told you how I felt about you from the start. I should have been clearer in communicating with you and told you all of my plans.”

“Plans?” she inquired.

“Well, now that I’m here, I suppose I’ll still surprise you when this trial is finished.” He gave her the smile that she’d despaired of ever seeing again. His eyes smoldered, sending heat to her lower body before he brushed his lips across hers. “I can’t wait to get out of here so I can really kiss you.”

She felt like one of the heroines in her novels, at the verge of swooning from his words. A movement in the corner of her vision brought the world back into clarity, but it wasn’t Shawn’s baleful glare from across the hall that caught her attention. It was the sight of the woman with him.

Shawn must have made the girl wait outside. Shayna almost didn’t recognize her without her Pepsi uniform—or nude, as she’d seen in the pictures emailed to Shawn. Too bad Shayna hadn’t saved them. Shawn’s lawyer had regaled their affair to hearsay. Her name was either Laura or Lauren; Shayna couldn’t remember which. Not that it mattered.

For a moment, the two women’s eyes met. Then Laura-or-Lauren’s gaze flicked to Dante and then back to Shayna. The woman’s face was full of envy and a touch of regret. But then Shawn turned to her and said something in that scolding tone that never failed to turn Shayna’s stomach, and Shayna was unable to feel any triumph. She only had pity for the woman who would now be subjected to his bullying.

They all filed back into the courtroom. Shayna studiously ignored the news reporters, knowing it was only a temporary reprieve.

Dante held her hand tight, imparting his strength as the judge read his verdict.

“From the evidence gathered, it is revealed that if the defendant were to pay the plaintiff half of her royalties earned during the time of their marriage, the total would add up to approximately twenty thousand dollars.” The judge adjusted his spectacles. “However, the defendant signed away property, joint income, and assets totaling over ten times that. It seems to me that if this case is pursued it would only be fair for the parties to renegotiate a fair distribution of said assets.”

He glanced at Shayna and coughed. “And, as for the issue of Ms. Gray’s mental capacities at the time the divorce agreement was signed, they wouldn’t change the fact that
the plaintiff did indeed sign said papers
.”

“But I didn’t know that—,” Shawn sputtered.

The judge silenced him with a level stare. “Mr. Jones, there is sufficient documentation here to prove that you were aware your former wife was receiving royalties. It is your own fault that you were not paying attention when you signed your joint tax returns. Thus, besides providing the novelty of a celebrity appearance”—his irritated gaze implied that Dante’s appearance was anything but—“you wasted the court’s time.” His gaze encompassed the rest of the room. “I hereby order this case dismissed. Mr. Jones is required to pay court costs within ninety days.” He tapped his gavel. “Court is adjourned.”

Dante gave Shawn an evil smirk before taking Shayna in his arms.

Time vanished. Shayna savored the bliss of his embrace. Unfortunately, that embrace ended too soon as they made their way out of the building and were intercepted by a reporter. Shawn was already ensconced with another down the hall, speaking heatedly as Laura-or-Lauren looked on with an increasingly worried expression.

“I’m with the
Portland Press
,” the reporter said to Shayna, cradling an iPad and stylus in her hands. “I was hoping you’d like to say a few words about the case.”

“I’m just glad it’s over,” Shayna told her. “As for everything else, I have no further comment.”

Dante gave her an approving nod. Feeling like a pro, she took his hand and walked away.

A new mob greeted them outside the courthouse, despite the fact that there were only two news vans parked there. Most of the masses were…fans? And to Shayna’s surprise, the majority of them were
her
fans, if the books in their hands were any indicator.

Dante held up his hands, also clearly surprised. “I had nothing to do with this, I swear. When it comes to you, I’m done with surprises.”

After so many years of her mother and ex-husband trying to convince Shayna that she was worthless, that no one would ever truly care about her, she finally fully accepted the fact that they had lied. Her work was important and her readers did care.
Lots.
At the sight of the smiling women holding copies of her books, being an author had never seemed more rewarding.

Although Shayna wanted nothing more than to be alone with Dante, she couldn’t turn away from the kind words of the multitudes of women approaching her, nor refuse their shy requests to sign their books. Several people were there to ask for Dante’s autograph as well, and Shayna looked up from her pen for a moment to smile at a leather-clad metal fan and a prim middle-aged woman mingling cheerfully on the courthouse lawn. Judging from the heat in their eyes, Shayna was betting they would continue their discussion privately later. It seemed she and Dante’s union might have an impact on the metal-music and romance-reader cultures.

Shayna’s fans formed a protective huddle around her while Dante said a few words to the reporters. Shayna sighed. Soon she would have to learn how to handle these sorts of things herself. Her heart swelled in gratitude when they acted as an honor guard while she and Dante made their way to her car. Cheers echoed around Shayna and Dante as they got inside.

Shayna glanced at Dante as she drove off. “How did you get here?”

“I took a cab.” He fixed her with an intent stare. “This was a fast trip. I bought you a plane ticket back to Sacramento for Friday if you want to come with me.”

Her heart soared. “I’d planned to anyway—to get the pillowcases full of my stuff that the airport’s holding, and to talk to you to see if you still wanted to be with me.”

“Of course I still want to be with you,” he said as the cab pulled up to the hotel and they got out. “When you didn’t answer my calls, I was afraid that you were done with me. That you wouldn’t let me come up here and help you with the trial.” He frowned, his expression suddenly foreboding. “I can’t believe my agent didn’t give me your message. Maybe I need to find another one.”

“No,” Shayna protested. “He was only looking out for your best interests. For all he knew, I could have been some crazy, lying groupie—or we could have broken up and I was looking to get back at you. This mix-up was all my fault.”

Dante’s vengeful look vanished as he chuckled and shook his head. “I still can’t believe you took my pillowcases.”

They laughed as they entered the hotel and took the elevator up to her room.

“Yeah, it’s not the first impulsive, idiotic idea I’ve had.” She sobered. “I’d honestly thought that you’d be too busy getting ready for your tour anyway.”

“About the tour…” Dante gave her a mischievous grin. “I know I said I was done with surprises, but I have one more for you.” He pulled out his wallet and took out a folded sheet of paper. “I meant to give you this when I came home from the recording studio, but I suppose a lot of trouble could have been avoided if I’d not kept it secret.”

Shayna frowned as she unfolded the paper. It was a list of his concert dates and locales coinciding with romance conventions and bookstores available to do signings.

Her eyes widened. “You want me to come with you on the tour?”

He nodded. “I’d meant for you to come with me all along, and I thought you knew as well but were just scared.” He frowned. “And then your mother called and I—”

“Oh my God,” Shayna interrupted in shock. “My
mother
called? She usually never calls. It gives her an excuse to nag at me for not calling her.” She stopped, the implications of Dante’s words becoming clear. “Wait, what did she say to you? And what did you say to her?”

Dante sighed. “Well, I was hungover and in a shitty mood, so I kind of ignored most of the vitriol. The basic gist was she assumed I’d thrown you out of the house and was importing a harem as we spoke.” He gripped her shoulders with a horrified look on his face. “Good God, Shayna, how did you survive growing up with her?”

She chuckled. “I ask myself the same question every day. How did you survive your encounter with her?”

“I asked her if she considered the possibility that I could call her Mom someday and suggested that we may pay her a visit.”

Shayna’s jaw dropped. “You didn’t!”

Dante nodded, smiling wickedly. “We don’t have a show booked anywhere in Montana, but I’m sure I could have that arranged. Besides, you said you’d take me to pick huckleberries sometime.” He shrugged and sat on the bed. “Anyway, about this…” He pointed at the list she held. “All you need to do is call your publicist and let her know which of these you’ll be able to do and they can help you set things up.”

Shayna thought he couldn’t surprise her more, but this statement proved her wrong. “You talked to my publicist?”

He nodded. “The acknowledgements section in your book helped.”

Her brow rose slightly as her agent’s words suddenly made sense.
“Has your boyfriend said anything about the tour yet? My husband and I got tickets to the show in Vegas. I was a metal-head in my day, you know. Maybe you can see about getting us backstage passes.”

“God, I feel so stupid,” she said finally. “Judy even asked me about the tour, but with the lawsuit and the way the guy at your recording studio talked to me, I almost thought she was making fun of me.”

Dante frowned. “You were under a lot of stress. Still, we really need to work on your confidence.”

He’s right,
her childish inner voice said.

We’re getting better,
the strong voice retorted.

Shayna nodded at Dante and couldn’t help asking, “Are the groupies that bad?”

“Not as bad as they used to be. Still, they can get a little overzealous at times. But there is one way we can fend them off.” He seized her and pulled her onto his lap. “
You
can be my groupie,” he said, nibbling on her neck.