the shit with Hunter at the new building. It’s fine, April. I want to come with you. He can manage some painting by himself.”
The man himself raised a brow at me when I hung up, concern pulling his eyebrows together. “What happened? That didn’t sound like the happy kind of ‘I want to come with you.’”
“It wasn’t. I set April up with my lawyer weeks ago to represent her in case Craig follows through with his threats. Something must have changed because he’s suddenly asked her to come in.”
“Fuck.” He rubbed the spot right over his heart like the news was causing him pain too. “Go, brother. Let me know how it goes or if there’s anything I can do to help. I was there the day Adi came in, after all.”
“I’ll do that.” I gave him a curt smile before turning around and racing to my car.
When I got to the lawyer’s office, April was already there.
I saw her through the window to the conference room and didn’t bother waiting for the receptionist to usher me in. The door to the room slid open soundlessly, but the lawyer and April both looked up anyway.
Relief filled her expression and she held her hand out to mine instantly, gripping it hard when I went to sit down beside her. The lawyer, some guy called Howard who I’d been assured was the best in this business, acknowledged me with a dip of his head.
“Doctor Matthews, I presume. Thank you for joining us.” He folded his hands on the table. “We’ve only just gotten started. I’m sorry for calling you in on such short notice.”
“It’s fine. What’s the emergency?” I looked into his icy-blue eyes, and when I saw the regret in them, I already knew what was coming.
“I received communication from the attorney acting on behalf of Mr. Ludwig. I’m afraid he’s provided me with proof of his appointment and his letter was to inform us that they intend on suing for full custody of Adi.”
April’s hand shook in mine. She seemed to be beyond words, with silent tears tracking down her cheeks, so I took the lead. “What do we do now?”
“They haven’t filed a suit yet. They’ve simply given us notice that they intend to do so. I assumed you’d want to meet with me at my earliest convenience regarding this matter, so I cleared some time for you.”
“Thank you.” Not that he deserved any thanks for what he was billing per hour, but I still appreciated that he’d contacted us immediately and had ensured he had time to see us. “What do you make of his claim? What are his chances of success?”
The older man pursed his lips and shook his head. “He won’t get full custody. There’s no basis for a suit to that effect at this point in time. I’ve seen many an opportunistic litigant in my day, but Mr. Ludwig seems to be right up there with the best of them. Unfortunately, he’s found an attorney willing to act on those ludicrous instructions, which means we have to prepare for the battle.”
“Worst-case scenario?” I asked, cutting right to the chase.
April’s fingers tightened on mine until I thought she might cut off all the blood flow to them, but I didn’t mind. If this was difficult for me to hear, it must be hell for her.
Howard uncapped a fancy pen and pulled a notepad closer. “The worst-case scenario is that Mr. Ludwig will be granted unsupervised visitation with Adi over weekends, some holidays, and a weeknight or two every second week.”
I felt April’s shoulders falling next to mine. Driven by pure instinct, I slung an arm around her and pulled her right into my side while also fixing the lawyer with a glare. “That can’t happen. Adi would be in danger with him. I’m not just saying that on a whim or a suspicion either. Have you read the report of what happened the last time he had her for only a few hours?”
He nodded. “I can assure you that we will fight against any order that includes unsupervised visitation. But I would be remiss if I didn’t ask you whether there was any amount of time or conditions of visitation that you were willing to offer him in order to make this go away.”
“It won’t go away.” April’s voice was still shaky, but her jaw was set with determination. “I don’t want him getting any visitation with her. If there has to be some kind of