The Visitor: Alien Hunger Special Edition (26 page)

“
No, your honor. She
hasn’t attempted to contact Larry since she took up with the
stripper.”

It took all Chelsey could do to
prevent herself from leaping to her feet and calling him a liar.
Garryk settled his hand over hers—either to comfort or in warning.
She flicked a glance at him and then discovered the judge had
turned to look at her. “Ms. Ledger?”

“
I’m supposed to have
visitation every other weekend and yet Larry hasn’t visited me more
than six times in the past six months. At first, my ex-husband
complied, then each weekend that was to be mine I was given an
excuse for why he couldn’t come—a school function, something to do
with his ball games, or his friends. Each time I was promised the
following weekend, but they rarely followed through. Larry was to
visit me two weekends ago. Instead, he called and informed me that
his father had told him he didn’t have to come anymore. When I went
to speak to Lawrence and collect him, I discovered they’d left
town. They weren’t home, anyway.”

She studied Larry. “Is what your
mother said true? Did this conversation take place? Keep in mind
that this is a court and you’re required to tell the truth,” she
added when Larry flicked a frightened look at his
father.

“
It’s not true,” he said
sullenly. “I called to ask when she was gonna pick me up and she
said she was busy and she’d see me the next weekend.”

Chelsey gaped at Larry in shocked
disbelief, too stunned to find her voice.

The judge frowned and asked Lawrence
if he’d had any behavioral problems with Larry. Lawrence informed
her that he had … recently … since his mother had begun to ignore
him in favor of her boyfriend.

Chelsey was so nauseated with pure
fury that she could barely collect her thoughts when the judge
questioned her. The judge finally turned her attention to Garryk.
“What do you have to say regarding Mr. Ledger’s concerns about your
reputation, Mr. Sinclair?”

Garryk lifted the folder he’d set down
on the table and handed it to her. His hand shook slightly, but
Chelsey was inclined to think it was barely contained fury. His jaw
was set hard enough to look like stone. “Dr. Sinclair,” he
responded tightly.

The judge lifted her brows.
“Doctor?”

“
My credentials are in the
folder.”

The judge opened the folder and
scanned the documents. “You’re a medical doctor?”

“
Yes. General
medicine.”

She frowned. “You aren’t an exotic
dancer?”

“
I am. I have been for
years. I paid my way through college dancing.”

The judge almost smiled. “You must be
very good. College is expensive, particularly this one,” she
murmured, holding up his degree to study it.

“
I’ve been told I am.” His
hand settled on Chelsey’s.

The judge looked through the rest of
the papers Garryk had provided and finally closed the folder and
handed it back. She looked at Lawrence and his attorney
questioningly.

“
The fact remains that he
is still employed as an exotic dancer and, to all intents and
purposes, living with Ms. Ledger out of wedlock,” Lawrence’s
attorney said tightly, obviously furious that he hadn’t had that
information and struggling with his arguments. “The degree doesn’t
change the fact that he has had years to develop associations with
any number of unsavory characters.”

Chelsey’s attorney objected and
suggested that they produce any proof that Garryk had any unsavory
connections if they had it.

The judge looked at Lawrence and his
lawyer questioningly.

“
Not at the moment,”
Lawrence’s lawyer responded tightly. “I’m certain we could produce
it given time.”

The judge frowned. “I’m not sure I
agree with all of this. I have my suspicions that I’ve heard as
many lies as truth here today, but I do agree that if Ms. Ledger
and Dr. Sinclair are ‘to all intents and purposes’ living together,
this probably isn’t the healthiest situation for a boy Larry’s
age.”

Garryk shrugged easily. “We’re
engaged. And I’d planned to quit dancing as soon as I had enough
money saved up to start my own practice. If that’s the problem—then
it isn’t a problem. I can quit now.”

Chelsey was still in a state of shock
about the discovery that Garryk was a doctor, but it flickered
through her mind despite her first fright that he’d delivered
forged documents, that she should’ve figured it out before. When
she was sick, he’d examined her like a doctor. He’d bandaged her
hands like a doctor. She suspected, now, that the medicine he’d
produced for her was a prescription written out specifically for
her and filled for her.

She didn’t know why he hadn’t told
her, but she didn’t doubt it. She’d always known he was brilliant
and that he could do anything he set his mind to do.

She squeezed his hand and looked at
the judge. “May I speak, your honor?”

The judge looked a little wary, but
she nodded.

She looked at Larry, fighting the hurt
she’d felt since he’d lied about her. “I love you. I always have
and I always will, but I don’t know how to fight for you when you
have so much anger in you that you won’t even give me a chance.
When and if you ever decide to, I’ll be waiting, and I’ll welcome
you. Until then, I won’t bother you.”

She looked at Lawrence.
“I’ve slipped my leash, Lawrence. You don’t control me anymore and
I won’t let you use Larry anymore and I’m not going to let you get
away with controlling Garryk’s life! He’ll quit when
he’s
ready to and not
before because you think you’re calling the shots and can control
everybody’s lives.”

She looked at the judge. “Thank you,
your honor. I needed to say that. I’m withdrawing my complaint and
it won’t be necessary to arrange monitored visits. I would
appreciate it very much, though, if you would order my former
husband to put Larry in counseling.”

The judge studied her for a long
moment and looked at Lawrence. “I believe I agree with that. I’m
ordering that Lawrence Ledger Jr. have a full psychological
evaluation and, if recommended, I’ll expect arrangements to be made
to get him into counseling.”

Chelsey looked at Garryk as her lawyer
pulled her aside to speak to her after the hearing. He nodded, but
he didn’t join her. Instead, he strode from the
courthouse.

She watched him in dismay, wondering
what was going through his mind when he’d gone to so much effort to
support her and she’d refused his offer.

“
I don’t think I
understand your reasoning,” Clements said, drawing her attention to
him. “I feel sure the judge would have relented given Mr. … uh …
Dr. Sinclair’s offer.”

Chelsey bit her lip. She didn’t really
owe him an explanation. She’d paid for his services. “Truthfully? I
realized as soon as Larry lied for his father that I’d lost. It
wouldn’t have made any difference what the judge decided. I’ve been
trying to convince myself that if I could just see Larry regularly
he’d stop being angry with me and give me a chance, but the harder
I’ve tried the more determined he’s been to shut me out.

“
Maybe he just needs space
to come around? I don’t know, but pushing him isn’t doing it. And I
don’t think it’s right for Garryk to give up his job just to pacify
Lawrence when nothing in the world will. It would just be something
else in a few weeks or a month and I can’t afford to keep you on
retainer. I do appreciate your efforts on my behalf,
however.”

Their attention was drawn by Lawrence,
Larry, and their lawyer as they left the hearing room. “I wouldn’t
want him raising my son,” Clements muttered.

“
I didn’t want it either,
but the court took that out of my hands.”

Clements eyed her assessingly. “You
think as soon as the psychologist evaluates him he’ll recommend
that he be removed from your husband’s custody.”

Chelsey smiled. “I hope so. If not …
hopefully he’ll at least get the counseling he needs to cope with
his father.”

* * * *

No doubt the judge would have
disapproved of his ‘low’ associations, Garryk thought sardonically,
but there was an advantage to knowing a few of the ‘invisible’
people of this world. They saw and heard things others wouldn’t and
it hadn’t taken long to discover Ledger’s proclivities.

He was one sick puppy, he thought with
disgust, but it couldn’t be denied that it was damned handy that he
was. The hooker across the street signaled him just a few moments
before a dark car pulled up to the curb. Sauntering up to the car,
she leaned down and spoke to the man inside through the window and
then straightened. Smiling in Garryk’s direction, she opened the
door and got in.

Garryk settled his helmet on his head
and flipped the face shield into place. Leaning to one side
slightly, he kicked the stand up and then started the engine. Glory
had told him she usually entertained him at the roach motel a
couple of blocks away, but he thought it was better to be on the
safe side and follow in case Ledger was paranoid and decided to
change his destination.

He discovered he’d worried needlessly.
Ledger headed for his usual haunt like a homing pigeon. Garryk
stopped across the street and waited until he’d paid for a room,
watching as Ledger parked the car and emerged. After glancing
around a little uneasily, he pulled a large suitcase from the trunk
and escorted his companion up the stairs that ran up the exterior
of the building. When they disappeared into their room, Garryk
pulled across the street and into the parking lot. Parking his
bike, he climbed the stairs at a leisurely pace. There was no point
in getting in a hurry. It would take them a few minutes to ‘suit
up’ and get into their roles, he thought derisively.

He didn’t particularly like the fact
that the open design of the motel didn’t give him any place to
hide, but it wasn’t really the sort of neighborhood where people
snooped into the business of others. Pausing at the door a moment
to listen, he moved to the window. There was a two inch gap between
the drawn curtains. Good girl, Glory!

Ledger was either very eager or
pressed for time, he thought derisively. He’d already stripped
down. Dragging his phone out of his pocket, he took a couple of
pictures and moved away from the window, glancing at the lone bulb
that lit the stairwell. After studying it speculatively a moment,
he dismissed it. He was dressed in black and it was dark enough to
make identification nearly impossible even if anybody happened to
notice him loitering on the balcony.

The sounds filtering through the door
he was leaning against escalated. He was fucking rambunctious,
Garryk thought derisively. The son-of-a-bitch must be really
excited about his triumph in court earlier! Brazen, too. How many
people, he wondered, would have the balls to talk to a judge about
morality in the afternoon and go romping with a street prostitute
the same night?

Turning when he decided they were well
into their game, he fished a credit card out of his pocket and
slipped it through the door, depressing the latch. The security
chain was on, but, unfortunately for Ledger, that wasn’t much of a
deterrent. Pushing the door as far as it would go, Garryk slammed
his shoulder against it and popped the chain loose.

Ledger was down on his knees, bound up
in leather straps with his white ass in the air. Glory, dressed in
tight black leather and sporting a ten inch strap-on dildo was
fucking him in the ass and pounding on his back with the whip in
her hand like a jockey going for the gold cup. Both of them whipped
around at his entrance to gape at him.

“
That’s it, you prick!
Smile for the camera,” Garryk growled, shaking his head. “Man this
is some seriously fucked up shit!”

Glory screamed, dropped her whip, and
ran for the door. Ledger leapt to his feet and stared at Garryk
blankly for a split second. Rage contorted his features. Uttering a
growl like a grizzly bear, he charged Garryk. Fortunately, Garryk
had already pocketed his camera.

Ledger swung a meaty fist at him and
caught Garryk on the jaw, whipping his head sideways. Garryk came
around with a counterblow that carried a good half of his body
weight, twisting at the waist as he threw the punch. Ledger’s feet
flew forward as his upper body took flight in the other direction.
He landed flat of his back on the floor.

Garryk looked down at him. “Get up!
You and me, we’re gonna have a long heart to heart.”

Ledger wiped his bloody nose and sat
up. “The cops will be here any minute!”

Garryk tsked. “The cops take at least
an hour when anything goes down in this part of town. They don’t
want to get here till it’s over.”

Ledger scrambled to his feet. Garryk
looked him over with disgust. “Man … put some fucking pants on.
I’ll wait.”

Ledger snarled, charging him like a
bull with the clear intention of burying his head in Garryk’s
belly. Garryk leapt to one side and booted him in the ass for good
measure as he charged past. Ledger slammed into the dresser and
bounced back. Garryk caught him and slammed him into the dresser
again.