Page 19 of Dirty Judge

I watched him grab a briefcase from his trunk and quickly disappear behind the lobby’s glittering gold doors.

The valet slipped behind the wheel of the Ferrari, but unlike usual, he didn’t pull into the private garage that was right next door.

Instead, he pulled into traffic.

Confused, I waited a few seconds before following him.

Letting a Honda move between us, I coasted from a distance as he rounded the block and drove the Ferrari into a back lot. Right next to the McLaren I’d seen before.

After stepping out and locking it, he hopped into an Audi and drove away.

I parked across the street, staring at a collection of luxury cars that were worth more than all my life’s problems.

Maybe I could?—

No, wait. What the hell am I thinking?

I shut my laptop and shoved my snacks aside.

Even if some of the traffic charges weren’t mine, it wasn’t his fault that I didn’t know. And maybe—just maybe—there was a lesson for me in all this.

Perhaps this was me finally reaching rock bottom and things were about to turn around tomorrow.

I let out a deep breath and cranked my engine.

Let it go, Liv.

Just let it go.

As I glanced at my rearview mirror, my phone sounded with "Don't listen to a word I say," my new ringtone for Lindsay.

I stared at the screen until it went to voicemail.

But then she called me again.

“What is it, Lindsay?” I answered.

“So you are ignoring me?” she asked. “What if this was an emergency?”

“I have a feeling it’s not.” I paused, feeling a faint pang of guilt. “Is it?”

“No, but I don’t want you to miss out on anything court-related ever again.”

“What are you talking about?”

“There’s some court officer here saying he came to put a Breathalyzer lock on your car,” she said. “Oh, and some type of speeding alert thing as well. He says there’s a ninety dollar mandatory fee…”

I turned off my car.

“Um, hello?” She asked. “Are you there, Olivia?”

“Yes.” I gritted my teeth. “I’m here.”

“I paid the fee for you,” she said. “So, don’t waste your time thinking about that.”

That’s not what I’m thinking about at all right now.

“The guy apologized for stopping by so late, but he was in the area and figured he’d stop by. He wanted to confirm that you’ll be here for your scheduled session tomorrow morning at nine.”