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She blinked and turned her attention back to the judge. “No, Your Honor.”
Ethel rifled through several of the papers. “And the reason appears to be a lack of funds according to these records you’ve brought, am I right?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“When a person represents themselves in court without the assistance of an attorney, whether as the defendant or the plaintiff, and whether or not the issue before the court is criminal or civil, she is operating pro se, which in Latin means ‘for oneself.’ This right for a member of the public to represent himself, or in this case herself, predates even the US Constitution. In Colorado, as in all fifty states, it is generally considered a protected right. Did you know that?”
“No, Your Honor.” Her feminine timbre was like gasoline on Eric’s already-too-hot lust, searing his insides. Was this an act of hers, a way for her to get what she wanted?
“Mrs. Lunceford, most legal professionals consider a person going to court without the aid of an attorney to be a really bad idea. I agree with that assessment.” Ethel looked at Cam and then back at another paper on her desk. “Ten million dollars is what TBK is seeking from this woman, correct?”
“Yes, Your H
onor.” Cam stood. “We will prove—”
Ethel held up her hand. “Hold your horses, Mr. Strange. This is my courtroom, not yours.”
Cam nodded. “Yes, Your Honor.”
“Mrs. Lunceford, have you had a chance to read the docket?”
“Yes.” Megan looked nervous.
“Did you know that they are seeking this kind of settlement from you?” the judge asked.
She nodded. “But as you can see, I don’t have any money.”
“That’s true, but should they prevail in this case, it won’t be just your bank account they empty.” Ethel grabbed a piece of paper. “This house in Dallas will be seized and sold to apply to damages.”
“Not my mother’s house.” Megan’s hands went up to her mouth.
Ethel scanned the papers in front of her. “It says here you inherited the house after your mother’s death. Is that right?”
Tears pooled in Megan’s eyes. “That’s all I have, Your Honor. After the FBI and Homeland Security came after my husband, they took—”
“Objection,” Cam barked.
“Sustained. Mrs. Lunceford, we’ll be hearing your testimony about the events later.” Ethel tapped the desktop with her fingers.
Even though Cam had kept Megan from continuing the tale of events about Kip’s arrest and eventual conviction, Eric knew them like the back of his hand. He and Scott had hired Lunceford early on as their first batch of employees. Five total. Vicky, Felix, Norman, Lucy, and Kip. TBK had been tight and agile. They’d landed several consulting contracts in those first few years, and the employee roster had grown to what it was today, six hundred and thirty-three. Of the first five, only Vicky Bates and Felix Averson remained, and they had both been flown in from TBK’s main offices in Dallas for today as witnesses for their side. Tonight, the two would be flying back.
Eric turned his head and saw them sitting together in the back row. Felix’s hair had thinned and his gut had expanded over the years. He wore a crumpled gray suit with a navy tie. Vicky was dressed in a sharp business suit. Her makeup was impeccable and her hair was fixed perfectly—like always. Vicky was a classy lady. They were his and Scott’s right and left hand, with Vicky in the role of Executive Vice President and Felix in the role of Assistant Vice President. Lucy and Norman had married and left to follow their dream of opening up a gourmet burger joint. Lucy’s Burgers was still the best place to get a hamburger in Destiny.
Kip Lunceford? The bastard’s coding skills were nearly as good as his and Scott’s, and in some cases better. He’d been the shining star of the original five. When TBK had been awarded the Pentagon’s consulting contract to develop missile-targeting software, he and Scott had put Kip in the driver’s seat of that project. Bad idea.
Eric stared at Megan, the wife of the man that nearly brought down the entire company. She wasn’t the only one who the feds had decimated after discovering Kip had sold classified code to terrorists. If Patrick and Sam hadn’t called in favors from some powerful senators and congressmen, they might’ve lost everything, too. Eric and his brother had been blindsided by the whole Kip thing. Trust wasn’t a luxury they would ever give in to again. Never. Not when it came to TBK, or anything else for that matter.
“Kip’s wife can’t get away with this, Cam,” Eric said through clenched teeth. “Ethel seems to have a soft spot when it comes to her.”
“I can’t blame her, bro,” Scott whispered back. “She looks innocent to me, too. And if truth be known, I’ve got something hard between my legs for her right now.”
“Don’t fuck up, Scott. This is TBK’s future that’s on the line,” Eric said. “We either stop her from hacking into our private servers and screwing up our code or we might as well throw in the towel and watch all our work be crushed into dust.”
Scott’s eyes never left Megan. “I hear you.”
Scott’s hushed tone didn’t make Eric’s worry fade. “I know she’s beautiful, our type for sure, but that doesn’t change the fact that her computer is what Dylan identified as the source, remember?”
Scott nodded. “God, she is our type, bro. Sharing her would be amazing. Can you imagine us showing up at Phase Four with her between us?”
