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Quinn
Something was definitely going on with Royce, and his best friend Jax asked me to meet them over at his place where he lived with Ward, my boss’s friend and top client. Jax had some kind of court earlier in the day, but he hadn’t told me what it was about or how it went, and I did not like being in the dark at all. If my pup needed something, I wanted to be there providing it. That’s the way I worked. Even if we weren’t officially a couple, I felt like that was the next step. I liked Royce a lot, and I felt like his kink and mine worked well together, and we had plenty of chemistry. I couldn’t think of any reason not to move forward.
Royce was already there when I arrived. On their couch. Crying. I scooped him up in my arms immediately. His tears ripped at my heart with every sob. “Baby boy…” I rubbed my hands over his head and pulled his face into my chest. “What’s going on?” I looked up at our friends.
Jax cleared his throat. “His parents. Well, his father, took him to court and won.”
“Won? Won what? What did they go to court for?” And why was I hearing these details only after the fact? Being left out of Royce’s life had to change and fast if we were going to be able to make this work. “You know I’m a lawyer?”
It was Ward who answered my question. Ward, ever the shrewd businessman with his emotions tucked away. Unlike Jax, who was the epitome of empathy for Royce, and it showed all over his face. “It was a conservatorship.”
“A what? OhmyGod, baby.” I held him tighter as he cried. I wasn’t an expert on the subject, but I knew enough to know this could not be good.
Royce mumbled something into my chest, but I couldn’t tell what. I pushed him back to give him some space and brushed his chestnut brown hair out of his face so I could see those poor, red-rimmed eyes. They were a hazy, almost gray-blue, and the most beautiful pair I’d ever seen. And I hated them being sad. “What is it?”
“My life is over.” He fell back down on top of me, crying again.
“No, no. Da—I’ll fix it.” I didn’t want to bring out the daddy-thing in front of his friends, particularly not knowing if he cared whether they knew. Plus, we’d only done the daddy-thing in the bedroom, not like a full-time life. I could go that way easily, but I was going to let him lead. Likely, they knew anyway since they did the pup-thing with him, too, but I wasn’t going to chance betraying Royce without a conversation first.
Ward smirked a bit at my words. He probably knew or at least suspected. But he didn’t comment on it. Rather, he explained what was in the conservatorship that now had Royce locked down tight. His father was pulling his leash, not only financially, but the man was dictating what he drove, where he lived, and who he associated with. Royce had no say in anything about his life.
“This isn’t right.” Jax paced in front of us. “Royce has never had mental health issues. He’s never been in trouble. Doesn’t there have to be a cause to take over someone’s life like this?”
I blew out a long breath. I was a lawyer, but this wasn’t my specialty. “I’m not sure. I’d have to see the paperwork and reasoning behind the initial request. Can we get that?”
Royce sat up straight, his crying jag subsided. “My lawyer said he’s sending it tomorrow. I don’t trust him anymore, though.”
“This all sounds suspicious.” I wanted to fix it, but there was only one way I knew how. “I’m calling Drew.”
Ward nodded. “That’s the best idea I’ve heard yet. Maybe someone on staff can help us sort this.”
I wished that were me. “I think we have a couple people who can help. Plus me. It’s not my area. Like Drew, I’m primarily contracts and business law. If this were two companies, and one was doing a hostile takeover, I’d be your man. But this is…family law. We need Bruno. I think.”
Ward tapped on his phone before I could. “I have his cell. Let’s see what Drew says.” He put it on speaker, and after a ring or two, my boss, Drew, answered.
“Ward. How’s everything?”
“Not good right now, man. Our friend Royce is in trouble. You remember him?”
“One of the pups, right? Jax’s friend?” Drew asked.
“Yes,” Ward said. “I have you on speaker. He’s here with Jax and Quinn.”
“Quinn? My Quinn?” Drew asked.
“Yes, sir. We’ve been seeing each other.” I went with straightforward.
“That’s right. Okay, what’s the problem?”
We spent the next few minutes talking about the issues and our suspicions, and Drew agreed with me that Bruno needed to be brought in. He was our specialist in family law who Drew had brought in a year or two ago as he was expanding his practice. His expertise would help for sure, but we needed the paperwork before anything else could be done. Royce said he’d call as soon as he had it in hand.
My pup looked drained, and I needed to take care of him. “Baby, let me take you home.”
“N-No. I can’t. Not my house and not yours. My father has it staked out. I’m sure.” Royce’s gaze darted around the room. It was cozy, decorated with masculine features, but there were touches of Jax here and there with colorful cushions, artwork, and ceramic pieces tucked in the bookshelf.
“Hey. What about Todd’s?” Jax asked. “He still doesn’t have a roommate, and don’t you have some stuff stashed there?”
Royce rubbed his eyes. “I have a lot stashed there, actually. I’ve been paying him to store things I might need in case this happened.” He threw his arms in the air. “It helped him keep the place and gave me a safety net.”
