Easter's Lilly Page 39

  “His name is Mark Franklin,” Steve said. “He is an FBI attorney. He does all our work for us. Make sure you give him all three paternity tests and… no secrets.”

  “Thanks Steve,” Max responded. He grabbed my hand like a silly little boy and said, “Almost free, baby girl.”

  Hector stayed home with Dieguito and John came with us to Las Vegas, in case there was some kind of paternity issue. I was still nursing so I had to take Chris with us. I was rolling him around in a baby carriage. When we got to the courthouse Mark was standing outside waiting for us. “Do you have the tests?” he asked us. Max handed them to him. “Before they get here, is there anything else I should know?”

  “This is John Malone.” John shook his hand. “He is the biological father of the first born.”

  “That’s good that you brought him.” He looked at me. “I’m sorry Lilly, but Diego is fighting the divorce. He says you are abandoning him and he still loves you.” I looked at Max with an expression of panic.

  “Don’t worry, baby girl, it’ll be all right.” He stroked my hair. “Have I ever let you down before?” he asked.

  “No,” I answered, still in a state of shock.

  “Lilly, you must remain calm,” Mark warned me. “Even if the opposing council calls you a name, or insults your integrity, remain calm.” We walked into the courtroom. Vanessa Hernandez was always Diego’s attorney and she was sitting at the opposite table by herself. Mark and I sat together and Max and John sat behind us. We stood up as the judge walked in. She was blond and strikingly attractive. When she sat, we all sat down. She looked up and saw Max and smiled. This made me nervous.

  “To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?” she asked. “I believe it is Lieutenant Montiago now.”

  “Yes, Your Honor.” he smiled that boyish grin and she smiled back.

  “Max, tell me you are not the Montiago contesting the divorce today.” She seemed concerned. “A baby in the picture? You wouldn’t do that, right?”

  “No ma’am,” he answered. “It’s my half-brother, Diego.”

  “Oh, him.” she gave Max an unfavorable glare over the top of her glasses. “You’re here to speak for him?”

  “No, Your Honor.”

  “Excuse me!” Vanessa interrupted. “I’m sorry but since you seem to have a history with the boyfriend,” she became very patronizing, “I would appreciate it if you might consider removing yourself from this case.”

  “This is not a criminal case, counselor,” she answered in a very antagonizing tone. “I am sure I can be impartial in a simple divorce hearing.”

  She looked back over at Max. “The boyfriend?” She smiled curiously.

  “It’s exactly as it looks,” he said, almost proud of himself.

  She looked back at Vanessa. “Mr. Montiago is a high ranking FBI official. I think you will find it hard pressed to locate a judge in this town who does not know him or hasn’t heard of his work. I will be the judge on whether or not I can be impartial.”

  “Yes, Your Honor,” she answered reluctantly.

  “Since Ms. Hernandez seems to feel I may have trouble being impartial, we will let her go first.” She looked at my lawyer and said, “Will that be all right with you counselor?”

  “Whatever pleases the court,” he answered.

  Vanessa started her defense. “My client, Mr. Montiago…”

  “This is not a criminal case,” The judge interrupted. “I think I already made that clear. Since the husband and the boyfriend,” she said boyfriend in a silly voice and looked over at Max, “have the same last name, let’s use their first names for this proceeding.”

  “Yes Your Honor,” she continued. “Diego argues that she is abandoning him in his time of need. Diego took Lilly in when she was pregnant with another man’s child five years ago. He clothed her, fed her and gave her a place to stay. He paid all her medical bills for the pregnancy and took very good care of them for five years. Diego and Lilly have enjoyed a very physical relationship and as you can see, she just had his child three months ago. He wants her to stay and support him and he feels she owes him that. He has been faithful throughout the marriage and has chosen to forgive her for her indiscretion with his brother. The only thing he is requesting is a restraining order be issued for Maxwell to stay away from his wife.”

  “Those are some pretty good points, counselor,” she added. “Anything else?”

  “That is all, Your Honor.”

  “Okay, Mr. Franklin, what have you got for me?” She looked over her glasses again. “And it better be good.”

  “Yes, Your Honor,” he continued. “My client has suffered sexual abuse and beatings at the hands of Diego Montiago for the past three years of their marriage. They have not enjoyed a sexual relationship, he forced her to have relations with him or he would remove Maxwell from the home, which he did at one time. Maxwell, as you know, is an FBI operative and needed to remain in the house to complete his infiltration of the organization. Mrs. Montiago did what she felt she had to do to keep Max on the property.”

  “How self-sacrificing of you, Mrs. Montiago,” the judge responded in a sarcastic tone. “Go on…”

  “The marriage began under false pretenses. Lilly was pregnant with John Malone’s baby.”

  “Is that you?” the judge asked, looking at Johnny.

  “Yes, Your Honor,” he answered.

  “Diego told Lilly that Mr. Malone had been killed in a car crash and threatened Mr. Malone with harm to Lilly and the baby if he ever made it known that he was still alive. Once he married Lilly, he used her as leverage against the police chief in Sedona, to continue his drug trafficking.”

  “Michael O’Hara?” she asked.

  “Yes, Your Honor, her father,” he answered. “I have here the paternity test for Johnny’s baby, ironically named Diego.” He put the papers on the judge’s desk. She looked it over.

  “Max?” she asked. “The newborn?” He smiled at her. “Yours?”

  “Yes, Your Honor.” Mark put the test on her desk along with the other.

  “As far as Diego being faithful throughout the marriage, this is a paternity test for the baby Olivia Montiago was carrying. She was murdered outside the O’Hara’s household, pregnant with Diego Montiago’s baby. Olivia was Diego’s brother, Jorge’s wife.”

  She began to look through the evidence. “Well Max,” she said. “Apparently you and your brother have been busy boys.”

  “Yes, Your Honor, it looks that way.” His dimples seemed to melt her icy façade.

  “Diego pretty much ignored Mrs. Montiago for the first two years of the marriage. Although Max will admit to falling hopelessly in love with his brother’s wife, he did not initiate an affair until after four years had gone by,” Mark explained.

  “If you don’t mind my asking,” she continued, “what changed your mind?”

  “May I?” I asked.

  “We are not formal here… please Lilly, I would like to hear from you.”

  “Diego discovered that Max and I were in love and decided to mark his territory, so to speak. He announced that he wanted to win my heart. He told Max to leave me alone so that he could make me fall in love with him. Max was feeling like we missed our opportunity. So we finally gave in. Diego and I had a sexual relationship for two years. I never wanted it.” I could see her face, hungry with interest. “After two years of forced sex, something happened to Diego. He promised to stop forcing himself on me and he wanted to have a baby.” I took a deep breath and tried to fight the tears welling in my eyes. “I begged Max to make love to me and father my child. He was reluctant at first but I finally convinced him that if I had Diego’s baby he would have a permanent claim on me.”

  “Okay,” she continued. “So, he obliged and here we are today.”

  “Yes, Your Honor, that’s the whole story.”

  “Ms. Hernandez, do you have anything further?”

  “I would like to see the tests,” she stated.

  “
I will make them available to you after the hearing,” she responded. “I assure you that they are authentic.”

  “Yes, Your Honor, thank you.”

  “Anything further, from either side?”

  “No Your Honor,” Vanessa squeaked out.

  “No Your Honor,” Mark stated.

  “I am going to allow this divorce and dissolve this marriage,” she announced. “It is not because I am partial to Mrs. Montiago’s boyfriend but because Diego Montiago is a criminal who has kept this poor girl prisoner in his house for too long.” She slammed the gavel against the desk. “And besides,” she added. “The baby isn’t even his. Lilly, you’re free.”

  “With all due respect,” Vanessa continued. “Diego really believes that this baby is his.”

  “Well, it is very clearly not,” she continued. Then she peered over at Max. “Maxwell, are you going to marry her?” she asked.

  “Yes, ma’am,” he answered. “As soon as the ink dries.”

  “Give the papers a few days to get filed and then…” she paused, “congratulations.”

  “Thank you, Your Honor.”

  “Lilly?” she asked. “I see here that you are asking for nothing monetary.”

  “That is correct, Your Honor.”

  “Would you like to reconsider?”

  “All I want is full custody of my children…” I paused, “and his brother.” I laughed.

  “Granted!” She said and slammed the gavel back down against the desk. “Case closed. Thank you, counselors, for your service today. Max…” she gave him a flirty smile. “I will see you around, I’m sure.”

  “Yes, Your Honor,” he said and she left the room.

  He got up from his chair and jumped over the wall that separated us. “I love you so much, baby girl!” I was so happy that I was sobbing uncontrollably.

  “Diego will not be happy.” Vanessa walked over to us and grabbed Max by the arm. “There will be repercussions for this decision.”

  “Are you threatening my client?” Mark passed a glare to her that would have killed if it were loaded.

  “Diego might kill me over this, you know.” She was so angry that her hands were shaking. “How could you betray me like this?” She slapped Max across the face with full force.

  He fell back a little and put his hand over his cheek.“That is so not my problem anymore,” he said, trying to regain his balance.

  “He might come after you, her or the judge, you know.” She was simply not ready to go.

  “I’ll make a note of it,” Mark told her. “I’ll also be pressing charges for assault.”

  “That won’t be necessary,” Max responded. “She’s scared. It’s okay.”

  “I will make sure you pay, Max,” she said. “You and your little whore!”

  “What am I missing?” I asked. “Why did she slap you?”

  “He’ll probably put out a hit on her. She and I have known each other a long time. I’ve saved her butt a time or two. She’s scared and rightfully so.”

  I was not convinced that there wasn’t something more. An affair possibly, I wasn’t sure. But I was in no position to demand answers.

  We all walked out of court that day with hope and excitement. I hugged Mark and Max thanked him over and over. “We still have to get Diego locked up, Max,” Mark reminded him. “Let’s not get too excited yet. He may get off. It’s been known to happen.”

  CHAPTER 26

  You really should have stayed away from their wives.