Tony shook his head. “I told her not to talk to Meredith.” He looked toward Phil. “Remember?” His domineering voice returned with conviction. “This whole damn thing started in San Diego. I should have put an end to it then. I should have had you stop the meeting before I ever got there.”

Phil casually leaned back against the chair and crossed his arms over his chest. Tony was obviously on some unbalanced emotional roller coaster. “I believe this whole damn thing began in a bar in Georgia, or before, if I understood her laptop.”

Tony glared. “The information on the laptop about the Rawls family doesn’t need to be public. I’ve got enough shit out there.”

“You do have enough shit to spread far and wide,” Brent said. “But as far as keeping it private, I think you’d better focus on damage control. Catherine hasn’t been keeping her mouth shut. Tom’s been working his ass off on gag orders regarding her case. The whole world is going to know your family’s name.”

Tony shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. “My family’s name is Rawlings. Claire and Nichol Rawlings—they’re my family. I’m doing all of this so that I can get them back, so there won’t be any damn skeletons waiting around to shock their world. Do you really think I’d put myself through all of this if it weren’t for them?”

Nodding, Phil replied, “That’s why you’re not dead.” Turning to Brent, he asked, “Will Rawlings’ plea be done in a closed court?”

“Yes, however, the judge is allowing special dispensation.”

“I want to be there.”

Tony’s dark gaze returned Phil’s way. “What the hell for?”

With his arms on the table, Phil squared his shoulders. “Because I have a job to do and I’m going to do it. My job is to protect Claire. I’m the one who took you to her. I won’t stop doing my job. I want to see this for myself. Don’t get me wrong, I can hack the courthouse records and read it, but I want to hear it. I want to know I did the right thing getting you two back together. If I didn’t, I might have to reconsider my next assignment.”

Brent’s eyes opened wide and he looked at Tony. When Tony nodded, Brent replied, “Well, all right. I’ll see what I can do.”

Tony leaned across the table. “I know you have her best interest at heart. I’ve seen that. But don’t fuck’n threaten me again.”

Undeterred, Phil closed the gap. “I do have her best interest at heart, as well as Nichol’s. No one is going to hurt them: you don’t need to worry about that. And…” he paused, “…it wasn’t a threat.”

Tony inhaled and sat taller. “Brent will be your contact until you can talk with me. The prison is minimum-security. Once I’m settled, you can again report directly to me. Brent will be the one paying you and your expenses.”

“We have a deal.”

For a closed hearing, the courtroom had more than a few people watching from the galley. As Phil made his way to a seat, he heard Emily whisper to John, “What’s he doing here?”

“I don’t know, but as long as he’s on the list, he can be here,” John replied, sitting next to his wife in the galley. The current charges were being filed on behalf of the United States. Grinning smugly, Phil nodded and sat a few rows behind them. Obviously, nearing the end of her pregnancy, Emily was much larger than the last time Phil had seen her. It amazed him how fast pregnant women changed. The last few times he’d watched Nichol from afar, she was with a nanny. Although, that made it easier for Phil to go unnoticed, he worried about her safety. Most of his observation of the Vandersols was electronic. Smirking, Phil thought about their private text messages. He’d learned many things: he knew they were having a boy and that Claire was being moved to a private facility in Cedar Rapids called Everwood.

He watched them from his vantage point. Although Emily’s hair was shorter, seeing her, with her hand resting on her enlarged midsection, reminded Phil of Claire. The private facility where they’d gotten her admitted had outstanding ratings, a great reputation, and phenomenal security. Phil wholeheartedly approved. Of course, he’d also already infiltrated their data. They’d started some preliminary tests on Claire. Despite the inconclusive results, Phil planned on knowing what they did, when they did it.

Emily and Nichol had moved out of the hotel suite and rented a home outside of Cedar Rapids. John was commuting from California as often as he could. Since the charges had been dropped, John’s legal acumen was no longer needed. He mostly visited on weekends, but Phil wasn’t surprised when he learned that he’d be traveling to Iowa for this hearing. Jane Allyson was also present. She was sitting to John’s right. Being as he and Jane weren’t involved in the current legal proceedings, Phil was curious to see their reaction to Rawlings’ negotiated sentence. There hadn’t been any correspondence between the two of them indicating that they were in the know.

Ahead and on Phil’s right was Courtney Simmons. Before he’d made his presence known, he saw Courtney speaking with Emily and assessed that it must be a difficult position for her. She obviously wanted to support her friend and her husband’s boss, but if she were to maintain a relationship with Nichol, she also needed to stay in Emily’s good graces. Since that was more than Phil had been able to do, he was glad she’d made some headway. There were others from Rawlings Industries with Courtney. Phil knew their names, but other than their job titles, he wasn’t familiar with them. There was Tom Miller, legal, Tim Benson, acting CEO, and Patricia, Tony’s personal assistant.