Once Trapped. Блейк Пирс

of all—might she be wrong in trying to take Jilly away from him? Was she doing nothing except adding unnecessary trauma to Jilly’s life?

      Finally Scarlatti looked pleadingly at the judge.

      “Your honor, I beg you, please let me have my daughter back. She is my flesh and blood. You won’t regret your decision. I promise.”

      A tear trickled down his cheek as he sat back down.

      His lawyer stood up, looking more smug and confident than ever.

      She spoke to Jilly with a tone of oily, fake sincerity.

      “Jilly, I hope you understand that your father wants only what’s best for you. I know you’ve had troubles with him in the past, but tell me the truth now—isn’t that a pattern with you?”

      Jilly looked puzzled.

      Paget continued, “I’m sure you won’t deny that you ran away from your father, and that’s how Riley Paige found you in the first place.”

      Jilly said, “I know, but that was because—”

      Paget interrupted, pointing to the Flaxmans.

      “And didn’t you also run away from this nice couple when they took you in?”

      Jilly’s eyes widened and she nodded silently.

      Riley swallowed hard. She knew what Paget was going to say next.

      “And didn’t you once even run away from Ms. Paige and her family?”

      Jilly nodded and hung her head miserably.

      And of course it was true. Riley remembered all too well how hard it had been for Jilly to adjust to life in her home—and especially how she’d struggled with feelings of unworthiness. In an especially weak moment, Jilly had run off to another truck stop, thinking that selling her body was all she was good for.

      “I’m nobody,” Jilly had told Riley when the police brought her back.

      The lawyer had done her research well, but Jilly had changed so much since then. Riley was sure that those days of insecurity were over.

      Still maintaining a tone of deep concern, Paget said to Jilly …

      “Sooner or later, dear, you’ve got to accept the help of people who care about you. And right now, your father wants more than anything else to give you a good life. I think you owe it to him to give him a chance to do that.”

      Turning to the judge, Paget added, “Your honor, I leave the matter to you.”

      For the first time, the judge seemed to be genuinely moved.

      He said, “Mr. Scarlatti, your eloquent comments have forced me to reconsider my decision.

      Riley gasped aloud.

      Is this really happening?

      The judge continued, “Arizona statute is very clear on the matter of severance. The first consideration is the fitness of the parents. The second consideration is the best interests of the child. Only if the parent is deemed unfit can the second consideration be brought into question.”

      He paused to think for a moment.

      “Mr. Scarlatti’s unfitness has not been established here today. I think rather to the contrary, he seems to be doing everything he can to become an excellent father.”

      Looking alarmed, Kaul stood up and spoke sharply.

      “Your honor, I object. Mr. Scarlatti gave up his rights voluntarily, and this is completely unexpected. The agency had no reason to bring evidence to establish his unfitness.”

      The judge spoke with a note of finality and rapped his gavel.

      “Then I have no reason to consider anything further. Custody is granted to the father, effective immediately.”

      Riley couldn’t help letting out a cry of despair.

      This is real, she thought.

      I’m losing Jilly.

      CHAPTER FIVE

      Riley was almost hyperventilating as she tried to grasp what was happening.

      Surely I can contest this decision, she thought.

      The agency and the lawyer could easily put together some solid evidence of Scarlatti’s abusive behavior.

      But what would happen in the meantime?

      Jilly would never stay with her father. She would run away again—and this time she might really disappear.

      Riley might never see her youngest daughter again.

      Still sitting at the bench, the judge said to Jilly, “Young lady, I think you should go to your father now.”

      To Riley’s surprise, Jilly looked utterly calm.

      She squeezed Riley’s hand and whispered …

      “Don’t worry, Mom. This is going to be all right.”

      She walked over to where Scarlatti and his fiancée were now standing. Albert Scarlatti’s smile seemed warm and welcoming.

      Just as her father held out his arms to hug her, Jilly said, “I’ve got something to say to you.”

      A curious expression crossed Scarlatti’s face.

      Jilly said, “You killed my brother.”

      “Wh-what?” Scarlatti stammered. “No, that’s not true, and you know it. Your brother Norbert ran away. I’ve told you lots of times—”

      Jilly interrupted him.

      “No, I’m not talking about my big brother. I don’t even remember him. I’m talking about my little brother.”

      “But you never had a—”

      “No, I never had a little brother. Because you killed him.”

      Scarlatti’s mouth dropped open and his face reddened.

      Her voice shaking with anger, Jilly continued, “I guess you think I don’t remember my mother, because I was so little when she left. But I do remember. I remember she was pregnant. I remember you yelling at her. You hit her in the stomach. I saw you do it, again and again. Then she was sick. And then she wasn’t pregnant anymore. She told me it was a boy, and he would have been my little brother, but you killed him.”

      Riley was staggered by what Jilly was saying. She had no doubt that every word of it was true.

      I wish she could have told me, she thought.

      But of course, Jilly must have found it too painful to talk about—until this very moment.

      Jilly was sobbing now. She said, “Mommy cried a lot when she told me. She said she had to go away, or you’d kill her sooner or later. And she did go away. And I never saw her again.”

      Scarlatti’s face was knotting up in an ugly expression. Riley could see that he was struggling with his rage.

      He growled, “Girl, you don’t know what you’re talking about. You’re imagining the whole thing.”

      Jilly said, “She was wearing her pretty blue dress that day. The one she really liked. See, I do remember. I saw the whole thing.”

      Jilly’s words were pouring out in a desperate torrent.

      “You kill everything and everybody sooner or later. You can’t help it. I’ll bet you even lied when you told me my puppy ran away. You probably killed Darby too.”

      Scarlatti was shaking all over now.

      Jilly’s words kept flowing out, “My mother did the right thing by running away, and I hope she’s happy, wherever she is. And if she’s dead—well, she’s still better off than she would be with you.”

      Scarlatti let out a roar of fury. “Shut up, you little bitch!”

      He grabbed Jilly by the shoulder with one hand and slapped her across the face with the