Wilderness by Lynn Burke

Author:Lynn Burke [Burke, Lynn]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Author Lynn Burke

18

Jessie

We had him, my lawyer assured me. While Cort submitted documentation about his owning the trademark on Midnight Sun Charter, he hadn’t utilized the company. My dad’s plane had been repainted with his own logo in red, doing away with the old blue. None of his adverts, nothing in Endsley Flight Services listed a single word about Midnight Sun.

Yes, the judge was a cousin once removed or some such shit of Cort’s, but my lawyer was good friends with Alaska’s attorney general. If the judge didn’t rule fairly according to the law, he stood a good chance of getting his wrist slapped—or worse. With my lawyer’s help, I could assure him of that fact.

The judge considered the papers both my and Cort’s lawyer had provided. Ours shows the actual file date of Cort’s trademark renewal—one day late. His own lawyer had submitted a document that stated otherwise.

I clasped my hands on my lap, knuckles white, waiting in the heavy silence that fell over the court room. My fingernails dug into my palms as I willed my pulse to slow, to show calm and confidence as my lawyer did beside me.

Clearing his throat, the judge looked up, his gaze on Cort’s side of the room. “Regardless of the dates listed on these renewals, you’ve offered no proof the trademark name is currently in use.”

Cort shifted. “But Your Honor—”

“Judgement is for the defendant.” The gavel came down with a sharp bang, twitching my body with a wince even as I grinned with relief.

Cort hopped from his chair, letting out a string of curses, and I slouched back in my seat, a heavy exhale leaving my tight throat as he continued to spew shit at me.

The gavel continued to bang as the judge called for order—Cort ended up being escorted out.

An adrenaline crash left me trembling, but I stood alongside my lawyer who gathered his papers. “Thank you.”

“My pleasure, Ms. Blacke. And, I’ll have your trademark papers filed by the end of the day.”

My shaking legs carried me outside, and I pulled on my coat against the cool bite in the October air. The sun felt warmer even though it wasn’t high in the sky. The hustle and noise of Fairbanks didn’t grate on my nerves as it usually did.

I’d won.

Grinning and thinking about how to celebrate, I unlocked my new truck’s door. A premonition shivered over my skin—

“I’m going to end you.”

I closed my eyes as Cort’s voice killed my high. Spinning, I found him inches from my body, his body trembling, his eyes iced with rage. “Your plan backfired, asshole, and if you don’t obey the restraining order my lawyer forced on your cousin, I’ll make sure you end up in jail, too.”

“Fucking bitch.” He backed off, shoulders hunched, and hands fisted at his sides.

“Money can’t buy you everything,” I tossed out, wanting him to know he wasn’t all powerful anymore. But money had definitely helped me defeat him. I yanked open my truck’s door, climbed in, and rolled the window down.

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