Victims No More: Daddy Dearest (Phoenix Club: No More Victims - Volume 2)

CHAPTER 4

 Jensen had just pulled up and parked in front of the foster house when Max and Horatio arrived. The attorney greeted the two men.

"Is he here?" Horatio's chest tightened as he looked around but didn't spot an unfamiliar vehicle.

"I just got here," Jensen said. "But I think we're early." He checked the time on his phone. "He isn't scheduled to arrive for another fifteen minutes or so."

Horatio attempted to maintain his composure in front of the attorney, but it took all his strength of will. "Can you keep him from taking Franny?"

"First, we'll see what proof he has of paternity," Jensen said. "If it checks out, then we'll move on to why he hasn't tried to make contact with her until now. If there is enough substantial evidence that he abandoned her or her mother before Franny was born, then you stand a good chance of keeping her and going through with the adoption."

Max shifted beside Horatio. "And what if he didn't abandon her?" he asked quietly. "What if he didn't even know about her until now?"

Sighing, Jensen admitted, "That could pose a problem."

"Franny is thirteen," Horatio interjected. "Can't she decide who she wants to be with?"

"Thirteen is still considered quite young in the eyes of the law," Jensen said. "Had she been fifteen or sixteen, then it's likely she could choose for herself."

"Still quite young," Max nearly spit out. "But old enough to force her to give birth—whether she wanted to or not. Any girl who is required to give birth to her abuser's baby is damn well old enough to choose her own family. They want to burden these young girls with this trauma—then turn around and still treat them like children? Bullshit. Just because Franny decided to keep the baby—while she still had a choice—doesn't make her any less of a victim of this fucking system. She's going to be a mother, for God's sake. No one has the right to tell her who to make a life with."

Horatio felt his husband's pain and frustration; nothing about any of this felt fair.

"I agree," Jensen said. "Unfortunately, not all laws are sensible. If we're going to win, then we need to go through the proper channels and do everything up legally, so it doesn't come back on us later."

"I know," Max whispered, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's just... frustrating and... and unfair to Franny."

"It is," Jensen murmured. "All we can do is take it one step at a time. As I said, first we'll see what proof he has, then go from there."

Horatio had been putting his complete trust in Jensen for years now and the man had yet to let him down. Jensen's services were mostly business-related, but he had also taken on Abel's case and treated the young man with great care and devotion. And now this; the man's loyalty to Horatio superseded any monetary gains. He wasn't only his attorney—he was Horatio's friend.

The three men went inside, and Oliver led them to the kitchen. Emmy served them coffee.

"I thought you might bring Franny," the woman said softly, slowly stirring cream into her coffee. "I'm glad you didn't."

"We didn't tell her," Max said. "We wanted to meet with the man first and assess the situation before we spoke to her."

"I'm glad." Emmy nodded, sadness pinching her eyes. "She should be kept out of it until it's absolutely necessary to involve her."

Horatio remained silent, his emotions making it difficult to form words. He feared he might crumble if he tried to speak. Max seemed to understand his plight and spoke in his stead.