Samantha looked at him.
“What did I do?”
“You said what you wanted.”
“That’s all?”
Wyatt nodded.
“That’s more than most people manage when they’re scared.”
The protective order hearing happened three days later.
Reuben arrived with two attorneys.
A press aide waited outside the courthouse.
By noon, reporters knew something was happening.
That part frightened Samantha almost as much as seeing him again.
Elena sat beside her.
“You don’t have to speak to cameras.”
“I know.”
“You don’t have to explain your marriage to strangers.”
“I know.”
“And if anybody asks why you work at the Devil’s Keep—”
Samantha almost smiled.
“I pour drinks.”
“Exactly.”
The judge reviewed the voicemail.
Messages.
Photographs.
Medical documentation.
Witness statements from Elena, Grizzly, Wyatt, and two club members.
Reuben’s attorneys objected repeatedly.
The judge listened.
Then entered a temporary order restricting Reuben from approaching Samantha, contacting her directly, appearing at her workplace, or sending third parties to intimidate her.
It was not victory.
Elena made that clear.
“It’s paper.”
she said outside.
“Paper works when people enforce it.”