Titus: Book Two of the Cantrell Brothers Series

Chapter Fifty-Three

Titus fiddled with the ratty corner of the Yellowpages, gripping the edge. He tore it out. Another page of an Attorneys section that wasn't even close to Napolm, it was added to the accumulating pile right next to the printed out website lists, the lawyers' names, addresses, and numbers all melding into one as more pages were added.

When he got done with searching through the phone books that he'd selected from the gas station, Titus just leaned back in the kitchen chair. It creaked under his weight, the sound echoing throughout the empty house. Devoid of both his girls, that was just what it was. Empty.

It had been a few hours ago when Anna had decided to go and spend time with her friend, Sam, who was about a month along with her own pregnancy. She'd taken Ella along, and although he wanted to spend time with his daughter, the absence of their crying six-week-old would only benefit him. He now had more time to work and focus on finding an attorney that charged a single, flat fee instead of by the hour.

He couldn't afford to take out too much money, especially after he and Anna had opened up that joint bank account at the earlier stages of their marriage. It had been a decision that had brought ease and convenience into paying the bills, but now that this whole situation with expensive attorneys had come up, Titus began to regret it.

He had cash, a good amount in the paper bag upstairs, but from what he had looked up from online about the hourly rate charges, what he had wouldn't be enough. The lawyer could drag it on much longer than he or she was supposed to, leaving Titus with uncertainty and distrust despite the fact he hadn't even met with a single one of them yet.

He'd begun calling the list of attorneys last week. Some lawyers told him their rates personally, while others' secretaries gave him a vague description. A few of the larger firms just told him to hold for an ungodly amount of time, until he just hadn't been able to stand. And even some of the smaller ones had asked him what it was about, but he'd remained tight lipped through it all. If they were too expensive, there was no need to tell them exactly why. It would just waste time, and he didn't want that nasty gossip spreading quicker than wild fire.

Which was why he was here now, leaning back in the kitchen chair and listening to the lazy clock tic away in the kitchen. He'd been scouring the Yellowpages and the internetfor what felt like an eternity, getting enough disappointing calls to know that this wasn't going to be easy. They called when he worked, when he tried to sleep, and when he was with Anna and Ella. Their messages were all the same, all deflating his hope and leaving him to force a smile onto his face. Leaving him to lie straight to Anna's that it was just something about a cattle sale.

She was a little suspicious, he knew, but she didn't say anything about it. Her eyes would dull a little and her mouth would turn down just the slightest bit, but she never asked. He had always been somewhat of a decent liar, but when it came to Anna – after everything they had been through – it seemed as though she saw right through his faulty excuses.

Sighing, Titus picked up his cell phone once more and dialed yet another number in the pile that he'd printed out from a Texas website. From what he could see on the page, it was a smaller firm that specialized in domestic and custody affairs. But with his luck, he'd be told that such a service was too much for him. With how things were going, he may not even get a call back by today.

“Hayes and Associates. How can we help you?” a polite female voice said through the phone.

“Hi,” he said. “How much does one of your lawyers charge? Is it at an hourly rate or something more simple like a flat fee?”

“It depends on the attorney and what type of case you need an attorney for.”

“Something like child custody. What would that be?”