But it was more than that. Victoria, who owned a national landscaping company, had gone all out. That year, both yards had been featured in a national home-and-garden magazine. The same one that the triplets’ mother had been featured in the year before, also thanks to Victoria.
Cobra took another sip of his drink. Neither he nor Colton had been surprised that Tez would be the first of the Masters triplets to walk down the aisle. The oldest triplet had never been a player, not in the true sense of the word. Although he had dated from time to time, his main goal in life had been to become a successful attorney.
When Cobra and Colton left Harvard after earning their bachelor’s degrees to pursue graduate degrees elsewhere, Cortez had decided to remain at Harvard for law school. Then he had passed the bar on the first try.
Knowing how much time Tez had spent studying for that exam, Cobra and Colton had decided a “brothers’ trip” to Paris was in order, where the three of them would celebrate. Tez had arrived in Paris a few days before he and Colton had, and that was when he had met Victoria Bennett.
Deciding to change the subject, Cobra said, “You gave a great Best Man speech, Tez.”
“So did you.”
Cobra shrugged. “Yeah, but I didn’t say everything that I wanted to.”
Cortez chuckled. “Colton and I are glad that you didn’t. You’ve become unpredictable.”
Cobra raised a questioning brow. “Unpredictable?”
Cortez nodded, smiling. “For the first time in your thirty-five years on this earth. It’s starting to look like celibacy is getting to you.”
He wouldn’t admit it, even if it was. At least not to his brothers. “I will win the bet, Tez.”
“Sure, you will,” he laughed. “Just so you know, I’ve already decided where I’m going to take Victoria when I win those airline tickets off you.”
“Don’t waste your time. You won’t be winning anything. Nor will Colt.”
“Is that what you think, Cobra?”
“That’s what I know, Tez.”
“We’ll see,” his brother said, laughing again before he walked off.
***
Cobra watched his brother leave. Tez and Colt thought they knew him so well. So, okay, he’d admit the past seven months had been the hardest he’d ever had to deal with, and the next five would be torturous as fuck, but he would manage. Whenever he felt the need to bang his head up against the wall, while wishing he could bang into some woman’s body instead, all he had to do was remember that night with Bernice. It made him angry every time he thought about it. What could she have gotten away with if he hadn’t seen that video? That one night would have ruined him forever, had things gone her way.
Luckily, they hadn’t.
And thanks to Cortez, the woman was now serving time. Since she had pleaded guilty, all that remained was the judge’s sentencing. Cobra doubted he would ever forget that day. Herdefense attorney, who had shown up in court a lot better dressed than he’d been that night, had pleaded for leniency, claiming this was Bernice’s first mistake and that she was an excellent employee, a dedicated member of her church, and a good mother to her two little boys—ages two and three. Boys who would be placed in foster homes if Bernice went to prison. The woman had played her part by sobbing through most of the proceedings.
Cobra was glad that the stunt didn’t work. Cortez had arranged for the fathers of Bernice’s sons to appear at the hearing. Both wealthy men—one who played for the NFL and the other for the NBA—had stated that although they had no proof, they felt their one night with Bernice had been a similar setup.
Security cameras taken from the nightclubs where they’d met Bernice had shown she’d been wearing that same bracelet and decorative hairpin. That meant there was a good chance she had used both items before. After their one night with her, they hadn’t heard from her again…until her lawyer had called to demand paternity tests.
The two men further stated that they would be glad to take full custody of their sons. Regardless of the circumstances surrounding their conception, both men stated that they loved their kids and could provide them with a better home. They would also make sure the brothers, who were only eleven months apart, got to spend time together.
Bernice Whey was given five years for sexual assault, with the intent to use a date-rape drug. And with the assault and battery charge brought about by Cobra, another year was added. Then, before the hearing ended, Cortez had brought down the final hammer—a move that Cobra hadn’t known was coming.
It seemed Bernice had a third alias. Before moving to Savannah last year, she had lived in Seattle under the name of Lillie Dunkins. A warrant was currently out for her arrest for herinvolvement in an extortion ring that targeted wealthy men. She would invite them to her hotel room, where they were drugged and then videotaped having sex with her. The men would pay whatever she demanded to keep the video from being exploited.
The judge wasn’t impressed. In addition to the sentence he had set, he stated that Allison, Bernice, Lillie, or whatever her real name was, would be extradited back to Seattle to face additional charges for her alleged crimes there. Since extortion was a federal offense, the FBI would handle the case.
While Cobra hadn’t guessed the scope of Bernice’s crimes, he wasn’t surprised. Bernice had been quick to plead guilty—and she had done so for a reason. Cortez had suspected as much and asked Landon to do some digging. And he’d struck gold.
Angry at the way things had turned out for her, Bernice had gone berserk and began cursing out Cobra, Cortez, her two babies’ daddies, and the judge. Before the bailiff could stop her, she slapped her attorney.
Her disorderly conduct and the assault on her attorney had resulted in her getting two more years added to her sentence. That meant she would have to serve time for a total of eight years, just for her crimes in Savannah. And there was no telling how many additional years she would receive for her part in the extortion ring in Seattle. Cobra didn’t feel any pity for her. Not one iota.
After grabbing another drink off the tray of a passing waiter, Cobra glanced around the room. Once the newlyweds departed, he would decline any after-parties and go up to his hotel room to watch the NBA Finals on television.
