I ran my hand over the locket that lay against my chest.
“Hang on a sec.” I held up my finger and then spun around and headed up the stairs.
When I reached the bedroom, I took down one of the bags of personal belongings that I kept in the closet. I pulled out a photo that I’d kept for years.
A minute later, I was downstairs in front of Joel.
“This is him,” I said as I handed him the full-sized photograph of AJ. “One of the nurses took the picture. She mailed it to our apartment a few weeks later. I couldn’t look at it for years.”
Joel stuffed his cowboy hat under his arm and took the picture, staring at it. He traced AJ’s little face with his free hand.
“He looked just like him.” His eyes met mine.
I nodded, which was what had made the picture so damn painful to look at. AJ was indeed Ace’s junior.
“Thanks,” he said, handing me the photo.
“No.” I pushed his hand back to him. “Keep it. I have a copy. He’s always right here.” I pressed my palm to my chest, covering the locket.
“I see why my boy fell in love with you.”
I started to say thank you, but my cell phone rang. I hesitated when I saw that it was an unknown number. The number had a Washington, D.C. area code. I knew who it was immediately.
“I-I have to take this,” I told Joel.
He peered at me after looking at the phone in my hand. “Work?”
I was grateful for the out. “Yeah.” I nodded. “They probably need me to come in a little earlier than expected.”
He nodded. “I’ll let you get to it.”
I walked him to the door and made sure to wave brightly, seeing him off, before answering.
“What the hell took you so long?” Reyes barked into the phone as soon as I said hello.
“I was busy.”
“Too busy to save your kid?”
I squeezed the phone in my hand, wishing I could punch him in the face.
“There’s been a change of plans. I need the money sooner than later.”
“What are you talking about?” I screeched. “We still have another month. You said so.”
“Fuck that. I could always tell your son’s father where he is,” Reyes threatened.
“I don’t have it.”
“Well, you better fucking figure it out. I’ll be in Texas by the end of the week.”
With that, he hung up the phone on me.
“What the hell am I going to do?” I murmured, looking around the empty house. I would have to swallow my pride and fear and finally tell Ace the truth.
* * *
Ace
