“Yeah,” I continued. “I could go to the press and tell all about how the Senator had an affair with a teenage girl, got her pregnant and is now threatening his own child’s very safety.”
I stood up straight, feeling a balance of power shift as the thought formulated in my mind. “How do you think the Senator’s constituents would feel about that?”
Another beat of silence. And then a deep, throaty laugh pushed through Reyes’ throat.
“Do you think it would be that simple?”
My shoulders sagged at the mockery I heard in his voice. Just like that, my confidence deflated like a seven day old balloon.
“You can’t actually believe the Senator would cave to your demands, do you?” He made a disbelieving sound. “That’s not how this works. The Senator and his people ae deeply connected to a whole world you know nothing about, Ms. Greyson. Press or no press, your son wouldn’t be safe. In fact, by going public, you would be placing him in even greater danger. Trust me on that.”
A cold chill raced down my spine. I didn’t know anything about Vincent Reyes beyond the fact that he was the man sent to do harm to my son. Yet, when he made that declaration, I believed every word.
Not even the public knowing could keep us safe.
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “I-I’ll have your money, but I need more time,” I whispered.
“How much more time?”
“Six months.”
“Did you now just hear what I said?” He demanded, sounding wildly frustrated. “Are you playing with me?”
I shook my head. “Look, I know it’s a lot of time. More than we discussed but I don’t have the money right now, and I won’t be able to get it for another six months.”
There was silence on the other end.
“Hello?”
“Okay, here’s the deal. You want me to wait an additional six months, then the price is going up by a hundred grand.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“I’m deathly serious,” he said darkly. “You will now pay me two-hundred and fifty grand to keep your son alive.”
My heart squeezed in my chest.
“Don’t try to disappear. There is nowhere that you can go that I won’t find you. You sleep tight tonight.”
The phone went silent. I pressed my hand to my chest, willing my heartbeat to slow down. The next six months had to go smoothly, or I wouldn’t get the money, and Aiden ’s life was in danger.
I still didn’t know how all of this had happened. Yvette rarely shared anything about her life before we met. All she would say about Aiden ’s father was that he was an evil man and had no interest in being in her son’s life.
When Vincent Reyes first showed up at my door, I all but called him a liar when he said that Marco Flores was Aiden ’s father. That was when he pulled out pictures of Yvette and the Senator together.
There were photos of my friend, so young looking, sitting on the senator’s lap.
Then there was the uncanny resemblance Aiden had to Flores. Vincent went so far as to show me an image of Flores’ youngest son, Oscar, and place it next to a picture of Aiden. It was almost like looking at twins. There was no way the two boys weren’t related.
No matter how fucked up this situation was, I couldn’t let the Senator or Vincent Reyes get anywhere near Aiden. I’d lost one son. I’d be damned if I was going to lose another.
“Hey, Mama, come look. You have to see this.”
I peered up to see Aiden standing at the front door, waving me inside. My heart squeezed in my chest.
“Coming.” I moved to the door, staring at the excitement in Aiden ’s eyes. “What’s up?” I asked.
“Look.” He grabbed my hand and pulled me to follow him down the hall and up the stairs to his bedroom.
