I stepped out of the front desk area and opened the door for Vincent to follow me down toward the examination room.
What the hell was he doing there? In the past few weeks, I almost started to believe he had been a figment of my imagination.
Reyes stepped inside behind me, and I closed the door but not all of the way.
“Long time no see,” he said as he folded his arms in front of his body.
I kept my position right in front of the door. I couldn’t see a gun, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have one.
“What are you doing here?”
That malicious smile grew, and my stomach curled in fear.
“Thought it was time to take a trip to Texas.” He stepped forward. “It seems you think I’m playing about this money situation, Ms. Greyson.”
“I told you I need time to get the money you’re asking for.”
“Time is a very scarce resource.” His smile dropped, and the wrinkle in his forehead and frown on his lips conveyed his impatience. “Do you think I won’t tell Senator Flores that I’ve located his son?” He stepped even closer. “Do you know what he wants me to do once I’ve found his illegitimate child?”
I shook my head, not because I didn’t know, but I didn’t want to think about the horrible task Vincent Reyes had been sent on by Marco Flores concerning Aiden.
“He wants me to kill him,” Vincent said, obviously taking pleasure in my fear.
My heart just about stopped beating. I couldn’t bear the thought of someone hurting my son.
“Many illegitimate children have taken down powerful politicians. My client does not want to be amongst those infamous groups.”
“I won’t let either of you harm my son,” I growled, feeling rage at the mere thought of it.
He shrugged, an unbothered expression covering his face. “It is not my wish to harm your son. However, my silence requires payment.”
“I told you, I will have your money in a few months.”
He shook his head. “That’s not good enough anymore. I need more of a guarantee. I need half of the money now.”
I bulged my eyes. “That’s over a hundred thousand dollars. I don’t have that right now.”
“Too bad.” He started for the door. “Looks like I have a phone call to make.”
“Wait,” I insisted, standing tall in front of the door. “I have some money.” I remembered some money I had saved in my old 401k. “It’s only about fifty thousand dollars, but it’s something.”
He gave me a considering look.
It wasn’t even half the amount he demanded, but it had to be enough. God, I wanted to reach for a syringe and plunge it into his carotid artery.
“I will need it by the end of the week,” he finally said.
It was Wednesday. I had no idea how I was going to have that money within the next two days. But I pictured my son’s face and knew I would have to figure it out. I couldn’t let anything happen to him.
“I need more time than that,” I said with my head raised. “It takes time to transfer money.”
This time instead of a smile, he snarled. “I will be in touch soon.” Reyes brushed past me and exited the exam room.
I rubbed my fingers against my forehead to ease the tension headache that started to develop.
Before the headache settled in ultimately, my cell phone buzzed. I pulled the phone out of the pocket of my scrubs and immediately answered when I saw that it was Aiden’s school calling.
“Hello?”
