I press Robin’s number. It rings twice before she picks up and says without prompting, “I’m on it.”
“Oh. Okay.”
“I’ll let you know when we’ve got him where he needs to be.”
“Right.” I stare at my phone for a second. “Bye.”
“Later.”
* * *
“You brought him here?”I watch as Gus carries in a sleeping Nate Black.
“I told you we were bringing him to where he needs to be.”
“And you think that’s here?” I squeak.
“I know it’s here.”
“Robin,” I whine. “Come on.”
Gus is still standing right inside my front door, holding Nate like he weighs nothing. “Where do you want him?”
“I don’t.” Shit. I really don’t. Pointing to my sofa, I say, “There.” It’ll serve him right to sleep on that jabby thing since he had the nerve to make fun of it.
Robin moves in next to me, watching as Gus drops the other man on my ancient couch.
“Have fun,” Gus says as he marches to the front door. He steps into the hallway, and just as he’s about to disappear, he slaps the jamb and says, “Oh, and you need to ask him about his other kid.”
“Other kid?” Robin and I say it simultaneously.
“Yep.” He looks at Robin. “You comin’, babe?”
“Yes.” She reaches out and squeezes my hand. “Good luck.”
Good luck?Gah! I want to scream because… What in the hell…?
I turn and stare down at Nate on my sofa. “Another kid, Nate? Really?”
He mumbles in his drunken state, and while I know I should feel sorry for him, all I want to do is kick him in the shins.
21
Nate
Oh,God. My head.
The light. I feel my eyes burn from the sheer brightness. I raise my hands and cover my face. That’s when I realize the pain isn’t just in my head. It’s all over. My entire body aches. Especially my ass. It feels like someone stuck a knife in my right ass cheek. Twice.
“Good morning, sunshine.”
I hear a woman’s voice. It causes me to ask myself some very important questions. Likewhere the fuck am I?andwho the fuck was that?I open up two fingers so I can see out of one eye. This all needs to happen slowly.
“Mags?”
“In the flesh.”
“What…? Why…?”
