“Working?” he asked.
She looked around as if she was worried someone would hear her. It didn’t matter what she said to him. He had no say in her outcome.
“It paid well. I got to party all day and stay at their place. All I had to do was deliver packages a few times a week.”
“Drugs,” he said.
She laughed. “Packages. I didn’t know what was in them.”
“Bullshit and I don’t care.” He came here for one reason. “I need you to sign the custody agreement giving me full custody.”
He put the envelope on the counter.
“You’ll get it anyway with me being here,” Baylee said, frowning. “Why do I need to sign it?”
“Because it will be sooner if you do.”
And get child services off his back.
Not that it’d been horrible. Shelby stopped over one more time on his day off, saw how well Maverick was doing and said she wouldn’t be back anytime soon.
Baylee’s head went back and forth. “I’ll sign for you if you post my bail and get me out of here.”
“Your bail is set at two hundred and fifty thousand,” he said, laughing. “First off, I don’t have that kind of money, and second, I sure the hell wouldn’t give it to you if I did.”
“I only need twenty-five thousand for a bondsman.”
“How come the people you work for aren’t posting it for you? Guess you’re not that valuable to them.”
They most likely had more women they could get to do their deliveries. They’d want to cut ties with anyone who was caught once.
“They say they don’t have it,” Baylee said. “You give me that and I’ll sign the papers. Another twenty-five thousand for back child support and I’ll be gone from your life. Sounds like a deal to me.”
He knew this would happen. That she’d want money. Fifty thousand was a sizeable chunk from his savings. Money he’d need to put down on a house. His rainy day fund would be so much less when he had another person depending on him.
Money could be earned back, but the security of knowing Baylee was out of his son’s life was greater.
He picked the envelope up and stood.
“I’ll think about it.”
“Twenty thousand for me,” Baylee said. “To get me started.”
She was negotiating with him. He could play this to his advantage.
He’d have to give her back child support if she was out, but it wouldn’t have been fifty thousand for two years. No way.
“You know as well as I do, what is owed to you isn’t even close. Do you think my attorney hasn’t already figured it out?”
Monica had already told him what he’d have to owe to Baylee for the past two years and it was just over her bail bond fee. That was figuring in no income at all for Baylee along with no childcare costs since Maverick didn’t attend daycare and got free healthcare.
“How much?” Baylee asked.
“Enough to cover your bond fee,” he said. “But I’ll be generous and give you ten thousand more to sign papers you’ll stay out of Maverick’s life until he’s eighteen.”
He couldn’t ask for more than that. He just wanted his son not to be touched by the nastiness in this room.
Monica was already drawing up all the documents to show neglect. Added to the fact that Baylee was in jail now and would be for years, they didn’t see a problem with him getting full custody, but it all took time.
