“I don’t want them to lose their lives.”
“Because that would make you sad.”
In all honesty, it would probably make the world a better place. These men kill for a living and have very little mercy. They’d be better off dead.
For the world maybe.
But not so much for me.
I let out a groan, faced with a predicament I didn’t see coming.
Carter fulfilled his role three years ago when he kindly shared his genetics and gave me a beautiful baby boy. That was supposed to be the end of it.
I have the chance to cut ties again, for real this time, but…
One, I might need them to help save my life.
Two, I’m not sexually fulfilled yet.
They make me feel insatiable.
And that is a very dangerous emotion to feel when you have a child to put first.
“So, what’s the verdict?” Sadie asks. “You became rich overnight, and now your life is on the line?”
“Something like that, yeah.” I comb a hand through my hair, trying to untangle the hundreds of knots. “My plan was to leave.”
“Leave and go where?”
“I don’t know, I didn’t think ahead that far. But as soon as I got my hands on the money, I wanted Otis and I to start fresh in a new state, away from Vegas. The older I get, the more I come to realize that this city and its suburbs are no place for a child.”
Vegas breeds destruction. I’ve seen firsthand what this city does to people, its ability to get into a person’s mind and slowly rot it, one vodka shot and hookup at a time.
But now I don’t want to pack a suitcase and fly out of here. It’s the sensible thing to do, but I don’t want to do it.
Because I’m becoming an addict like my own fucking mother, choosing men over my own child.
I nibble on my lip. If I don’t move out of here, things aren’t going to improve. Breaking the cycle is hard, but it’s my duty.
I watch Otis mindlessly play with his action figures, his soft lips pouted in concentration. To him, the violence is just a game. He knocks the figures over, playing God.
It’s a good position to be in. It must be fun having fate in your hands, getting to choose who wins and who loses.
But unfortunately, that isn’t real life.
Not in Vegas, anyway.
I’ve yet to see anyone win in this city and stay winning. Even Carter Trescott doesn’t have it all. If he did, he definitely wouldn’t have sold his company and joined an outlaw crime gang.
“I need to get out of here before I can’t,” I say.
“What about Otis’s father?”
“Carter doesn’t know he has a son, and I want it to stay that way.”
“Doesn’t he deserve to know?”
“No. It’s going to complicate things. Otis and I need to get out of here as soon as possible. Our lives are on the line.”
