But Skipper nets his arms around me and scoops me up. “Shh,” he says, placing a steady hand over my mouth. “You’re allowing him to get under your skin. Don’t.”
It’s easier said than done when he hits the nail right on the head. If I hadn’t been so selfish, I never would’ve let Otis out of my sight.
“You’re a bad mother, and you know I’m right. Otis would thrive so much better without you in his life. Which is why I’m willing to trade his life for yours.”
I need the world to swallow me whole.
I need to wake up in bed and take a giant gasp of air as I realize this was all just one big nightmare.
I bury my face in the crook of Skipper’s arm and let him hold me.
Whyare they holding me? Why are they helping?
This is my doing, not theirs.
Vex and Skipper don’t even know the connection between Carter and Otis, and they’re still clenching their fists in anger as Conrad spits his venom.
Why?
“I’m going to send my location through to Vex, Carmen, and you’re going to come alone, unarmed. You’re going to trade places with Otis. If you don’t, you will bury your son.”
Carter lunges forward and does what Skipper prevented me from doing. He snatches the burner out of Vex’s hand and crushes it with his bare hands.
He stops himself from going all the way, and instead decides to yell a bunch of profanities down the phone that have Conrad roaring with laughter.
I’m now indecisive—do I want to burn Conrad or feed him his own testicles?
But I won’t get the chance to do any of that. The boys will probably get there first and work their magic for me.
Carter especially.
If looks could kill, everyone in this room would be dropping dead.
“Okay,” Conrad says. “I sent through my location. I will give you twenty-four hours. Remember. Alone, unarmed. Mine.”
I tremble at the last word.
Carter hangs up the phone and tosses it across the room. It flies over to the bar and hits two glass bottles of liquor, both of which shatter to pieces.
The pungent smell of alcohol floods into my nose. Now I’m even more sick than before.
I dump myself on the nearest bench and throw my face into my hands.
“Don’t,” I plead as soon as I feel the boys close in. I can already hear their resistance even though they haven’t even said anything yet.
I’m going there alone. It’s the only way.
It’s Otis or nothing.
After a minute of sulking, I jump up and retrieve the burner phone.
But Vex swoops in and gets there first, stealing it before I have the chance.
“The hell?”
“We’re going for you,” he says.
“You can’t.”
