“I’m not,” she began. “I?—”
I leaned down and hissed, “Stop fuckin’ lyin’ to my face.”
She looked down and shifted on her feet.
I scraped a hand down my face, studying her. Jesus, she really was a mess. There was no way she was just taking coke. I knew the signs; God knows I’d dealt with it every day of my childhood.
“What you takin’, Bree?” I asked.
“I’m okay, Aiden,” she murmured. “I’ve just not been sleeping well lately, so Kev got me something to help me out. I’m going to stop. I promise.”
“Darlin’,” I said quietly. “I can’t help you unless you tell me everythin’.”
Her eyes lifted to meet mine, and they filled with tears. “Don’t take the boys away.”
“I don’t wanna do that,” I assured her. “But you gotta get help, Bree. I’m not lettin’ my sons grow up the way I did. I’ll get you checked into a place where you can dry out and get some counselin’, but it can’t be here. Gonna take you and the kids to Wyoming.”
“Kev won’t like it,” she said with a slight shake to her voice.
“That prick can fuck off,” I shot back. “I’m guessin’ he’s the one who’s been gettin’ you the blow.”
Her eyes cast down again, and she nodded.
My mouth tightened. “Pack what you need. Get a few cases together for you and the boys. I’ll ask Big Daddy for a couple of prospects to come over and pack your shit up. They can bring it over to Wyoming in a U-Haul.”
“I can’t leave just like that,” she protested.
“Why, Bree? I can enroll the boys at school in Coal Creek. We’ll find you a facility where you can get better, then set you up in a new house. That asshole you live with will have you back on the smack the second you get out of rehab. I can help you, but not from a thousand miles away.”
Breanna bit her lip nervously. “I don’t know if I can.”
A muscle ticked in my jaw.
I was giving her an out, but she wasn’t taking it. I knew how this went. I’d lived it for years. Did I want to take my boys away from their mom? Hell no. But I’d be fucked if I left them in a smack house with a mother who couldn’t care for herself or them. The place was a pigsty. It looked like nobody had dusted or vacuumed for weeks. I could understand it if Bree worked, but she didn’t need to with the cash I sent her every month. The boys weren’t staying here.
“What the fuck ever, Bree. I’m gonna take Rex and Roman regardless,” I vowed.
“No!” she wailed. “I’ll stop. I promise.”
“Not takin’ any chances, woman. You’ve gotta choice to make now. You either choose your boys, or the smack, but you’re not havin’ both.”
She stared up at me with eyes that used to be so pretty but now were bloodshot and lifeless. “I’m their mother.”
“You are,” I agreed. “But you’re also a drug addict.” I rested a hand on her shoulder. “You know, Bree. You knoweverythin’about me. And that’s why you also know I can’t leave Rex and Rome here with you like this.”
“I’ll die without them,” she cried. “I love my boys.”
“They love you too. That’s the only reason I’m givin’ you a choice.”
“I can’t leave,” she whispered. “I’m not ready.”
My lip curled. “You’re choosin’ drugs over our boys?”
“I’m not an addict,” she retorted sullenly.
My throat heated. I grabbed her arm and got down in her face. “You’re a fuckin’ mess, and so’s the house. Never seen you like this before, Breanna. You were always a good woman and a good mom. What the fuck happened?”
Her face twisted angrily, and she let out a brittle laugh. “You’rewhat happened, Pagan.You! You stand there acting holier than thou, like you’re so much better than me, but really, you’re just a criminal. I got with you when you were a Marine, but then you left the military and joined that fucking club. You think you’re all that, but you’re not. You’re no better than a common thief. I may take a few drugs here and there, but at least I’m honest about who I am. You swan around like you walk on water.” She shook her head, looking me up and down in disgust. “What a joke.”
