So instead, I keep my mouth shut and hope that Cora will finish this story that I'm the last to hear about.
"Go on," Silver chimes in, his face emotionless as he stands in the corner with his arms folded, too.
I've known him for a long time—longer than I have Dominic and his guys. Silver was around back when I worked for my previous boss, those two having been acquaintances for quite a while. Silver was always reliable and discreet; someone my boss could count on even during the fallout and the war that ensued. They kept in contact, and if I'm not mistaken, would have considered each other friends. That's a rarity in this industry. There's no shortage of backstabbing, and that doesn't equate to any of us having many, if any at all, friends. On the rare occurrence that you do find someone loyal and trustworthy, you stay with them to the death.
Cora clears her throat. "So, my dad was in debt to Ricardo, and he couldn't pay. Ricardo threatened to kill both of my parents but said he would take me in exchange."
My fingers dig into my forearm, and I consider all the ways I want to torture and kill him.
"I agreed, and then a few days later, he found me, and we discussed terms. I negotiated for a month to get my affairs in order. And part of that deal was that I would come to his home every Sunday to try on clothes for him. That's what you stumbled into today, Miller." Cora glances over to London. "London and I were chatting because Ricardo was running late, and he came in all pissed off and thought something was going on, that we were conspiring against him or some bullshit. I don't know."
Silver sighs dramatically. "Tell them everything, Angel."
I glare at him for the use of the pet name but quickly remember I just had sex with her in his bedroom. If anyone should be shooting vicious stares it should be him, not me.
"Part of the deal is that I owe him an heir. A son. He says the deal will be done if I can do that."
I blink a few times and process the information. Did she just say what I think she did? Did I hear that correctly? Was I so distracted with Silver and Angel and sex that I misheard the words she spoke?
"Excuse me?" I drop my arms to the side and step off the counter.
Cora slowly lowers her head and raises it to confirm my worst fears. "A baby. He wants me to give him a baby."
"Abso-fucking-lutely not," I all but shout, the rage coursing through me at an all-time high. Just when I'm convinced this can't possibly get any worse, it does.
"See," Cora says. "This is why I didn't want to tell you." She glances around the room. "I never wanted any of you to find out. This was supposed to be my burden to carry, my issue to deal with."
I grip the edge of the island she's sitting at and steady myself as best I can given the circumstances. "You are not dealing with this alone, Cora. Not anymore. We're going to figure this out. I don't care if I have to take your place, you are not going to have to go through with this."
"You don't understand," Cora utters. "Healready has my parents. He said he'd kill anyone I cared about if I told anyone or tried to get out of it. What do you think he's going to do when he finds out you all know?" She shakes her head. "This is why you can't do anything. I can't lose anyone else." A single tear rolls down her cheek, and before I can reach to wipe it away, Alec beats me to it.
"I'm with Miller, Cor," he speaks low. "You're not going through this alone. Whatever it takes, we'll get through this."
I shoot a look at Silver, who leaves his spot in the corner to come over and show hissolidarity.
"He has power, but he's a dumb man. We'll figure this out." Silver stands at my side and I grow grateful for the relationship he had with my former boss. That by itself gives me faith that his follow-through game is strong, and he'll be a great asset to have to solve this seemingly impossible situation.
"Let's go over the facts," I say, my problem-solving nature kicking in. "How much time is left?"
"Approximately two weeks," Cora tells us.
I tap my chin. "Okay. And you have how many Sundays left?"
Cora shrugs. "Either one or two. Not including today." Her gaze falls to the counter. "I don't know what's going to happen after today."
"Since you shot him," London points out once again.
"It was a flesh wound," I announce. "It's not a big deal. He's lucky I didn't aim for his dick."
Silver rasps his fingers against the counter. "It does pose an issue, though. There's no telling if he'll change his timeline or terms."
"I could always say it was a misunderstanding," Cora suggests. "He doesn't need to know anything else. I could tell him part of the truth, that Miller had put a tracker on me and saw I was at his house and got jealous."
"You're going to need to go into hiding," Silver says.
"No fucking way." I cross my arms. "Not happening."
Cora cocks her head to the side at me, those blue eyes blinking up at me. "Miller."
