“I came through the ranks. I was a fucking enforcer. You’ve never been anything but a slick nothing.”
“A slick nothing with twenty guns at his back.”
“I don’t see twenty,” I snap.
“That’s the thing, cousin. I’ve got eyes everywhere. People watching you and your lady and the little brat.”
My blood goes ice-cold in my veins. My hands clench into fists, which makes my knuckles press painfully against my skin. This is bad, in meetings like this, showing emotion. I’m usually a rock. But not when it comes to Theo and Ava.
I lean in, somehow restraining myself, thinking of some college kid’s brains splattered on the floor because I lost my temper. “You’ve got eyes on us, have you?” I snarl. “Bullshit.”
“Nice hotel,” he muses, raising his eyebrows in gleeful victory. “Very clever.”
“What are you saying,cousin?”
“Do I need to say it?” He leans close. “Maybe I do. I thought you were smarter than that. If I get my hands on the little brat or that lady of yours, it’s game over. Think about it. What move would you have? Nothing. So, I hope she’s willing to be your prisoner forever.”
I’m vibrating with anger. Tony nods, and his posse returns to the table. I don’t have to turn to know that Dante is bristling, getting ready for a fight. He’ll no doubt be gripping his knuckle duster, ready to shatter some teeth and break some bones.
“I think we’re done here,” Tony says.
I stand, then offer a small nod. My blood is ice in my veins. “I’m sure we’ll be seeing each other soon, cousin.”
“Hope so,” he grunts.
I turn and walk away, knowing one thing for absolute certainty now. I’m going to kill Tony myself.
CHAPTER 23
AVA
The next morning, Theo isn’t in his crib. I stare down at the empty space where I put him down, the rumpled blankets. Mom and Dad never come into the bedroomthisearly – it’s not even six – and just snatch him up. Panic pounds through my body, choking me, making me feel like a trapped rat.
Where is my son? Where is my baby?
I stop in the living room, breathing hard. Rafe is sitting in the chair, rocking Theo gently, making soft cooing noises. He looks up, then quickly stands. He rushes over to me with Theo in his arms.
“Shit, Ava. I’m sorry. You thought something was wrong?”
My shoulders relax. I shake my head. “Just had a dream. Ifshitis his first word, I’m blaming you.”
He grins, but there’s a hint of tension in it. “Fair enough.”
He offers Theo to me, but I gesture for him to keep our son for now. He smiles, looking almost boyish.
“Am I going to work today?” I ask quietly.
Rafe swallows and returns to the chair, sitting down carefully as he cradles Theo. I sit nearby, tugging at my PJ shorts. Rafe’s eyes snap to them, hunger flaring. But he tames it and focuses on our baby.
“I don’t think so,” he says carefully. “You and your parents will need to stay here. But I hope it’ll just be for one more day.”
“Do I want to know?” I ask.
He stares down at Theo, amber-gold eyes blazing. “I don’t think so, angel.”
I swallow, wringing my hands together. Part of me wants to ask what he has planned. But mostly, I know he’s right. I’m trying to stay in my world, on my own path. “Are you going to be okay? Tell me that, at least.”
“I think so,” he says. “But you never know. A man is a man, and a bullet is a bullet.”
