I want to silence the call, but ignoring Adrian will only sharpen his appetite. I’ve dealt with men like him my whole life,men who mistake access for ownership, and that’s exactly what he’s going to try to do if I let him near Scout.
I flash Kieran the screen. “Speak of the devil.”
“Want me to answer?”
“I’ll deal with it,” I swipe to answer before I can change my mind. “What do you want, Adrian?”
He doesn’t bother with pleasantries, not that he ever does. “I’m done being patient. This situation has gone on long enough.”
I snort. “You don’t get to decide that.”
“I do. Because Scout is my grandson, whether you like it or not.”
My grip tightens around the phone. “You don’t get to say his name.”
“I’m no longer asking to be part of his life. I’m asking for custody.”
For a second, I think I misheard him. Then I laugh. I can’t help it.
The sound bursts out of me, raw and bitter.
I see Kieran stiffen out of the corner of my eye.
“You’re fucking joking.”
“I’m deadly serious.”
I can hear the certainty in his voice.
He’s not bluffing. The amusement instantly drains from my body, replaced by something colder.
Custody.
The word tastes like ash in my mouth, sour and bitter, and it doesn’t belong to him. It belongs to me.
Scout isn’t just part of my life. He’s the center of it. Every careful plan, every sleepless night, every fight I’ve survived, it’s all been for him. And Adrian thinks he can just claim that? As if blood alone gives him the right to tear my family apart.
I see Scout’s face in my mind. His messy hair, the way he scrunches his nose when he’s concentrating, the sound of his laughter when he’s lost in a video game. That boy trusts me completely, and Adrian wants to rip that trust away.
Every muscle in my body goes feral, coiled and ready to snap.
I won’t let him.
The anger I feel is immediate, but underneath it is something darker.
Fear. The kind that seeps in at the edges, whispering in my ear…
What if he succeeds?
“You murdered his mother. You think any court on this planet would hand him over to you?”
“For the right price.”
My vision narrows. “He’s my son.”
“You kept him from me.”
I slam my hand down on the bar top. “I protected him!”
