Scared of being killed by Alexei KoslovandLachlan, but I don’t voice that.
I drag a hand through my hair. “There’s more to this story. It’s even fucking uglier if you can believe it. You can walk out that door right now. Check into a hotel, and I’ll send you divorce papers. You can have half of everything. You’ll have more than enough to finish school and get through your residency. Even buy yourself a better condo than this.”
She goes white, steps back, and sits in the rocking chair. “I… I don’t want your money. I want you. The real you. The you without secrets. Because no matter how bad it got, you found your way through the darkness. You’re not pretending to be a good man now, are you?”
“No,” I say quickly. “But it’s something I struggle with every day.”
“Then tell me.” She sits back, legs crossed, arms folded, “Because I’m not leaving.”
Where the fuck did this woman come from?
“My son’s mother, Ana, who you saw at their house?—”
“She was beautiful,” Scarlett says, looking self-conscious, and I hate that.
“Ana is the daughter of the Russian mafia boss in Astoria. She faked her own kidnapping to get out of a marriage contract and fled to Vegas. Her father is a monster. He tore the city apart looking for her. Killed a lot of people.”
Scarlett blinks, then tilts her head. “That’s on that guy,” she says. “Not you.”
A humorless smile ghosts my mouth. “That’s not how it works in the mafia, little Ford.”
Her breath stutters, the nickname hitting herdifferently because of my tone.
“She was the girlfriend I mentioned,” I continue. “We hooked up. And when things went south, I dragged her down with me. The drugs. The scams I was pulling for money because I hit rock bottom. Then she got pregnant…” I swallow hard. “I didn’t see a child.Mychild. I saw a ticking bomb. A war. One that would kill every O’Rourke back in Astoria if her father found out what I did.”
“You were scared, strung out,” Scarlett murmurs. “You were alone. You weren’t talking to your brother. Cormac, did you…” Her voice drops to a terrified whisper. “Did you ever hurt her?”
The world goes red.
“No,” I grind out. “Not like that. Not with my fists, but I mistreated her just the same. I hate admitting this, but I didn’t love her. She didn’t love me either. We used each other. It just got ugly.”
I breathe deeply, steady, controlled.
“When I found out she was pregnant, I took anything I could get my hands on. I wanted to die. I thought ifIdied, her father wouldn’t burn the O’Rourke name off the map.”
Scarlett leans back and takes a deep breath. “Whoa, Cormac. That’s deep. Have you talked to anyone about it?”
“Yeah. In that prison camp I mentioned to you.”
She stands and takes the stuffed bear from the shelf. “Where was your son born?”
“Seattle.”
I step beside her, staring at the crib. “That accident I told you about that landed me in jail for drug possession? Ana was in the car. A detective who knew my brother called him. Darragh flew into Vegas that night.” My voice fractures. “When he saw who I had with me, he thoughtthe same thing I did.Holy fucking shit.He knew what her father would do. So, he took Ana to Seattle. To hide her.”
Scarlett blinks, putting every jagged piece together. “And nowthey’remarried?”
“Yeah.” I huff out a laugh. “Ironic.”
“That cop said you were pretending to be his father at the hospital?”
“Darragh put his name on the birth certificate in Seattle,” I whisper. “Told Ana’s father he was the one who got her pregnant. He…” I choke. “He risked his life for me.”
Scarlett rests her head on my arm. “He must love you very much.”
“He does,” I scoff. “The idiot.”
“Stop saying things like that!” She swats at me.