Page 28 of Ivory Ashes

“She went in a few minutes ago. I haven’t seen anything else yet. I can go inside if you—Shit, there she is,” he hisses.

“Is she wearing a disguise?” Anatoly asks. “Don’t let her escape!”

I swat my brother away and grab the phone, pacing back and forth across the office. “What’s happening, Raoul?”

“She almost saw me. But she… She’s with…”

He takes a deep breath. I hear car horns blaring. Scattered voices on the sidewalk.

“Raoul?” I bark. “What the fuck is going on?”

“Sorry, but she’s with a kid.”

Anatoly stands up. “Like a hostage situation?”

“No. They’re holding hands. The kid is smiling. I think… I think she’s his mom.”

Anatoly turns to me, eyes wide.

I never told him Viviana and I had sex, but he’s always suspected. It’s why I know exactly what inane theory is going to pour out of his mouth next.

“How old is the kid?” Anatoly steals my phone away, talking directly into the speaker.

“How should I know?”

“If you had to guess!” Anatoly pushes.

Raoul sighs. “Probably five. Maybe six.”

Anatoly points at me, eyes wide. “Holy shit. Holy shit!"

I snatch my phone out of my brother’s hand and turn off the speakerphone. “Stay on them, Raoul. Let me know where they’re headed and I’ll meet you there.”

I pocket my phone, but Anatoly is still pointing at me.

“What? What could you possibly be thinking, Anatoly. There’s no way I could ever guess what you’re going to?—”

“It’s your kid!” he interrupts, grinning like a devil. “That is your bastard kid.”

“Shut the fuck up. No, it’s not.” I grab my wallet and head for the door. “Stay here. Make sure all the necessary paperwork gets filed before the shareholders leave.”

“Sure, yeah, don’t worry about it,” he calls after me. “I’ll hold down the fort here…”

For a second, I think he’s going to leave it there. For a second, I have faith in my brother.

Then he finishes the sentence.

“While you’re gone meeting your son!”

10

VIVIANA

“Mama, where are we going?”

Dante is literally vibrating with excitement, probably because I’ve never picked him up in the middle of the day before. His class was heading to lunch when he saw me walking down the hallway. He grinned ear to ear and I had to bite back a sob.

I need to get him something to eat before his good mood spirals into a hangry meltdown for the ages, but there isn’t time.

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