There was no glance back at me, or looks of longing. It was as if nothing had happened between us. My heart sank into my stomach. I was such a foolish girl.
~*~TT~*~
Constantine
Saved by the kid.
Was it really being saved though? I didn’t know for certain. In the heat of the moment I would have killed to be balls deep in her again. But starting things up with Robyn was a bad, bad idea. I was a lone wolf. I found a woman to gratify myself when the need arose, but that was as far as it went. Anything else was very dangerous. And she was too vulnerable to be used. Even after all of these years, and despite the ill feelings that were spinning through my head over how things ended and the fact she kept the fact I had a child from me, I knew I couldn’t hurt her in that way.
This had to be treated like every other job. Period.
“Mommy!” Austin yelled again from his room, followed by the pitter patter of his little feet across the bedroom floor. I smiled despite myself. He opened the bedroom door just as I reached it. His little head lifted to meet my gaze. It took a moment, but he eventually smiled and said, “Constantine.” Closing the distance between us he gave me a quick hug. “Where’s Mommy?”
“She’s just getting up, pal. She’ll be along shortly. Would you like some breakfast?”
He nodded with enthusiasm. “You have Count Chocula?”
“No.”
“Pop-Tarts?”
I laughed. “Nope. Best I can offer is good old-fashioned bacon, eggs and pancakes. Will that be suffice?”
He curled his nose up and looked at me questionably.
It took me a moment to realize my mistake, suffice may not be on his vocabulary list yet. I tried again. “Would that be okay?”
The smile reappeared and he nodded. “Yep. I like bacon.”
‘’Doesn’t everyone?” Placing an arm around his shoulders, I led him down the hallway toward the staircase.
“Nope. Mommy doesn’t. My daddy wouldn’t let her eat it; he said it would make her fat.”
Rage surged through me, even though I refused to allow the emotion to break the smile I had on my lips. My son was calling that sleaze bucket daddy. I was his fucking father not that piece of shit, dammit. That was going to have to be rectified. Though once there was a bullet in Gabriel’s head it would no longer matter.
If it hadn’t already been clear before it was now – Gabriel was a dead man walking. Each step I took descending the staircase the decision became more absolute in my mind. Take the head off the snake and there would be nothing to worry about. That being said, if the feds were talking to Robyn then that meant they were also watching him. I’d have to be careful, very careful when I took him out.
“Well, Mommy can have all of the bacon she wants here.”
We made our way down the winding staircase.
“Wanna know more stuff about kangaroos?”
Not really, I thought to myself, but to my son I simply smiled and said, “I would love to.”