Page 29 of Coerced Queen

“Never underestimate Livy,” I say with a smile, not looking up from my laptop.

“I’m beginning to understand why.”

I pause to look at him.“Livy is family, so everyone better be nice to her.”

“She doesn’t need you to put the fear of God into the employees to give her preferential treatment.Liv earns that all by herself.”

“She’s one in a million,” I sing-song, appreciation warming me all over again.“She kind of stood in for the mother I never had.”

“Yeah.”Dante stops next to the stroller to peer inside.“I got that from the bits and pieces you told me.”He brushes a finger over a soundly sleeping Claire’s brow.“Talking of which.Any news about your mother?”

“No.”I chew my lip.“She all but vanished.”

He looks up.“No news is good news.”

“I hope so.”

“She’ll contact you if she’s in trouble.”

Up to now, that’s how it worked between us.She’d screw up, and I’d clean up her mess.The uncharacteristically long silence leaves me edgy.

“What does her psychologist say?”he asks.

“That Mary is one of those cases who never made progress.I met with her therapist once a month, and every month he’d tell me the same thing.”

His gaze is sympathetic.“That there’s no hope?”

“That she won’t change unless she wants to.I can’t force her to do it.”

“Give it time.You did everything you could.”

“Any word from the whisky distillery?”I ask to change the subject.

Dante’s face drops.“They didn’t bite.”

“Why not?”

“They said they got a better offer.”His features harden.“I have a feeling that offer involved a gun being pushed against the CEO’s head.”

“Shit.”I drum my fingers on the desktop.“We needed that deal.”

He turns serious.“You have to tell Sav about the loan.”

My tone is harsh.“No.”Softening my voice, I continue.“He’s got enough to worry about as it is.”

“What the hell are you going to do when it’s time to pay?”

My throat closes up at the prospect.

“That loan shark is a dangerous son of a bitch,” Dante says.“If you don’t give him the money, he’ll come after you.”

“I’ll make a plan.I’ll find a loophole in the books.”

“That’s not going to solve our cashflow problem.”He leans his palms on the desk.“You’re busting your ass to save this place, and I’ve gone with it because I agree with you.Sav isn’t in the best state of mind to deal with this shit right now.But you can’t do it all on your own.You’ve got to let him in.I’m not going to stand by and let someone break your arms and put bullets in your knees.”

A shiver runs through me.“We’ll be all right,” I say with more conviction than I feel.“We just need a few good nights.”

Sighing, he straightens.“I’ll see what I can do about finding another supplier.”

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