Page 94 of Unlucky You

The minute I heard that voice, everything began to fall in place. I was wrong for believing this had anything to do with Lanette. She wasn’t here because she likely didn’t have a damn clue the visit was scheduled.

“He wants her to take the kid out of here. I told him no one’s leaving without being searched first.”

“Where is he?” Aleah’s father asked calmly but his tone was cold and uncaring.

“Bedroom, I’m assuming. I haven’t seen him yet. Just these two.” Lennox pointed to me then flicked his wrist toward Saniya.

“No one leaves.” He turned his eyes on me. “This couldn’t be any more perfect. Maybe seeing his piece of shit father dragged out of here in handcuffs will scare him into making better lifechoices so the little bastard doesn’t end up just like you. You can consider this my contribution to society since I couldn’t convince Aleah to get rid of him like we demanded.”

He demanded she kill my son. He wanted her to end his life before it even began.

My mind blanked. Everything happened in slow motion. My fist crashing against his face. The cops rushing me. Me being dragged out of there. Saniya screaming for them to let me go, then everything went still with one word…

“Daddy…”

TWENTY-TWO

Saniya.

My heart clenched but I managed to pull myself together enough to block Raiden’s view of what was happening around him. I lifted him into my arms and carried him back to the bedroom where I closed us in.

“Hey, you’re up.”

He smiled lazily and nodded. “Is my daddy going to get breakfast?”

I blinked at the small frown on his face. From where he stood, all he could see was the door open. I was grateful for his innocence. What the hell was I supposed to say if he fully understood what was happening to his father?

His sleep-hazed mind didn’t fully grasp the severity of the situation. “He uhhh… he had to go somewhere but he’ll be back. How about you get dressed, then you can wash your face and brush your teeth. When you’re done, I’ll take you to get breakfast while your dad’s gone. Would that be okay?”

He frowned slightly. “But when is he coming back?”

Shit.

“Soon, and he said that you can order anything you want for breakfast. I think we should get huge stacks of pancakes loaded with whipped cream and sprinkles. How’s that sound?”

“Can I have chocolate syrup on them too?”

“You sure can. Get dressed. When you’re done, you can wash your face and brush your teeth. Do you know where your clothes are?”

“Yep, in my bag over there. My nana packed it for me.” Already distracted by the thought of a sugar-induced breakfast, he beamed, pointing to a kid-sized backpack sitting on the dresser.

“I’ll be right back. Wait here for me, okay? If you get dressed before I return, find something to watch on your iPad until I’m done. I have to speak to someone before we leave.”

“Okay.” He crossed the room and lifted his backpack. I left Raiden, closing him inside, panicked about what I would find. As soon as I was in the living room, fury flooded my body. The officers were gone and Grand was nowhere in sight. The apartment still showed signs of their careless handling of his things and the door was left wide open. When I stepped outside, the only people left were Raiden’s grandfather and the guy who was tossing shit around in the apartment.

“Where did they take him?”

“Downtown.”

My eyes narrowed. “They arrested him.”

Raiden’s grandfather turned his expression on me in annoyance. “What did you expect dealing with a thug like him?”

“Iexpectedyou not to be such a vindictive asshole but my expectations are futile.”

He snorted arrogantly. “That man is going back where he belongs.” His eyes swept me from head to toe like I was beneath him. “You might want to do a better job of selecting the company you keep.”

“Fuck you. I don’t want or need your advice.”

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