Page 148 of Red River

As I sat down and nursed him, my mind wouldn’t stop racing.

A million thoughts, mostly anxious ones. Worrying and overthinking were just part of who I was—but I had to trust my strange brother. And Archer? I was absolutely sure he would do everything to protect our son.

The thought of my years with Archer, waiting ahead of us, made me unknowingly smile as I lowered my gaze to Phoenix’s small face. He kept suckling so cutely, making funny, quiet sounds.

But just as I finished chestfeeding Phoenix and was about to stand up, I noticed a lone figure walking toward me.

To my surprise, it was Igor. His face seemed kinda uneasy, and he was gingerly glancing around.

"You done feeding him?" he asked, like he didn’t want to intrude.

"Yeah, all good," I reassured him.

He stepped closer, looking down at Phoenix with a small smile. But then he lifted his head, and our eyes met.

Without saying a word, he pulled out his phone, then reached into a thin pocket in his case and took out a small, folded piece of paper.

I watched him, confused. Another piece of paper?

"More money?" I raised my eyebrows with a smile.

But Igor’s face—so eerily similar to my brother Skye’s—remained pale and uncertain.

He handed me the note, his fingers trembling slightly.

"I think you should read this, Dad. I struggled for close to a year with whether to show it to you."

"Oh, come on! Every time you sneak over to talk to me, you always bring something of great magnitude—my dad’s comments, a money transfer receipt… What is it this time?" I grinned teasingly, wiggling my eyebrows, trying to lighten the mood—but it was no use.

"It’s something different," he mumbled grimly. "Maybe more important."

"You sound… serious."

"Yeah. I struggled with this decision for a while."

"So, it’s like that comment thing again?"

Igor winced. "Much more… struggle on my part with that one, believe me!"

There was a brief pause as I just stood there, staring at the folded paper.

"It sounds eerie, Igor."

"Before, when I was angry, I thought you didn’t deserve what’s in it. But then… when you were happy, when you and Archer found out you were True Mates, I didn’t want to disturb that for you. But today, after everything that… transpired, I think I finally know who played a big role in all of this. And maybe… you should know what really happened."

It sounded strangely dark.

"What are you talking about, Igor? You’re freaking me out…"

Yes, I was a bit moody. Could these constant twists and turns in my life just… slow down a bit, for fuck’s sake? I really didn’t need more craziness.

He gave me a sad smile and glanced down at the piece of paper.

"Just read it, Dad."

Then, he turned and walked away.

I stood there, gripping the note, my hands shaking now, feeling like something important—something life-changing—was about to happen.

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