Page 54 of High Stakes

“Good, no thanks to you!”

She lets out a breath, flicking her blonde hair over her shoulder. “I understand you are upset…”

“Upset? You think I am upset?” I scoff. “I’m not upset, I am angry! You abandoned us, walked out on Dad and left me with…” I groan in frustration, tears burning my eyes and threatening to spill over.Don’t you dare cry over this bitch.“Every day I wished for you to come home, every fucking day! But you didn’t. You just walked out and said you were getting milk! Fucking milk.” I clutch my hair, unable to believe she is standing right in front of me. All these years and she doesn’t even look remorseful for what she did! “Did you even go to get milk or was that a lie just so you could leave and get high?” I ask, finally calming down enough to speak without wanting to break something. It’sa stupid question, I should ask a million others, yet it’s the only one that comes to mind.

“I didn’t want this,” she says, her voice cracking. “I never wanted to leave you all; I wanted to help her. I was trying to find a way to help,” she runs her fingers through her hair.

“I certainly never wanted you to be involved in this life. I stayed away to protect you from it.” My brows pinch in confusion as she grips my arms; I recoil, not wanting her touch but she holds on tighter.

“What does Leone have over you? I can help you!” she asks, and I shove her back.

“You left us!” I spit out, the anger surging to the surface. “You abandoned us! How dare you show up now and pretend to care!”

She flinches at my words, her face crumpling. “I did it to protect you,” she says, her voice barely above a whisper. “I had to leave, Fallon. If I stayed, they would have killed us all.”

I glare at her, not willing to let her off so easily. “Protect me? You left us to fend for ourselves with a sick newborn!”

Rebecca’s eyes fill with tears, and she shakes her head desperately. “I know I made mistakes, but it was the only way,” she whispers, her voice raw. “I did what I thought was right. I thought it was the only way to save her! I…” she sighs heavily.

Rebecca’s face crumples further, and she takes a step back, her shoulders slumping. “I didn’t have a choice,” she says quietly. “But you need to tell me what Leone fucking Presutti is holding over you.”

Before I can respond, the door swings open, and a Russian mobster steps inside, his eyes narrowing as he spots us. I see Rocco directly behind him.

“Is everything alright in here?” Rocco asks, his tone sharp as he shoves the man back, who glares at him.

Rebecca quickly washes her hands, her expression turning cold and controlled. “Yes,” she replies smoothly. “Just finishing up.”

The man gives us one last suspicious look, nods and steps back out, and so does Rocco, closing the door behind him.

Once he’s gone, Rebecca turns back to me, her eyes desperate. “Please, Fallon,” she whispers. “You can’t tell anyone who I am. If they find out, they’ll kill me… and they’ll kill you.”

“What are you involved in? He is…”

“We have no time for that; they cannot find out you’re my daughter,”

I stare at her, my emotions in turmoil. The woman who abandoned me, who left us to fend for ourselves, is now needing me to remain quiet. The irony is almost too much to bear.

“I will find a way to contact you, but you need to do this.”

“I’m not keeping this from Leone,” I tell her. She stares at me for a second before her eyes widen slightly. Her gaze goes to my hand and the wedding band on it.

“You married him,” she murmurs, her face turning paler. She goes to say something when a knock sounds on the door.

“Rebecca!” one word, and she casts her gaze to the door.

“I won’t tell them,” I finally say, my voice flat. “But don’t think for a second I’m doing this for you.”

Rebecca looks relieved when her gaze goes back to mine, but there’s a deep sadness in her eyes. “Thank you,” she says softly. “That’s all I can ask.”

Before I can say anything else, the door opens again, and another Russian appears. “Boss wants you at the table,” he says curtly.

Rebecca nods, giving me one last lingering look and following the man out of the restroom. I watch her go, a storm of emotions swirling inside me. I’ve spent so many years hating her, and now, seeing her again, I don’t know what to feel.

I take a deep breath, trying to steady myself, and follow them back out into the casino, and Rocco swiftly snatches up my arm. The noise and chaos of the crowd hit me like a wave, but I force myself to stay focused as we follow behind my mother.

“What happened in there?” Rocco leans down to whisper, but I shake my head.

“Do you two know each other?” I glance at Rocco but don’t answer.

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