Page 24 of Surprise Baby for the Don

“Let me buy him a new one,” I offer immediately. The idea of her needing to drop everything to take care of him, especially when it’s something I could fix in a heartbeat, is irksome. “Betteryet, I’ll send someone over with the best one on the market by tomorrow.”

She laughs softly, shaking her head. “Thank you, but I can pay for it with my own money,” she protests. “Besides, that won’t help him very much tonight. It’s not like I can just pop over to the medical supply store and get him a new CPAP at two-thirty in the morning. He could literally stop breathing without it.”

I find it hard to care about Rex dying. It sounds to me like a great solution to several of my problems. In fact, if he keeled over in the next five minutes, I could drag Ginny back to bed and find a few creative ways to comfort her.

But when she looks up at me, her eyes both gentle and resolute, I know I have to let her go. I can’t argue with the way she’s looking at me, so I settle for a begrudging nod.

“Fine,” I grumble. “I’ll have my driver take you.”

She smiles, brushing her fingers against mine, and I know I’m caught.

“Thank you,” she says as she slips out of the room.

I’m falling for her. It’s come so suddenly, but I can’t say it’s a total surprise. I was basically a goner the first time she stepped into my office, daring me with her quiet resolution. Once the dirty business of her father’s debt is handled, I’m going to insist she stays with me on a more permanent basis. I’ll have her redecorate the entire metropolitan area of Chicago if I need to. It hasn’t even been a full week and I already can’t stand the idea of her being away from me.

I try to shake off the feeling, knowing I’m getting far too wrapped up in someone I’d planned to keep at a safe distance. But whenI fall asleep, it’s her face that lingers, and I imagine she’s still curled up next to me.

I’m jolted awake by a commotion in the driveway. Groggily, I swing my legs over the side of the bed, blinking against the harsh light filtering through the window. I hear a familiar voice cursing, followed by Bats’s gruff command to keep moving. By the time I reach the hallway, Bats is hauling none other than Rex St. Croix into my living room, his arms twisted behind his back.

“What the hell is going on?” I demand, running a hand over my face to dispel the last remnants of sleep.

Bats tightens his grip on Rex, who’s squirming, a faint sheen of sweat glistening on his forehead. He’s paler than normal, looking more afraid than I’ve ever seen him. It takes a moment for my mind to catch up. What the hell is he doing here? Didn’t Ginny go to his apartment just a few hours ago?

My blood starts to boil.

“Caught him at the casino with wads of cash,” Bats explains, his tone steady and matter-of-fact. “Had a little too much fun, it seems.”

My heart pounds loud in my ears and I swear I can see red. I cross my arms, looking Rex over, no patience or empathy left for this pathetic excuse for a man.

“And where, Rex,” I ask, my voice cold, “did you get that kind of money?”

Rex’s eyes dart to the floor, his shoulders slumping.

“It was just lying around,” he mumbles, barely audible, and something inside me snaps. I know damn well where that money came from. It’s the money I gave Ginny yesterday.

Ginny worked hard for that money; she actually earned it. I doubt Rex St. Croix has ever earned anything in his life. And he had the nerve to take it from his own daughter, to toss it away on a few rounds at the tables.

I close the distance between us, grabbing Rex by the collar and lifting him off his feet, his eyes wide with fear.

“Does Ginny know you took her money?” I growl, my voice low and dangerous.

“No, she doesn’t,” he stammers, squirming in my grip. “I thought I could make more of it. Just a few hands, that’s all.”

I let him go, disgusted, and he stumbles back, barely catching himself.

“What the fuck did I tell you would happen if I caught you gambling again?” I ask him quietly, my voice dangerous. It’s taking everything in me not to tear him a new asshole, but I know that appearing quiet and calm will scare him a lot more.

For his part, he’s smart enough not to say anything, to shoot back some shitty excuse. He swallows hard and looks down at his shoes, at least having the good sense to look ashamed. When I’m done with him, he’ll feel a lot more than that, but first I need to check on Ginny and make sure she’s okay. She’ll be devastated.

I turn to Bats.

“Tie him up,” I order, my tone clipped. “But don’t hurt him. I’ll be back soon.”

Leaving Bats to deal with him, I head for my phone, the rage simmering beneath the surface as I dial Ginny’s number.

15

Ginny

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