Page 152 of Treason's Temptation
“A mess. I can smell the coffee you tried to cover with gum. That means you’re not sleeping, and I can’t mortgage my future to that. I want a lawyer. The best. I have money.”
“You think somebody else is better for you than me?”
A loaded question that I didn’t answer. When Treason was on his game, he was unstoppable. Unfortunately, that’s not what I saw looking into his eyes right now, and that killed me more than he knew.
“Right now, yes, and it’s not about me. It’s about the?—.”
“The baby.Myfuckin’ baby!” he said with so much force I clenched my eyes shut to avoid the anger on his face.
“A baby you don’t even want! Why would I trust you to save it!” I yelled, before I could stop myself, “If you love me like you say, you’ll do what I’m asking. Please Treason!”
He stood up, pacing in tight circles with his lips pressed together. There was no teasing grin or steady reassurance. I fought like hell to ignore his aching in the quiet room otherwise I would’ve folded.
That ache was short-lived.
“You’re not getting another lawyer.”
“What?” I asked, certain that the lack of sleep had made me hear things.
“I’m not putting you or my child’s well-being in anybody’s hands but mine. If you feel that strongly about it, fire me. Take your chances with a public defender who won’t even remember your name. Or give your money to Sloane and let her get you a lawyer, but I’m not doing it.”
“Are you fuckin’ kidding me? You know what. Get Rayven back in here? She’ll do it.”
“Rayven? I’m the only thing holding her together. We both know giving the money to Rayven is a one-way ticket to Sloane’s pocket.”
He was right, and I hated him even more.
“I have more important shit to do, like getting you out, so I’d rather talk about that. Unless I’m fired. Am I fired?”
“You think you saved my life, but you ruined it. I was fine before I met you. It’s been nothing but bullshit since. I hate you.”
“Hate isn’t the only thing there because you trust me more than you do anybody else right now.”
Treason sat across the table, laying out a plan, but the words slid over me like water against glass. I wanted to hold on to every detail, but my brain couldn’t catch the thread. All I could do was nod, even when I wasn’t sure what I was agreeing to.
Our time was up, and Treason tilted my chin, forcing me to look into his eyes.
“I’d take the fall myself before I ever let you have my baby in here. I have some shit to set in motion, but I’ll be back in the morning.”
The officer stepped into the room, and both of us avoided each other as the officer handcuffed me and ushered me in a different direction than I had come.
“Where am I going?” I asked.
“Your new home,” he grumbled.
The metal door opened, revealing multiple cells on both sides of the narrow hallway. My new roommate looked more like a mansion than a home. Hell, she looked like she belonged in the men’s unit. Not here, sharing a fuckin’ cell with me.
“Inside, Dixon,” he nudged me in my back, forcing me inside.
My heart wanted me to believe Treason was determined to get me out, but the stench of feces and recycled air said otherwise.
“You hungry?”
My vacant eyes turned into hers. She was three times my size, offering me snacks. I didn’t trust that shit for one second. She knew it too, a lopsided grin adorning her face.
“Your brother told me you’re pregnant. I have some snacks and shit if you want it.”
“I don’t have a brother.”
