Page 163 of Stay With Me
Sighing, I blow out a defeated breath. “Eventually.”
“So it is mine.” He’s not asking.
My head falls against the couch, wishing I could go back to five minutes ago before I picked up the phone.
“Yeah. But it doesn’t change anything. We’re not gettin’ back together, and I want nothin’ to do with whatever BS you got yourself in. How’d you find out if you’ve been in hidin’?”
“Emilio emailed me photos of you walkin’ around town lookin’ a little plump. He wrote,Turns out you have two assets I can take.”
I snarl at his choice of words. “He’s followin’ me around?”
“I’ve been tellin’ you…and now, he knows you’re knocked up. So if you have the money, it’d keep him off our backsandthe baby’s.”
My throat tightens as I fight back angry tears at the mentionof my baby.
“I already told you I don’t have that kind of money,” I hiss between my teeth.
“He also had a picture of you with Tripp Hollis.”
“So?”
“You two together?”
“Again, none of your business.”
“Well, I know your little boyfriend has more than enough money to cover fifty grand.”
“How would you know that?”
“Everyone knows the Hollises are loaded. Look at their ranch and all the property they own. It’s the most top-rated equine retreat in the South. Everything they own is the best of the best.”
“Okay, even if his parents are wealthy, doesn’t mean he is.”
“It’s only a matter of time before Emilio connects the dots and comes after Tripp and his family. They’d be payin’ for their safety and protecting their business without puttin’ a dent in their wallets. So it’d make things a lot easier just to have ‘em give it to me so I can pay him off right away and no one has to be in danger.”
Fuck me. This is exactly why I broke up with Tripp in the first place.
“They have nothin’ to do with you.”
“If he’s associated withyou, he’s a target,” he confirms. “I wouldn’t put it past Emilio to do whatever it takes to get the cash.”
The phone beeps, and Travis sighs. “My time’s running out. I’ll call you in a few days, and I’ll need your decision by then. I’m safer here, so I’m not even gonna try to get bail.”
“Wait,what? You’re leavin’ all the responsibility of this on me and hidin’ in there? You fuckin’ coward.”
“I don’t have the money, Maggie!”
“Neither do?—”
The line cuts out before I can finish, and I’m seething before I even set my phone down.
This cannot be happening.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Tripp
Once I’ve showered and changed, I walk into the living room to ask Magnolia what movie she picked. When I approach her on the couch, she’s hardly breathing and is pale as a ghost.
