Page 117 of The Complete Truth Duet
He arched a dark eyebrow. “And what happens if that changes?”
“I’ll lose River forever,” I answered robotically.
He lowered his voice and stepped forward, crowding me. “Or?”
I swallowed hard, but it was purely for show. I wasn’t scared of Thomas anymore. “Or you’ll kill me.”
He traced a finger around the curve of my face, dipping under my chin to tip my head back. “How is my daughter, Cora? She’s, what…fourteen now?”
I didn’t reply. He didn’t deserve to know anything about Isabel.
The day he married Catalina, it was nothing more than a deal brokered by Manuel. He made the corrupt attorney with dreams of becoming a judge a part of the family. And Thomas got a beautiful wife to stand at his side, her father’s money backing him, and one of the city’s biggest criminals in his back pocket feeding him the competition like shark bait.
Isabel hadn’t been planned. Two people usually needed to be having sex to plan something like that. But one night after Thomas had come home drunk declaring that it was his wife’s duty to open her legs to him, everything changed. She was already pregnant when I’d met Nic. But the family knew what was happening between him and Catalina. Nic and Dante had gone to blows over it.
But Manuel had needed Thomas, so he’d turned a blind eye and his daughter later sold him down the river for it.
“She won’t be back,” I repeated. “I swear to you. They won’t cause you any problems.”
Playing up the fear, I allowed my breath to hitch as he leaned in close.
His face was mere inches from mine, his breath whispering across my skin as he said, “That’s good to hear. But do not get comfortable, Cora. I don’t waste my time with idle threats. You cross me and you’re done. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to pass that message along to my wife as well.”
“Of course. I’ll remind her.”
He grinned, and then in time with the creak of a door behind us, he abruptly stepped away.
“Cora,” River called, jogging over and throwing her arms around my neck.
I kept my eyes on Thomas as I pulled her into a hug. “Hey, baby.”
“Here’s your things,” the woman said, shuffling over with a grocery sack dangling from the tip of her finger, her phone charger hanging out of a hole in the bottom. She turned a scowl on me. “Maybe next time you should get her an actual bag.”
“There won’t be a next time,” I stated as absolute fact.
“Then we’re clear?” he pressed.
“Crystal,” I murmured.
“Don’t forget your phone.” He grabbed River’s cell off the corner of the woman’s desk and offered it her way.
If looks could kill, River would have saved us all a lot of trouble right then and there.
“Thanks,” she muttered, snatching it from his hand.
After I threw my arm around her shoulders, we started toward the door together. While I wasn’t buying into Thomas’s all-powerful Godfather routine, I was more than ready to get the hell out of there.
“Oh, and, Cora,” he called.
I curled River into my front as I put my chin to my shoulder to look at him. “Yeah?”
“Do say hello to Drew for me. It’s a shame I wasn’t able to meet him today, especially after hearing about what happened to his sister.”
I blinked, and for the first time since I’d entered that room, I felt a sick sense of unease wash over me. I wasn’t sure what he was talking about. Penn had point-blank told me that Drew was his only sibling. But it was the wicked smirk like he’d just dropped a bomb on me that set my teeth on edge. With chills prickling my skin, I opted not to stand around and ask questions.
I dipped my head in acknowledgement and then hurried out the door.
Drew was already out of the truck, sprinting toward us, his face dark and thunderous. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Just get in the truck.”
His jaw ticked as he stared at the building.
“Drew,” I hissed, giving his arm a sharp tug. “Let’s go.”
“Right,” he growled, reluctantly following after me.
After we were all in the truck and safely on the road, I turned to Drew. “Do you have a sister?”
He shook his head and white-knuckled the steering wheel. “He had to have been talking about Penn’s wife.”
I guessed that would have been his sister-in-law. “How does he know about that?”
“I don’t know. But the fact that he knows who I am and that he’s been digging around in my past doesn’t sit right with me.”
It didn’t sit right with me, either, but by this time the next day, we wouldn’t have to worry about it anymore.
“Drive around for a little while.” I turned in my seat and looked out the back window. “Make sure we’re not being followed.”
His eyebrows drew together. “I thought you gave the social worker the new address yesterday?”
