Page 57 of Poisoned Promise
Everything I do now carries the weight of a threat against Alex and as much as I will break my back to keep him safe, I won’t allow Felix or anyone to use him as a pawn.
Alex eventually falls asleep in my arms and I gently tuck him up into the bed, struggling to get my thoughts to settle.
So much of this entire mess is unknown to me but getting Alex out of here is my first goal.
Maybe attacking that man, Reese, wasn’t the best idea.
Kissing Alex’s temple, I ease to my feet and slowly take in the repairs to my own body.
Stitches close the gash at my temple and brow, as well as the gash on my palm from brandishing the broken shard of lamp.
My clothes are clean, my hair no longer matted with blood, and other than some dull aches around my face and throat, everything else seems okay.
Someone patched me up.
And given the dullness of my pain, I’m definitely on painkillers.
I’m mulling over how best to get someone’s attention when the locks on the door suddenly click once more so I immediately position myself between Alex and the door.
It swings open slowly, but instead of the man from before, Felix fills the doorway and he meets my eyes with a painfully gentle look.
“Dove,” he says softly. “Come on. Let’s talk.”
“I’m not leaving my son,” I mutter quietly, not wanting to wake him.
“He’ll be safe here,” Felix replies. “If I wanted to do something to him, I would have done it while you were unconscious.”
My lips part but no words follow because he has a point. Glancing back at Alex’s sleeping face, I quickly scan him to soothe myself that he’s still breathing, then I slowly follow Felix out of the room.
He leads me down a dark corridor that opens out into an open-plan lounge with windows covering one entire wall.
Outside, the city of New York twinkles and sparkles against a blank night sky.
Soft lights warm overhead, triggered by Felix as he walks around a leather sofa and toward a wall unit holding more beautiful glass bottles than I care to count.
“Drink?”
“You have me on painkillers,” I reply. “Is that wise?”
He reaches for a bottle of Scotch and pops the topper, pouring two generous glasses. “Never stopped you before.”
“I have something to live for now.”
“Alex.”
My eyes narrow. “I warned you what would happen if you said his name.”
Felix turns to me with both glasses in hand. “I saved his life. Doesn’t that earn me any kind of good grace?”
“My son is not and never will be any kind of bargaining chip.” My heart slowly begins to race as Felix approaches. “So no, it earns you nothing.”
He stops just in front of me and holds out one of the glasses.
Dressed in dark slacks and a teal shirt that’s rolled up to his elbows, it’s difficult to keep my eyes off the ink gracing his forearms.
Same for the ink peeking out from the three open buttons near his collar.
In the low light, the shadows accentuate the sharp angle of his jaw and the darkness in his eyes as he waits patiently for me to take the drink.
