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“You’re a good man.”
Suzannah’s words echoed in my mind.
“What’s his name?”
“You won’t believe me if I told you.”
“Try me.”
“Kendrick.”
I lifted my gaze then looked away.
“Um. Would you find a good family for him? That’s all I will ask, one that will love him and give him a normal life? Maybe one day you can let him know his mama and daddy loved him. I know that’s asking a lot but maybe you could find it in your heart to do that.”
A ragged laugh left my throat. How many times had I reminded the woman I cared about that I wasn’t a good man? And that I didn’t have a heart.
“Can I say goodbye to him?”
When I looked at his face, all I could see was the little boy who’d followed me, the one who’d giggled for a full hour when I’d bought him ice cream. There were tears in his eyes, the kind a father would have when he knew he was about to vanish from his son’s life.
Exhaling, I backed away from the crib, allowing him to spend time with his boy.
Kendrick.
Why the fuck did he name the kid after me?
I watched as he picked up the little boy with loving hands, pulling him against his chest and immediately rocking him. Then I heard a song in Spanish, some of the words I could understand. It was all about unconditional love.
I backed away another couple of feet, turning away from the heartfelt act. Then I pulled out my checkbook and a pen. The sound of the young man’s voice would haunt me for some time to come.
After a few seconds, I turned around.
Reno wiped his eyes then kissed his son on the forehead before easing him back into the crib. He wiped his palms on his jeans then walked forward with his head held high and his shoulders back.
Just like I’d taught him to do.
“I’m ready.”
The kid was perhaps the most honorable man I’d met in my profession. “I have one question for you. Have you heard talk about Raphael Diego causing any issues for your father?”
Reno narrowed his eyes. “Where did you get that idea? I don’t know this to be the truth, but Pops told me the man died a week ago. He succumbed to cancer. My father celebrated the man’s agony.”
I took a deep breath. What. The. Fuck? At least I had a few answers. I held out the folded check. “Take this.”
“What is it?”
“It’s a new life. You have a one-time offer, Reno. If you fuck with me, I’ll follow through with your father’s wishes. Take this and finish packing up. Then leave town and never look back. You can’t contact your mother. You can never come through this town again. Not once. As you said before, your father has eyes and ears everywhere. This will get you a brand new identity. If you make your way to Philly, track down a man named Jasper Wallace. Tell him I sent you. He’ll take care of getting you an iron-clad new identity for a price. Then go somewhere else but not near the girl’s family or back here. Do you understand me?”
He opened his mouth several times then nodded, tears streaming down his face. “Why are you doing this? If my father finds out, he’ll kill you.”
I clapped him on the shoulder. “You underestimate me, Reno. Remember you used to call me your hero.” I headed toward the door. There was a reason Carlos had asked me to do this, one I definitely didn’t like.
And one I would figure out.
“Take care of your boy. He’s beautiful.”
As soon as I left the room, I heard Reno sobbing. I found Grayson in the kitchen, staring out the window at the backyard.
