Page 42 of Sinner’s Torment

“Fuck,” I breathed, sinking into one of the chairs. “Fuck.”

“Yeah,” Montana said, lowering himself carefully into his own seat. “That about sums it up.”

Fury was still chuckling by the door. “For what it’s worth, I think that little shit just reminded you exactly where you stand now, Montana.”

“Get out, Fury,” Montana said tiredly.

“Going, going.” Fury raised his hands in surrender, still grinning. “But seriously, Montana. Reaper’s people don’t have to answer to you anymore. That’s the patch-over, brother. That’s what it means.”

“Out.”

Fury left, his laughter echoing down the hallway as the boardroom fell silent

“She’s carrying my kid,” I said quietly, staring at my hands. “And I don’t even know where she’s from. Don’t know her family’s names. Don’t know anything about her except that she felt good in my bed and she’s running from me now.”

“Then we find her,” Montana said. “And when we do, you figure out what you want. What you’re willing to do. Because this isn’t just about you anymore, Torment. It’s about that kid. And kids need stability. They need parents who give a shit.”

“I know,” I said.

And I did. I knew exactly what kids needed because I’d spent years helping people work through the trauma of not having it. I knew what happened when parents checked out, when they prioritized their own needs over their children’s, when they failed to show up.

I knew all of it.

And I’d be damned if I let my kid grow up feeling unwanted.

“Shame will find her,” Mercy said, his voice certain. “And when he does, you’ll have a choice to make. About what kind of father you want to be. What kind of man.”

I looked up at him, then at Montana.

“I already know what kind of man I want to be,” I said. “The kind who doesn’t run. The kind who shows up.”

Montana nodded slowly. “Good. Then we wait for Shame to work his magic, and we go from there.”

I stood, my hands still trembling slightly from the adrenaline crash. “I’m going to my office. Call me the second you hear anything.”

“Will do,” Mercy said.

I left the boardroom, my mind already racing ahead. Forty-eight hours. Maybe less.

I could wait that long.

I had to.

Because Brandy was out there somewhere, scared and alone and carrying my child.

And I was going to find her.

No matter what it took.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Torment

Later that night...

Montana called us back to the boardroom around eleven PM.

I’d been in my office, staring at my phone like it might spontaneously produce answers, when Mercy knocked and told me to come. The others were already gathering—Fury, Vicious, Payne, Rage, Storm, and Pippen. Everyone except Shame, who was still out working his contacts.