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Drew considered for a moment. “No.” I wanted to fist pump, his admission feeling like a small victory in what could be a long war.
“Then maybe she wanted to give you the opportunity to know your son.”
He inhaled sharply. “I already told you. I don't want a kid, and my family finding out about him isn't an option.”
“I've spoken with an attorney. We can seal the records. He'll be out of your life, and no one beyond the three of us ever has to know.” There was a desperate quality to my voice I didn't like, but fuck it. I had so much to lose, this more important than anything I'd ever faced. “Take the weekend to think about it. Monday, you can either sign the papers, or we'll never hear from you again.”
“I'm not signing shit without a paternity test.”
“Fair enough.” He nodded and ran a hand through his hair. “And Drew? It's okay if you don't want a child. It's not okay if you don't do what's right by him. Sometimes walking away is best. God knows I wish my father had.”
He studied me a moment, and then he fished his wallet out, producing a business card. “Text me the address of the attorney's office and what time.”
I took the card, and he made for the elevator. As soon as it swallowed him, I got on the phone to Daniel.
Chapter Fifty-Seven
Carlos
“I needeverything you can find on Drew Carter,” I barked out when he answered, pacing the hallway from one end to the other. “Something I can bury him with.”
“Everyone is interested in him these days,” Daniel said, far too casually for how wound up I was feeling. “He's got a mountain of shit piling up against him.”
“I want what will scare him the most. What puts him in a position where he can't possibly refuse me.”
“The problem is everybody can't use the same information against him.”
“Give me something they can't use. I'm going to ask Donato as well when he gets here for dinner.”
“What the fuck happened? I didn't know he was on your radar.”
I sighed, wishing I could give Daniel something, but I couldn't break Holly's confidence. Daniel was a smart guy. He'd figure it out with or without my cooperation. “Nothing I'm at liberty to discuss.”
“I'm on it.”
“Anything I need to pass along to Donato?” We were back to business, neither of us one for chitchat.
“No. I'll speak to you soon.”
I ended the call and went back into the apartment, unprepared for Holly to be waiting for me with crossed arms. She looked lethal, and I got nervous. Shit. Somehow, I'd managed to push the gun incident to the back of my mind while handling Drew. It was back in full force. I braced myself for her wrath. Gabriel was nowhere in sight.
“You assured me the gun wouldn't be a problem. I've allowed you to keep it around, even convinced myself it was necessary. I'm going to make this simple. Either it goes or you do. It's your decision.”
Fuck me. Holly wasn't playing around, and my gut twisted. My Glock was like a security blanket. We'd been through a lot together. I needed it. But Holly and Gabriel were my life. “We’re married. We don’t just run when it gets hard. Let’s talk—”
“There's nothing to discuss. I've told you the options.” Her eyes practically pinned me to the wall.
I cleared my throat. “Beauty, it scared me to death when Gabriel walked in here with my gun. I know I let both of you down. No one realizes more than I do what that thing is capable of. I've seen exactly what it can do, and there's no excuse for letting it get into his hands.” I took a few steps closer to her.
“There's no excuse,” she said tightly, stiffening when I reached for her. “Don't think you can romance your way out of this or use your old tactic of telling me not to be mad. Because, Carlos, I am furious right now, and I won't be getting over it anytime soon.”
“But can you forgive me?” That was the important thing.
“I can.” I let out a long exhale of relief. Holly held up an index finger, stopping me before I got ahead of myself. “I'm still going to fume for a while, and you haven't made a decision. Us or your gun?”
“The fact you think there's a choice wounds me.” I placed my hands on her shoulders. “But might I remind you, just because I've eliminated our immediate threat doesn't mean all others have disappeared. I despise the hell that comes with me, would do anything to change it if I could. I will do everything I can to keep it away from our family, but I've been honest about the danger. What if it catches up to us, and we're unarmed? I can do hand-to-hand combat, but I'm not as young as I once was. What if not having a weapon gets us killed in the end?”
“What if being armed kills our son?” she all but shouted.
