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Where was his mom? I knew his father passed away, but I knew nothing about his mother.
“Valerie,” he called. I shook my head, clearing the fog as I looked up at him.
“Yes?”
“I’m going to need your help.”
My hand dropped to his chest, directly over his heart. “You have it.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Denver
Twodaysaftermyson’s mother tried to slap me, I was standing at her door, pounding on it with my fist. “Open this fucking door, Cathy!” I boomed.
No answer. Just before I was about to kick the door in, a person approached me from behind.
“Mr. Langston.”
I turned to find Cathy’s landlord coming to me with a set of keys. I nodded to him. “Thank you so much. Caleb needs his backpack for his summer studies,” I lied through my teeth.
The old man nodded. “That boy is a smart one, bless him. Sorry it took me a second to find my keys,” he grumbled, stepping past me to open her door. “You know, I was worried about the old girl. She hasn’t been home for the last few days.”
I sighed through my nose.
Probably sucking Moonie’s cock.
That woman was always after something when it came to men. Took me half a second after Mason busted open my door with her in my bed over a decade ago, to see she never loved him. She was using my brother for his potential fame, but I knew he loved her. I saw it in his eyes.
He loved that woman with everything he had.
“Appreciate it,” I muttered as I stepped through her door. The first thing I noticed was the smell. Stall smoke, alcohol, and sex. My upper lip curled. The second thing I noticed was the mess.
Her apartment was small. There was a large open concept living room/kitchen area that went straight back. There was the master bedroom to the left and then Caleb’s room on the right. At one point, this place was actually decent. Now it was littered with empty bottles, trash, cigarette buds, and clothes.
I shook my head, taking everything in.
“Oh my,” the old man breathed, stepping in beside me. I adjusted my hat and turned to him.
“If you could give me just a moment, I need to document this for my lawyer.”
He nodded. “Keep that boy out of here.”
Fucking Christ, what was I thinking sending him to his mom’s?Court custody agreements be damned. This was no place for a child to grow up.
After he shut the door behind me, I took a few photos of the space. My gut turned at the thought of what I was going to find in her room, so I went to Caleb’s first. The door was closed, and when I pushed it open, I wasn’t surprised.
It was tidy. His bed was made, the few toys he had here put away, and it even smelled alright. I snapped a photo and made my way to the closet. Pulling out the duffle on the top shelf, I threw things inside. After a few minutes, his belongings were packed.
Never again, bud. Never again.
I knew Cathy had a problem with alcohol, but it had never been this bad. Caleb probably didn’t say anything because she manipulated his young mind. A part of me wanted to get her some help, but the monster inside of me didn’t give a damn. She wasn’t the mother Caleb deserved.
My mind drifted to the enchanting woman on my ranch.
For the last two days, Valerie had been digging up old dirt on Moonie. However, there wasn’t much. She showed me an article of him hazing a kid in high school. The kid ended up in the hospital and Moonie got away with it because of the cash in his father’s wallet. There was nothing we could go on, but one thing was certain…Moonie had damn good lawyers. If he was using Cathy and trying to play the “rape” card, there wasn’t a doubt in my mind he had cops in his pocket.
Just because Hayden PD wouldn’t believe Cathy doesn’t mean that a more…willingdepartment would. Chase told me that he put a man on Moonie so he could keep an eye on him. He told me that the fucker was staying in the hotel, he rarely leaves. When he does, it’s to go to Tinkles.
