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“I said I’m sorry,” I replied through gritted teeth. I wasn’t going to make excuses for what I’d said because there was no excuse for it. But she could at least allow me to finish talking before she interrupted me.
“You should be! And you keep your charity to yourself, Marcus Donovan. I’m going back to work tomorrow, and you can’t stop me,” she said defiantly.
“Watch me,” I snarled. “Even if you don’t care about your safety, think about your colleagues, for fuck’s sake. What if Monani shoots up your club?”
“He wouldn’t dare,” I snorted with a laugh. “The owner of the club, Bo, has strong mob ties. He’s related to every boss in the Tri-State area through his three ex-wives. Trust me, he’s practically untouchable. No one’s going to mess with his club.”
“You’re dealing with a madman, Celine. And he’s fighting for his life right now. If he doesn’t find Tia soon, Sabri will kill him in retaliation. He’s like a cornered animal with nothing to lose,” I explained.
Before she could reply, her phone rang. Celine paled when she saw the caller’s name and answered hastily.
“Brandon! Is Rose okay?”
That was her baby daddy. I wondered what kind of fool would give up a woman like her.
“What? But why? You said you wanted to have her for the whole weekend,” exclaimed Celine.
She sighed heavily.
“Fine. I’ll swing by soon,” she said irritably before she hung up.
“What’s wrong?”
“That was my ex. He wants me to pick up our daughter early.”
“Why?”
“Because he’s a giant man-child who sees his own daughter as competition. I can’t understand him, Marcus. Any other man would be happy his daughter was getting along with his girlfriend, but Brandon is upset that she’s been clinging to Sarah all weekend. It’s not her fault. She’s not used to being around men, so naturally, she’s more comfortable with Sarah.”
“He sounds like a prize,” I said in disgust.
“You don’t know the half of it,” she replied wearily. “I need to pick up my daughter.”
“I’ll take you,” I offered.
“I don’t think we can all fit on the Harley,” she quipped.
“I’ll call a car,” I said rolling my eyes before I rang for the butler. “We can all have breakfast together.”
Brandon Gantry lived not too far from my house in Lennox Hill. We drove up to his house and found him waiting outside, checking his watch impatiently. His eyes narrowed when he saw me get out of the car behind Celine.
“Who’s this?” he asked coldly.
“A friend,” she replied shortly. “Where’s Rose?”
A tall, blonde carried a child out, while two tween boys carried a couple of bags out to the car.
“Hi, Sarah,” murmured Celine, reaching for her baby with a warm smile. “I hope she was no trouble.”
“She was a delight,” said Sarah kindly, while the child’s father stared at me sourly. The girlfriend shot him an uneasy look. “I wish we could have had her for a while longer.”
“That’s okay, hun. I understand,” said Celine blandly. “Say bye-bye, Rosie.”
Rose waved at Sarah and the boys who looked genuinely sad to see her go. Meanwhile, Brandon didn’t spare his daughter a glance.
“Where do I know you from?” he demanded of me.
I gave him a cold, warning look.
