Page 58 of Consumed By Fire
“Listen to yourself. You sound deranged. If someone sees her… All it will take is one person, and we are all screwed. Her life will end. It will be on you. Would you be able to live with yourself?”
I feel my whole body tighten. Fuck! Shadow is right.
“Okay…fine…okay…you win,” I push out. “I’m going to need money. I have plenty. I will need to go to the city to make a withdrawal. I’m not sending her back without it. She’s all alone and desperate. Right now, she is reliant on her ex’s brother, who is a colossal prick.” I get angry just thinking about Titan.
Shadow laughs and shakes her head. “Holy fuck, but she has you completely wrapped around her little finger. She’s not your problem.”
“I’ve made her my problem. She’s a pregnant woman who is afraid for her future and for the future of her unborn child. I will do that small thing for her. I don’t need the cash.”
“You might change your mind about that one day. What if you meet someone? What if you want a family? That money could come in handy.”
Children.
A family.
All I can think about is Trinity’s face, her eyes, her smile. I can still feel those sweet kicks beneath my hand.
The enemy… Yes, she is…unfortunately.
“No, I don’t want those things.” The words don’t feel right, but they’re true. I can’t have them.
Shadow sighs heavily. “Okay…fine. I will organize the cash. How much do you need?” then she makes a face. “How do you even know that they have money on Mistveil?”
“They do.” I sound frustrated. “They’re far more civilized than we give them credit for. I told you this already. They live very much like us.”
“I find it hard to believe.” She shakes her head. Her eyes cloud in thought.
“Well, believe it. That’s why I need cash. Are you going to help me or not?”
“How much?”
“30k,” I say quickly. “I have enough in my account.”
Her brows shoot up. “That much? Really?” She gives a chuckle. “Holy shit, Octane.”
“Yes. She’ll need it to start a new life.”
“Okay…whatever. It’s your money. Then there’s the business of filling in a report.” She hands me a piece of paper. “You can take a seat over there. I want it all down on paper.”
“No. It can wait.” I start to hand it back, but she shakes her head.
“No. If you want the money and for all of this to go away, you need to fill in a report. I want you to state that all of this was your idea. All of it needs to be on there. How you captured the Red. Her escape. The things she told you. All of it. You can leave out the sex, but the rest needs to be in there.” She flicks at the page in my hand. “If this ends up going belly up, I need a safety net. This report will be my safety net.” She flicks the page again. “You can take a seat over there.” She points at a desk in the corner. “And start writing.”
“It’ll take me an hour or more to get this done.”
“You have somewhere you need to be?” She lifts her brows.
“Actually, yes, I do. I’ll sort it out in the morning.”
“Now is as good a time as any. You look healed up. From the racket you were making earlier, I’d say you were fit as a damned fiddle. Fill in the report, Octane. There’s a pen on the desk. Make sure your writing is neat and legible.” Her eyes widen. “What are you waiting for? It’s an order.”
“A report like this would implicate you, not clear you of wrongdoing. Why would you want this in writing?” I tap on the paper with the back of my hand in much the same way as she did. “It doesn’t make any sense. Unless…unless… Fuck! Unless you are using the excuse of a stupid report to keep me busy long enough to…to… No!” I crumple up the paper and toss it at her feet. “Fuck you!” I yell as I turn away.
“Do the right thing!” she shouts at my retreating back. “Write the report and forget the female.”
I don’t listen. I run all the way to my bungalow. Goliath looks sheepish, he won’t meet my gaze, choosing to look at his feet instead.
“She isn’t in there, is she?”