I sent her to rehab, and I nearly ended him. I should have. I had every right to. But we weren’t in charge back then, Sebastian’s father was, and the situation was tense. I didn’t want to add pressure to an already explosive situation. I needed to think of the greater good. Of our future.

Dominic and my need to teach him a lesson had to wait.

So I bided my time. Watched him from afar and tried to get her the help she needed, not because I loved her, far from it. I hated her and still do. But because Leo deserves a mother and one that is healthy, and I would do anything for that little boy of mine. His hands hold my heart and if it wasn’t for him, I know that my life would be a mere shell of what it is now.

But it is true, the words that Little Red just whispered. They love the drugs more than they love anything else and Angelina loves them more than she does Leo, and she has for years. As his father, the best thing I can do for him is to protect him and keep him safe, and that means keeping her away from him. Unfortunately, her calls are becoming more insistent as the days pass. She never has cared enough before, yet her calls have increased these past weeks, demanding to see him. And I do not take kindly to demands from anyone.

A small snore escapes from Little Red, bringing me back to reality. Perhaps I should move her. Out of sight, out of mind. Then I could concentrate fully on catching these assholes who are threatening me and my family.

I could take her to the safehouse, though I haven’t been there in a long time. It was where I took Angelina to dry out years ago. Her screams that bounced around the walls are still sounds that nightmares are made of. I could also offer to send her back to Oklahoma. But with no family or friends, and no assurance that the Russo’s wouldn’t find her there, I can’t in good conscious do that either. Frustration settles in my bones, and I grind my teeth and rub my eyes as I sort through my options.

I look over at Little Red again, and my heart begins to calm once more. The rise and fall of her chest acts like a meditation that soothes me. Leaning back in my chair, my eyes drift over her face, discovering something new, like the little freckle on her chin or the small dimple on one cheek. Her long black lashes as they rest on her cheekbones, or the way she hums softly as she hugs the pillow next to her.

No, there is no doubt that the safest place for her to be is here. With me. She is not going anywhere.

12

Annie