Taking a deep breath and holding it, I considered her offer.

Would it really be so bad?

“Mian?”

I jerked free. The spell Brandi cast was broken by the interruption. She didn’t appear bothered when our heads turned toward the front door.

Anna.

“Oh. Hey.”

“What are you doing here?” She held Caylen, his back to her chest, as she stood in the door I hadn’t heard open. Caylen’s blue eyes found me, and I felt a stab in my gut when he smiled wide. The sound of his happy giggles tore me apart.

Could I really do this to him?

Could I really afford not to?

“I was just—”

“We were having girl talk,” Brandi interrupted in a dismissive tone. When Anna ignored her and started to question me, Brandi cut her off. “Here.” She reached inside her bra and pulled out a bill that was damp with her sweat.

Ew.

“I need cigarettes.”

“I’m watching Caylen,” Anna replied.

“His mother is home now.” She thrust the bill at her and glared until Anna reluctantly accepted it.

“It’s okay. I got him.” I was more than ready for this to be over and was sort of grateful to Brandi for sparing me from Anna’s questions. I took Caylen from her arms, flashed a fake smile, and escaped.Chapter NineKeep your friends close and your enemies closer.

ANGELI returned toChicago. I wasn’t ready to deal with my mother’s emotions, so I slipped out of Florida without seeing her. Since I wasn’t ready to forgive her, I had to stay away. My father would haunt me if I abandoned her completely, so instead of doing my duties to her myself, I had Lucas and Z check on her regularly. From their reports, she was doing well. I told myself it was all that mattered.

For now.

“Say that again?” Lucas called to run down Mian’s activity in the few hours I had been gone.

“Bruce says she went to some pawn shop on Trent but didn’t go in.”

“Hm. Where did she go after?”

“Back to Mercy Homes. Some babe got out of a Jag, and they went in together. She hasn’t moved since.”

“Check the place out and let me know what you find.” I ended the call and looked down at the brunette with her head in my lap. “Stop.”

She released my dick from her lips with a wet pop. “What’s that, baby?”

I stood up causing her to fall on her thong-clad ass. “Move.” She pouted and stared up at me with hungry eyes. She wasn’t doing it for me, and I had a pretty good idea why. “Get out.”

I disappeared into the bathroom and hoped she’d be gone by the time I was done. Turning on the shower, I stepped inside the glass walls and gripped my dick.

Christie’s lips weren’t the lips I needed to have wrapped around me.

They weren’t small and soft.

They didn’t tremble with fear or curl with disdain when I was near.

They didn’t moisten from the tip of her tongue sweeping over them after she’d bitten into the skin…

My grip slid from the base to the tip of my dick. A grunt forced through my lips and was lost within the sound of water rushing from above.

Closing my eyes, I pumped again.

It wasn’t wise.

It meant letting her in my head.

Giving her control she didn’t know she had.

But the feeling was too good not chase.

My hand moved faster, racing for the finish.

Goddamn.

I needed…

Her.

“Fuck!” I bit my bottom lip the way she would when she was turned on but needed to hide it and came. I was getting restless thinking about having Mian under my power again.

I slipped out early the next morning and made my way to the prison. I may have given into my dick last night, but I wouldn’t be ruled by it. Moving through the crowd of people rushing in to visit their loved ones, I found an empty locker and stored my phone, wallet, and keys. I checked in with the lobby officer and then waited for the clearance to go through security like many times before.

After waiting for half an hour, we were allowed into the visitation hall. Despite the crowd, it didn’t take long to find the man I came to see. When he spotted me, I nodded and took a seat.

Jonny was a reckless druggie who specialized in grand theft auto when he was on the outside. He was also as sneaky as they come which is why I hired him to get close to his roommate whom I had a deep interest in.

“Hey, man! How are you?”

“What do you have for me?” As usual, I skipped the pleasantries and jumped right into business, but Jonny always insisted on being friendly.

“You’re still an ill-tempered son of a bitch, eh?”

“Jonny…”

“Right. Remember, I told you he never gets visitors?” He took a look around and leaned in. “Well, three days ago he gets a visit.”