Page 72 of Broken Discipline
I ground my molars together. How did he know I was pregnant? It’s not like I was showing. The only people who knew were the doctor and Bunny. Blister had figured it out only seconds ago.
“Who told you that?” I snapped.
“I can offer you a life where you’ll have everything. No debts. A house of your own. A husband who wants to give you everything you’d ever want.”
A husband.My mind shot back to Griffin. I had tried calling him multiple times, but it always went to voicemail.
Upchurch angled closer to me, then whispered, “I can give you independence, Miss Lowell.”
“Independence?” I repeated. It seemed strange, like a taunt, or a mere suggestion. Like he was playing a game with me.
“Independence fromthislife, Miss Lowell. All you have to do is marry my cousin.”
I blinked.Marry his cousin?
Upchurch continued: “He’s been mourning, you see. His late wife, God rest her soul, didn’t measure up to his needs. He’s dying to have a woman like you, and he desperately needs an heir. Your situation is perfect.”
“Why would I marry a man I don’t know?” I asked.
“Because the Syndicate can protect you from men like Blister.”
It sounded like a trap. Maybe even Upchurch and Blister were working together to con me out of evenmoremoney. Maybe Blister was trying to sell me to a trafficking ring.
“Thanks, but no thanks,” I said curtly. “I don’t take handouts.”
“In your predicament, I wouldn’t pass on the opportunity without some serious consideration,” he said. “My cousin is a good man, Miss Lowell. Older. Kind. Stoic. With one tiny interest.”
“What one tiny interest?”
“The only way he can get erect is by watching sadists take advantage of women,” he said so plainly, I almost didn’t register the words. “But you will have everything your heart desires, Miss Lowell. And so will your children. Bruce wants an heir. Can you blame him for that?” He winked, then pulled out a black business card and handed it to me.MBS,in bold, red letters. And at the bottom:Joseph Upchurch, Board Member,followed by his phone number.
“You would go by your middle name, Ramona, and take his last name, Astley. And sadly, you would also have to give up your life here.”
That was the moment I was sure this man was screwing with me. It felt like being on a reality show where the host was going to jump out from under the lap dance bench and tell me I was being filmedlive.My hands shook, my chest palpitating. I never took handouts from anyone, even if that meant I had to sell drugs to pay for my kids’ future. I wasalwaysmy own person.
“You need to leave.” I pointed at the exit. “I don’t know what kind of joke you think this is, but you’re not welcome here.”
The man stood and bowed his head. “Give it some thought, Miss Lowell. If you accept my offer soon, no one will know that your predicament,” he nodded at my stomach, “isn’this child. Not even him.Iwould be the only one who knew the truth about his bloodline.” He winked, then rested a hand on my shoulder. Chills rattled through me, my stomach lurching again. “You have my card.”
And like that, the man was gone. I let out a sigh, but my throat closed up with tears. I grabbed his glass and hundred-dollar bills fell on the floor. Twenty of them.
I picked them up, counting them again. Two thousand dollars. For a twenty-dollar shot of top-shelf scotch.
I held the bills in my hand, fanning them out like a flower. Maybe Upchurchwasn’ttrying to humiliate me. Maybe there really was an organization of rich men who sought out desperate women like me.
Bunny whistled. “What kind of agreement did you two make?” she winked. She probably thought I was going to do extras for him after work, but if I told her the truth, she would freak out.
And yet, two thousand dollars could pay back part of what I owed Blister. And changing my name meant I could leave everything behind. Blister wouldn’t know where to find me. My kids would be safe.
I stuffed the money in my pocket. “I have no idea what his deal was,” I said.
A customer shouted, bringing Bunny to the other side of the bar. I stared down at those red letters on the black business card.MBS.
Being able to give my kids a good life was the only thing that mattered. For all I knew, Griffin was gone, and there was no telling when he’d be back.Ifhe’d come back. I couldn’t wait for him. I had to think about the future. Our children’s future. I couldn’t cross my fingers that he’d come back one day and save us.
And I wasn’t going to be my mother. I wasn’t going to disappear and materialize out of thin air, pretending like everything was perfect. I had to give my kids the best life possible, every step of the way.
I called Griffin, dialing his number for the hundredth time. I pleaded that he would finally answer, telling me that he was on his way home. I had left voicemail after voicemail, but they went unanswered.
