Page 43 of His Lair
“Ah… I’m okay.” I don’t know what else to say. It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell him I don’t need saving. Except the Lailani I’m supposed to be wouldn’t fight her own battles. And shewouldneed saving.
“I’ll walk with you the rest of the way,” he says. “I’m Logan, by the way.”
“Hi… Lailani. But you really don’t need to walk with me. I’m fine,” I tell him.
“Boss would have my balls in a jar if I don’t.” Logan gives me a smirk that I’m sure melts the panties off most girls. Now it’s on the tip of my tongue to tell him his boss would likely cut his balls off for smiling at me like that too. I don’t, though.
“Well, we wouldn’t want to ruin your chances of fatherhood, now would we,” I say and start walking. Logan walks quietly beside me.
As soon as I’m locked in my apartment, I call Emmanuel. He’s back in Mexico, or at least he was last week. Who knows where he is currently?
“Lailani?” E answers.
“What does Sammie’s mother want from him?” I ask.
“Well, hello to you too. How have you been, old friend? Me? Oh, I’m just fine.” Emmanuel mimics a two-way conversation.
“I ran into her tonight,” I add.
“You what? Is she still breathing?”
“Of course she is. I’m not going to kill his mother,” I hiss through the phone.
“Usually people who threaten you don’t live to tell the story. Color me surprised,” Emmanuel hums through the phone.
“What makes you think she threatened me?” I counter.
“Because I know Ms. Russo.” He chuckles. “What’d she say?”
“That he’d get bored with me and throw me away like yesterday’s trash.” I sigh. “And then one of Sammie’s goons stepped between us when she poked me.”
“She poked you?” Emmanuel parrots. “And you didn’t break her finger?”
“And just how would I explain that? Oh, sorry I broke your mother’s finger, Sammie. It was an accident?” My voice drips with sarcasm.
“What happened? After the goon stepped in?”
“She left, said something about Sammie giving her what she wants now,” I explain. “What does she want?”
“I don’t know. If their history is any indication, it’s more money. She’s probably going to threaten you to get to him. I wouldn’t worry about it. Sammie can deal with his mother.”
“She’d threaten someone he likes to get to him? What kind of mother does that?” I grumble.
“Sammie’s mother… She’s always been jealous of anyone who comes into his life. She can be a little much. But she’s harmless really. Manipulative as fuck, but harmless,” Emmanuel says.
“Right, so… I just sit around and do nothing while my boyfriend is being manipulated by his mother for God only knows what reason?” I’m pacing up and down my living room.
“I thought he wasn’t your boyfriend,” Emmanuel muses.
“Shut up.” I cut the call and throw my phone onto the sofa.
Then I’m diving for it again. I should talk to Sammie, tell him I’m fine, tell him I don’t need him to protect me from his mother. I don’t know what she wants from him. But whatever it is, I don’t need him to give in to her for my sake.
How the hell do I explain that, though? I can’t. I’ve been lying to him since the day I met him. If I tell him the truth now, he’s going to hate me. And I’m not ready for him to hate me yet.
Chapter Nineteen
Ican’t kill my own mother. No matter how much I might want to right now. When I heard she approached Lailani, I was ready to wring her fucking neck. I’ve done everything I can toboth keep Lailani off my mother’s radar and get my mother to leave town. I have no idea what the woman wants.