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“I’ll be right there,” I say, keeping my tone soothing as I estimate how long it’ll take me to drive there from Lincoln’s place. “Give me ten minutes. Stay in your room, okay, buddy?” My heart breaks that I have to tell him that—that he doesn’t feel safe where he is right at this moment. I always want him to feel safe, and I will escalate things with my lawyer and do whatever it takes to get a court order that ensures he doesn’t ever have to go to Jeremy’s again.
“Okay. Thanks, Mom.”
Tears spring to my eyes, but I force control into my voice as I say, “I love you, honey. I’ll be there soon.” I cut the call. I never took my shoes off when I got here, so I grab my purse and look at Lincoln. “I have to go.”
“What’s going on?” he asks, clearly alarmed.
“I guess Jeremy and his wife are fighting loudly and Jonah’s scared. I need to go get him. I know we’re in the middle of—”
He holds up a hand. “Stop. It doesn’t matter what we’re in the middle of. He comes first. We’ll talk soon.”
Will we, though? It took a lot of pre-scheduling and arranging to make this meeting work. And now I’m ducking out on us. More cards stacked against us.
More reasons for us to quit this.
And yet, as he presses a soft kiss to my cheek and ushers me out the door, I already know how very much I can’t quit this. Especially not when he already understands that my son has to come first.
I forgot I have Sam’s car, but I’m too worried about my son and what sort of situation he’s in right now to go home and switch cars. I hop in and race over to Jeremy’s…not even noticing the car that’s following me the whole way there.
TO BE CONTINUED IN BOOK 3, GAME PLAY
GAME PLAY
VEGAS ACES: THE COACH BOOK 3
© Lisa Suzanne 2023
CHAPTER 1: JOLENE
I skid to a stop in Jeremy’s driveway and I ring the bell before I start banging on the door.
I sort of wish Lincoln was with me.
I don’t like going into this alone, but I’m here to protect Jonah, and there is nothing I wouldn’t do for him.
The door opens, and Jeremy is red-faced and clearly angry. Alyssa is on her hands and knees behind him with a dustpan sweeping shards of something onto it.
“I’m here for Jonah,” I say point blank.
“Excuse me?” he thunders at me. “It’s my weekend!” Even from the short distance between us, I can smell the yeast of too much beer and cigarette smoke on him.
“Yeah, but when your kid calls you for pickup because he can’t sleep over all the fighting, you rush right over.” I keep my voice calm and matter of fact even though I’m ready to go postal on this idiot.
“Then call a goddamn lawyer,” he hisses, and he slams the door in my face.
Oh fuck that. Fuck him. Fuck this entire fucking night.
I start banging on the door again, and I don’t stop even when my fists are screaming in pain. I’m not leaving without Jonah.
A few moments pass before Alyssa opens the door. Her face is streaked with tears, but Jeremy isn’t around. My best guess is that he went to pass out from whatever he did tonight.
“I’ll go get him for you,” she says softly.
“What’s going on?” I ask as she waves me into the house.
“Jeremy went out with his friends from work and came home drunk,” she says, her voice low and devoid of emotion as we walk through the house toward Jonah’s room. “We got into it because he stayed out hours later than he said he would. He doesn’t usually drink like this, not when Jonah’s here anyway, but they were celebrating a new product they’re launching soon, and I guess he had more than he should have.”
“Are you okay?” I ask quietly.
