Chapter 26
HUNTER
My mother stares at me through the window of this small farmhouse, and I have to remember to breathe.
Her brown hair is in a loose bun. The wisps around her face blow in the breeze. She looks like Courtney Cox but with bright green eyes.
Memories of her loving me slam into my mind.
I sit on her lap in an oversized black leather rocking chair. “Mommy, I don’t feel well.”
“I know, baby. Just rest and let the medicine take hold.” She kisses the top of my head as she cradles me. “Tomorrow, you’ll be as good as new.”
“Promise?”
“Yes, my prince. You’ll be perfect as always.” She hums Hush Little Baby as I sink into her embrace.
My love for her pulses throughout my body, and her warmth soothes me. I fall asleep with her love healing me.
A few years later, when I’m about six, I’m on the playground. Two older boys taunt and push me around. Tears pour from my eyes as I run back to where she’s sitting on a bench.
She holds out her arms, and I snuggle into her as she caresses my back and rocks me. “Hunter, you’re alright. ”
“But those boys said they were going to beat me up.”
“Don’t you worry about them. You’re the king of this playground. You just haven’t shown anyone yet.” She sways with me from side to side.
“I’m the king?”
“Yes, and all you have to do is let the kids playing here know you’re in charge.”
I peek up at her as my tears come to a stop. “How do I do that?”
“By doing anything you need to do so they get the message.”
“Even if I have to beat them up?”
“Yes, my son. You’re the king, so you can do whatever you need to do in order to get what you want. Stand tall and fight back, then nobody will bother you again.”
I didn’t know she was at the base of these beliefs of mine until now. I had pushed the memories from my mind.
The power she had over me can’t be denied. I trusted her when she said things like that to me. I believed her with everything in me. She was my guide, and I loved her more than anything.
She stands and beckons me with her emerald eyes. I amble her way without a second thought.
Does she still love me?
I shudder at the longing that follows that thought. I open the back door and go to her like I don’t have a say in the matter.
She takes me in from head to toe with a warm smile. “You turned out so well. You’re such a handsome man. Just look at you. You look just like your father at your age.”
I snap myself out of my thoughts and put on the armor I need. “Joan, why don’t you tell me why you’re here?”
“Joan?” Her gaze turns to steel. “That’s no way to greet me. Where are your manners?”
“You’ll need to excuse me. I didn’t have a mother to teach me.”
She blinks coldly. “I see you want to get straight to business. ”
“This is your game. I just need to know the rules.”
“Let’s take a walk and find our common ground.” She gestures to the backyard.
She sets off in the direction of a small cornfield. I nod once and follow her.
This has got to be the creepiest moment of my life.
The scene is the setting of a horror film. I never thought I’d find myself in one with my mother leading me to my death. We walk in silence, and all the while, my heart rattles.
When we get to the edge of the field, she dips her chin. “We’ll have more privacy in here.”
She points to a row between the cornstalks. I want to turn around and leave, but I came here for the truth, and she’s going to give it to me.
I tip my head. “You first. You know the way better than I do.”
“There’s enough room for us to walk side by side. I think that’s best since this meeting is about making an alliance.” She waves me in. “Come on, son. We have a lot to discuss.”
With my head high, I join her despite my desire to disobey. “Do you want to start?”
“I could, but you’re the one who put this in motion, so why don’t you?”
“No, you did that when you came after me and my girlfriend.”
“ Tsk , tsk , Hunter. Dorothy Fisher’s no longer with you. If this meeting is going to go well, you need to stick to the facts.” She looks my way with her eyebrows raised.
I have no other choice but to relent. “Done. Now tell me what you want from me.”
“I want back in your life.”
Her words cause me to stumble into a cornstalk, then stop and face her. “That will never happen.”
“Yes, it will. It’s only a matter of time. Either we do this amicably, or we can do it by force. The choice is yours.” She steps to me with warning vibes coming off her in waves.
“Fine. I’ll play your way.”
“That’s better.” She strolls down the lane with her hands hooked together behind her back. “You’re aware I want you to have a child, and you’re going to give him to me.”
How does she know it’s a boy?
Isabella.
I really despise that woman.
A strange protectiveness takes over me. “He’s my son, and I don’t plan on handing him over to you. No matter how much money you promised to pay Isabella, I won’t let you take him.”
My mother faces me and pins me with a death stare. “I’ll make this easy on you. Your son will be raised by me.”
“No, he won’t.” I huff at her audacity. “You didn’t want Jonah or me, so why do you want my son? This makes no sense.”
“I’m in a different position now. When I left you boys, I had no other choice.”
“Yes, you did. You just thought it would be?—”
“Don’t tell me why I did it. You don’t understand and you never will. Besides, that’s not the matter we’re here to discuss.”
I clench and unclench my fists as I fume. I’m about to lose all control. “Tell me what the fuck you want, and let’s get this game over with.”
“Don’t take that tone with me. You won’t like the repercussions.” She waits until I force myself to calm down.
I suck in a breath. “I’m not going to say another word until you tell me what this is about.”
“Let’s start at the beginning. What questions do you have?”
“Why do you want my son? You could’ve taken Jack, but you threatened to kill him if it were ever to be found out that he’s my son. ”
She nods and returns to walking through the cornfield. “I couldn’t take Jack because too many people knew about him. It was too risky. When you gave him up, I knew you could do it again. You proved you could walk away from your child just as I had done.”
My stomach turns, and a wave of nausea hits me. “That was different.”
She glances my way. “Was it? The way I see it is you gave him up so he could have a better life. That’s what I did with you and Jonah.”
Fuck me.
I turn my head and face the fact that she’s right.
I take my glare to the ground. “Why do you want to raise a child now? And why do I need to produce an heir by the time I turn thirty-five?”
“You haven’t studied Le Milieu, have you?”
“No. Is that some term for the French mob?”
“You were always so smart.” She tips her chin up to the sun. “I made an arrangement with my husband.”
“What kind of arrangement?”
“My life for your son—a new leader. It’s time for my husband to announce a successor. Once the baby is born and I have him with us, he’ll be declared the future don.”
My chest ignites with fire. “Over my dead body.”
“If you insist, it will be.”
I loosen my tie. Just as I was afraid of, I’m out of my league with her. The situation is worse than I thought.
How can I take back the reins?
“Let’s say I give him up when he’s born. What then? Do you get released or something along those lines?”
“Released from what?”
“You said my son’s life for yours.”
“Oh, yes. I can see where you got confused.” She runs her hand along the leaves of the cornstalks. “I was given my life years before. ”
My mind tries to piece everything together. What my dad told me about her up and disappearing swings before me.
“I can only assume you mean when you went missing from my dad’s life for the second time.”
She peeks over at me. “Did he tell you that?”
“I know you stayed in touch, then poof, you were gone. That happened about the same time Helena had Jack. If my math is adding up, I’d say these events link back to you relocating.”
“Impressive, son. Impressive.” She turns toward the opening of the field where we entered and smiles with pride.
I ignore it. “Your mobster husband caught you with my dad, didn’t he?”
“He suspected something, but he didn’t know for sure. If he had, I would be dead, and so would your father.”
“Then what happened?”
“My husband was pressuring me for information on why I would go to Paris or other places in Europe on a whim, so I had to find something I could give him. By luck, you had just fathered a child, which gave me an idea. The perfect plan was formed.”
“Why would your husband want to raise my son?”
“He has no children of his own. That is until now. We’ll adopt your son and make it legal. People we have ties to will arrange all the necessities. I don’t need to bother you with those nuances.”
I shake my head as my chest caves in. “The heir to the Efron fortune in exchange for your life. You plan on raising my son. When he’s old enough, he’ll take over for your husband.”
“Hunter, I’m doing this for your father too. I’m not as evil as you believe.”
I puff out a hiss. “Right. How is taking away my child not evil?”
“Do you want him?” She pegs me with a knowing stare .
I turn my head away and don’t respond.
“I didn’t think so. Now, let’s get to our alliance.” She steps out of the cornfield and leads us back to the patio. “You can see I’m not trying to hurt you. I’m trying to help you.”
I’m so far from being able to contain this mess I can’t see straight. “There is no alliance.”
“There will be, or you can say goodbye to your future.”
“How so?”
“Like I said, I’m not doing this to hurt you. I’m doing this to keep you alive. Give me your son, and when you and Jonah step down from your roles at Efron Worldwide, you’ll get him back.”
“Why then?” Right as I say it, I make the connection. “You want him to take over Efron Worldwide, and when that happens, your crime organization will have its hands back in the business.”