Redeemed (Dirty Air 4)

“Why don’t you ask your girlfriend?”

“Seeing as she has a restraining order against her mom’s boyfriend, is that really the best idea?”

Noah huffs. “No.”

“Then give me her number.”

Noah rattles off the number Chloe’s mom left his assistant. A part of me wants to tell Chloe about her mother contacting Noah, but I’m struck with an intense urge to protect her. I don’t want to bring up old memories, especially if it’s my fault in the first place. Her mother wouldn’t bother with Chloe if it weren’t for me.

Chloe didn’t ask for this kind of attention. Hell, she warned me against it in the first place. It’s my responsibility to fix whatever damage has been done and hope her mother crawls back into whatever pocket of hell she came from.

I dial the number. It rings before going to voicemail. My second attempt is a success, with Anne’s rasp of a voice answering after the third ring. “Hello.”

“This is Santiago Alatorre.”

“Well, I didn’t think my message would actually make it back to you.” Her voice fails to match the soothing one Chloe has.

“I’ll start this call with telling you to never call Noah Slade again. Hell, don’t contact anyone who has anything to do with me, Chloe included.”

“That’s a big claim for someone who is hiding an even bigger secret.”

“What secret?” Is she high right now?

“The fact that you’re shacking up with someone who was arrested for aggravated assault charges.”

Fuck. I nearly drop the phone before catching it. “Excuse me?”

“Chloe attacked my poor boyfriend, Ralph, when she was in high school. Left him with a concussion, two broken ribs, and a chipped tooth according to the hospital report I have. Somehow her social worker convinced the cops to drop the charges, but it doesn’t matter. With your fame, I doubt it’s something you want associated with your name. Now is it?”

What the fuck happened inside of Chloe’s house when she was growing up? I can barely focus on the vile words her mother shares as I try to picture living in fear like Chloe did. Being forced to spend time inside of a closet while her mother got high with men. Fending for herself against a disgusting man who tried to take advantage of someone smaller than him.

The whole situation makes me sick. Disgusted to the point that I want Anne Carter to disappear forever.

“How much?” I hate making deals with the scum of the earth, but to protect Chloe, I’ll do anything. Even if it means supporting a drug addict like her.

“How much do you think Chloe’s secret is worth? I have a video of Ralph speaking out against the attack, and it’s not pretty.” Anne chuckles to herself.

Acid rolls around in my stomach. How much does it cost to keep a drug addict quiet? Fuck if I know. “Fifty thousand dollars.”

Anne laughs. The sound elicits the same chill as hearing nails running down a chalkboard. “You’ll have to do better than that. I googled you. Everyone knows how much you’re packing in that wallet. Do you really want to take a gamble on me revealing who your girlfriend is to the world? Something tells me the crowd you run with won’t be as accepting of someone like her.”

My jaw clamps down. “If someone doesn’t accept her, then they were never part of my crowd to begin with.”

“I see why she likes you.” She snickers.

I clutch onto my phone with a death grip. “Three-hundred-thousand dollars. That’s my final offer.”

“I knew you were willing to pay the right price. With all those fancy cars and houses, it’s barely a drop in the bucket.”

“You’re repulsive.”

“I never said I wasn’t. But I’m also an opportunist. The world is a harsh place, and my daughter happened to find the right kind of guy. I’m proud.”

“This is the last time you’ll ask for any money.”

“Don’t worry. That kind of money will keep me happy for a long time.” She sighs in a dreamy kind of way.

“Let me be clear. I give you the money and you stay away from my family, including Chloe. That means you disappear from all of our lives. Period. While you have a lousy story and whatever half-assed evidence your drugged-out brain could muster up, I have endless connections to wipe you from the map if you mess with us again. So, if you ever crawl out of the gutter you came from to cause us problems again, I’ll have you shipped off to a facility where you’ll live the life you deserve. No drugs. No people. Nothing but sobriety and your nasty thoughts to keep you company. Got it?”