(Sasha's POV)
My heart pounded as I got into my car and drove off.
The voice on the other end had been urgent.
And I knew that tone. Something was wrong.
I sped down the main road, hands gripping the steering wheel tighter than necessary.
My mind raced with all the worst-case scenarios.
My mother had a way of finding herself in situations that spiraled out of control.
She'd said she was at Crystal Ace Casino, and there was fear in her voice. Pure, raw fear.
I didn't breathe until I reached the tall, neon-lit casino tucked away in the dimmest part of the city's edge.
It reeked of smoke, spilled liquor, and stench breath.
The moment I walked in, I spotted her—slumped against the wall near the security booth, her face bruised and swollen.
My heart dropped.
"Mom!" I rushed to her side, dropping to my knees.
Her lip was split, and there was a cut bleeding just above her brow, and a thin trail of dried blood on her cheek.
