by Nikki Rose
“Wow, that’s fast.” I couldn’t hide the exasperation in my voice. It might have been petty, but it bothered me, nonetheless.
“It all happened pretty fast, but when it’s the right timing, you just know. I’m sure you two can understand that.”
“So, what do you think?” Anthony said and I looked up at him.
What do I think? I think my dad is extremely insensitive to spring this all on me so fast after he’s already practically sold the house. That’s what I think.
“About the house,” he added.
“What do you mean, what do I think about the house?”
“Well, like your dad said, I still have to talk it over with my future wife. I didn’t think you’d appreciate me making such a big decision for the both of us without running it by you first.”
My mind took a minute to catch up, but once it did, it was all I could do not to jump up and down squealing. “You mean it? Seriously?”
“It’s a great house, and what better place for our kids to grow up than on the same street as both of their grandparents?” He smiled at me and my cheeks ached from the huge grin that threatened to split my face.
“I think it’s an amazing idea. It’s perfect.” I squealed and hugged Anthony’s neck then my dad’s.”
“Well, while we’re already celebrating…” Anthony raised his eyebrows in question for my go-ahead and I nodded excitedly. “We actually have some news as well.”
“You’re buying a house?” Tony joked.
“Well, yes, but that’s not the news.” He looked at me, signaling for me to go on.
“I’m pregnant.”
“You’re pregnant?” Liz gasped and I nodded.
“We are going to have another grandbaby!” She hugged me tight. I couldn’t help but let out a little giggle as the worry of being pregnant melted into something so much better. Joy.
“I’m going to be a grandpa?” My dad’s tone brightened and I nodded again. “Oh, honey, this is wonderful.” He squeezed me in a tight hug. I let out a sigh of relief and smiled at his infectious energy. He pulled away and studied me. “How long have you known?”
“A couple of weeks. I would have told you right away, but I wanted to tell Anthony before too many people found out. And there’s a bit of other news too, although I’m not sure how it will work into things now.”
“What is it?” Anthony and the others looked at me curiously.
“I passed my LSATs.”
“Oh, that’s great!” my dad exclaimed.
“Rachel, that’s wonderful.” Anthony pulled me to him and hugged me tight. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“Well, I wasn’t sure how it would work into our plans now that I’m pregnant,” I said timidly.
“Our plans? Law school has always been a part of the plan.”
“I mean…with the baby and everything now.”
“Plenty of people go to school while pregnant or with a baby,” my dad added.
“He’s right. We will make it work,” Anthony assured me before the others started in offering their support to help out in any way they could.
Relief came over me as I was completely showered in their love.
“Daddy!” Belle called out as she came running out of the back door onto the patio and into Anthony’s lap.
Em had been keeping Belle inside out of the cold while we had our pre-dinner drinks. It had taken some time getting used to the fact that we now had a full-time nanny-slash-bodyguard for Belle. But after everything we’d been through, it was good to have someone who knew how to protect her watching over her when we couldn’t. Em had become more like family over the past few weeks.
“Hey, princess.” He covered her cheeks with kisses and I welcomed her under my blanket, away from the cold.
“Is dinner ready yet? I’m hungry,” Belle asked.
“Almost,” my dad answered. “I actually should go check on it.” He walked inside to make sure he wasn’t burning dinner.
Dad never was one for cooking much.
“Hey, Belle, I wanted to ask your opinion on something.” Anthony’s voice was all business with the six-year-old and she turned all her attention to him.
“Okay, Daddy.”
“Well, you know Rachel and I are getting married soon and we’re all going to be a family. We were thinking that our apartment might be getting too small for us. What would you think about us buying this house from Rachel’s dad to make it our home?”
“But where would he live?”
“He was going to buy a house for sale right down the road.”
“So, we would live beside Gramma and Grampa?”
“That’s right.”
“Yay!” She squealed so loud that it made me jump.
“I think that’s a yes.” I laughed.
“I think you’re right.” Tony joined in the laughter.
“Dinner’s ready,” my dad announced, peeking his head out of the door.
“Oh good, I’m starving,” I said as we stood and made our way inside to eat.
Avoiding the topic of the baby was difficult during dinner with all the excitement, but Anthony and I had decided not to tell Belle about my pregnancy until after the wedding and had briefed the parents to keep it mum, as well. It wasn’t that we were worried about how she’d react. She was always so good at rolling with the punches. We just didn’t want to overwhelm her.
* * * *
Later, after getting Belle to bed, we finally had time to talk alone.
“So, you’re really okay with buying your dad’s house?”
“Are you kidding me? It’s perfect.”
“I thought you’d see it that way.”
“Thank you for everything and for making all my dreams come true.”
“That’s the plan, but I’m not done yet.” He smiled and kissed me deeply as we cuddled in bed.
I returned his kiss, melding to his body. “So, what happened at the office today? Were they able to figure anything out with the flash drive?”
“Do we have to talk about this? I don’t want to ruin the amazing mood I’m in right now.”
“Anthony, please? I want to know what’s going on, especially if it’s bad enough to make you want to avoid it altogether.”
He sighed. “They were able to crack the encryption. T kept all his records on that flash drive of every client, worker and notes on each one. They confirmed that Jess was working for him. I didn’t want to believe it before and can’t believe she got so bad that she dropped that low. A prostitute? Geez…” He sighed and I regretted pushing the subject, but we need to talk this out. I didn’t want any more secrets between us.
“Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if I had stayed with her. Was it all my fault that she got this bad?”
“Of course not. Anthony, look at me.” I put my hands on either side of his face. “Jess had problems beyond what you could fix. It wasn’t you. It was her.”
“I know you’re right.” He sighed again and I kissed away his frown. “Was that everything?”
“I wish that was all. The notes we found connected Jess to Matt and connected Matt to Ian and Amidio.”
I gasped. “Ian?”
“Yeah. It seems Matteo’s a Caballero too, and what’s worse is that Belle was on the list of Jess’ weaknesses.”
“What are we going to do?”
“We aren’t going to do anything. I’m going to up security for us all and increase forces around Amidio’s territory until we find out what he’s up to and get this taken care of once and for all. You are going to focus on the wedding and growing my baby in there.” He placed his hand on my lower stomach and his whole body relaxed.
“You’re really okay with us having a baby so soon?”
“I’m thrilled. The question is, are you okay with this?”
“I’m nervous.”
“You’re going to be a great mom. I see how good you are with Belle.”
“Our relationship is so new. I gues
s I’m just worried that the pregnancy and baby will put a strain on things.”
“I’m not worried. We have a strong foundation to build this relationship on. Our years of friendship make us stronger than most.”
I smiled and kissed him again. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For knowing just what to say to put my mind at ease.”
“That’s what I’m here for.” He flashed me a boyish grin and my heart fluttered. Then he spent the rest of the night making me flutter in other ways.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Anthony
“I’m buying a house, getting married and having a baby, all within a year.” I took a pull from my beer and set it back on the bar. It didn’t help dull the feeling that I was going to jump out of my skin. I was glad I had Ryan to vent to. He might cut up most of the time, but he was a good guy and always there when I needed him.
“Yeah, man, but those are all good things. I’m not sure I see the problem.”
“It’s all good things, but it’s overwhelming.”
“I hear ya, man. It’s a lot. How’s Rachel holding up with everything?”
“She seems to be just fine. I don’t get it. Usually, I’m the one handling all the craziness every day with my job.”
“Yeah, but this isn’t your job. It’s your life.”
“I guess. The new info with Mateo and T doesn’t help things.”
“You gotta get that straightened out so you can focus on the good stuff comin’ up. You’ve had this thing with Caballero hanging over your head for too long.”
“You’re right. It’s been way too long, and I’m ready to move on with my life. I’ve got bigger and better things coming. Besides, Rachel deserves a nice, normal life—or at least as normal as I can give her. I just wish we could get all of this mess with the Caballeros over and done.”
“You know I’m here and I’ll do everything I can to help.”
“That flash drive Angela gave me was more helpful than I thought. It turns out T kept all his records on that drive.”
“Have you found that Matt guy?”
“I got his address and I’m going to find him…today.”
“You need backup?”
“Are you offering?”
“Like I said, I’m always here for you.”
“I could use someone I trust to have my back.”
“So, what’s the plan?”
“The plan is to get Mateo to confess, once we find him.”
“He might not be an easy one to crack.”
“Why do you think I want someone there I trust? Getting his confession is imperative.”
“I’ll need to pick up a few supplies.”
“Me too.”
“Where and when we meetin’?”
I grabbed a cocktail napkin from the stack on the bar and scribbled the address before sliding it over to Ryan. “One hour.”
“I’ll be there with bells on.”
“Might make a sneak attack difficult.” I smirked and Ryan laughed.
I stood and threw the money down to cover both of our drinks. Ryan downed the rest of his beer and I slapped him on the back. “One hour.”
I turned and walked out of the bar. I had an interrogation to prepare for.
* * * *
Ryan and I parked down the street from Mateo’s house. I’d done my research and the house across the street was abandoned, so we were able to use it as our base.
“I see motion in the front right window.”
“Got it. How are you wanting to do this thing?”
“I want to draw as little attention to ourselves as possible, but I need to get him and I don’t want any interruptions.”
“Probably shouldn’t keep him at his house. They might see evidence or we might get company. I think it’d be best if we did this here.”
“I agree. Let’s get this over with so I can get home.”
We watched Mateo’s house a little longer, so we knew there was only one person inside. It had to be him. From what I’d learned, he was a paranoid guy and wouldn’t allow anyone to wander through his house without him there.
“He might know my face. I think you should go to the door and distract him while I slip in the back. Then we can both take him.”
“Sounds good to me. Let’s do this.”
Ryan and I made our way across to Mateo’s house. I watched Ryan stalk up the steps then I slipped around to the back door. I didn’t have to worry about Mateo seeing me, so I pulled out my gun to be ready. I looked through the window as he walked to the door.
Ryan was good at making himself seem unthreatening, trustworthy and safe. I, on the other hand, seemed to scream cop, government agent or military when someone looked at me. It was a gift and a curse that made it harder for me to blend in.
I tested the door. Locked. No surprise there. Through the window, I could see Ryan had pushed Mateo through the door and slammed it shut behind him. That was my cue. I rammed my shoulder into the back door. The frame shattered and it swung open, slamming against the wall. I was behind Mateo before he could react. I grabbed his arms while Ryan threw a cloth sack over his head.
A small tranquilizer to the neck and he was limp in seconds. We dragged him out of the back door and to the abandoned house. Ryan and I worked quickly. The tranquilizer wouldn’t last long. We didn’t want it to. I had questions that needed answers and I wasn’t willing to wait long to get them.
A wooden chair and some rope would suffice as restraints for him. It was a little cliché and not my usual style, but I needed to make an impression. It helped to set the right tone.
Ryan filled an old bucket with water and threw it into Mateo’s hood-covered face.
“Time to wake up.”
Mateo thrashed his head from side to side, trying in vain to throw off the hood. That sack wasn’t going anywhere unless I wanted it to—and neither was he.
“What is it you want? You want money? I’ll get you money. You want drugs? I can get those too. But if you hurt me, I can’t get you anything.”
“I don’t want your money or your drugs.” I ground out the words in my most threatening tone.
“Then what do you want? I’ll give you anything.”
“What do I want? I don’t think you want to know what I want.”
“Anything! I’ll give you anything, just don’t hurt me,” the little coward begged.
“I want you to suffer.” A part of me was doing this to scare him. The other part had to admit it was true.
“You— You want what?”
I spoke slower and more deliberately. “I. Want. You. To suffer.”
“B—But why? What did I do to you?”
I kept my voice low and my mouth close to his ear through the hood. “What did you do? You want to know what you did? Why don’t you tell me what you did?” I pulled off his hood and stared down at the man I already knew had killed Jess. By the fear in his saucer-sized eyes, he knew who I was.
“It’s you,” he gasped out.
“It’s me,” I stated bluntly through clenched teeth before backhanding him hard enough to make him spit blood.
“Please don’t hurt me. I was only doing what I was ordered to do. I didn’t have a choice.”
“We all have choices. You made yours and now I’m making mine.”
“What are you going to do to me?”
“I want answers—honest, clear, straightforward answers that don’t waste my time. Can you do that?”
“Yes, of course. Anything you want, you got it.”
“Good. Let’s get started. Who do you work for?”
“He— He’ll kill me if I talk.”
“I’ll kill you if you don’t.”
“You don’t understand. He’ll kill my family.”
“You don’t have any family.”
“How do you know that?” I struck him hard then watched coldly as his head bounced to the side by the force. Blood splattered onto the worn wood floor.
“A— Amidio.”
“What did you do for him?”
“His sobrino, nephew, wanted me to get close to Jess. He wanted me to learn her weaknesses and feed on them.”
“What weaknesses?”
“Drugs. They’re my specialty. Jess had been experimenting with drugs for a while and my sources told me she was looking for bigger and better things. She wasn’t getting the same high from that weak product she was using before.”
“So you got her started on all that shit?”
“I just opened her eyes to the possibilities.”
“Why did he want her on drugs?”
“Control. He wanted me close to her. If I was close to her, I was close to Belle—and if I was close to Belle, I was close to you.”
“So he did all this to get close to me?”
“He doesn’t just want you dead. I don’t know what you did to him, man, but he’s got it out for you bad. He wants to take everything…everything you love. He wants to take it away. Then he wants you dead.”
“What’s his plan?”
Mateo laughed and I hit him again. “Answer the question.”
“You think a man like Caballero would tell the likes of me his grand plan? You’re stupider than I thought.”
“What do you know?”
“I know you’re going to kill me. So, tell me, why should I tell you anything?”
“Because I can make your death painless or I can take my time.” I pulled out my long hunting knife and unsheathed it in front of his face. I ran the side of the blade slowly down his arm. His muscles tensed, but I never let the blade cut him. I didn’t have to draw a drop of blood to get my point across. “The choice is yours.”
I watched as he settled on his decision. Swallowing hard, he steeled himself to answer my question.
“All I know is what he told me. Anything else is just speculation. He wanted me to get close to Jess and Belle. He wanted me to weaken Jess and make her dependent on me and T. I got her in debt with me. So, I suggested she make her money for her drugs by working for him. Getting her hooked on drugs was easy. She was already searching for something stronger. Once she was in with T, she wanted the drugs even more, and the more drugs she had to have, the more she needed to work for T. It was really easy.” His smug tone made my blood boil.