“You know I’d do anything for you.” Danica squeezed the steering wheel, refusing to comment on that and he went on. “Just wanted to let you know he’s all for getting this thing taken care of for you. You just have to go along with what I told him.”
“And what would that be?” Danica asked, already suspicious because she’d known, the moment Blaine told her about Ted’s offer to help, that it wasn’t entirely selfless.
“I just had to build you up a little. Make it sound like he was helping someone who’s completely worth it in case he had any doubts. Hard worker, excellent student, zero issues during your probation, volunteering at a child therapy facility for kids with special needs. That kind of stuff. But I left out a few things, like that it’s your sister’s facility, and I wasn’t sure if you’re still in the honor society, but I told him you still are. I just wanted to give you a heads-up, in case he or the judge asks you about any of it, so you have it straight.”
Danica frowned, chewing the corner of her lip. She appreciated Ted helping her with this, but this was what she meant about his help not being entirely selfless. He could’ve easily told Blaine to pass this information on to her, but he’d used the excuse to get her to call him. Now she’d have something else she’d be keeping from Orlando—the very thing he’d specifically asked her not to. “Alright, thank you, Ted. Anything else you need me to know just let Blaine know.”
She knew she sounded like an ingrate, but she did not want to encourage Ted to start reaching out again. With or without him, Blaine had already promised her this was almost over. If she had to cut him off again and he refused to continue to help, so be it.
“Danica?”
“Uh huh?” she said, taking a deep breath.
“You given any thought to us getting together so we can talk?”
“We’ve already talked, Ted. My mind’s made up.”
She reached Nadia’s townhouse, and thankfully, no cars were parked in front of her place, so she easily parked.
“Just one cup of coffee or one drink; it doesn’t have to be—”
“No.” She shook her head as she pulled the keys out of the ignition. “I can’t, Ted, and I gotta go. I need to pick up the baby.”
Freezing when she realized what had just slipped out, she squeezed her eyes shut because he went silent for a moment. “The baby?”
“Yeah.” She cleared her throat. “My sister hooked me up with a few babysitting gigs. ShopMart just wasn’t giving me the hours I needed. But I gotta go. I’m late. Just let Blaine know if there’s anything else I need to know. Thanks again, bye.”
She hung up before he could comment further, and just prayed he didn’t put it together. More than anyone, he knew what a torment it’d been for her to give Oreo up, but he couldn’t possibly come to the conclusion that she’d managed to worm her way back into his life from that one slip, right? Deciding there was no way, she rushed out to get the baby.
Thankfully, Nadia had been on the phone with a call she couldn’t cut off because it had to do with her parents’ therapy, so she didn’t get to grill her the way Danica got the feeling she wanted to. Later that evening when Orlando got home, he went on and on about all the day’s happenings at the shop. Then he spent a few hours out back, working on the car he’d brought home. There’d been no time or reason to get back to the subject of her court case. His mentioning they’d be staying this busy for a while gave Danica hope that it’d be the distraction they needed to stay off that subject until she was done with it—and Ted—completely.
Chapter 25
Orlando
It was the second time that day Felicia had texted Orlando. As usual, he’d ignored the first one, but this time she said it was very—in capital letters—important and had to do with Dani. She asked him to call her and that she’d take the call, even if she was at work. It was that important. Orlando was only glad it was Wednesday and Dani was at his house with Baby O. Only reason he was calling Felicia at all was because it was about Dani and she made it sound so crucial. But he was making it clear now why he couldn’t even be friends with her anymore. He didn’t want any problems with his now practically live-in, perfect girlfriend, Dani.
He went upstairs to make the call. As annoyed as he was that he needed to call Felicia, he had to admit he was curious about what she could possibly have to tell him about Dani. Even more curious, what could be so pressing? He just hoped it wasn’t a ploy to get him to call her, since he had been ignoring all her other texts for weeks. “What’s up, Felicia?” he said as soon as she answered.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to alarm you, but I felt obligated to share what I found out about Danica.” Orlando paced in the front room of the apartment as she went on. “I hope you don’t mind, and I wasn’t being nosey. I promise. But they recently trained me on some of the software they have here to research some of the defendants and witnesses taking the stand against our clients. You know in case they need something that might discredit them. One search of your name brings up all your criminal history and such. I remembered you saying you hadn’t done a background check on Danica, and just out of curiosity, I put her name in today, and oh my God, Orlando, the girl’s been in and out of jail a few times and—”
“I know all about it,” Orlando said, feeling a mix of satisfaction that he could say so and annoyance that Felicia would be checking on Danica.
She was quiet for a second. “You know she’s a felon?”
“Yep, felony DUI.” He stopped pacing to grab a water out of the fridge, glad this was all it was. “She told me everything. I didn’t even ask her. She offered up the information herself. Her past doesn’t make a difference to me, Felicia, especially because I have one too. Listen. Things have changed between her and me now. We’re seeing each other now, and I can’t have someone I used to date still calling and texting me. I don’t want her getting upset.”
Once again this silenced her. “You’re seeing her? What happened to her fiancé? The one I heard her on the phone with just a month ago?”
“Broke up,” he said simply, annoyed about the reminder of that call.
Hearing Dani tell the guy she loved him had been a blow to the gut. Last thing he wanted to be reminded of now that he’d proclaimed his love for her was that too recent call. “Is he an older gentleman? Well.” She paused. “Older than her, maybe forty or so.”
“Something like that.” Orlando took a swig of water from the bottle, starting back to the front room.
“Did you two just happen? Because I’m pretty sure I saw them together not too long ago.”
Orlando stopped, hating that she’d have anything on Dani he might not know about; then he remembered and exhaled, relieved. “Parking lot at the courthouse?”
“Yes.”
“Yeah, she told me about that, too.”
“I thought maybe he was formally proposing because I saw him down on his knee.”
Orlando rolled his eyes. Fucking asshole. “Yeah, she mentioned that. Guy’s an idiot. Guess he’s not over her. She’s told me everything, Felicia.”
“Did you, uh . . .” She paused as if she hesitated to go on but then continued, “Did you know she was also arrested for soliciting a few years ago? I’m only telling you because since you’re together now I—”
“Like I said, she’s told me everything.” He opened the door, ready to be done with the conversation but closed it again because he didn’t want anyone hearing Dani’s business. “She wasn’t actually doing any soliciting but got caught up in a mess where others were and was charged with it anyway. You run with the wrong crowd and that kind of shit is bound to happen. I get it. I was there once too. Being charged with crap just for being there.”
“And you believe her?”
Now he was getting pissed. “Yes, I do. Listen. What I told you before still stands. Because you helped me out when I needed it most, feel free to bring in your car if you ever need it serviced. Just give me a heads-up before you do.” So, he could be sure neither h
e nor Dani would be there. “But as far as staying in touch for any other reason, I can’t anymore, okay? Only reason I called you now was because you said it was about Dani and it was important.”
He hated to have to be so blunt, but he had at least stopped short of telling her he’d have to block her if she didn’t stop. If it hadn’t been for her willingness to help at a time when he’d felt so lost, he might add that she could stop being so nosey about Dani, but he didn’t want to be rude. He’d give her the benefit of the doubt that she was just looking out for him. Ending the call on that note, he hoped Felicia heeded his request. As usual, he couldn’t get home fast enough to his new little family. Turning into the driveway, he was surprised and disappointed that she wasn’t at the window with Oreo the way she usually was. He walked into the noisy kitchen where she was standing staring at her phone screen and Cri Cri was playing on the under-the-counter TV. The moment Oreo saw him he squealed, holding up his biscuit. “Dada, dada, dada!”
Dani glanced up, looking a bit startled. Clenching his teeth at the sight of the now too familiar unease in her eyes, Orlando did his damnedest not to sound too pissy. “Ted?”
She nodded, putting her phone down on the counter as she reached for a baby wipe. This wasn’t the second or even third time he’d startled her as he’d walked in on her engrossed in reading a text from the fucker. This was the fourth, and it pissed him off. Only in each instance, it’d been perfectly harmless, so there wasn’t a whole lot he could bitch about.
“Yeah,” she said, wiping the baby’s messy hands as he continued to reach out for Orlando. “The last time he texted me the article about the panaderia I told you about, he said he was going to try to get a petition going so it might be saved. He sent a group text with the link to the petition. I was just reading the petition.” She turned to the kitchen window. “I didn’t even hear your truck, and I totally lost track of time because I was making spaghetti.”
The baby held his hand up to him. “Up. Up. Up!”
“Drove the Chevy home again,” he explained as he lifted the baby out of the highchair. “So, he’s just gonna keep sending you shit forever?”
“He knows this is near and dear to my heart, Orlando.” She slipped her hand into his. “It’s why he put the petition together.”
“Oh, I’m sure that’s why he did it.” He brought her hand up to his mouth and kissed it. “But you have to realize he’s gonna keep finding reasons to stay in touch one way or another. You have to cut him off at some point, babe.”
He kissed her lips softly, despite his annoyance because he just couldn’t stand not doing so anymore. The baby squirmed to try and get in between them and then started reaching for Dani.
“Mama, mama,” he said, reaching out for her.
“No, no, baby, I have to get dinner on the table.” She glance at Orlando before turning to the stove. “Can you get his highchair into the dining room, please? I’ll bring out everything right now. It’s ready.” Deciding to let it go because it was just a fucking petition and Orlando didn’t want this asshole’s attempts to stay in touch with her to ruin their evening, he changed the subject once she was in the dining room with the food. He’d thought about telling her about his call with Felicia, but he didn’t see the point, and he didn’t want that ruining the evening either. Instead, he told her about the progress on the construction today and the drama they’d had when they’d had to call 911 because a customer in the lobby began feeling faint.
“Old guy’s blood sugar was too low.” He took his first bite of her spaghetti. Not wanting to comment just yet on the sticky ass pasta, he took a sip of his tea and went on instead. “The traffic was a mess out front. What with all the construction trucks, and then first responder vehicles blocking the street, it was backed up for blocks.” She eyed him as he took a bite of the overly salty garlic bread. “Little salty,” he said but added quickly when her bright eyes waned a little, “but the spaghetti’s good. Pasta’s just a little overdone, but the flavor is good.” He picked up her hand and kissed it. “You don’t have to cook every day you’re here, babe. You got enough work dealing with the baby. I’ll leave you money or one of my cards so you can order out or buy something to just throw in the oven.”
“I need the practice,” she said, squeezing his hand. “My mom always told me the more I cooked the better I’d get at it. I was just too busy being angry and getting into trouble to try cooking all the recipes she tried to teach me.” Those beautiful eyes gazed into his. “I wanna get better. For you.” She turned to the baby. “And him. I’d love nothing more than for him to miss mom’s cooking someday.”
Jesus Christ, could she be any more perfect? He leaned in to kiss her again, and it went on longer than he first anticipated. He nearly came off his chair as he leaned in further, cradling her face in his hands, kissing her deeper and longer, moaning when her hand ran up his thigh and stopped just over his already throbbing cock. Fuck the car he’d planned working on. The moment they had Oreo down for the count, Orlando was ready to make love to her, and he did. All night.
Orlando had been pissed that he hadn’t thought to ask Dani about her next court date sooner. This was a big one and one he would’ve wanted to be there for her. He, Beast, and Nine had to fly out to Vegas to shoot a video with a car restoration reality show out there the day before her court date. He wouldn’t be flying back in until the afternoon when her court appearance was over, but he’d managed to change his flight back into LA at the last minute, so he might try to make it. Then of course the flight was delayed. His fucking flight landed just forty minutes before her hearing. He raced through LA traffic to get there and surprise her because she didn’t expect him to be there. Unbelievably, he arrived at the courthouse just minutes before her hearing, but getting through security took more time. He rushed through the hallways, trying to find her courtroom, and not knock people over in the crowded hallways in the process. When he finally got to her courtroom that was just filing in, he did a double take when he saw it, and his insides were instantly on fire. Dani was walking in with someone who appeared to be her lawyer still briefing her on one side and Ted on the other side—hand in hand with her. What the fuck?
There were too many people in front of him, and then they closed the doors before he could get in. “Courtroom is at capacity,” the bailiff announced. “We’ll let people in as others exit.”
Still on fire, Orlando paced the hallway. He peeked into the window, feeling his blood boil when he saw Dani sitting next to the old fuck as he put his arm around her. Knowing he couldn’t make a scene there with so many cops ready to pounce, he decided to just wait outside, as his mind raced to try and figure out what the hell was going on. There were too many cops and bailiffs for him to chance his reaction to seeing her walk out hand in hand with her ex again. It felt like an eternity when they finally walked out into the parking lot, thankfully not holding hands again but still looking a little too friendly. He rushed up the stairs to meet them, desperately trying to keep his cool because he had to be mindful of where they were.
“What happened? Why’s he here?” Orlando asked, glaring right in the fucker’s face.
“They dropped the charges down to a misdemeanor, and they’ll likely be expunging all charges in the next few weeks, thanks to Ted.” Dani reached for Orlando’s arm, squeezing it even as Ted peered at him.
“Why the fuck were you holding his hand?” Orlando asked, still reeling over the whole situation.
“Who are you?” Ted asked, still peering at him.
“I’m her boyfriend, asshole,” he said, getting in his face. “We live together.” Orlando was aware heads were turning, but he didn’t give a fuck. He was livid.
“I can explain,” Dani urged, bringing her body between him and Ted because Orlando felt ready to explode and he didn’t even try to hide it. “Please, calm down.” Infuriatingly, she turned to Ted. “Thank you for everything. I gotta go.”
Orlando turned to Danica, his expression like
ly as disgusted as he felt. “Thank you?”
“Her boyfriend?” Ted chuckled. “I guess we’re both suckers.”
“What did you say?” Orlando tried to move around Dani, but then some other dude in a suit got between them.
“Let it go, man.”
“Who the fuck are you?”
“My attorney.” Dani put her hands against his chest. “Please, baby, I can explain everything,” she said as officers began to approach them. “It’s okay.” She turned to them as she tried pushing Orlando along. “We’re leaving.” Only because he didn’t feel like spending a day in jail waiting to hear Dani’s explanation, he gave in and started walking away with her.
“Call me, Danica,” her attorney said as they walked away from him. “We’ll talk about your next court date.”
Dani nodded, pushing Orlando away from the crowd that had begun to gather. He stopped before they reached her car. “I’m fucking done. Either you tell me right now why you can’t get rid of this asshole and why the fuck he was holding your hand and had his arm around you in that courtroom, or we’re done.”
As incensed as he felt, his heart ached to think she might actually call his enraged bluff. “My attorney is Ted’s son. I can’t afford an attorney, Orlando. You don’t get the privilege of a public defender when you’re trying to reduce charges you’ve already been convicted of. And Ted had already retained his son to represent me before I broke things off with him. I thought I’d lost even that when I left him, but then Blaine called to tell me he’d signed a contract and he was required to represent me to the end now, regardless of what happened between his father and me.”
“So, this asshole gets to fucking hold your hand and act like you’re still his throughout this shit? Of course, he’d offer to pay for it all.”
She brought her hand to his face her, eyes welling up with tears. “Only reason I didn’t tell you is because I didn’t think he’d be showing up for any of this. He never had before. Blaine’s been completely professional about the attorney-client privileges. He wouldn’t even tell his dad the details of my case except to let him know when I’d be in court again. But after he showed up last time to ask me how it went because he said he still cared and just wanted to know how it was going, I told Blaine he could share with him about my case. I did it so Ted wouldn’t have an excuse to show up and ask me about it again. Only the new district attorney is an old friend of his, and when Blaine told him about it, Ted decided to put in a good word for me to get this going faster. He hadn’t mentioned it until this morning when I got here that he’d told him about me a few months ago when he last talked to him and we were still together then. He thought the guy would be more persuaded to help him out if he thought we still were. It’s why we walked in holding hands and had to pretend to be a couple.”
Orlando: Boyle Heights #4 Page 27