by Unknown
Patty smiled and leaned back in her chair. “I’m right. I can always tell when you’re lying.”
Zach stood up. “I’m going inside. I refuse to sit here and be interrogated.”
“Sit down, Zachery.”
Unknowingly to him, he sat down. Patty’s voice suddenly sounded like his deceased mother. “Make it quick. I feel lucky and Vegas is calling me all of a sudden.”
Patty smacked her lips. “I’m not surprised you want to run. You’re running away to avoid the truth. I have one question, and I want an honest answer. Are you running away from the woman with the loud mouth because she doesn’t fit your profile?”
He leaned back in the chair and crossed a leg over his knee and laced his fingers together. “Nope. It doesn’t bother me that she is black or loud. I’m running because you’re getting on my nerves with this crap. I don’t have those types of emotions and I wish you would drop it already.”
“You have them, Zach. Just gave a woman a chance to bring them out of you.”
“Not with what I do. I can’t let women get close to me. I use them for one purpose only and they are fine with that.”
Patty exhaled. “Let me try another approach. Your job is gruesome. What you see and deal with is not for everyone. But you need a wife or steady girlfriend in your life. When you’re home at night, she’ll remove the harsh reality of your job, Zach.”
Zach shook his head. “I’m a loner and happy that way.”
Patty cracked her knuckles and grinned. “I have a little test for ya. If you pass it, I’ll never bring her up again.”
“Go for it,” he said refilling his glass with lemonade.
“Close your eyes and imagine Carla in the arms of another man.”
He closed his eyes and Carla came into view.
“Do you see them together? His hands are caressing her shoulders as he looks lovingly into her eyes. Then he bends his head and she ups her chin, waiting to take the lips that so eagerly want to devour hers. The kiss takes shape and his hands wander over her perfect body touching those places you once touched. You remember the way she feels right?”
Zach’s jaw twitched. He clearly saw her in the arms of another man, sharing intimacy with him and enjoying it. Blood pumped through his veins as his anger grew. Granted, she didn’t belong to him, but she wouldn’t belong to some faceless asshole either. Not if he had anything to say about it.
He opened his eyes and exhaled an angry breath. Patty almost succeeded in getting him to admit it. “Why did you do that, Patty?”
She shook her head. “You are in such denial. You’re in love with that woman and fighting it with everything you have. Let it happen, Zach. Fight the demons holding you back from true happiness.”
“Drop it, Patty.” His phone vibrated in his pocket. Taking it from the case he slid it open and read the text message. “Damn,” he said softly looking down at the phone.
“Is anything wrong?”
“It could be.”
“Zach, what’s going on?” Patty asked.
“Carla’s life could still be in danger. Her cousin Phillip was spotted in Mexico.”
“Okay, that means what to her?”
“He's careless, Patty. He’s coming out of hiding thinking the coast is clear for him to go on his merry way. We don’t know if Yezhov’s under boss is picking up where he left off. I have to get Carla to safety.”
“That poor girl.” Patty snapped her finger. “I have an idea, bring her here, Zach. There is room for her to stay in the main house or if she wants complete privacy the pool house has the facilities of a full house. We live in a gated community where visitors can’t get in or out without passing through security.”
He shook his head. “It’s too dangerous. These people are not going to stop at the security gate and identify themselves as the Russian mafia. They will blow this gated community to pieces.” He punched at numbers on his cell phone and put it to his ear. “Rodney, where do you want to meet? Do you know if Carla is still in Michigan?”
“Whoa, slow down cowboy. Lowes doesn’t want you on the case, Zach.”
“That sonofabitch,” he snarled. “Who besides you is working on it now?”
“I’m not on it either. I’ve been assigned to desk duty for disobeying an order.”
“What the hell, Rodney? What did you do?”
“Lowes is pissed I went over his head and called Cooper for backup. Internal Affairs is investigating me for insubordination.”
“That’s bullshit, Rodney. Why am I not in the hot seat since we both made the decision to call the ATF for help?”
“That’s why I sent you the text, Zach. As soon as I saw the bulletin I thought Carla might be in danger. You have to help her since I can’t.”
“I’ll get Carla and then I’m coming after Lowes.”
“I got your back. Let me know what you want me to do.”
“Keep your ears open around there. It’s funny how this is happening with both of us out. Lowes knew what was going down, Rodney. I told you something is up with him.”
“I believe you. Hey, Carla moved back to Cleveland. She’s staying on the west side of town. I’ll text you her address once you’re in the air.”
“I’m on my way to the airport now,” Zach said ending the call. “Patty, I need a ride to the airport.”
“Sure, I’ll take you. Zach, don’t get me wrong because I understand that you like to put closure to your cases. But going after Carla when you aren’t on the case is a little over the top for you. Why are you putting your life on the line like that?”
He put a hand on his hip, chewing harshly on the end of a toothpick. “I have an overwhelming need to protect her. You will add more to that than is necessary and I’ll listen to your rhetoric about love and bullshit on the way to the airport.”
She rolled her eyes. “Fine.” She called to the kids playing in the pool. “Kids, come say goodbye to Uncle Zach. He’s leaving and might not be back for another two or three years.”
Zach frowned. “That’s low, Patty.”
“But true,” she said with a smirk.
chapter twenty two
Carla washed the dry crackers down her throat with Ginger Ale. “Man, this is freaking horrible,” she whined rubbing her stomach.
She stretched out on the sofa pulling the afghan over her and tucking the ends under her feet. The chill in the apartment was degrees lower than the sixty-five-degree temperature outside. The landlord had yet to turn on the heat since it was early in October and the weather remained nice outside.
She clicked on the television and the long-running court show Judge Judy appeared. It was the middle of the day and she hated to miss a day of work but glad she had benefits that paid her sick days. Plus she received a decent amount of money from the Victims of Crime fund. She used part of the money to move and the rest she split into savings accounts. With a baby on the way, part of the money would go toward a college fund and the rest she would save to buy a small house. Children deserved to have yards and open spaces to play.
Carla rubbed her stomach in an attempt to calm the wave of nausea rushing over her. “Okay, baby, you need to calm down. I’m all out of crackers and not in the mood to go to the store.”
The pregnancy came as a complete surprise. She used birth control since her first sexual encounter and kept taking the pill to regulate her periods when competing in races. She missed doses while on the lam, but she remembered Zach using condoms. Their spontaneous unprotected sex should not have resulted in a pregnancy.
Either way, when the physical for the EMT position revealed she was pregnant. She had to deal with it and it never crossed her mind to terminate the pregnancy knowing Zach’s commitment issues. Against Paula’s urging, she attempted to contact him to let him know about the baby, but her attempts failed. She contacted Rodney, who never returned any of the messages she left asking about Zach’s whereabouts either.
With her leads exhausted, Carla decided she could do it
alone. She didn’t need Zach or his brooding demeanor to bring down her joy of becoming a mother.
Carla caressed the small baby bump through her t-shirt. Her mind drifted to the day they parted. Her stubborn streak served as her worst enemy, but it was better than being docile. She spewed her unhappiness to Greg and she’d told Zach how she felt about him. He would not have returned the sentiment. He did care about her but would never love her.
Memories of Zach invaded her mind. She touched her lips with her fingertip. His last kiss was forever burned in her memory. Nevertheless, a part of Zach would be with her forever through their baby. What hurt her was that Baby Parker would never know his father. Also, Zach’s name would be absent from the birth certificate. She yawned and closed her eyes listening to Judge Judy’s monotone voice going off on the television.
The high-pitch sound of the buzzer jarred Carla from a peaceful sleep. In a haze, she sat up on the sofa. The apartment was dark and on the television, Judge Judy had gone off and the local news was on. By the time she got her bearings together, the buzzer had stopped.
She yawned and stretched her back. “They probably had the wrong apartment, anyway. Nobody knows where I live.” Rubbing her stomach, hunger replaced the nausea. She hadn’t eaten since dusting off the roll of Ritz’s crackers, earlier. She got up to go to the kitchen when she noticed the doorknob on the front door wiggle.
She stepped back and looked closely when it did it again. “What the hell?”
Tiptoeing across the carpeted floor in bare feet, the chills enveloping Carla’s body intensified. She grabbed the heavy trophy sitting on the table by the door and raised it over her head. Whoever came through the door would feel the force of a ten-pound high-school trophy slamming down on their head.
The deadbolt on the door clicked. The lump in Carla’s throat rose. Two months and a relocation to another part of town, no one knew where she lived except Paula and her mother. Carla thought she was safe from Yezhov’s men. Pure fear had her hands shaking as she held the trophy. Scream fool! That will scare the person off.
Her heart raced as the door opened slowly. She held her breath thinking about the baby. She had to protect her unborn child, but this was the only door out of the apartment. When the figure stepped inside the room, she smashed the trophy down with all her might striking whatever body part in her reach.
A muffled grunt, followed by a string of curse words called out before strong arms pulled her from behind the door crossing her arms over her body. “It’s me, Zach!” He yelled.
Carla’s back pressed against his chest blocking his face from her view. She looked down and the tattoos verified his identity. Breathing heavily, she yelled. “Zach! Why are you breaking into my apartment! You scared the hell out of me.” She twisted from his grasp pulling the oversized t-shirt down around her waist.
He closed the door and said, “I pressed the damn buzzer for ten minutes and you didn’t answer the door.”
“Did it occur to you that maybe I wasn’t home?”
“But you are home?” He walked around the apartment checking the kitchen. “So are you alone?”
Carla folded her arms across her chest watching him search through her apartment wondering what he was looking for and the reason for his sudden visit. “Zach, what are you doing here?”
“Why did you leave Michigan, Carla? What happened to you getting a new start there with your family?”
She sighed heavily. “Okay, is this going to be a session of questions and nothing gets answered?”
He shrugged his shoulders. “Seems that way doesn’t it?”
“Stop it!” she hissed stomping her foot. “I’m asking the questions since you’re in my house. Why are you here?”
“I’m just making sure everything is okay. I answered your question, now answer mine. Why did you return to Cleveland?”
“Paula’s house was crowded and I felt like I was intruding on them. Plus, I like having my space.”
Zach walked to a chair and sat down. “I’ll buy that. Are you feeling okay? You look tired.”
“I’m fine. I drifted off to sleep watching television; that’s why I didn’t hear the buzzer.” She sat on the sofa draping the afghan over her. The eeriness of his showing up at her doorstep when she’d been thinking about him all day shook her. What did he know? Could he know about the baby? Impossible. He had to be here for something else.
“Well, you’re up next? Why are you here?”
He ignored her question. “How long will it take you to pack a bag?”
“Why? I’m not going anywhere.”
“Yeah, you are. I have information that you might be in danger again.”
She threw her hands up in the air. “Oh hell no! Zach, I’m tired of this. I have a new job, a new apartment and a...” She stopped. “How did you find me?”
He leaned forward resting his arms on his knees. “Carla, I don’t like upsetting your life, but I want to make sure you’re safe.”
“I appreciate that, Zach, I really do. But when will it end?”
“When Tyrone is found. Speaking of which, I have some news; Phillip is in Mexico. If he is making a move to come home, that will mean trouble for you. You and anyone he makes contact with will be targeted, Carla.”
The words didn’t register in her brain for seconds, then tears flooded her eyes. Zach was at her side and cradling her in his arms in seconds. “Oh, my God, I want it to be over.”
“Carla, I promise we’ll only be gone long enough for me to figure out who has taken over Yezhov’s operation. There is a chance Phillip has other connections. We’re learning he’s involved in quite a bit of underbelly activity.”
She pushed away from him. “Please, Zach; you would have checked that out before coming here. Whoever took over Yezhov’s operation is picking up where he left off.” She buried her face in her hands and sobbed.
He rested her head on his shoulder and whispered, “I’ll keep you safe.”
“It’s not just me I’m worried about anymore.”
“What’s going on, Carla?”
She wiped tears away from her eyes and got up from the sofa. She couldn’t sit still and give him the news, she had to be on her feet and ready to exit to her bedroom to avoid his wrath. “I have something to tell you.”
“I’m listening,” he said.
Carla opened her mouth to talk and his phone rang. “You should answer that.” The phone call gave her a diversion to rethink her decision to tell him. How should she tell him? Blurting it out might cause him to spontaneously combust. Or she wondered if it would be better to wait until this new crisis blew over and he’d have less on his mind.
Chewing on her fingertip she watched him pace and talk on the phone. His body language was hard to read. A swipe of a hand over his head once or twice, shoulders tensed and his tone of voice stern. What kind of father would he even be? He was intense and serious all the time. Children needed hugs and smiles. Zach’s hugs and smiles were few if any at all.
She sighed rubbing the knot forming in her neck. Could a baby break his intenseness? Could he coo at or tickle a baby to make them laugh? Or even rock a baby gently when he's upset? She doubted he even knew a lullaby to sing to their baby.
She frowned. Preparations had been made to raise the baby alone; now she felt obligated to tell him since he was in her apartment.
“Sorry about that,” he said shoving the phone on the clip on his belt. “What did you have to tell me?”
Carla felt dizzy, and tiny spots danced in front of her eyes. She closed her eyes to stop the room from spinning. Stumbling forward she felt Zach tightened his grasp on her and positioned her so she was snuggled against his chest.
“Are you okay?” he asked. “Carla, are you sick and is that what you have to tell me?”
She lifted her gaze so she could look him in the eyes. She wasn’t going to be anything but honest with Zach. Stepping away from him she said, “I’m pregnant and you’re the father.”
&n
bsp; It flowed from her mouth in one long sentence and she saw the shock spread across his handsome face. His legs gave out from under him and he sat down hard in the chair behind him.
“Zach?”
He raised his hand. “You did not say you are pregnant.”
She frowned. Finding power in her legs she walked over to him, raised her shirt and placed his hand on the swell of her abdomen. “Yes, that is what I said. I’m pregnant. That bump you’re touching is your baby. Don’t even try to deny it couldn’t be yours, Zach.”
It was hard for her not to flinch at the hurt that came into his eyes when he looked up at her. He didn’t remove his hand from her belly. “I would never say that because I know you’ve only been with me.”
“I’m glad you admit that. I’m not asking you to do anything either. I’m prepared to raise my baby alone and not expect you to have anything to with me or the baby. I just wanted you to know about it.”
He stood up angrily. “What do you mean you don’t expect me to have anything to do with my kid? Do you think I’m such a monster that I wouldn’t want to be a part of my own child’s life?”
Taken aback by his anger she snarled and shot back. “Are you drawing a blank about yourself, Zach? Did you forget that you don’t like children or want to settle down? Which one can’t you remember so I can refresh your memory?”
Zach dropped his head and Carla heard his breath shudder as it left his body. He didn’t have an answer. “God knows you’ll never change your lifestyle.”
His nostrils flared as he shouted at her. “Quit acting like you know me, Carla.”
“I may not know everything about you, but I do know those finer points because they came from your mouth. My child doesn’t need a dad that drops in to say hello between job assignments but one that wants to be a part of his life.” She remained calm when she wanted to reach up and scratch his eyes out.
“You don’t think I know that!” He threw an imaginary fist in the air. “This shit is unreal.” He walked to the window rubbing his forehead. “I just fucked up all around.”
Carla cursed the tears falling from her eyes. Seeing how he reacted to the news made her sick. How could she love a man that didn’t want his child? “Zach, raising a child is a huge responsibility you don’t want, but I do. I’m only telling you because it’s the right thing for me to do. I don’t want you in my baby’s life.”