Beautifully Broken (The Broken Series Book 2)

by Ruff, K. S.

  I smiled up at him. “Good. I only have one letter left.” My letter to Kadyn was proving extremely difficult to write.

  Michael eased into the chair across from me. Devry continued to stand. He played absently with the papers in his hand. Michael leaned forward in the chair. “I reached out to my contacts in Portugal this morning and explained everything. They agreed to help smooth things over with the U.S. authorities. It took them a while to locate the federal agency in charge of the investigation, but they have spoken with the lead investigator. They just called with the news.”

  My heart tripped. “It’s good news I hope…”

  Michael’s eyes captured and held mine. “The U.S. authorities will close the kidnapping investigation and forego any criminal charges against me on two conditions. First, they want you to meet with staff from the U.S. Embassy in Paris and sign an affidavit that attests to the fact that you are staying here willingly.”

  I carefully released the breath I had been holding. “Okay. What’s the other condition?”

  “The office manager has to agree to this.”

  “That could prove difficult, given what you put her through,” I responded softly.

  Michael nodded. “I’d like to send Rafael to DC tonight, so he can talk to her before the federal investigators do. How much more time do you need to write the remaining letter?”

  “An hour?” I speculated.

  Michael rose from his chair. “Okay. I’ll make sure Rafael and the jet are ready to leave by then. We can go to the embassy first thing in the morning.”

  I suddenly felt very nauseous. “Are you certain they can’t force me to leave the country? Maybe you shouldn’t go with me. What if they arrest you?”

  Michael stilled. “You are here in France legally. I made sure of it when I brought you through customs. If everything has been smoothed over with the authorities, there should be no risk of them arresting me or sending you back to the states.”

  I trembled violently. “I don’t think we should go to the embassy until we know what Mickey has to say. I don’t want them to arrest you, Michael. I don’t want them to take you away.”

  Michael knelt in front of me. “If we are separated for any reason, mon coeur, please know that I will find a way to resolve this problem. I will hire the best attorneys, and even if I am incarcerated, I will make sure that Rafael continues to watch over you, that you are safe, and you are provided for. If they separate us, you have to know I will find a way for us to be together again.”

  “I’m scared of losing you,” I whispered as a tear stole down my cheek.

  Michael pulled me to my feet as he bundled me in his arms. “I’m scared of losing you too, mon coeur, but I need to make things right.”

  I burrowed into his chest. “I know. That makes me love you even more.”

  “Devry can notarize the affidavit. All you need to do is read and sign it. Rafael will deliver it to the federal authorities in DC tomorrow. The embassy may have you sign another statement, but I think it would help expedite things if this was delivered to DC.” Michael nodded to Devry, who then handed me the papers.

  I quickly reviewed both pages. They were exact duplicates of the same short statement. I read the statement aloud, assuming Devry would need some assurance that I had in fact read and understood what was written. “I, Kristine Annabelle Stone, being of legal age, sound person, and sound mind, do swear and affirm: 1. I am currently residing with Michael Aveneil Garcia in Paris, France of my own free will; 2. I waive any and all claims of wrong doing involving Michael Aveneil Garcia’s initial efforts to bring me to France.” I looked at Michael. “That’s it?”

  He nodded. “That’s what they requested.”

  “Okay,” I replied. I signed both copies of the affidavit and handed the documents back to Devry. He signed and stamped the documents.

  Michael pulled me in for a toe-curling kiss. “I need to make a few more phone calls. Just so you know, mon amour, Jean will be assigned to you while Rafael is gone. One of us will come back to get your letters in a little while.”

  I watched Michael and Devry walk away as I sank back into the chair. I ran my fingers over the textured stationary as I mulled over the letter to Kadyn. The letters to my parents, Lexie, Kimme, Charlie, and Cenia had been fairly simple. I assured them I was safe, told them I loved them, and promised to call soon. I didn’t want to discuss my decision to stay in Paris and marry Michael until I could speak with them by phone.

  Mickey’s letter had been more revealing. I apologized for what Michael had done to her and assured her that I was safe. I confessed that I had fallen in love with Michael, told her I was planning to marry him, and begged her to reconsider pressing charges against him.

  I wrote a letter to Senator Rockefeller so I could apologize for missing the final month of my fellowship, which was supposed to end in July. I thanked him for being such a wonderful mentor and for the opportunity to work in his office.

  Kadyn’s letter was proving a lot more difficult to write. I wasn’t just writing to say thank you or to assure him that I was safe. I was essentially ending our relationship. Half of my heart was okay with that. The other half was completely devastated. The last thing in the world I wanted to do was hurt Kadyn. How could I possibly explain that while I still loved Kadyn, I was marrying Michael?

  My tears flowed unchecked as I wrote the letter. I pulled myself together just long enough to hand Rafael the stack of envelopes. Then, I walked back to my room, shed my clothes, crawled into bed, and cried myself to sleep.

  * * * * * *

  We didn’t make it to the embassy. Michael had to reschedule the appointment because I couldn’t stop vomiting long enough to leave the bathroom. I tried to convince Michael and myself that it was just nerves. I was afraid of what might happen at the embassy. Still, Michael insisted I see his physician.

  By the time the physician arrived, I was too dizzy and weak to stand on my own. Michael had just settled me back in bed when Jean showed the doctor in.

  “Bonjour, Monsieur Garcia, Madame Stone,” the physician greeted from just inside the doorway. He unbuttoned his gray suit jacket as he entered the room. He was young, certainly younger than Michael, but he had a confident air about him that suggested he might be older than he looked. He had short brown hair, green eyes, and a warm smile.

  Michael met the doctor halfway across the room. He shook his hand. “Bonjour, Dr. Belgarde. Thank you for coming. Kristine has been vomiting off and on for days now. I am worried she might be dehydrated. She can’t keep water down.”

  The doctor approached the bed. “May I?” he asked as he reached for my forehead.

  I nodded. I was relieved he spoke English so I could follow the conversation.

  He felt my forehead and cheeks. “No fever,” he murmured. He pressed his fingers against my wrist while watching the seconds tick by on his watch. “Your heart rate is a little fast.” He retrieved a stethoscope from his bag, placed the buds in his ears, and listened to my chest.

  The room spun when he sat me upright. Dr. Belgarde moved the stethoscope across my back. He had me take a couple of deep breaths before easing me back onto the pillows. “Your lungs sound good. Do you mind if I draw some blood? I’d like to run some tests to make sure you aren’t dehydrated.”

  “That’s fine,” I replied, thankful to be lying down again.

  Michael eased next to me on the bed.

  Dr. Belgarde offered an encouraging smile as he drew the blood. He turned his attention to Michael as he slid the vial inside his bag. “I’m going to drive this over to the lab. I should have the results within the hour. Here is the prescription.” He handed Michael a small slip of paper. “This should help with the vomiting, but you need to make sure she gets some water… small amounts… not too much at one time. If the medication doesn’t work within the next twenty-four hours, I want you to take her to the hospital for IV fluids.”

  Michael shook the physician’s hand as he rose from the bed.
“Merci, Dr. Belgarde.” He handed Jean the prescription as he escorted the physician from the room.

  “Has Rafael met with Mickey yet?” I inquired anxiously.

  Jean pulled the bedroom door closed.

  Michael glanced at his cell phone. “It’s too early with the time difference, mon coeur. We should know something by this evening. Why don’t you try to rest?” He slid next to me on the bed and pulled me into his arms.

  I fell asleep within minutes, still tucked inside his arms.

  Michael woke me three hours later. He handed me a glass of water and a tiny white pill. After I took a few sips and swallowed the pill, he eased me back onto the pillows. “That should help reduce the vomiting. Feeling any better, ma chérie?”

  I propped myself up a little higher on the pillows and offered him a reassuring smile. “I’m still tired and a little bit nauseous, but I’m not feeling dizzy anymore.”

  “Très bien.” A warm smile spread across Michael’s face as he perched on the edge of the bed. He reached toward his feet and retrieved an adorable mohair teddy bear with a giant pink ribbon tied around her neck. “Perhaps this will cheer you up a bit.”

  “A teddy bear?” I exclaimed. “Thanks, Michael. That’s very sweet.”

  His smile widened. “I’m glad you like it, mon amour, although, it is not exactly for you.”

  My eyebrows knit together as I studied Michael’s face. I’d never seen him with such a goofy looking smile.

  “The teddy bear is for our bébé,” he explained.

  My stomach fell somewhere in the vicinity of my toes. “Michael, are you saying…”

  He nodded. “Oui, mon coeur, the doctor has confirmed you are pregnant. He estimates you are eight weeks along. This is why you have been so sick and averse to certain foods.”

  My hand trembled as I covered my mouth. I spoke through my fingers. “But that would mean we got pregnant that first week we made love.”

  Michael kissed my hand as he peeled it from my mouth. “Oui. Why do you look so surprised?”

  My hand flitted to my stomach. “Michael, my doctors didn’t think I’d be able to conceive. How can I be pregnant?”

  Michael looked stunned. “I don’t know why your physicians would think such a thing, but that would make this an even bigger miracle. This bébé is a gift from God... a blessing to be sure. I’m very happy, mon coeur. Are you?”

  I wasn’t sure how I felt. I should have picked up on the fact that I was pregnant. I knew it was a risk when we started having unprotected sex. I just didn’t believe it was possible. So I wrote off the nausea, the exhaustion, and the food aversions. Jeesh. Talk about denial. I stared at my still-flat stomach in wonder. Then I looked at Michael, who was anxiously awaiting my response. “I’m surprised… and scared… but, yes, this makes me happy.”

  All of the air rushed from my lungs as Michael crushed me to his chest. He scattered kisses all over my face before easing me back against the pillows. He grinned sheepishly as he lifted my camisole and gently kissed my stomach.

  My eyes widened with panic. “What about the wedding? I’ll be four months along!”

  Michael drew a heart on my stomach with his fingers before tugging my camisole back into place. “We can move the wedding up if you would like, although I don’t think you will be showing much at four months. Whatever you prefer, ma chérie, just as long as we are married before the bébé arrives.”

  I smiled, suddenly giddy with the news. “A baby,” I gasped in awe. “Are we really having a baby?”

  Michael laughed. “Yes, Kristine, we really are.”

  Chapter 24 – Impossible

  Kadyn sat on Kri’s couch, shaking his head in disbelief as he reread the letter that Mason had brought him.

  Dear Kadyn,

  Please forgive this letter, and please know that no matter what happens, I will always love you and thank God for your presence in my life. I want you to know that the only reason I went with Michael last June was because he led me to believe that you would be killed if I didn’t. I couldn’t live with myself if I caused you, Cenia, all our friends, and thousands of other people to die. So, I went with Michael, fully believing that he had planted the bombs at the Pentagon. I truly felt it was the right decision considering what you have done for me, what you and all the people who work at the Pentagon sacrifice for our country every day. Yesterday, Michael finally confessed to me that he had nothing to do with the car bombs and that he has never knowingly worked with terrorists. He was in DC when the car bombs were planted, heard the story on the news, and came to my apartment so that he could take advantage of the situation and manipulate me into leaving with him. As wrong as that was, I understand now why Michael did it, and I have forgiven him.

  I promise you that Michael hasn’t hurt me, not once. He has shown me nothing but kindness and love. He asked for six months to prove his love for me. I had refused him that opportunity when we were first dating in Montana. It has been just over four months, and I can’t explain how or why it happened, but I have fallen in love with Michael and have now agreed to marry him. Please know that this was not at all how I expected this time with Michael to turn out. I thought if I stopped resisting his efforts to win my heart, he would eventually tire of me and let me go. Now I find that I’m the one who doesn’t want to let him go. This is difficult, even for me, to understand.

  I love you, Kadyn. I dreamed of a future with you and half of my heart still longs for that and for you. But the other half of my heart is in love with Michael and refuses to walk away. Please forgive me for hurting you and for not returning home. I will always love you, and I will never forget the love and kindness you have shown me, how you saved me from Justin, and how you helped me heal from my abusive marriage. You are the most amazing man I know, and you deserve someone equally amazing, someone far better than me to share your life with.

  I will love and cherish you always,

  Kri

  He was reading through the letter a third time when his cell phone rang. He glanced at the screen, accepted the call, then switched it over to speaker phone. He didn’t bother to speak.

  “Kadyn? It’s Cenia. Are you there?”

  “Yes.”

  “I received a letter from Kri.”

  “Oh?”

  “She said she’s safe and she’ll be calling soon to explain everything. What do you think is going on? Do you want me to bring the letter over so you can take a look at it?” Cenia blurted anxiously.

  “No.”

  “Okay…” Cenia replied, dragging each syllable out. Then it dawned on her. “Kadyn, did you get a letter?”

  “Yes,” Kadyn growled.

  “Did it say the same thing?” Cenia persisted. “Did she say when she would call?”

  “She said she isn’t coming home. She claims she’s in love with Garcia and plans to marry him,” Kadyn responded numbly.

  “You can’t be serious!” Cenia exclaimed. “Do you think he forced her to write that?” she asked when he didn’t respond.

  “I don’t know what to think anymore. Look, I need some time to process this. I’ll call you later.” Kadyn disconnected the call.

  He was still reading the letter when the call came in from the special agent handling Kri’s case. “Kadyn Rand,” he answered in a clipped tone.

  “Officer Rand. This is Special Agent Vargas. There have been some developments in the kidnapping investigation that we need to discuss. Are you available to meet tomorrow morning?”

  Kadyn’s hand fisted around the letter. “I would prefer you told me now.”

  “Look, I don’t think we should discuss this by phone. Why don’t you come by my office first thing in the morning?”

  Kadyn’s jaw clenched. “Fine. I’ll be there at oh-seven-hundred hours.”

  “Thank you, Officer Rand. I’ll see you then,” Agent Vargas replied before disconnecting the call.

  Kadyn rose from the couch. He watched as the crumpled letter fell to the floor. He steppe
d over the letter as he strode to the door. The walls shook when he slammed the door closed. The letter still lie crumpled on the floor, along with every last hope he had of bringing Kri home.

  * * * * * *

  Kadyn refused to sit when Agent Vargas waved him toward a chair.

  Special Agent Vargas abandoned his chair so he could close the door behind Kadyn. He sat on the edge of his desk. “Thank you for coming, Officer Rand. I’ll try to make this as quick as possible so you can get over to the Pentagon.”

  Kadyn nodded. Once.

  “We have received a signed affidavit from Ms. Stone, swearing that she is willingly residing in Paris with Mr. Garcia. In the affidavit, she also waived any allegations of wrong doing against Mr. Garcia for the actions he took to get her to France. I have confirmed with French Customs that she is in France legally.” Agent Vargas handed Kadyn a copy of the affidavit. “We have a similar affidavit from Mickey Montrel.” Again the agent handed Kadyn a copy.

  Kadyn examined the papers. “You do realize these statements could have been coerced?”

  Agent Vargas nodded. “Staff from the U.S. embassy in Paris will be meeting with Ms. Stone today to ensure her statements were made voluntarily.” The special agent paused. He appeared to be choosing his words carefully. “Off the record, I’m under pressure from someone near the top of my chain of command to make this investigation disappear. I am not at liberty to discuss the reasons why.”

  Kadyn was furious. “Off the record? This is bull shit. These statements were coerced. Either that or Kri made this statement under emotional distress. I don’t know what the hell has gotten into Mickey, but I fully intend to find out. As far as the pressure you’re under, I cannot believe your agency is allowing Garcia to buy his way out of this.”

  Agent Vargas shook his head. “He’s not buying his way out. I cannot discuss the specifics, but it would appear our government and others are in his debt.”