Mountain Man's Secret Baby

by Lauren Wood

  “I don’t know. I think it might have something to do with Lucas wanting me to stay down here and work for a bit. Maybe I am stepping on someone’s toes and they don’t like it. They could have shot me if they wanted me dead or if it was another gang that did it to make a point. The only thing that makes sense is it was someone that I directly offended.”

  My mind already had a few people in mind. Leo kept popping up in my head and I remember maybe a vague memory of him being there. The longer I was awake, the more I started to remember, glimpses of people that I had never seen before. I was convinced that if I ever seen them again, I would be able to recognize them. This was my hope anyways.

  “Who do you think it is?”

  His question brought me back to reality. I didn’t want to name who I was almost sure it was. I didn’t want it to get around that I knew. When I came to them, I wanted them to be as surprised as I was about it. I wanted them to know what it was like to walk into a room and be the target of such an action. I knew enough people here that I would make sure that I had help or take them out one by one. Even if I had to go against the boss, Lucas, I was going to get my justice.

  “I don’t know. I am going to go talk to Marcus and see if I can get a feel. Knowing that they are a Devil is half of the battle taken care of. Thanks.”

  He just kind of nodded his head. There was a warning on his lips, I could see it in his eyes, but he shut his mouth. I didn’t take kindly to that sort of thing. I knew what I was getting into and I didn’t have to be reminded of that.

  “Just don’t do anything stupid David.”

  That got a laugh out of me. “I am sure I will.”

  Chapter 11

  David

  I called her again and finally gave up. It was the tenth time that I had called Carol. She just wasn’t answering. I had a lot on my mind and she was always good at helping that. There was something about her and I wanted to see her. I wouldn’t say that I was close to death on the floor of that house, but there were definitely a few moments that I thought about what my life had turned into, what was missing in it.

  So instead of waiting for her to answer, I went back to the house around the corner where Carol lived. It was like it had been before, but after a few minutes of sitting across the street I noticed a few things were off. The screen door wasn’t latched and the wind kept catching it and banging it into the side of the house. It was the movement that caught my eye.

  The door looked to be opened as well, just a little but enough that it had me wondering what was going on. Something was amiss and instead of waiting around for the car to arrive like before, I made my way to the porch. The door was ajar when I got there and my heart started to race faster in my chest. I wanted to think that I was wrong, but I had a bad feeling about this.

  Pushing the door open, I called out her name a couple of times before I walked in. The place was void of any light and I turned one on by the door. It flooded the living room with an eerie glow. Nothing looked out of place. It just looked like someone had momentarily stepped away. Another door led to the garage and that was where I found her car.

  If I hadn’t found the car, I would have left. I didn’t want her to come back and find me there, not after how the last meeting between us went. But something was wrong and the feeling in my stomach was stronger. So, I kept searching around for any clues as to where she was. I no longer felt like a robber or stalker. Now I felt like I was going to find something that I didn’t want to. Where was Carol?

  The only room that had anything out of place was her bedroom. There was a glass of wine on the nightstand and the closet door was wide open. Missing clothes on hangers made me believe that she had grabbed a few things before she left. It just didn’t make sense and instead of calling it a day, I called Joel to see if I could talk to Cameron.

  “Hey David, did you find anything out?”

  I had, but that wasn’t why I was calling. I wasn’t worried about my mess anymore, I was worried about Carol and even though I had no proof of wrong doing, it sure felt like it.

  “Yeah, but I am calling about something else. Is Cameron home?”

  “She just got in a little while ago, why?”

  “Well I need to talk to her about her friend Carol.”

  There was a moment of silence and then a little noise as the phone was given to her. She asked how I was and I told her I was fine. I didn’t want to share niceties around the bush and I just went right into it.

  “Have you seen Carol in the last couple of days?”

  “No, she isn’t returning my phone calls. I figured that she was mad at me because she thinks I gave you her address.”

  “Where does she work?”

  “I am not going to tell you that David. She is already mad at me for you going over there before.”

  “I went back to her house a little while ago and the screen and regular door were open. Some clothes are gone and her car is in the garage. Do you know where she would be?”

  I wasn’t trying to reveal that I was in the house, but I was losing Cameron quickly and I had to say something. I wanted her to tell me that Carol was vacationing somewhere, anything opposed to what I was thinking about in my mind.

  “Are you serious? Her door was open?”

  “Yeah, it looked off and now I can’t get a hold of her. I just want to make sure she is okay.”

  “You really do care, don’t you?”

  I was irritated at best and I didn’t want to talk about my feelings with her. I didn’t want to tell her that I just had a bad feeling that I was usually better off listening to. There was no concrete evidence, but circumstantial was stacking up quickly.

  “I just want to make sure she is okay. I didn’t tell her that you gave me the information, so I apologize if that started something between you. I would be more than happy to tell her if I could just get a hold of her.”

  “I haven’t seen her, honestly. I will give you the address to where she works, but it would be easier if you just let me call and see what is going on. They know me over there and it isn’t the type of place that people off the street can walk in.”

  I agreed, even though I didn’t want to. I wanted to see or speak to Carol right now. The few minutes that it took for Cameron to call me back was enough to get me pacing the small apartment.

  “Her job says that she hasn’t been in for a couple of days. Some guy called in for her and said she was taking some time off, but they didn’t give any more information. I don’t know where she is David.”

  I believed her and I wondered who it was that had called in for her. I found out about her boyfriend, the one that I was aware of and I decided to start there. Steve Getts might know where she was and I had a curiosity about him. I wanted to know who was the man that she had turned me down for.

  ***

  “I’m sorry, Mr. Getts isn’t in today.”

  “When will he be back?”

  The woman at the receptionist desk was looking me up and down like I was about to pull a gun out and rob her. I probably did look like a mess because of all of the cuts and bruising on my face. I wasn’t thinking about that though. I was thinking about finding Carol.

  “I’m sorry Sir. He had taken a vacation and won’t be back for another week at least.”

  “I need to get a hold of him.”

  She looked around and then leaned in. “He is on a boat Sir and won’t be available for phone calls either.”

  I asked a little more, but it was clear that she was either unwilling or unable to help me further. I was just going to have to figure it out. It could all be some romantic week that he had planned for her, whisking her away. But it didn’t feel right. After talking to Cameron, she told me that it could be true. They were getting close and I wasn’t sure if I liked hearing that.

  If everything was okay, I didn’t have any excuse to butt in. I would, but now that there wasn’t such a rush, I could take my time and take care of my problems first. I was still trying to figure out
why Leo had jumped me. It felt too personal and there had to be a reason beyond what it appeared. But first thing first, I had to find out what was going on with Leo. Marcus and a few of his guys were going to help me. It wasn’t sanctioned by Lucas, but I wasn’t going to wait.

  ***

  We found Leo outside of the bar where I had first met him. He was with a few of his friends, some that I found myself recognizing, but I would get to them later. Leo was the one in charge and he was the one that had started it all, so he was the one that I wanted. He didn’t want to come easily. He didn’t have a choice. I wasn’t letting him get away, not after what he had done to me. If I didn’t get a good reason as to why he had done what he had done, I was going to make sure that he figured one out. He was going to see the error of his ways if I had anything to say about it.

  Marcus knew a place that we could get some privacy. I wanted to make sure that no one was going to walk in on what I had planned. I knew of only one way to get information that wasn’t easy to get. I didn’t mind if that was what I had to do, but I certainly didn’t want to get caught. I had enough explaining to do when I saw Lucas. I didn’t want to have to explain to a cop why I had a guy duct-taped and tied to a chair in an abandoned house, much like the one that he had left me in.

  Pulling the tape off of his mouth, he let out a groan that I found enticing. It was only going to get worse from here.

  “Good to see you again Leo. We haven’t been introduced, but I feel like we know each other well already, don’t you?”

  There was fear in his eyes that was rightfully placed. I had never been so angry in all of my life, not in a long time anyways and I wasn’t one to just let things go. I was incapable of it as far as I was concerned. Past experience told me that it was better to make sure that I got my revenge quickly, or I would sit and stew about it and ultimately make it a whole lot worse.

  “What do you want? Just do what you are going to do. I know what kind of man you are.”

  “If you think that this is going to be quick and I am just going to let it all go, you really don’t know me very well Leo. I want answers before I do anything else.”

  He looked at me as if he wasn’t going to give me any, but I knew better. Everyone talked, eventually. I smiled at his show of bravado, knowing that it wasn’t going to be there for long.

  Chapter 12

  Carol

  “So where are we going Steve? We have been on this boat for three days and I haven’t seen land in a while.”

  “Just taking a small trip. I thought you liked surprises?”

  “I do, I just, I don’t know. We have been going for so long that I just wanted to know where we were going.”

  “You will see when we get there. You aren’t ready to leave already, are you?”

  I told him that I wasn’t, but that wasn’t all the way true. The truth was that I was dying to get off of the boat. While I hadn’t asked directly, he had made it clear that it wasn’t a chance when I had said something about stopping for supplies.

  “There are enough supplies to last us a month Carol. I didn’t want us to have to go in, until we have to.”

  That meant that I was stuck, against my will. There were no chains on me, just Steve that was acting more and more irrational. He had tried to get intimate with me and I had refused. Ever since then his attitude hadn’t been one that I wanted to be around. It was clear that he was mad at me and even now he looked at me as if he didn’t trust me.

  “Is there anything that I can do Steve?”

  His eyes darkened and for a moment I thought he was going to ask what his eyes were asking. I knew that he wanted to be with me, but he wanted me to want him. I didn’t, but I had a thought that maybe he would loosen up and then he wouldn’t be so hard to deal with. That hadn’t been the case and I was reaching my limit.

  “No, I think you have done enough. You could tell me more about that man that I saw at your apartment if you wanted to.”

  This was the fifth time that he had asked me about David today. I didn’t know what to say, no more than I had already said. It was a one-time thing. That was all. He wanted more, I didn’t. I was sick of explaining myself and instead of thinking it through I told another story.

  “He was a guy I met at Cameron’s wedding. He started flirting with me and while he wasn’t my type, he got to me. Have you ever met someone that made you just know? I mean, when I saw him, I just knew that I wanted him. So after a few dances and a couple of glasses of wine, I had him. Several times in the upstairs on a carpet that chaffed my back for days.”

  My flippant answer was not going over well and I almost immediately wished that I hadn’t said such things. I had tried the demure approach, but I was done with that charade. It was time to end this one way or another. I couldn’t swim and I was more or less at his mercy, but none of that seemed to matter. The only thing that mattered was that all of this pretending was over.

  “That isn’t what you said yesterday.”

  “You have asked me enough, why keep asking? What is it that you want to know about him? You seem fixated on him and I just don’t get it.”

  “I have already taken care of him. David won’t be such a pretty boy anymore.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Pretty obvious Carol. You aren’t a dense girl.”

  I kept wondering why he was gravitating over to David. “Why would you do that?”

  “You kissed him.”

  “You were spying on me?”

  “I went over there after you had a man in the background while we were on the phone. I caught the two of you kissing after he came out of your house. So let us not pretend that you have any reason to be outraged because you don’t. I was there to surprise you and I was the one that got one. My girlfriend in the arms of another man.”

  “I don’t care what you think. I told him to leave because I was with you. All of this was for nothing.”

  I was getting madder by the second, but I was trying hard to keep it in. I wanted him to agree that it was all for nothing so he would let me off of this boat.

  “No, it wasn’t all for nothing. This gave us time to just be together. Haven’t you enjoyed it?”

  The truth was not needed at the moment because I didn’t think that he would handle it very well.

  “Yes, but I have to get back to work and my life. I know that you have an important job. Do your clients know that you are taking all this time off?” I was just trying to think of anything that would put some sense into him so I could get away. I never wanted to be near him or a boat ever again.

  “I make my clients enough money that no one asks any questions. I have an assistant that has buy and sell orders at certain prices. Everything else will take care of itself.”

  “Oh.” I had nothing else at the moment.

  “Can we go up top for a little while? The sun is so pretty today and I want to tan a little.”

  I wasn’t a prisoner in a sense that one came to mind, but the very fact that I had to ask to move about the boat was enough of an answer for me. I shouldn’t have to ask anyone to go somewhere. It didn’t settle well with me, but this was the way it was at the moment.

  “Yeah, we can go up top if you want. We have been down here most of the day. Sorry I needed your help. It’s been a while since I have been on one of these things and even longer since I have had to work on one.”

  Nodding my head and smiling, hoping that it reached my eyes, I made my way to the narrow stairs. He stopped me with a hand on my arm. “Don’t try anything.”

  It was my turn to pretend like I was stupid and I didn’t understand what he was talking about. I knew where my mind went, to leaving, but I tried to act like that was the very last thing on my mind. I couldn’t swim and there was never any land in sight. Where was I supposed to go anyways?

  “What can I do Steve?”

  There was no longer the pretense that I wanted to be here. My sharp tongue had gotten me in trouble again, like it always did
. Now I could tell that things were going to be different, I just didn’t know in what way they would be.

  “I don’t know, but don’t do anything stupid Carol. I mean it. You are testing my patience and your last little scenario with that biker guy was enough for me.”

  “I was angry because you keep asking me over and over again, like you don’t believe me.”

  “I don’t believe a word that comes out of your mouth anymore Carol. You made sure of that.”

  ***

  I stayed up on the top deck as long as I could. I could tell that he wanted me to come back down with him when it started to get chilly, but I didn’t care. I was only there because it was away from him. I couldn’t deal with the charade anymore. It was chaos in my mind and I still was trying to figure out what it was that I was supposed to do. Steve was obviously unwell and I was his fixation at the moment. It didn’t seem like a good thing to be if I was honest with myself.

  So I sat up on the top and waited for the sun to go down and then I would have to retreat into the dark cabin below once again. I wasn’t looking forward to it and if sheer will could have gotten the sun to stay in the sky, I believe that it would have. But that wasn’t what was meant to be, so instead I finally started down the stairs. I saw a light out of the corner of my eye and I stopped.

  “Carol, it is dark. Come down here and have some dinner with me.”

  “I will be down in just a moment.”

  My eyes kept searching out into the darkness for the light that I had seen. Maybe it was land or even another boat, anyone that could help me. He repeated himself, his voice gruffer and I decided that it wasn’t worth it to risk it. Maybe my eyes were playing tricks on me.

  “I am coming.”

  “Now!”

  Sighing to myself at the impatience of the man, I made my way down the stairs and tried to put on a face that showed I knew what it was that he wanted. I had to get back on his good side, but my antics earlier in the day hadn’t helped anything. Maybe I had to try something different.