That's Not My Baby

by Erosa Knowles

  “Impossible, you had a vasectomy.”

  “It unraveled or something.”

  “Unraveled?”

  Chip explained everything the doctor said. Viola asked questions and it went back and forth for a few minutes. Max gave both of them credit for the mature manner they handled this.

  “What do you mean you want to be a part of the child’s life?” Viola yelled.

  Maybe he’d been hasty in his opinions. Chip’s tone remained low, calm while his wife ranted over what it meant to have a child around.

  “Are you telling me you don’t care about your career? Because it’ll be over. I’ll make damn sure of that,” Viola said.

  “I’m sorry you feel that way, but there’s a child and I’m responsible. I plan to take care of my responsibilities.”

  Max nodded in agreement.

  “What about your responsibilities to me? Everyone will know you… you cheated on me. On me!” she yelled. “Have you thought about what this will do to me? Our… our marriage? Or do you plan to ride off with the whore?”

  “No. I’m not involved with the mother, she has someone else. This is about the child, only the child, Vi. I’m not turning my back on my kid.”

  “You didn’t want children.”

  “That’s not true. I agreed with you that we wouldn’t have children since you didn’t want any. That’s why I had the vasectomy, to insure I didn’t. But according to the doctor what happened to me isn’t that uncommon. It’s no one’s fault.”

  “That’s a damn lie. You had to whore around! Just couldn’t be satisfied with things the way they were. This child means more to you than me, than our marriage… doesn’t it?”

  “No. I love you. You’re my wife. The child is innocent and I won’t abandon him or her.”

  Viola screamed. There were sounds of scuffling. “Stop Vi, stop before you hurt yourself,” Chip said.

  Max looked at Brock. “She attacked him.”

  “After everything I’ve done… gave my life, build your career… this is how you repay me? Get out. The sight of you makes me sick.”

  “Can we talk about this… work through it somehow?”

  “Get the fuck out,” she screamed. A crashing sound.

  A door closed and then a breaking sound, as if something hit the wall. Max leaned forward, read the text from Chip. He was on his way to his brother’s house and would stay there tonight. Sounds of weeping and footsteps, a refrigerator door opened and closed. Then the sound of breaking glass.

  Max looked at Brock and wondered if they needed to check on her. Chip trusted them to listen and handle any emergencies. Soft weeping filtered through his headset and he released a breath. More footsteps, sniffling, the soft tapping of keys and he surmised she made a call. Brock touched some buttons and the sound amplified.

  “Mama… he’s having a baby.”

  Chapter 26.

  “When will you return?” Tamara asked Max. He stopped throwing his toiletries into his bag and pulled her close. “This should be the end of it. Brock and I heard Viola talking to her family, and there’s no doubt they were involved with what happened to Adele.”

  Tamara gasped. “What? Why? The child is innocent in all of this.”

  He pulled her close and placed a kiss on her forehead. “True. But appearances mean more than life to some people. If we don’t stop this, Adele will be hiding for the rest of her life.”

  Tamara stepped back shaking her head. “But he’s claiming his child, which should mean it’s over.”

  Max wished it was that simple. Based on Viola’s one sided conversation he heard yesterday, the child was still the target. Viola didn’t want to deal with the bastard. Max’s anger boiled as he listened to the spoiled brat of a woman run to daddy and begged him to fix her life. To make all her problems go away. And that problem was Adele and her unborn child. Max couldn’t allow that.

  “Like I said, it will be over soon. Chip needs to talk to his wife’s family and I’m going with him.”

  “Why? Why do you have to go?” She stepped out of his arms and crossed hers. Missing her warmth, he pulled her close again.

  “Mostly for Adele, which means Jose. Being shot at is no way to live, especially with a child to care for. And Chip is my friend, one of the few Army dogs I can stand. He asked for my help. I gave it freely.” He kissed her cheek. When she remained stiff and unyielding in his arms, he kissed the other one.

  “Adele’s in love with Chip,” Max murmured near her ear.

  She jerked in surprise. “What? She told you that?”

  Pleased her mind was on something else; he uncrossed her arms and placed them around his waist. She got the message and held on to him. “In a way, yeah. When she told me how they got together. Crazy thing is, I think he likes her a whole lot more than he’s saying. Adele gave him a way to walk away. Sergei would take care of her and the child, no one would ever know the name of the biological father.”

  “Hmm, so this could be a love match?” She snuggled closer to his chest.

  “Love and lust are close cousins. Right now he wants his child, if Viola divorces him, I suspect he and Adele will pick up where they left off.”

  Tamara looked up at him. “How do you feel about that? Jose’s wife and Chip? You made peace with the whole thing?”

  Max snorted. “Hell yeah, she’ll be somebody else’s problem. Looking forward to it.” He paused and tried to form his words. “Truth is, Jose would be happy for her. For reasons I never understood, he loved Adele. Maybe he knew her past, understood why she said and did the things she did.” He shrugged. “I don’t know. But he specifically asked me to look out for her, to take care of her, when he died. That was his only request, so until she belongs to another, that’s what I must do for my brother.” He met her gaze and then kissed her. She opened her mouth and he deepened the kiss. When air became a necessity, they broke apart, holding each other tight.

  “I love you so much, Max. Your honor and integrity humbles me.”

  His palms cupped her angular shaped face and he drowned in the brown depths of her eyes. “I love you too, thank you for understanding.” His phone beeped signaling a text. No doubt it was the rest of the team he assembled for the trip.

  Tamara picked up his phone from the dresser behind her and handed it to him. “Go handle your business. Kevin and I’ll be here when you come home.”

  He kissed her again and then grabbed his bag.

  “Max,” she called.

  Turning, he looked at her.

  “Make sure you bring your ass back home in one piece. I want you to walk through the same door you’re walking out of. Deal?” Her hands twisted together as she took one step forward and then stopped.

  Max’s heart clenched at her glassy eyed gaze. He wished he could give her his strength, infuse her with his confidence, but he couldn’t. In time trust would grow and undergird her through times like these. He winked. “Deal.”

  She exhaled and offered a smile. The world he operated in was alien to her. He understood what it cost to watch him leave for a cause she didn’t fully comprehend. Kevin was asleep, they’d already said good-night. Max hoped to be home to tuck him in tomorrow.

  The text message came again. Bag slung over his shoulder, he headed to the front door and looked over his shoulder. Tamara leaned against the wall watching him. Brock and Chip were in the truck waiting outside. He nodded and left. With each step fear grabbed at his gut. This was the first time he left his son alone with someone other than blood family.

  When he strapped in, he looked back at the house and said a silent prayer. “Please God, don’t let me make another mistake.”

  “Did you make arrangements for when we arrive,” Max asked to get his mind off his son and onto the mission.

  “Yes, Sir. The men left two hours ago and should have most things in place. Major Wilson is alone, his wife and son are in Texas with her family. The men will remove him and bring him to us when we give the all clear.”

&nb
sp; “What about his brother, the General? Should we involve him?” Max asked Chip.

  “Vi and Jerry are a year apart and very close. Chances are he’s the one in charge of saving Viola’s face,” Chip said in a sarcastic tone. Brock replayed the conversation for Chip and he hadn’t been happy when he heard Viola accept help to rid her of the problem. Max tried to get the man to stay out of it but he refused.

  “Where are we with Major Jerry Wilson? Do we have all the information?” Max asked Brock.

  “Major Wilson has been bad, using military personnel for his private affairs. Not just the sleepers for Adele, but other cases. I stumbled across one incident by accident last year and put the final pieces of the puzzle together in the last two days.”

  “Good. We’ll go that route first.”

  “One thing troubles me,” Brock said. “Greg and Jimmie contacted me yesterday, they remembered the pin. Said it was for a group of men who fought together, and they created the pins for themselves, not the military. I got the list of names and cannot find a connection.”

  Max thought about it for a few moments. “When we talk to Jerry, we’ll ask him. He may know something.”

  Brock nodded.

  “Mind if I play this again?” Chip asked.

  Max lay across the back seat and covered his face with his cap.

  “Go ahead, we may hear something we missed before,” Brock said.

  For the next three and a half hours, they listened to the tape of Viola crying to her parents.

  Grateful to be out of the truck, Max, Chip and Brock carried the equipment into the vacant office building, up to the second floor. Working in silence, they set up security cams and alarms, interrogation space and computer surveillance. Max wanted the Major to see the evidence they had against him and set up a projector in the main room. Max and Chip were the only two faces the major would see. The man wielded a lot of power and Max didn’t want to chance retaliation against anyone else.

  Brock made the call. Skinny, Jace and Sweet were on the move. They’d deliver the Major in ten minutes.

  Max left Chip in the room while he went below to wait. In a few hours, the area would bustle with activity. This building sat further back from the others, but he didn’t want anyone to see their vehicles entering the secluded parking area. Jace would watch the security cameras while Skinny and Sweet remained near the entry points. One of the reasons this building had been used for ops like this in the past was because of controlled entries.

  The dark van pulled into the parking garage. Max closed the gate and waited for the men to unload their package. The Major jerked a bit but moved with little fuss. Max took his arm and took him upstairs while the men took their positions.

  Once inside the room, Max guided him to a chair and pushed him down onto it. Chip handcuffed his ankles and hands to the metal. Taking positions, Max pulled the hood off the Major and stared into furious light brown eyes that promised retribution.

  Max smiled.

  “Hello Major, you attacked my brother’s wife and I cannot allow that to pass.”

  Understanding, and then fear, chased by anger again flashed across the man’s features. Max hadn’t expected remorse but shame would’ve sufficed. The man still wore the uniform.

  Stepping forward, he ripped the duct tape from his mouth, leaving beads of blood behind. The Major didn’t flinch. Instead he stretched his jaw, and tilted his head from side to side while staring at Max.

  “Delgado?” he asked.

  Max nodded, amazed at the resemblance the man bore to his sister. Almost the same height as Viola, the Major’s eyes, thick black hair… he wondered if they were twins.

  “What the fuck am I doing here?”

  “I told you. Adele Fleming is almost five months pregnant, you’ve threatened her, and had her attacked, fired shots at her… she’s pregnant. You tried to kill her.”

  The Major tilted his head. “Why do you care?”

  “Jose Fleming was my brother. He left her in my care.”

  “I’m not involved in that.”

  “Yes… you are.” He lifted his hand.

  “Jerry, he’s having the baby, I thought you were going to take care of it. What happened?” Viola’s voice filtered through the room. Jerry jerked and looked around, as if he expected her to walk in at any minute.

  “What the fuck have you done to my sister to make her say that?” He tried to break free from the metal cuffs. “I’ll kill you for this, you bastard. I know all about you and I’ll find you. Do you hear me? I will find you.”

  Max stooped and hoped the anger fueling his actions showed through his eyes. “You take offense at someone listening in on your sister’s phone call? Good, then you will understand my actions for you trying to kill someone I consider a sister.”

  The Major’s face paled and then he sneered. “A child with a married man, what does that say about your sister?” he spat.

  “The same it says about your sister who couldn’t keep her man at home.” He stood before he planted his fist into the man’s jaw. They needed answers and a compromise.

  “Asshole. Leave my sister out of this.”

  “How can I? The only reason you tried to kill Adele was to save your sister from public humiliation, right?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Major Wilson ground out.

  Max waved. Pictures of Franks and Southern appeared on the wall. The Major stopped moving and stared at the progression of photos. The first ones were at the crash site, and then the warehouse and then at the safe house, where they died.

  “Staff Sergeant Benjamin Franks, served his country with honor. You were his last commander, and before he retired, he did special jobs for you. Personal, non-military jobs. He proved to be a man you could trust and you had your father recommend him for a special program. He told me he had been on three assignments in ten years and that this job was different. You pulled him for another personal job, didn’t you?”

  The Major continued to stare at the last picture on the wall of Franks after poisoning himself.

  “See the foam on his mouth? He killed himself to keep you, not the country he loved, you and your family safe. You killed an innocent man to give your spoiled sister what she wanted, the death of an innocent child.”

  Major Wilson’s head whipped around. “Innocent? How can you say that? She would lose everything she worked years for. The Admiral chose Charles for her. She didn’t want him at first, she likes men like you.” He laughed. “But she realized men like you couldn’t be controlled. Charles was perfect. Or so we thought. He agreed to all of Viola’s demands, even got snipped.” He shook his head. “Poor sap. He thought he escaped his father’s noose and stepped into another one.”

  Max didn’t look at the camera, he knew Chip saw and heard every word. It had to cut deep. “What you don’t seem to understand is this, I don’t care about your dysfunctional family, just mine. The way I see it is this, you have a choice to make, stop trying to kill Adele or–”

  “Or you kill me? How original, I expected more than that. If I die, I guarantee my brother will leave no stone unturned, he will hunt you down like the dog you are. No one you love will be safe or free, do you understand me?”

  Max clapped and moved with purpose toward the Major. “Bravo. But you have me all wrong. Unlike you, I’m not a murderer. No. This is what I’ll do if you and your misguided family refuse to leave mine alone.” He stepped aside and a highly classified conversation of the Major and another man with a foreign accent filled the screen. Max watched the color drain from the Major’s face as the man negotiated a private deal, calling the Major, his brother, the General and their father the Admiral by name. It didn’t matter that Brock doctored the tape, once it got out, the damage to their reputations would be done.”

  “That’s a damn lie. I never… that’s not what we discussed.” He glared at Max and then watched the clip play again.

  “But you are on record of dealing with this man. It’s co
mmon knowledge.”

  “Bastard. How’d you get this? No one…” He snapped his mouth shut and glared at the images.

  “What? No one was supposed to know? Is that what you mean? In this day and age, people are always looking for other people and may come across things by mistake.” Max waved his hand. “But I digress. I won’t turn this over to your superiors, I don’t trust them. The media, they’re a different animal.”

  He looked up at Max. “What do you want?”

  “I already told you. Back off from Adele, let your sister handle her marriage without interference. That’s between them, not you. Time to let her grow up. If you don’t, I assure you won’t be happy with the results.”

  “How do I know I can trust you?”

  “You don’t. But you can trust Detective Antonio Vargas, he has a copy of this, and a few others I’ve ran covert operations for over the years as well. Believe me when I say they are disappointed in how you’ve used our servicemen and did not want me to make this agreement. In fact, two of them want you to say no.”

  “My sister–”

  “Is married. Time to worry about your own family and how they’ll manage when everything falls around them. What is your decision? I want to know now,” Max demanded.

  They stared at each other for a space of time. The Major’s hard gaze slid away. “Son of a bitch,” the Major snarled. “I’ll…, we have a deal.”

  The screen blanked. Max took a seat and sat in front of the man. “Now tell me how everything happened. Who beat her? When did you set it up? Was it another sleeper? I want all the details of what you did.”

  “Why? To incriminate myself? Not likely.”

  “So that I can find the fuckers who put their hands on her. Now tell me what I asked or the deal’s off.”

  Major Wilson closed his eyes, inhaled and then released his breath slowly. “The Admiral kept tabs on Chips affairs, and realized this one, Adele, could be pregnant before anyone else. He waited a few months to see how it would play out. When it appeared she would have the child, he grew concerned and talked to me and Pug about it,” the Major said. Max marveled at how he referred to his father. They weren’t a close knit family it seemed.