My gaze met Brent’s before Sebastian and I took a step down. Even though Sebastian wasn’t going to kill him, Mateo would.
I hadn’t heard from Tessa in almost two months. I hadn’t heard from Joss either. When I would see Paul, he told me she was busy with her case. I felt as though my friends didn’t care. If this were Autumn or Joss, Paul and Gabe would be going in with guns blazing. But that wasn’t me, and they weren’t helping.
I understood why Gabe wouldn’t go, and that was because Autumn was pregnant. He didn’t want to take a chance of getting killed or going to jail. But Paul? His wife wouldn’t help me even though she worked for the FBI. Seth had gone back to D.C. or some shit, and that left me …
Alone.
When I showed Sebastian the three pregnancy tests, he was ecstatic. A part of me felt as though he would be pissed that he was going to be tied to a child for eighteen years, but he wasn’t.
“Are these real?” he asked.
“Of course they are.”
“These,” he waved the tests in front of my face, “are proof that we’re meant to be together.”
It was on the tip of my tongue to tell him that he was wrong. Rape every night without a condom wasn’t fate. Sebastian was delusional. “Yeah,” I agreed and smiled tightly, trying to show that I did agree with him when, in reality, I was faking it.
“Good.” He kissed my lips. “Valentina will help you get a room ready and whatever you need.”
“I need to go to the doctor.”
“When?”
“Well, I’m not sure when I got pregnant, but usually around eight weeks should be the first appointment.”
“I’ll make a call.”
“And do what?”
“Have them come here.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. They need to examine me in an actual exam room.” As Sebastian thought about what I’d said, I prayed he’d agree with me. I knew he would send a guard with me, maybe even go himself, but he wouldn’t be permitted into the room. At least I hoped not.
“Do you have a doctor?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. Make an appointment, and we’ll go.”
I knew from previous exams that they asked questions about abuse or if your life was in danger when you filled out an intake form. I didn’t know what would happen if I checked the box.
But I was hoping to find out.
While I waited on the couch for Valentina and Colton to get back from the park, Sebastian made himself a celebratory drink.
“I’m really happy about this, Tessa Baby.”
I didn’t respond.
“You’ll see,” he stated as he sat next to me on the couch. “I’ve always wanted to be a father, and now I will be. I won’t fuck this up.”
I didn’t know how, but I was going to find a way out before that ever happened.
A few minutes later, Valentina and Colton walked in through the front door, and I instantly ran to him. “Did you have fun at the park, Slugger?”
“He was such a good boy,” Valentina stated. “He deserves ice cream for dessert.”
“If you eat all your dinner, do you want chocolate ice cream for dessert?”
He started to flap his little hands, and a thought washed over me as I wondered if I should be happy or sad that he was going to be a big brother.
It had been two weeks since I found out I was pregnant. Two weeks since Mateo killed Brent. Two weeks since I decided to fake being happy with Sebastian.
It was all I could do to survive in a world I wanted nothing to do with. Maybe in another universe, things could have been different.
Every night, Sebastian ignored Colton. Maybe it was because he wasn’t able to play with him in the sense of playing with someone who was interacting with you. That was why I loved Vinny with Colton. Vinny understood. Vinny cared. Vinny was good with Colt. And I still thought about him often.
But Vinny was gone.
He was probably on a beach somewhere, drinking rum and Cokes because it was, of course, summer break. Would we still be together if I hadn’t disappeared? Would he love me? I loved him, and after all this time apart, I still wanted to tell him. I wanted to rush into his arms and never leave.
But I couldn’t.
“Are you ready to go?” Sebastian asked as he came into his bathroom where I was getting ready to go to my doctor’s appointment. The bathroom was nothing compared to the one in Mark’s house. It was a decent size, had granite countertops, and a huge shower, but it wasn’t special given the circumstances I was in.
“Almost.”
“We don’t want to be late.”
“We?” I asked as I brushed my long brown hair.
“Of course. I’m going with you, Tessa. I’m going to go to every appointment. This is my child.”
I nodded and sat the brush down. “Then let’s go.”
Just as I tried to cross over the threshold, he grabbed my wrist and spun me around to face him. “I’m glad you’ve come to terms with our arrangement.”
Still faking it, I replied, “You’re growing on me.”
He grinned and kissed my lips. “If I would have known you’d be this good, I would have pursued you sooner.”
I smiled softly at him. “Things happen for a reason, right?”
“They sure do.”
As we walked down the stairs, Sebastian’s phone rang. “I need to take this.”
I nodded and kept walking. When I got downstairs, Colton was playing on his iPad. I turned to Valentina. “We’re about to leave. Are you sure you’ll be okay with him?”
“Si, of course. I raised four boys.” Four boys who had apparently died in some sort of drug-related incident. I’d never gotten the entire story from her, but it made sense to me if a drug lord helped her town that they'd died from something drug related.
“But he won’t tell you what he wants or needs, so if he fusses, you’ll have to figure it out on your own.”
“I know, cariño. I will take him to the park. He loves the park.”
He did love the park. He loved to swing, and I was thankful that Valentina took him to the park a few times a week. I still wasn’t allowed outside.
“Change of plans,” Sebastian stated as he came into the room.
“I can’t—”
“Mateo will take you to the appointment.”
“You’re not going?” I asked.
He caressed my cheek. “Business calls. I need to stay here and handle some things.”
“Okay,” I responded, knowing not to question him, and also knowing it had to do with cocaine and not Red Diamond.
Sebastian kissed my lips softly and then walked back up the stairs. I was surprised Mateo was leaving his side. Maybe it was because he was Sebastian’s right-hand man, the one he could trust to keep an eye on me—as if I’d run and leave Colton behind.
I kissed Colton on the head and then followed Mateo into the garage. This would be the first time I would ride in a car since the night I arrived in captivity. It would be the first time I set foot on the street since that night. It would be the first time I would get a chance to run.
But, I wouldn’t run. And while Mateo drove me to the doctor’s office, I realized I couldn’t check the box on the intake form indicating I was in danger because Sebastian had ordered Colt to stay with Valentina. It proved Sebastian was smart, but one day, I’d be smarter.
Or dead.
Mateo stayed in the waiting room when I was called back. I didn’t expect him to go inside the room with me, but I wasn’t sure what Sebastian would have ordered him to do. A part of me thought he would pretend to be my boyfriend so he could go into the exam room, but he didn’t. He sat quietly reading a magazine, and when I was called back, he didn’t even look up.
After I went through all the standard procedures with the nurse, I was taken into an exam room.
“Why are you here today?” she asked.
Apparently she hadn’t read my intake form. Or maybe they were required t
o ask? “I think I’m pregnant.”
“Congratulations,” she gushed.
We went over some things like when my last period was so she could make notes for the doctor. When she left, I stripped my shorts off, covered myself with the blue disposable sheet, and waited for the doctor. On the back of the door was a poster asking if I was in an abusive relationship. Asking if I was in danger. It didn’t ask if I was being held hostage, raped most nights. I had no idea what would happen if I told them I was. Would the cops storm in, want to whisk me off to a safe house or something? I couldn’t do that because Colton wasn’t with me. If he were, I wouldn’t hesitate.
After some time, Dr. Peirce came in. “Hi, Teresa. How are you?”
I smiled warmly. “I’m good.” I wasn’t, but it was how I was used to replying.
She moved to the computer, pressed some keys and said, “I see you think you’re pregnant.”
“I took three tests.”
“Well, let’s examine you, see how far along you are. I’ll also do some blood work to test your blood sugar and check for any abnormalities, and then have you meet with my obstetrics nurse so you can go over follow-up care and whatever questions you may have.”
“Sure.”
I lay back, spread my legs and waited. Every woman hated this, and I hated it even more given my current circumstance. The wand entered me, and I waited some more as I looked at the screen. There wasn’t much to see, but I saw it. I saw the gummy-bear-like shape.
Dr. Pierce clicked some buttons.
“Looks like you’re about eight weeks along.”
There was a flicker of hope inside of me at the news that this might not be Sebastian’s baby. “Okay, great,” I replied.
“You don’t seem too happy,” she observed.
“Just—shocked.”
“Not planned?”
“Nope.”
“Do—”
“It’s okay. I did it once, and I’ll do it again. Things happen for a reason.”
“They do, but if there’s something you need to tell me …”
My heart ached and I wanted to tell her there was. I wanted to break down and cry, tell her everything, but I was scared of the consequences. If I told her, and the cops showed up, there would be a chance they were on Sebastian’s payroll, and then they would tell him, and I wasn’t sure what he’d do to me. Or Colton. But, there was also the chance they wouldn’t be. In the end, I decided I wouldn’t tell her this time. And next time—at my next appointment—I would make sure Colton was with me and take the chance that the cops who were called weren’t driven by money.
“Nope,” I replied. “The father is really happy and will take care of me and the baby.”
“Okay. Let me get some blood so we can run some tests, and then I will let you get dressed before you meet with the nurse.”
The appointment was long. After I spoke with the nurse, I scheduled my next appointment. I walked out into the waiting room where Mateo sat. He looked up, set the magazine down, and waited for me to walk completely through the door. When I did, I looked to my left and noticed Autumn sitting in the waiting room. She was reading on her e-reader, and I wanted to rush to her, wrap my arms around her and beg for help. I knew she’d dealt with abuse before because when I was at the range with everyone, she’d briefly told me why she taught self-defense. Now, I felt as though I was living in the same hell she used to live in.
“One second,” I stated to Mateo. “They have a bathroom in there, and I just realized I can’t hold it. I’ll be just a moment.” He nodded, and I walked back through the doors to a nurse’s station. “Do you have a piece of paper and a pen I could use?” I asked when the nurse looked up.
She smiled and slid a sticky note pad and pen in front of me. “Does this work?”
“Perfect. Thank you.”
I hurried and wrote Autumn a note:
Kidnapped by my boss. Send Joss. Can’t trust local PD.
I folded the yellow sticky note in half and handed the pen back to the nurse. “Thank you again.”
When I walked out the door again, Mateo was standing, waiting. I smiled up at him.
“Ready?” he asked.
“Yes,” I replied and started walking. Autumn was so engrossed in her book that she didn’t notice me. As I passed her, I tossed the note onto her screen. She quickly looked up. Our eyes met as I walked out of the office, and I prayed this would work.
Two months.
It had been two fucking months since I’d last seen Tessa, and I felt that shit in my heart every fucking day. This was why I didn’t do love. I guess a part of me had always feared my heart would break if I ever let someone in, though I didn’t think it would be under these circumstances.
Since I hadn’t heard from Joss, I stayed away from all my so-called friends. They obviously didn’t care about me. And fuck, I didn’t care about them. Who was I kidding? I fucking loved those people, but in my time of need, they did nothing. Sure, Joss told me she needed time before she could look into it, but what if Joss were kidnapped? She’d want to be rescued. It made me sick to my stomach to think of what was happening to Tessa every day. Was she abused? Sexually assaulted? Or just enjoying life in some gated community with rich people?
Why couldn’t Joss go to the house? Talk to Tessa? Get Tessa? I didn’t care that Tessa had told me she went on her own. I knew better, and Joss was FBI. Couldn’t they help? Couldn’t Joss work on this on her own time and just find out if Tessa was all right? Apparently the answers were all a big fat negative.
Fuck. Them.
I was having my nightly pity party with my Bacardi when there was a knock at my door. I moved to it, and after I saw who was on the other side through the peephole, I said, “What do you want?”
“Open the door,” Paul demanded. “We have news.”
I flung the door open so fast I thought I was about to rip it off the fucking hinges. “What news?”
“Sit down,” he stated. He and Joss walked in, and Paul closed the door behind him.
“Just tell me.” I leaned a hand on the wall, waiting.
Joss spoke. “Autumn saw Tessa at the doctor’s office.”
“The doctor’s? Is she okay?”
“We think she might be pregnant since it was the gynecologist.”
My mouth fell open. “What did you say?”
“Autumn was there for her weekly check-up because her baby is due any day now. When Tessa was leaving, she threw a note to Autumn.”
“What did it say?”
“‘Kidnapped by my boss. Send Joss. Can’t trust local PD.’”
“I fucking told you,” I pointed at her, rage coursing through my body.
“I know, and I’ve been looking into it.”
I chuckled sarcastically and crossed my arms over my broad chest. “Looking into it? What the fuck does that mean?”
“I’ve run a background check on Sebastian Delarosa, the man who owns Red Diamond.”
“And?”
“All I can tell you is that he has associations with some people from another case working on and it’s not good. I’ll dig into him more.”
“Dig into him more? It’s been two fucking months, Joss.”
She wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “I know. This is going to take priority, but I can’t just go up to his door and knock.”
“Why not?”
“Like I told you before, Vegas Metro has jurisdiction, but what I found can give me cause to get in the door.”
“Why do they have jurisdiction? You’re FBI. Doesn’t that trump a city cop?”
“Because Metro already made a report saying she was there on her own accord. There’s no evidence that she was kidnapped, and I have to listen to the police.”
“She was kidnapped,” I stated.
“While we know that—especially from the note—I can’t go to my boss and say we need to listen to a person’s boyfriend. There needs to be more.”
“The note’s not enough?”
/>
She shook her head. “No proof it was from Tessa.”
“But it was, and what more do you want besides he’s a drug dealer? That should be enough.”
“While it may be, it takes time to get an investigation started.”
“Tessa and her son need to come home,” I muttered.
“Just let me do my job. I hope to have her home in a few weeks.”
“A few weeks? That’s fucking forever.”
“Have faith. I take this shit seriously, but Paul and I are going to Italy tomorrow for a week.”
“You’re going on vacation while our friend is kidnapped?”
“While I’m gone, my partner will be working on it. I promise we will get Tessa back.”
“Not soon enough.”
“It will be okay,” Joss assured me.
When Joss and Paul left, I realized Joss had said they thought Tessa was pregnant. That little tidbit had escaped me when Joss started to mention getting Tessa home.
Tessa might be pregnant with that asshole’s baby?
Mateo never mentioned if he saw me pass a note to Autumn. Though it would probably look bad to Sebastian if Mateo allowed me to pass a note, so maybe he was just keeping his mouth shut?
Every day since my appointment, I waited, hoping someone would show up. It had been a week and still nothing. A week of Sebastian and Valentina acting as though the baby was coming the next day. They had already changed one of the spare bedrooms into a nursery, and to my surprise, Sebastian put the crib together.
It was the start of a new week of my third month in hell when—finally—hope came knocking. Sebastian and Mateo were at the club, as usual. When Valentina answered the phone, my ears perked up.
“But Mr. Delarosa isn’t here.” There was a pause. “We’re instructed to not let anyone in.” Another pause. “You have to? Si, okay.” Valentina’s eyes met mine, and I waited for her to say something, but she didn’t. She went to the front door and spoke to the guard who was always posted outside.
How were the neighbors okay with a guy standing outside all day? It was weird, and even though he was on Sebastian’s property, the neighbors had to wonder why he had a guard. Maybe he paid the neighbors off? I was slowly learning that money was the moving power for everyone.
Rum & Coke Page 22