“Joss just texted. They’ve made all the arrests, and she’ll come up here soon,” Paul stated as he put his phone back in his pocket.
“What’s the plan after she gets here?” Tessa asked as she sat on the end of the bed.
“I don’t know,” Paul replied.
I walked to Colton. “You hungry, little man?” He started to flap his hands. “You want chicken strips?” He started to hum and rock back and forth in excitement. I turned my head toward Paul. “Can we order room service?”
Paul shrugged. “Sure. FBI’s paying.”
My gaze moved to Tessa, and I was about to ask her if she was hungry, but I realized she was staring at me. “What?” I asked.
“Nothing.” She wiped her cheeks.
“Are you crying?”
“No.” She started to cry some more.
I moved to her and brought her in for another hug. “Hey, it’s okay. You’re safe.”
“It’s not that.”
“What’s the matter then?”
She looked up at me. “It’s nothing bad.”
“Then why are you crying?”
“You.”
“Me?” I balked.
“You’re so good with Colt. Sebastian didn’t even utter a word to him or try to the entire time we were at his house.”
I brought her against my chest again. “That’s because he’s an idiot.”
“I can think of worse words than idiot to describe him,” she muttered.
I chuckled slightly. “Me, too.”
“Me three,” Paul chimed in.
“Let’s get us some room service and wait for Joss. Then we’ll go home,” I suggested.
Tessa looked up at me again. “Do I even have a home?”
“You don’t know about your apartment?” She shook her head. “All your stuff was moved, and it’s been rented to someone else.”
She was silent for a few moments. “I figured something like that would happen, but I didn’t know for sure. Do you know where my belongs and furniture are?”
“No,” I admitted.
“What am I going to do? I have nothing.”
“You and Colt can stay with me.”
“We can’t impose.”
“Tessa.” I sighed. “Do you think I’d let you out of my sight right now?”
“I mean, we can’t just live with you.”
“You can until you get back on your feet.”
“Back on my feet?” She chuckled sarcastically. “I’m homeless, clothes-less, and jobless. Plus, I’m pregnant.”
“We’ll figure this out.”
“You have a lot of friends, Tessa. None of us are going to let you and Colton live on the street or starve,” Paul stated.
“See? Don’t worry.” I kissed her lips. “Let’s—”
There was a knock on the door, and Paul got out of the chair and went to it. After checking the peephole, he opened it. “Gorgeous.”
He stepped aside, and Joss entered. “How are you?” she asked Tessa.
“I’m good. Probably in shock, but I’m good.”
“You’re free to go home now. I’ll be in touch later tonight or tomorrow to get your statement.”
“We’ll stop and get some food, and then we’ll head to my place,” I stated.
“You want me to go like this?” Tessa stepped back and motioned the length of her body.
“Do you want to put your dress back on?” I asked.
“Hell no,” she snapped.
I grabbed my suit jacket that was lying next to the TV. “Put this on, and we’ll hurry you downstairs. We’ll go through a drive-thru for food.” Tessa took the jacket from me and went into the bathroom.
“What happened down there?” I asked Joss.
“Actually, everything went smoothly and according to plan. I’m sure it’s because if they started shooting, they’d look guilty, but we have a lot of evidence. Mateo has worked for Sebastian for a long time and has gathered a lot. Plus …” Joss trailed off.
“Plus what?” I questioned.
“Did Tessa tell you why Sebastian kept her?”
“Because she saw him kill a guy?”
Joss nodded. “We have a solid case.”
“Good.”
Tessa stepped out of the bathroom, and I almost fell over. She was stunning with her hair up and what looked to be only my jacket on her. It went to her knees, and lord, if the sight didn’t make me hard.
“Ready?” I asked. She nodded and went to gather up Colton, but I stopped her. “I’ll carry him.”
“Okay.”
After we said our goodbyes to Paul and Joss, Tessa, Colton and I got into my car. Mateo had given Joss Colton’s car seat.
“I can’t believe Mateo was undercover DEA,” Tessa stated as I drove us toward Las Vegas. Colton was in the backseat on his iPad.
“That’s the guy who let me in the room you were getting dressed in?”
“Yeah.” She nodded. “He was like the main bodyguard.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I’m still in shock about everything.”
“Joss mentioned he worked for Sebastian for a long time.”
“What I don’t understand is how he let Sebastian …”
“Let him do what?” I questioned. Tessa started to cry, and I squeezed her knee. “Hey, it’s okay. It’s all over.”
“I know.” She sniffed. “It’s just … Every night …”
“You don’t need to continue. I think I understand what you mean.”
Tessa’s tear-stained face turned toward me. “You’re not mad?”
“How can I be mad?”
“That I …”
“Whatever happened in that place was out of your control.”
“I know, but—”
“But let’s talk about something else.”
She paused for a moment. “Okay. What?”
“Well, Autumn had her baby.”
Tessa’s eyes brightened. “She did?”
“Last week.”
“Oh my God, I want to go see them.”
“We can go tomorrow maybe.”
She gasped. “Oh my God, how are Melony and Sophia?”
“They’re hanging in there. They were as confused as I was about the whole ordeal.”
“I want to see them too.”
“We can do whatever you want.” I patted her knee. I didn’t know exactly what she went through at Sebastian’s, but feeling her skin after all this time made me want to be buried deep inside her again. I hadn’t been with anyone since our night together. I couldn’t.
“You know, Sebastian had this housekeeper I kinda got close with. I hope she’s okay.”
“If she wasn’t involved in anything criminal, I’m sure Mateo took care of her. From what I gather, he’s got a handle on things.”
“If she isn’t involved in anything, I think she and Sophia would be good friends.”
“Oh yeah?”
Tessa smiled. “I can picture them like the Golden Girls.”
“Sophia needs someone. Hopefully, it will work out.”
“Yeah.”
We were silent for a few miles. “What do you want to eat?”
She thought for a moment. “Raising Cane’s. I’ve been craving it since that night.”
“What the lady wants, the lady gets.” I winked.
After going through the drive-thru, we headed toward my house. As we got closer, it dawned on me that I’d never had a woman over to my place before. Except for my housecleaner, of course.
“So, ahh—” I started as I pulled into my garage.
“Wait. Colton doesn’t have his nightlight. He can’t sleep without it.”
A thought popped into my head as we sat in my SUV in the garage. “I have an idea. Let’s get inside, eat, and all that needs to be done before bed. I’ll take care of it.”
“I don’t even have clothes or anything.”
“You know who would bring you clothes?”
She sta
red at me for a beat. “Who?”
“Your best friend.” I reached into my pocket and pulled out my cell. “Here, call her. Ask her to bring you some clothes. I’ll grab Colton.”
Tessa smiled and took the phone. “Okay.”
While she made the call, I carried Colton and the food into the house. “So, buddy, this is where you’re going to live. It’s not like your two last places, but we’ll have fun. I love your mommy more than anything, and all the bad stuff is behind us. I’m also your teacher, and I’m going to teach you everything. Starting with volleyball.”
I sat Colton in a chair at my kitchen island and took out the chicken strip meal that was his. When I got up this morning, I thought I would watch Tessa marry the devil. Instead, she was back with me, and I was feeding her son fried chicken.
Today was amazing.
I hung up the phone after talking to Melony for ten minutes. She was getting both Colton and me the necessities and then she would be on her way.
When I walked into the house from the garage door, I walked into a kitchen and stopped at the sight. Vinny was sitting across from Colton, both of them eating chicken, and my heart swelled. I’d seen them eat together before, but it still made me happy. The longer I stared, the more I thought about how this could have been my last three and a half months.
Instead, it wasn’t.
“Come on. It’s getting cold,” Vinny stated with a mouthful of food. In the time I was on the phone with Melony, Vinny had changed into a pair of basketball shorts and a tank top that displayed his muscles. I’d missed those arms.
I grinned and moved to him, grabbed his face and planted my lips on his.
“What was that for?” he asked.
“Everything.” I moved to my seat to see a T-shirt and a pair of boxers sitting next to my food.
“I figured you’d be more comfortable in that instead of my jacket until Melony gets here.”
“See?” I beamed. “You’re the best.”
“The best is yet to come, sweets.” He grinned at me and then took a bite of his chicken.
God, I hoped he was right.
There was a knock on the door. I stood back, anxiously waiting to make sure it was Melony. To my surprise, it was Mel and Sophia. I rushed to them and gave them both the biggest hugs I could manage.
“I missed you both so much.” A tear slid down my cheek.
“We’re happy you’re back,” Sophia replied.
“It really hasn’t been the same without you,” Melony stated.
“You have no idea.” I moved back to allow them to come into Vinny’s house. It was a two-story tract home. I hadn’t been upstairs yet, but what I could tell was it was a standard home with granite countertops and a two-car garage. To be honest, I expected it to be more lavish, given that he drove a nice car. It was nice, but at the same time, typical. Like a teacher would own.
Melony handed the bag from Target to me. “You two sit while I change and get Colton ready for bed.”
Vinny showed me upstairs where Colton could sleep. After his bath, I put Colt to bed. When I entered the room, it was like Christmas. Red and green lights danced on the ceiling and walls, and I almost cried again. It might not be the blue waves from Colton’s night light, but the movement of the lights would calm him. It was perfect. Vinny was perfect.
When I returned back downstairs, dressed in pajamas, my three friends were in Vinny’s living room laughing. I had to pause for a minute and remind myself that I wasn’t dreaming. I was home. I was with my people.
I was back where I belonged.
I stood at the bottom of the stairs, taking them all in. Vinny’s gaze moved to mine, and he motioned for me to come to him. I didn’t hesitate. I sat down beside him on his leather couch, and he pulled me against him, wrapping his arms around me.
“Vinny was just telling us what happened this evening,” Melony stated.
“And you thought it was funny?”
“No,” Sophia replied. “We laughed because Sebastian thought he’d won.”
“He invited me,” Vinny stated.
My eyes became huge. “He did? I thought you were there because of Joss?”
“Nope. Sebastian put the invitation on my doorstep because he wanted me to watch you marry him. Paul saw me there and took me to Joss, and then I found out the plan and was able to help.”
“I hope Sebastian doesn’t know where you live,” I confessed. “But Mateo did a lot of stuff for him, so he probably delivered it, and given that Mateo was undercover …”
“Well, hopefully, you’ll never have to see that fucker again,” Melony responded.
“What about you?” I asked. “Are you still dancing?”
“Yeah, but I’m starting at another club Thursday.”
“Which one?”
“Silverthorne.”
“I don’t know what I’m going to do,” I confessed. “I’m obviously not going back to Red Diamond, but I have nothing else.”
“We don’t need to think about that right now,” Vinny stated. He’d said that to me before, but I was still worried. “We just need to focus on getting you and Colton back in the groove of things. Plus, Colt needs to go back to school.”
“Sebastian had a teacher for him. We tried to keep up with his previous goals.”
“Really?” Vinny balked. “Also, don’t forget I’m still his kindergarten teacher.”
“You are?”
“Of course. The school year started a few weeks ago, and since you said he’s had a teacher, he’ll be on track to meet his goals. It’s you I’m worried about.”
“I’m fine,” I lied.
Sophia leaned forward and placed her hand on my knee. “You’re not. Whatever happened blew out the light in your eyes, but we’ll get it back just like everything else. You have us, and we’re here to take care of you.”
I smiled warmly at her. “Thank you.”
“And,” Melony cut in, “when you’re ready to tell us what happened, we’re here for you then too.”
I stared at the two women for a few moments as I thought about everything. “I’ll tell you now. While I hated every minute of it, I don’t think everything has sunk in. Maybe I need to get it off my chest?”
“Okay.” Sophia leaned back against the couch she and Melony were on. “Take your time.”
I proceeded to tell them everything from the night of the party when I went to look for the bathroom until the moment Vinny walked into the hotel suite this evening. I didn’t go into details about the sex with Sebastian because it wasn’t needed and they knew better than to think I would sleep with him willingly. The entire time I recounted the ordeal, Vinny held me as tight as he could. I couldn’t imagine what he must have been thinking to know I’d been with another man, but there was nothing we could do about it since it was never my choice.
That night after Melony and Sophia went home, I took a shower in Vinny’s master bath. I needed to wash off everything from the last three and a half months. When I crawled into Vinny’s bed, and he wrapped his strong arms around me, I instantly fell asleep and had the best night’s sleep in over three months.
A week passed, and I realized Vinny was right: Colton was more resilient with the bouncing around than I was. He was starting to smile more as though he knew we were in a good place again. I no longer felt as though I was walking on eggshells, worried that a man would order me to his room, and when Vinny came home each night, I was excited to see him walk through the doors.
I still had no job, but my days weren’t spent sitting around doing nothing. While Colton and Vinny were at school, I researched online colleges for hotel management. I even put in applications at all the hotels on the Strip to work the front desks. I was hopeful that one of those would pan out.
I sold the diamond engagement ring from Sebastian through a jewelry broker. The money I received for the massive diamond was enough to keep Colton and me afloat for a few months, but Vinny still insisted we live with him. I didn’t argue be
cause I was certain if I didn’t have his arms around me each night, I would wake up back at Sebastian’s.
Joss took my statement, and I recounted everything for her. Because Sebastian was a drug lord, there was fear I might be in danger. However, Joss had somehow worked it that my statement was sealed. If they needed it for Sebastian’s trial, then I would be put into protective custody until it was over. Joss didn’t go into detail, but she was hopeful that Mateo’s evidence and testimony would be enough.
Also, I found out Mateo never killed Brent. Mateo used my pregnancy as a distraction and took Brent home, telling him to never show his face at Red Diamond again because if Sebastian ever saw him again, he wouldn’t hesitate to kill him and Mateo. Melony said his friends still came in, but she never saw Brent.
Also, through victim services, I had to have an STD test, given my ordeal. Thankfully, it came back clean. I still have to meet with a therapist for a few weeks or more, depending on how everything goes. I’ve only had one appointment, but it was good. I was able to recount everything and get it off my chest. While all my friends and Vinny were there for me, I still couldn’t tell them the details. But the therapist had no emotional connection with me and I was able to let it all out. When I left the appointment, it was as though a tiny bit of everything was lifted.
After putting Colton to bed, Vinny and I started a ritual of climbing into our bed. He made sure to tell me he’d never shared it with another woman before. That made me feel special. Most nights we watched either the Giants or the Dodgers, or we flipped between the two games, but the season was coming to an end in just another month.
Tonight, as Vinny and I laid in bed, I knew it was time. He’d been supportive the entire time, hadn’t even mentioned sex, but I wanted it, and I wanted it with him. I wanted Vinny to erase Sebastian’s touch.
Figuring I had to make the first move, I went into the walk-in closet and stripped myself of my pajamas. I grabbed my Giants jersey, slipped it on and walked back into the bedroom where Vinny was watching his Dodgers.
His brown gaze slid from the TV to where I stood with my arm on the wall and my hand on my hip. “What are you doing?”
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