TENSE - Volume Two (The TENSE Duet Book 2)

by Deborah Bladon

  Chapter 32

  Nicholas

  "You're sure?" I look down at the police detective assigned to the case. I never caught her name. I wasn't paying enough attention to care. I can't form a logical thought at this point.

  "It's from her." She stands in front of me, her hands cradling her phone. "A hostage negotiation team is there and they've established communication with Abano. Before you ask, you're not going. No one but our members will be allowed within a two-block radius."

  "Can I see it at least?" I glance at her phone. "You must have a copy of it. I can verify her handwriting."

  "There's no need." She shakes her head. "It's a vital piece of evidence, Mr. Wolf. I can't show it to you."

  "Tell me what it said," I press. "That fucking television in the conference room is on. I heard the breaking news. I know it was a dollar bill. She wrote on it."

  "Dammit." She shakes her head. "News leaks from our department faster than we can keep on top of it."

  "What did it say?"

  "She's safe."

  "What else?" I'm not an idiot. I saw the change in the detective's demeanor. She left an hour ago after getting a call on her cell. She's back now and jumpy as shit.

  "You need to take a seat, Mr. Wolf, and wait for another update."

  "I need you to tell me why the fuck it is taking forever for you to get her out of that building."

  "There are protocols in place in this type of situation."

  "According to the goddamn news, the police have been on the scene for more than an hour. Give me two minutes with that fucker Abano and I'll buy Sophia's freedom."

  She leans forward. "This is off the record and a favor to your brother, Sebastian, so keep this between you and me."

  "Spit it out," I growl. "If Sophia's still in danger, I want in there. I know I can reason with the man. Money can buy anything. Abano has a price and I'll pay it."

  "He's willing to let her go, but she won't leave."

  "That's fucking bullshit." I step back. "You're a fucking liar."

  "Watch it." Her hand rises in the air between us.

  "If he gave her the chance to walk out of there alive, she would."

  "She won't because there's a child in there with them. Abano kidnapped a five-year-old in Florida. That little boy is the reason Sophia won't come out."

  ***

  I rest my head in my hands. It shouldn’t surprise me that she's willing to risk her own life to save a child she doesn't know. I wouldn't expect less of her, yet I want her out. I want her safe and back in my arms.

  "She's going to come out of this, Nick." Robert takes a seat next to me. "She's on the cusp of good things. Fate won't steal that from her. She's too much good in her life."

  "Tell me about her." I try to level my tone. Her parents know nothing about the child that's trapped in there with Sophia. I don't want to add to their burden by telling them that she stayed behind to protect him. "I want to know more about her."

  "You already know that she plays the piano." He raps his fingertips against his knee. "She's damn good."

  "The best I've ever heard, sir."

  "Bob." His gaze drops. "You'll call me Bob."

  I will. I hope for many years to come. "I have a piano at my place. She plays for me sometimes."

  "I'm envious." He chuckles. "I miss hearing her play. Maybe while we're here, we can stop by and she'll give us a private concert."

  "She'd love that." I believe she would. She's only told me limited details about her relationship with her folks. I didn't press because I saw no need to.

  "I know that she loves you." Something passes briefly over his expression, but it's gone before I can read it. "I always hoped my little girl would find a man who loved her as much as I do. You're proving today that you do."

  My eyes well with tears. God isn't going to give me this moment to steal it away from me in my next breath. Sophia needs to come out of this so I can ask this man for her hand in marriage one day. I want to be part of this family. I want Sophia to be part of mine. I haven't called my folks down here yet. I've talked to my mom twice, both times she told me she'd light a candle and pray for Sophia. She told me she loves her already since I do.

  "I love her," I say in a sob. "I'll never stop."

  He moves to embrace me. His frail hands patting my back as he tells me over and over that everything is going to be fine. I believe him. My Sophia is coming back to me. She has to.

  Chapter 33

  Sophia

  "Please, please be careful with him," I say to the EMT who is cradling Elroy in his arms. "He has a fever and he's weak."

  He nods as he heads for the open door of the ambulance. It's almost dark outside, but I can clearly make out the number of police cars, ambulances and fire trucks that have gathered on this quiet street.

  My plan was risky, but it worked. When the delivery boy buzzed to be let in, I handed Franco the money. He looked it over before he exchanged it for the children's ibuprofen. The guy who made the delivery counted it and then complained that it was a dollar short. I reached into my purse, pulled out the dollar I'd written on while Franco was on the phone placing the order and I ran it to the door and tucked it directly into the delivery guy's palm.

  Then I prayed. I prayed that he would see the note I'd written on the back. It was as detailed as I could manage in the few moments I had to write it.

  I knew that there was a good chance that the bill would be passed on to someone else before the ink was noticed, so I wrote my name, the date, the address of the building that I'd memorized when we first walked in and Elroy's first name and age. I was able to scribble the words he's been kidnapped from Florida before Franco ended the call.

  "You need to go to the hospital, Sophia."

  I turn toward the voice of a male detective. He was one of the first faces I saw when I carried Elroy from the building. He ran to me and scooped the crying boy from my arms. I was grateful, collapsing on the ground at his feet in tears before another man hauled me up and took me to safety. It was all a blur. All I knew at that moment was that we were safe and police officers were on their way into the building to arrest Franco.

  "I should call someone." I look around the street. "I need to call my boyfriend. My parents must be worried sick."

  "They're all waiting for you at the hospital." He motions toward the ambulance. "I'll ride with you and take your preliminary statement."

  I look down at my shaking hands. "I want to thank whoever was talking to Franco on the phone. They got him to agree to let us go."

  "When things settle down, I'll introduce you myself." He wraps his arms around my shoulder. "We can worry about that another day. Right now, we need to get you checked out."

  "I'm fine." I wobble on my heels. "I'm worried about Elroy. I followed the directions on the bottle of ibuprofen. I gave him exactly what it said, but he was still so warm."

  "You took great care of him, Sophia."

  My hands shake. "He was confused. I tried to keep him quiet and calm."

  "You did everything right."

  "I didn’t want him to hurt Elroy." I swallow hard. "I wanted him to see his mom again."

  "He will." He helps me get into the back of the ambulance. "Once he's checked over, he'll be released to an aunt who flew in from Phoenix. She'll take care of him until his mom is back on her feet."

  "I was scared." Tears stream down my face. "I was scared I'd never see the people I love again."

  "We're on our way to see them now." He takes a seat next to a female EMT. "It's over, Sophia. You're free."

  ***

  There are so many faces it's hard to register who they all are. I hear my mom's voice and then my dad's. Cadence is crying and Crew is somewhere telling someone to get the fuck out of his way. I smile under the oxygen mask as I'm wheeled through the entrance of the ER.

  Nicholas is close. I can sense him before I see him.

  "Sophia?" His voice is like a beacon to me. I raise my head, trying desper
ately to find him. I do. He's to my left, pushing past Dexie to get to me.

  "Sophia." He stops the movement of the stretcher with his hands, stilling the two EMTs in place. "Did he hurt you?"

  I shake my head to the side.

  "She's good." The detective says from somewhere nearby. "Abano is in custody. Sophia is fine. The child is fine because of her."

  "Child?" My mother looks down at me. "Are you pregnant, Sophia?"

  I hear a chorus of laughs surround me. The sound is a symphony to me. It's pure happiness. Joy radiates from the people I love.

  "I have no information on that." The detective waves his hands in the air with a chuckle. "There was a boy with Abano. Sophia stayed with him. She protected him and brought him out alive."

  "Sophia," my mom whispers my name as she kisses my cheek. "You're an angel. You are an angel sent from heaven."

  "That she is." Nicholas reaches for my hand. "She's my angel."

  Chapter 34

  Sophia

  "Did my mom put you up to this?" I stare up at the doctor. He's older than me by a few years; the hair on his temples is giving way to gray from brown.

  "Your mom?" he questions back. "I don't follow."

  "You're good." I rest my head on the pillow. "She made a joke about me being pregnant when I was brought in. I know she's persuasive. You did a good job though. I almost believed you."

  His mouth cuts into a wide grin. "Denial is a very common reaction to an unplanned pregnancy, Sophia."

  "You can drop the act." I rub my belly. "There isn't a baby in here. I use the pill and my boyfriend always wraps it up tight."

  "Neither of those is foolproof." He skims his fingers over a tablet in his hands. "I'll show you what is foolproof; the results of your bloodwork."

  He turns the tablet toward me. I try to focus on the medical terms and the corresponding numbers next to them. "This is how you'd feel if I handed you the pattern for a dress."

  He chuckles. "You're in surprisingly good spirits for someone who went through an ordeal like that."

  "I'm alive." I sigh deeply. "I also think I'm in shock. It feels like a dream; almost like I was watching it all from the sidelines."

  "I'm going to send someone down to talk to you." He moves closer to the bed. "She's skilled in dealing with situations like this."

  "I have someone to talk to." I rub my fingers across my lips. "His name is Liam Wolf. He was in to see me earlier today. We talked about what happened yesterday. I'll talk to him more."

  "Liam is one of the best." He turns the tablet back around. "He's a good guy and I think he'll be an amazing uncle."

  "I'm not pregnant." I feel a stir in my heart. "I would know if I was."

  "You are pregnant." He leans his hand on the bed. "You're not more than a few weeks along. It's early and anything can happen, but today, at this minute, you're pregnant."

  ***

  "You didn't go home, did you?" I look at the clothes he's wearing. "You were dressed in that when I was first brought in."

  "I've been sitting on a chair outside your door." Nicholas tilts his chin toward the door of my private room. "The doctor said you needed to sleep, so I camped out there. They tried to kick me out, but I pulled the 'I'm Nicholas Wolf' card out of my back pocket."

  I stare up at his face. He's so beautiful. He's going to be an incredible dad. "Did that work?"

  "Not at all." He half-smiles. "Apparently, the people who work here are too busy to read."

  I pat the bed. "Sit. I want to talk about something."

  He pulls on the thighs of his jeans before he sits next to me. He reaches for my hand. "We can talk about Franco. I want you to feel strong. I'm here to listen to you."

  I can't imagine what he went through when I was missing. As much fear as I had, I knew that Franco wouldn't hurt me. He loved me. It was in a sick, demented way but it was the shield that kept me and Elroy safe.

  "No." My hand goes to my throat. I feel my airway constrict when I think about the small apartment that Franco took us to. "I don't want to talk about him right now."

  "If it's about Del, I'm sorry, Sophia. I wanted to explain it at Hibiscus, but I'm committed to being completely honest with you. The shit with Del is over. I need you to at least know that right now. There's more to the story, and it will take time to tell but that story is over. It has been for a long time."

  "It's not about her." I appreciate the offering. I haven't given Del a lot of thought since Franco appeared in that alleyway. All of my thoughts about Nicholas the past few days have been about the moments we've spent together.

  I imagined being back at his apartment. I closed my eyes while Elroy slept and thought about the things Nicholas has said to me. He loves me. I know that he does. Whatever took place between him and Del is in the past.

  "Did I seem jealous at Hibiscus?" I squeeze his hand.

  "Maybe a little." He holds his index finger and thumb an inch apart. "I don’t mind the jealousy."

  "You don't?"

  "It's part of you. I love every part of you, Sophia."

  The weight of the past few days suddenly hits me like a freight train. I can't stop my emotions. They flow out of me quickly, violently. I sob while I cling to him. "I thought about you every single second I was gone. I kept thinking about how you would feel if I didn't come back."

  "That was never an option." His voice is heavy with emotion. "I knew you'd be back. I felt it inside."

  "I understand more now." I pull back to look into his tear-stained face. "You've been through so much."

  "Me?" He taps his chest. "You're the one who saved a child's life, Sophia. You're the one who was held hostage by a lunatic."

  "You're the one who saw the person you love after she'd just taken her last breath."

  "Sophia," he whispers my name as he pulls me close to him. His lips press against my forehead. "I love you."

  "I didn't know what to do." I shake in his arms, my breathing increasing. "Franco told me I could go but I refused. I couldn't leave Elroy in there. I'll never forget the look of terror on that little boy's face when I first saw him standing in the alley with Franco."

  He exhales sharply. "That memory will fade. Weeks, months and then years will pass and you'll start to forget the details. It won't be as vivid and one day you'll have such a full life that the memory of yesterday won't be sharp or clear anymore."

  "Do you promise?"

  "I'll help you heal from this, Sophia. Let me do that for you."

  Chapter 35

  Nicholas

  I watch her pick at the lunch that a hospital orderly brought for her. If I had known the food smelled and tasted like this, I would have sent Liam back to my place to make her a grilled cheese sandwich.

  I was grateful when he showed up at the hospital. He'd been dealing with a work-related crisis for most of the night, but once he had a break, he was here. I introduced him to Sophia and then left them alone. I didn't ask what they discussed, but when he left her room, he told me she was strong. He likes her and once she's feeling up to it, she'll talk to him again.

  "I think they'll discharge me this afternoon. I'm not dehydrated anymore." She pushes the tray toward me. "Can we stop on our way home to get a burger and some chili fries?"

  I furrow my brow. "I can run out and get that for you now. I wouldn't be gone more than twenty minutes."

  She nods. "Can you get some of those chocolate candies that you keep in that dish on your kitchen counter?"

  "The one I have to keep refilling after you eat them all?"

  Her face brightens. "Those are the ones. I think they would taste delicious on the fries."

  I scowl. "You're going to put candy on the chili fries?"

  "I can't decide if that would taste better or maybe strawberry yogurt."

  I sit on the bed next to her again. "All of this shit you're talking about sounds disgusting."

  "You better get used to it." She lowers her shoulders. "This is just the beginning, Nicholas."
<
br />   "The beginning of what?"

  "Crazy pregnancy cravings." Her eyes drop to the front of the hospital gown she's wearing.

  My insides collapse. My heart bursts. "Sophia."

  "The doctor told me earlier." She shakes away a flood of tears. "I don’t know how, Nicholas. I mean I know how. You probably broke through the condom because sometimes you lose control."

  "You're having a baby?" I place my hand on her stomach. "My baby?"

  "I'm going to ignore that last question." She covers my hand with hers. "We're having a baby, but the doctor said it's very early and anything can happen."

  I know that. My mother had four beautiful children but wanted more. I watched her suffer through three miscarriages before she finally gave into the idea that her family was complete.

  "I don't want to tell anyone else yet," she continues. "We'll wait until we're sure that everything is good and then we can have a party."

  "A party?"

  "A celebration of the baby's life and my life. Your life. Our life." She nods slowly. "Cadence is going to scream when I tell her, but I'll wait. I want to wait."

  "Do you think you'll have enough willpower to wait?"

  I watch her stare at our hands. Her gaze trained to her stomach. "If we are supposed to have this baby, it will happen. If it doesn't, it means it's not our turn yet. I want to wait. I don't want to break my mom's heart if I don't have to."

  "We'll wait."

  "Are you happy, Nicholas?" she asks, even though she already knows the answer to that question.

  "I've never been happier."

  ***

  "I want you to move in with me, Sophia." I look around the living room of her apartment. "Does all of this furniture belong to you?"

  "No." She shakes her head faintly. "Everything but my sewing machine and my clothing belongs to Cadence."

  "It'll be an easy move. We can pack up your things now."