by Naomi Niles
“It’ll be fine, though,” I tried my best to reassure her. “I have far more on him than he does us.”
“Mmmm,” she replied, seemingly unconvinced. I wished that I had the words to let her know that everything would be all right, but I didn’t. I couldn’t lie and tell her that we were all going to get out of things fine, because I honestly wasn’t sure that we would. “Okay, well, I better be getting back.”
As she stood up, the awkward atmosphere took over the room once more, and we remembered that we didn’t know how to relate to one another anymore.
“I’ll see you tomorrow?” I stuffed my hands in my pockets as I spoke, not knowing what else to do with myself.
“Yes,” she nodded sharply. “And we’ll tell Mom everything; she needs to know now. It’s only fair.”
“Of course.” We stood there in silence for a few moments, before I felt forced to put an end to this. “Well, I’ll see you then.” And I turned on my heels, walking away.
As I made my way back to the hotel, the oddness of our encounter went from my mind, and instead I was left with a glad feeling that at least things had gone well. Okay, there was still a lot of danger around us all, but at least she and Lyla were safe in that dorm room. At least I knew where they both were, and Danica was talking to me once again–however strained that had been, I had to see a positive in there somewhere. Now we just needed to form some sort of plan that we all agreed upon.
Now all I needed to worry about was the location of my father. It was so weird that he’d run away and was nowhere to be seen. It made me very suspicious about what the hell he was up to. When he’d left my mom, we didn’t see him again for years, but I had the feeling that we weren’t going to get quite so lucky this time.
But there was nothing that I could do about that, so what I needed to do was to head back to my hotel room for a good night’s sleep, then I would meet with Lyla and Danica in the morning. I would feel much better once we had an idea about what we were going to do, and I was certain that as a lawyer, Lyla would have some good input. She would understand these documents much better than I ever could, and I had a feeling that her expertise was going to come in handy.
A fatigue overcame me as I wandered up the hotel stairs, and I couldn’t wait to be able to switch off and sleep for a while. But of course, as was typical of my life, that was never going to happen. As I swung the door open, happy to be alone once more, I found a shadow in my room. One that was attached to the very last person in the world that I wanted to see.
“Dad?” I gasped, desperately needing rest, not this. “What the hell are you doing here?” At least I knew where he was now. But very quickly, the fear that he incited in me was replaced with anger. “You can’t be here, you know? I’ll call the police!” I snapped, wanting him to see that I wouldn’t bow down to him this time. I’d made that mistake once before, and that felt like one time too many.
“That would be a mistake,” he replied simply, standing up to tower over me, using his intimidation method he liked best. “I know you think that you have me in a corner, but you don’t. You’re playing with the big boys here, Rhett,” he warned.
“What do you mean?” My heart raced. How did he seem to know that I had information on him? I’d done that totally in secret! There was just no way. And yet, from the glint in his eye, I could tell that he did know, and that I was an idiot for thinking that I could win even this battle, never mind the war.
He watched me intently as he pulled a picture out of his bag and I snatched it from him, wanting to see what he thought he had over me. He couldn’t do anything to hurt me this time, so I was no longer afraid.
But it wasn’t a photograph directly linking to me. He was using someone else to get at me, and that was agony. Much as I didn’t care what this psychopath did to me, I didn’t want anyone else to get hurt.
I found myself staring at a picture of Danica, completely unaware, on the college campus. My thought that he would have forgotten about her was completely wrong. Clearly he was still very much interested in her whereabouts, and he had someone following her and taking pictures of her to prove that.
“What?” I asked. “Why?”
“I’ve had someone following her ever since she went back to college,” he smirked at me, knowing that this was going to upset me. “I wanted to make sure that you kept your promise and that you didn’t contact her. Which, of course you did.” He shook his head smiling. “Just can’t help yourself. Just like me, you are.”
“You can’t just do that,” I snapped angrily, ignoring the one comment that he’d said just to rile me up. “That’s against every single one of her rights.”
He laughed mirthlessly, which sent a bolt of anger that raced right through me. How fucking dare he? Who did this dickhead think he was? Before I even knew it, a red mist had descended and I was gunning for him. I started racing at him with my fists flying. I needed to hit him, to cause him pain, and there was nothing that would stop me.
But I didn’t get the satisfaction that I wanted, that I so desperately needed. My dad ducked out of the way, and I ended up bashing my hand against the nearest wall, injuring only myself.
“Fuck,” I cried out angrily, growing increasingly frustrated with myself as I showed even more weakness.
“Do you not want to know what I found out?” he asked in a smarmy voice, as if I hadn't just tried to punch him. “It affects you, you know?”
I half wanted to ask him, but I didn’t want him to know that he’d gotten to me, so I stayed silent and stubborn, crossing my arms across my chest to disguise my reddened hand.
“Danica is pregnant,” he announced with pride, to which I shook my head sarcastically. He would try anything to hurt me this man. But then he handed me a photo which showed another angle of Danica, and a very clear baby bump.
“That could just be the way she’s standing,” I said lamely, trying to justify it. But deep down, I already knew that it was the truth. It was totally obvious.
So why the hell hadn't she told me?
Why was I being forced to find out in such a dreadful manner?
My heart thumped painfully, rattling against my rib cage as I thought about everything we’d been through while she was keeping this information inside. I hadn't even noticed what she was wearing when I met her tonight, I’d only been focused on her natural beauty, but thinking back, she had been wearing baggy clothes that weren’t her style at all.
“I also found this.” Dad gave me a positive pregnancy test, which I held delicately between my fingers. “In the garbage at home. She’s known about this baby for months.”
And if he hadn't dug the knife in enough, he continued. “Of course, the baby is yours. As far as I can see anyway, I haven’t seen evidence of her screwing anyone else, except her stepbrother.” There was a disgust on his tone, which I chose to ignore. I knew for a fact that she wouldn’t have been with anyone else; she just wasn’t that sort of girl, which meant only one thing.
The baby was mine. I was about to be a father.
Me, a father. It was almost unbelievable.
I was too shocked to even reply, never mind argue. I just couldn’t wrap my head around it all. Danica was pregnant, carrying my baby, and I’d acted like such a horrible douche bag. I went up and down, then I ran away leaving her all alone. What sort of father did that make me? No wonder she didn’t want to know me; no wonder she was so reluctant to even give me the time of day again. If it hadn't been for this horrible situation, she might never have spoken to me again, and that would have been all that I deserved.
Dad took advantage of my silence. “If you don’t stop this little investigation of yours, things could get really ugly for you and Danica,” he warned.
I glanced up into his eyes, and I could see just how deadly serious he was. I didn’t have to think about it too long; there was only one obvious solution here.
“Of course,” I conceded. “I’ll stop. That’s no issue.”
“Good,�
� he replied, satisfied with my answer.
With that, he left, leaving me by myself with only my thoughts for company. I slumped down on the bed, feeling terror course through my veins. I was half tempted to phone Danica, to ask her about it, but I decided that would be better as a face-to-face conversation.
I needed to process it first.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Danica
Walking away from Rhett was the hardest thing that I’d ever had to do–especially with such an awful atmosphere behind us. It was so weird that neither of us knew what to do around one another, but I hoped that would eventually subside.
“I wish that I hadn't gone. I should have stayed, but dad threatened me. He threatened you…”
I thought about Rhett’s words over and over, wondering what he meant by threaten. I was so blown away by his revelation that I didn’t even think to ask. I had been so determined to believe that he had just vanished because he couldn’t stand me anymore, that to learn it was something different was a massive shock.
And then to find out what Brad was really like… I just couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t imagine my mom picking such a horrible man to marry. What the hell had she been thinking? Did she have even an inkling of the truth?
I’d always assumed that people could never be married to a criminal without at least some knowledge, but I couldn’t believe that she would throw away the career that she’d worked so hard for over this. She had no idea, and I was going to have to be the one to tell her.
Urgh, tomorrow is going to be absolutely awful.
I clambered quietly back into my bed and I lay my head down on the pillow, trying to shut my racing mind off. I needed to get at least some sleep if I was going to through all of that trauma tomorrow. I squeezed my eyes shut, wishing that none of this was happening while I was pregnant. It was so stressful, and I really didn’t need that. I hadn't even managed to see the doctor yet, and I felt guiltier about that with each day that passed. I’d been planning on phoning again in the morning, but it seemed like another day was going to be consumed by whatever the hell Brad was doing.
By the time the sunlight started to stream through the window, I sat up in the bed with my whole body aching–the sort of pain that could only have come from tossing and turning all night. I hadn’t slept much at all, and I was already feeling it. Not only were my emotions all over the place with the thought of seeing Rhett again, but the panic was starting to consume me, too.
I glanced over at Mom, who was still sleeping, and I decided to sneak into the shower to let her rest for a little while longer. I grabbed my belongings, and I started to make my way over to the door, but by the time I got there a quiet knock rang out on the door.
Knock, knock.
My heart raced as I wondered if it could be Brad. I was pretty sure that Mom had told him where she was staying in one of her desperate messages, which meant that he could turn up at any given moment.
Knock, knock.
“Hello?” I whispered quietly, not wanting to open the door until I knew exactly who it was.
“Danica, it’s me!” Rhett hissed through the crack, causing a sense of calm to overcome me. Thank God! I swung the door open with a big smile spread across my cheeks.
“Back so soon?” I asked, feeling happy that he was here. We hadn't made any set plans for what time we would be seeing each other, and I found myself feeling really glad that it was earlier rather than later. At least I wouldn’t have to explain this entire mess to Mom by myself–Rhett knew more about it all than I did, anyway.
But Rhett didn’t smile back. In fact, he appeared to be in full panic mode, his face was contorted in what appeared to be shock. “Come out here,” he insisted, flickering his eyes everywhere. “I need to talk to you now. Alone.”
What the hell?
Just as I thought things were finally pulling themselves together again, something else had happened. Rhett was much calmer last night, so clearly somehow between midnight and now everything was about to change.
Adrenaline was coursing through my veins as I stepped out into the hallway with him. My heart raced, my body trembled, and my emotions flew everywhere. I hated seeing him so wound up, especially when I didn’t know what I could do about it.
“What’s going on?” I crossed my arms across my chest, suddenly feeling a little self-conscious about my dishevelled appearance–which was silly because it was the least of my problems. “Are you okay?”
He certainly didn’t look okay. In fact, he looked more of a mess than I’d ever seen him before. Sure, he was never the primped and preened type, but this was on another level. I wanted to reach out and grab him, but I couldn’t. That invisible barrier was still there between us, and I couldn’t do anything about that right now.
But Rhett didn’t answer me; he simply gave me a long and lingering look that I didn’t know how to decipher. That was until he grabbed me, and wrapped his arms around me before kissing me hard. But this kiss wasn’t particularly loving, or passionate. It was desperate, and that had me more worried than anything else.
Of course, I was glad to have his lips pressed up against mine, but I couldn’t help freaking out. This wasn’t right, it felt too…off. We hadn't even discussed the possibility of us yet, and I certainly didn’t feel like this was the best way to start it, so I pushed him off with a stunned shock on my face.
“What the hell is going on? Tell me now,” I demanded, hoping that I sounded fiercer than pissed off. I wasn’t angry, just a little confused and afraid of screwing everything up.
“I’m okay,” he insisted, nodding a little too wildly for my liking. “I’m just glad that you’re all right, too.”
“Why? What’s going on?” I hissed. “Why wouldn’t I be?” I was in full panic mode now too, and there was no reeling it in. Something bad must have happened somewhere along the way and I’d missed it somehow. The tension was killing me, why wasn’t he just telling me the truth? Did I need to shake it out of him?
But then he spoke out, and he stunned me to my core.
“Why didn’t you tell me that you were pregnant?”
Oh my God.
My ears buzzed, my eyes went dizzy, and I felt my whole world fall out from beneath me. Somehow, Rhett knew my secret before I was ready to tell him, and I had no idea what to do about it. I stepped backwards, as if I was in a daze, and I stared at him, confused and afraid. “How…” I started, trembling with fear. “How did you find out?”
But surprisingly he didn’t look angry at me at all. In fact, he looked sort of happy. That was probably the last emotion I was expecting, after everything that we’d been through. “So, it’s true then?” he asked, with a beaming smile on his face. He reached out his hands to grab me, but I couldn’t reciprocate his actions.
In fact, I couldn’t match his emotions at all; I was too unsettled and surprised. It made me really uncomfortable that he’d found out without my knowledge, which hadn't allowed me to control the situation at all. But there was nothing I could do about it now, no point in trying to keep up the lie, so I nodded, finally telling him the truth.
“I know you probably think that I should be angry that you kept it from me, but I’m really not.” he exclaimed, pulling me in for a hug which I finally allowed myself to melt into. “I know how weird everything was, and you probably didn’t want to throw another complication into the mix.” That was putting it mildly. “I’m happy because I know that we’ll work things out eventually.”
This would have been the perfect time for him to tell me that he loved me for the very first time. Or maybe it would have been the worst, I wasn’t sure. All I knew was that I was feeling it massively, and I would have loved to have heard it.
But I didn’t.
And I didn’t say it, either.
Instead, Rhett pulled back, looked deeply into my eyes, and said, “Danica, we need to go now. Right now. Me, you, and your mom.” He was focusing on the current situation, rather than any feelings which w
as the smart thing to do, but I couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. Why did he seem to be so much more in control of his feelings than me?
“What’s going on?” He still hadn't told me, and I really needed to know. I wasn’t going anywhere until I at least knew why. He couldn’t just rock up here and tell me to leave without explaining what he knew. I deserved to know, and so did my mom.
“My dad has been watching you, while you’ve been here.” My blood ran cold. Was that somehow how Rhett had found out about the baby? Why the hell was Brad so interested in what I was doing, anyway? Was it purely because he suspected about me and Rhett or was there something more sinister there? I couldn’t help feeling a little violated. “And me, too. He was in my hotel room last night.”
“What?” I practically screamed. “Mom has been worried sick about that bastard, and he’s close by? That’s unbelievably out of order.” How could he have left my mom worrying like that while he was swanning about the place acting like a dick? I could not have hated him more.
“I know, but now isn’t the time or place to debate that.” He was right, of course he was, but that didn’t make it any easier to deal with. “What we need to do is get out from under his radar, and get to safety.”
“But how are we going to do that if he’s watching us?” I pulled my clothes tighter around me, glancing everywhere, feeling like his eyes were all over me. I just couldn’t believe that I’d been watched and that despite all of my secret keeping he had managed to find out about my baby.
“Don’t worry about that; I have a plan.” I gave him a look, but it didn’t seem to affect him at all. He wasn’t telling me anything right now. “Trust me, the less you know about this, the better,” he insisted.
Trust him.
Did I? It was such a simple request, but so loaded because of our past. I wanted to, and my instincts were telling me that I could, but my brain just wanted to slow down for a second, just to confirm that I was making the right choice. I didn’t want my feelings for Rhett to get in the way of something so potentially dangerous. Not when it affected more people than just me.