***
“Have you been under a lot of stress lately, Ms. Carter?” Dr. Chen asked as she scanned the charts in front of her.
Ramsey stood on the opposite side of Jezebel’s bed. When she’d screamed, he’d rushed into the bathroom, thinking there was another attack. What he’d seen was much worse. She’d been staring between a piece of toilet paper and her panties in horror. The moment he’d caught sight of the blood, Ramsey swept into action. Because time was essential, he’d rushed her to the nearest hospital and told Dr. Chen to meet them there.
“Yes, she’s been under a lot of stress lately,” he answered.
Jezebel nodded and placed a protective hand over her belly. “Am I losing my baby?”
His heart stopped and Ramsey clutched the bed rails as he waited for the answer. Dr. Chen looked between both of them. “You’re not in the clear yet but at the moment, it doesn’t look like it. I spent the last few hours running tests and observing you. Except for your pressure, which is very high, your other vitals are fine and your baby isn’t in distress. In fact, it looks like the bleeding’s stopped.” He allowed himself a smidgen of hope. The doctor addressed him as she spoke. “I’d like to keep her overnight for observation―”
“No,” Jezebel interrupted with a quick shake of her head. The fear he saw in her eyes made his heart hurt.
Ramsey brought a hand to her cheek and stroked gently. “Relax, baby. Let me worry about that.”
“She needs to rest, stay off of her feet for at least a week,” the doctor continued, looking back to her charts. “Nothing more strenuous than a walk to the bathroom.” She lifted her eyes and looked between them. “And no sex.”
That was a given.
“Can you and your team set up a room at my estate instead?”
The doctor sighed and nodded once. “Yes, but at least let her stay here for a few more hours. I’ll send my team over now and when they’re ready, we can move her.”
When Dr. Chen left, Ramsey sat next to Jezebel, took her limp hand in his and offered her a little smile. She didn’t return it.
“If I lose the baby―”
“Jezebel!” he interrupted, forcing himself to remain calm. “You won’t lose him. It’s the stress, just like Dr. Chen said.”
She swallowed and looked down at their joined hands. “God’s punishing me.”
“What?” He shook his head, trying to make sense of her words. It had been a harrowing afternoon with Jezebel being poked and prodded as they anxiously waited for news. It was a wonder they could both string together sentences much less thoughts.
She looked at him and the sadness he read there made Ramsey want to get into bed with her, hold her and tell her it would be fine. If he wasn’t afraid of making the situation worse, he would have.
“Karma,” she breathed.
“Baby, you’re not making sense.”
“I tried to get rid of him months ago.” She smiled sadly. “I thought I was being smart, doing the logical thing. It didn’t make any sense to have a baby in Witness Protection.”
He looked away, ashamed. This was his fault. He’d been selfish in bringing her into his world, and in doing so, had exposed her to so much pain. “You were doing what you thought was best for the baby.”
“And now I’m being punished.”
“No one’s punishing you.”
Her sniffles made him look up. “I didn’t want him then, but now that I do, He’s taking him from me.”
“Jezebel!” Ramsey snapped, pushing to his feet and towering over her. She blinked rapidly and lifted her head to stare at him. He could only imagine how he looked, towering over her like this with his hair uncombed and sticking every which way. “You are not losing our baby! Do you hear me? You’re NOT losing him. Do you understand me?”
When she only stared at him with wide lost eyes, Ramsey lowered his voice but stated firmly, “Nod if you understand.”
She nodded once, twice. He sat down, gripped her hand, and brought it to his lips. “Good. That’s good, baby.”
***
Ramsey Stone was in a foul mood. He’d spent the day reassuring and watching over his pregnant…watching over Jezebel and now, he was exhausted, angry, and ready to kill something. Chang Chul-Moo seemed to be volunteering so Ramsey decided to indulge him.
“Are you ready to talk about who’s responsible for that attempt on Jezebel’s life?” Ramsey clenched and unclenched his hand. His fist was on fire, likely bruised, but he didn’t mind. He’d take this pain and any other over watching the defeat on Jezebel’s face as she thought she was losing their baby.
“You know who’s responsible,” the older man muttered, spitting out blood and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “You started a war and I was going to end it.”
“You failed,” Ramsey murmured, approaching the fallen man again. “Who are you working with?”
“I’ve never needed cheerleaders like you, goja,” he drawled.
“You’re working with someone who has access to my security systems, someone with access to my house.” Vince’s initial prediction had been right. Someone had hacked into his security system and shut it down while simultaneously overriding the command to Vince’s phone. “Who?”
Chang laughed.
“This is funny?”
“You’re funny.” The man sat up, and when he wasn’t knocked back down, pushed to his feet. He placed a hand against the tiled wall for balance. Ramsey had had his “guests” moved. The warehouse would have opened for business so he had them taken to a slaughterhouse. “You have no intention of letting me go, letting my daughter or grandsons go. You think I’m responsible for killing your niece and no matter what I say, you’ll still think it.”
“If you’re not responsible, why did you go through the trouble of kidnapping Jezebel?”
“Leverage,” Chang muttered, spitting again. “Ransom. You give me my family back and I’ll give you yours.”
“Give me a name, Chang.”
“And what happens if I do? You’ll let them go?”
“I tried to barter with you earlier and look what happened.” Ramsey clicked his tongue. “But, you need an incentive, don’t you?” He looked him in the eye as he said, “You’re going to die so your life has no worth.” The older man didn’t flinch. He’d accepted the truth. “Your daughter will probably die of an infection or pneumonia soon, so her life’s worth little.” Chang’s jaw tightened. “Not worthless, as a trip to the emergency room would take care of that, but worth little.” He walked over to the door and paused. “But your grandsons.”
“Only an animal would murder two six year olds.”
“I’m the animal you created when you murdered my niece and attacked my woman. Twice.”
“What?”
“Kim told me of your plans: torture her, rape her, cut her open, take the child out and what were his exact words? ‘Chop him up.’ ” Chang blanched. “Shock won’t save you but if you give me the names―”
“I never gave that order!”
“No?”
“A pregnant woman? A child?” Chang roared, shaking his head. “On my grandsons, I didn’t give that order!”
“Then who? If it wasn’t you, then who?”
The older man shook his head. “I don’t know…” He broke off and his eyes began to wander. Ramsey caught the look and moved closer.
“Who?”
Chang’s face grew shuttered.
“I’m growing weary of this game.” Ramsey walked to the door and knocked. It opened and grim-faced Vince stepped in. “Bring the twins.”
“Wait!”
He looked over his shoulder at the old man, who’d slid down the tile and was back on the floor. “Are you ready to give me a name?”
Chang nodded once.
Ramsey closed the door and waited.
“Bye…Min-Kyu.”
The name didn’t sound familiar. “Who is that?”
“My nephew.”
“You’r
e lying.” Ramsey approached him and shook his head, disappointed. He knew all of the important members of Chang’s family, and a nephew was important when the man had no living sons. “To save yourself, you’re making up family members. I expected more…”
“Min-Kyu is my sister’s son,” Chang snarled. “He was born in London and lived there until recently.”
“How recently?”
“Five years ago.”
“Where does he live now?”
“He travels.”
“Where?”
“Sometimes America, sometimes China, Japan, South Korea. He’s a business man.”
“Is he here now?”
Chang took his time, but he nodded once.
“Where?”
“Did you kill the men who took your geomdung-i?”
Ramsey’s still stare must have conveyed more than he wished because Chang nodded. “Where-ever you put his body, that’s where he is.”
“How convenient for you, old man. A nephew I’ve never heard of conspired with your son-in-law to kill my niece and my woman, and both parties are dead.” Ramsey smiled. “Dead men tell no tales.”
Chang shrugged. “I don’t give a shit if it’s convenient. I had nothing to do with the death of your niece or the first attack on your woman. This morning was all me…and Min-Kyu. He organized it.”
“With whom?”
“He had a contact on the inside.”
A rat, Ramsey thought with a snarl. One had already been discovered and Chang just confirmed his suspicions that there were more.
“Did he give you a name?”
Chang shook his head.
“Why did you meet with the Triad?”
“What?” When Ramsey only lifted his brows, Chang muttered, “We have a business relationship.”
“Business? With the Triad?”
“We trade.”
“You trade?”
“Narcotics.” Ramsey lifted a brow. “Meth…marijuana…there’s a market for it.”
“And you wanted to reaffirm that you had an ally if I came after you.” Ramsey smirked. “Where are your allies now?”
Less than ten minutes later, he stepped from the room and closed the door.
“Should I get the twins?” Vince asked. He’d taken a seat against the wall facing the door and had his phone in his hands.
“No. What do you do know about Bye Min-Kyu?”
***
The week was a blur.
Jezebel was always tired. No matter how much she slept, she could still sleep more. She woke up for food, the bathroom, and conversation, and then she went right back to sleep. She’d fallen asleep on almost every visitor she’d had and there had been more than a few. Ramsey was her most frequent. He slept next to her at night and sometimes, when she woke up, he was perched on the bed beside her, reading something or staring at her. After him, was her sister. She’d opened her eyes to find Delilah in “her” chair, feet kicked up and iPad in hand, more times than not. Then there was Hannah, who was always with the servants when they brought her food. Hannah talked her through most of her meals, staying until Jezebel cleaned her plate and took the pills she’d been prescribed. Sarah visited as well and Jezebel grew to like her during those encounters. Sarah was timid, almost nervous at first, but once they found a topic she loved, she went on and on about it. Sweet. That was how she described Sarah Stone. She’d even seen Vince a few times, though he looked like he was scoping out her room rather than paying her a visit.
Before Jezebel knew it, Dr. Chen was standing over her, checking her vitals and sounding very pleased. Her pressure was down, and had normalized; there had been no other bleeding. The baby’s vitals were strong too. The doctor wrote another prescription and handed it to Ramsey, who’d been standing just behind her, silent and observant.
“How much longer do I have to stay in bed?” Jezebel asked.
The doctor smiled. “Take a few days, two or three, before walking around the house. Remember, less is more. You’ve been off of your feet for a long time. Take it easy at first…a few minutes walking at first, then rest. No heavy lifting, no sports, and no sex.” Her smile faded and she grew serious. “And if you have any pain, any cramping, strange feelings like fullness or pressure, you have my numbers. Call me immediately.”
Dr. Chen was packing her medical bag, when Jezebel asked, “What about travelling?”
“I’m sorry?”
Jezebel looked at Ramsey, whose face grew shuttered almost instantly. She hated that look, that blasé, I-can’t-be-bothered-to-have-feelings stare that descended on his face when she said something he didn’t like.
“Can I travel? And if so, how soon?”
The doctor stopped loading her bag. “You’re closing in on your sixth month, Jezebel, and about to enter into your third trimester, which is the most risky of the trimesters for obvious reasons. We also have to consider that just a week ago, you had a significant amount of bleeding. I’ve advised most of my patients to refrain from travelling after seven and a half to eight months, but your pregnancy is more…alarming.” She paused and looked over to Ramsey, before she sighed and addressed Jezebel again. “Where do you intend to go?”
“New York.” She broke off and shook her head. That might not be possible considering her ties to Ramsey Stone. “America…somewhere in America.”
“That’s a long flight from South Korea, Jezebel, and although you’re sitting for most it, the hustle and bustle of flying will put a great deal of stress on your body.”
“Is it possible?”
The doctor nodded. “It’s possible, but not without risk. I’ll return in a week to check on both you and the baby, and I’ll have a more fitting recommendation for you then.”
She’d barely closed the door behind her before Ramsey spoke. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Jezebel.”
Shifting to the edge of the bed, she put her feet down and pushed up. It had become more of an effort of late, with her belly now looking more and more like a beach ball. Ramsey moved close, but at her narrow-eyed glare, didn’t attempt to help as she made her way to the bathroom. She didn’t bother closing the door as she released her bladder. They’d done this routine before countless times over the past week.
As she washed her hands and face, he remained impassive by the door. Finally, she turned to him and muttered, “What?”
“Do you really think the best thing for you and the baby is to get on a plane?”
“I asked a question, Ramsey.” She moved further into the bathroom and grabbed a towel. “And I received an answer.”
“Why?”
She wiped her face and blotted at her neck before making her way to the door, to him. “Why what?”
“Why’d you ask?”
“Because I want to go home.” She paused directly in front of him. “I’d like to have my child in an American hospital, with my sister and my mother, and a doctor and nurses.” The impassive expression never changed. “I’d like to stop worrying that one day or night, someone’s going to break into this house again, take me somewhere, and kill me and my baby because of you.” He inhaled sharply. “I don’t care where I go, once I’m back on American soil, safe, and my family’s close enough.” Ramsey made no move to speak. He just stared down at her. “Excuse me, I’d like to lie down now.”
Getting back onto the bed was more difficult than getting off. The bed wasn’t exactly high, but she usually backed up onto it. Approaching it facing forward wasn’t working. She didn’t protest when Ramsey lifted her and placed her onto the bedding. As he pulled the covers across her belly and legs, he asked, “Are you hungry?”
She’d only had a light breakfast to prepare for the doctor’s visit and she was. Jezebel nodded.
“What would you like?”
Although he seemed unaffected, she knew her words had hurt him, but she wouldn’t apologize for how she felt. She’d been in South Korea for close to a month, and during that time, she’d been kidnapped by two men who
se brains had been blown out of their heads, and had come close to losing her baby. She just wanted to go home. “Whatever they’re serving for lunch…and pickles.”
“Pickles?”
“For dessert, I’d like a jar of pickles and a jar of peanut butter.”
His forehead creased but he nodded. “I’ll send someone up with your lunch and…dessert.”
***
She didn’t expect him to come to her that night but he did.
Delilah had turned off the lights when she left and Jezebel was trying to find a comfortable position to go to sleep when the door opened and closed quietly, the lock clicking into place, and footsteps padded over to her bed. In a matter of seconds, he was pressed to her back, his warmth seeping through her pajamas as his citrus and spice scent drowned hers.
“Ramsey,” she began on a sigh. “Why are you here?”
At first, she thought he wouldn’t answer. The silence between them stretched and then stretched some more. “I want to be here.”
“Why?” she whispered.
His hand swept along her side, over her belly. “You know why.”
Jezebel shook her head. “No, I don’t.” She sighed. “I’m much better now. Dr. Chen said I am. You don’t have to stay to make sure the baby’s fine.”
A sound that was a cross between a scoff, a groan, and a hiss left his lips. “You know why I’m here, why I’ve been here every night since you were released from the hospital.”
“The baby…” she breathed.
His lips brushed the back of her neck, both tickling and comforting her. “You and the baby.” He caressed her belly with slow, languid strokes. “Pretending I don’t love you won’t make it true.”
She froze. Ramsey kissed her neck again. “Relax, baby. You knew it, you just didn’t want to accept it.” He sighed and pulled her closer to him. “Sleep.”
In the next minutes, his breathing evened and his grip slackened but Jezebel remained awake, thinking about what Ramsey had just said. Had she known? How could she not? Did it matter? She shook her head. What future could she have with a mobster, even if she loved him just as much, if not more, than she’d loved the masseuse?
The Dragon (G.O.N.Y. - Double Dragon) Page 20