“Bingo!” Leonardo called out just as Harlow walked back into the room, catching everyone's undivided attention. “We have it down that he has a suspected abandoned warehouse where he does operations. I bet that is exactly where he would take Lisa, because it is in an abandoned area back from where all the factories and things shut down. No one would know she was there, and she would not know how to get out of there,” Leonardo concluded.
“Then, let’s go get her!” Harlow said, handing the tea to Marsha and puffing his chest up. He should have known, as an officer, it wasn't so simple, but he wanted it to be. “I know, I know,” he told Leonardo before he could say anything about it. “We can’t just do that. Why don’t you go talk to the boss and get us some backup on this? You are better at reasoning with people.”
Leonardo scoffed in agreement and left Harlow and Marsha alone in the office while he went to tell their boss, hoping against hope that he would allow the precinct's resources for this. After all, it was truly a crime and something that concerned them.
Luckily, his boss was all for it and got a team together, and they were loaded up and out the door. Marsha was allowed to wait for them at the precinct to know as soon as possible if Lisa was safe. Thomas had also come in, being sent with the money as a decoy to the drop point. The less eyes on Lisa, the better.
Chapter Twenty-One
Lisa had no idea how much time had passed since she had been kidnapped. The two masked men had been in and out, but she always heard men outside the door, walking back and forth and talking. She got the feeling there was at least ten or more people in that compound. The chances of someone being able to come in and save her were slim. She was sure they all had guns and other weapons. They probably even had some kind of surveillance. These career criminals always did.
Her stomach growled in hunger, a little pain shooting through her because of it, but she had to ignore it. Hunger was the least of her worries. She wished she could cup her stomach and somehow comfort the child within that everything would be alright somehow. That it would get food and be out of that place in no time. But not only was she still tied up, but the later it got, the less hope she held onto that Thomas was going to make sure that she got out of there alive.
Technically, he could have easily gone to Marsha for the money. She had it, even if Thomas did not, but would he bother, or would he just run? The way he was acting about being investigated for tax fraud made her wonder about the possibility that he would just try and escape them. It would get him out of a lot of his problems when she thought about it. That was sick, though, if he left their sons behind and her to die like that, but how could she trust he wouldn’t anymore?
There was suddenly a commotion going on. She could hear yelling and then gunfire. She perked up, wondering if somehow, someone had gotten to the police, to Harlow and Leonardo, and they were there to take care of it. Somewhere in her heart, she knew it had to be true. They had come to save her from this mess. She started crying instantly, and then the door burst open, shots ringing out just beyond.
Leonardo and Harlow burst in the door, but she could barely make them out through the tears. She tried to tell them how happy she was they had come to save her, but then she remembered she had the duct tape over her mouth.
The two men rushed over to her. They both began to untie her and remove the ropes and duct tape from her, giving her both pain and relief at the same time. Lisa was overwhelmed with joy and gratefulness as she looked at the two men that had come for her. Their eyes met with hers, and she could see how worried they had both become for her.
“How did you find me?” she asked, happy tears coming from her eyes as she reached out for them, wanting to pull them into an embrace. The talk she’d been planning to have with them that morning and the doctor’s appointment had almost been entirely forgotten because Lisa was just so happy to have them there saving her.
Other officers began filing into the room as she let go of them, and reality hit her like a ton of bricks. She was still treating the two men equally, but she knew they wouldn't always be that way. She was about to be a mother again, and one of them was the father. Her cheeks turned red at the audience, but Harlow lifted her up and began to carry her out, following behind all of the others.
“I want you to close your eyes,” he told her, and she didn't want to think about why as they left that draft building where she had been held hostage. She could only imagine, and Lisa did not want those images in her mind right now. Instead, she thought about what it would feel like to be in the backseat of the police vehicle on her way home, or maybe even to one of their places.
Luckily, it was a comfortable SUV that they had brought, and she was laid down in the back with the men looking at her from the rearview mirror. "Do you need to get checked out at the hospital? I don't want to take you home if you're not going to be okay. Of course, we will stay with you if you'd like, but we also want Marsha to see you are okay," Leonardo questioned, his dark eyes peering back at her.
Lisa took a moment to assess herself. Technically, she had not been harmed at all. Her blood pressure and heart rate were certainly up, so there was that concern, but she felt that she would be fine if she relaxed in a warm bath and then got to talk to the two men the way she needed to. There was no time like the present.
“I think I just need to go home and take a bath, if you don't mind. I am not hurt, just shaken. I would love your company,” she told them, feeling exhausted as she leaned against the door. Leonardo nodded, and Harlow started the engine, readying it to drive off. Lisa tried not to look at the warehouses and other police vehicles as they passed by. She would guess this turned into a big bust, getting a loan shark and everyone else who was in that compound. A lot of people would be safer because of this, her included. She did wonder, though, what happened to Thomas.
“Can you tell me what happened to Thomas?” Lisa asked, thinking of him and her boys. It was almost time for them to be picked up, and they were supposed to be with their father for the weekend. She got the feeling that might not be happening.
“He confessed and turned himself in for tax fraud. I think all of this gave him a good scare. Do your boys have somewhere to go?” Leonardo asked her.
“I can always call a friend to get them from school, but I don't have my purse or my cell or anything,” Lisa said, worrying about how the boys would take all of this.
“We were able to obtain your belongings,” Leonardo told her, making her feel relief. “I don't imagine they were after anything of yours, just to keep you from being able to call for help.” He tossed her cell back to her, and miraculously, it had a little bit of battery left. Lisa instantly texted their friend's mother to pick them up and then gave Sean's cell phone a call to let them know what would be happening.
“Hi, I know the both of you are about to be out of school. You won't be going to Dad's tonight, and I am sorry. I want you to have fun with your friend tonight and then I will be there to pick you up in the morning and explain what is going on. I love you both.” Lisa tried not to tear up. He hormones were in overdrive after the experience she had, and she still had to prove to her mother she was alright.
It wasn't too long before they pulled into the precinct, and Harlow helped her out of the back of the SUV and they both helped her get up the steps. They took her straight to their office, which held a very distraught Marsha Howard, waiting to find out if her daughter was alright. The two were left alone to hug and cry it out before Leonardo and Harlow came back in.
“If you don't mind too much, we are going to make sure your daughter gets home safely and gets some rest, Mrs. Howard,” Harlow told Marsha. “We need to make sure we get a statement from her about everything, but we don't want to keep either of you here with all you have been through. Marsha, we will be by in the morning to get yours, alright?”
Marsha nodded and hugged her daughter one more time before leaving, the two officers and Lisa trailing behind her.
“We will stay with yo
u tonight and take you to the impound lot to get your car in the morning. We found it in front of the doctor’s office. I can't believe the audacity of someone to kidnap you in such a public place like that,” Harlow seethed. Lisa smiled to herself at his anger, always wanting to jump in and protect her. That was something she was learning about Harlow. She was learning a lot about both men, and she suspected to gain even more insight later that night.
Lisa was so happy when she got in the door at her house. She had heard from her sons that they had made it to their friend’s house safely and were hanging out playing games as always. Lisa excused herself immediately to the bathroom, going for the master and shutting the door. She took a few deep breaths in and out before she went to the tub, pouring in some Epsom salt and a raspberry bath bomb before turning on the hot water. The soothing smells filled the room, and she stripped down to nothing, surveying herself in the mirror.
The trained eye could easily tell now that she was pregnant, especially if she were to wear something tighter around her body than sweats. In a couple of weeks, probably most that saw her in public would notice, and by 20 weeks, her sons would even begin to wonder. Certainly, they had seen a pregnant woman before. It didn't matter that this was a stressful night, there was no need or point to wait any longer to spill the beans.
The bathtub had filled up, and she reached down to turn the water off, calmed and soothed by the smells that were wafting through the now steamy room.
Lisa started by dipping her toes on, making sure it wasn't too hot, and then she submerged her body, letting all the muscles in her body relax as she closed her eyes. She tried not to drift off, though she was exhausted from the day. She had to be strong, though, for her boys. She had no idea what kind of sentence Thomas would get from what he had done, or how they would do without their father in their life. On top of that, she would have to tell them she was getting serious enough with someone to be pregnant by them. In her head, she made a note to get them some regular counseling to make sure they could weather this storm. She would even have to get a job now of some kind, a full-time one, with Thomas unlikely to be able to pay child support to her from jail, especially when it was his finances being investigated.
Lisa felt a little overwhelmed with the idea of having to become a woman she never was before. She had little experience, having only worked as an assistant to her father for a couple of years after she had her sons while Thomas was working his way up to making more money. But she had to have faith and confidence. Besides, surely one of the men would help with the new baby, and the boys were getting old enough that they could be responsible on their own for a couple of hours a day. She was going to make this work, one way or the other. She just had to take it one day at a time.
Lisa sank further into the water and knew she was drifting off as strange dreams swirled in her head about the kidnapping and her experiences in the ménage relationship. It was only as the water began to get cold that her body woke up and let her know it was time to get out and go face the two wonderful men who had saved her life.
Lisa pulled the plug and stepped out of the bath, drying herself off and then simply wrapping herself up in a red robe she had hanging on the door. She felt like she needed to be comfortable, and she doubted there would be anything sexual going on tonight. After all, she had been through something dramatic and was about to reveal her pregnancy to Harlow and Leonardo.
Lisa carefully combed through her wet hair and pulled it up out of the way, before taking a deep breath to ready herself and walking out into the living room. The two men had made themselves at home with coffee, and they had ordered take out, it seemed. She smiled warmly at them as they offered her a plate. She knew she needed to eat, but she wanted to get what was on her mind out first.
She sat down and looked at them both, hoping and praying that nothing too much was going to change between them. “I have been meaning to talk with you both about something, and I know this may not seem like a good time, but I think this is important.”
Lisa looked and saw she had their attention. Their cups and food were down. “You’re worrying me, Lisa, what’s going on?” Leonardo asked.
“I was at the doctor’s office today for a reason. I was getting blood work done and seeing how I was doing because I am pregnant.” She didn't see any reason to draw it out, so she just said it, out there in the open.
Lisa was waiting for the shock to set in, or anger or confusion. She did see emotions cross their faces, but there was no blowup. “Wow! Certainly not what I expected, but it is an exciting surprise!” Harlow said, his face lighting up. Lisa stared at him, dumbfounded.
Leonardo reached out his hand and placed it over hers. “I know we were not wanting that specifically and that you obviously do not know which one of us is the father, but I am here for whatever it is you need or want us to do,” he said kindly.
“So, you aren’t angry or anything?” Lisa asked them.
“Of course not. In any adult relationship this can happen,” Leonardo said thoughtfully.
“Exactly, and this could be a great adventure. Just tell us how you want to handle this,” Harlow added. There was a buzz of excitement in the room she did not expect at all.
“I think the best thing is to take this one day, one step at a time. It is my intention to raise this child with a father figure, so I am hoping something comes of one of our relationships, but even if it doesn’t, you can be in the child's life. I will be getting some kind of job to pay for this and the two boys now that Thomas is in jail, so I don't know how much time I will have for dating or trysts, but I will make the most time I can,” she explained.
“Whatever makes you happy, we will respect it. I think this could just happen naturally, however it goes. Either way, I will be here to help you through this pregnancy and beyond,” Leonardo said, placing his hand on her knee.
“Me too,” Harlow seconded, reaching out to embrace her. Lisa couldn't help but let the tears of relief flow. This was all going to work out somehow, and they were going to be here for her. She wasn't in it alone, and she had needed to know that, more than anything.
Epilogue
Lisa smiled at the room as she looked around at all that had been done already. The boys and the officers and Marsha had all been able to help paint the wall in pink and gold stripes like she wanted, and a few beautiful pictures were put up on the walls. All of the furniture they had purchased for the nursery was out in a truck that Leonardo had paid to rent, and Harlow was out there now with him, getting it all assembled and inside.
It was only a week before Lisa's due date, and she was thrilled to be having a girl and that everything was really coming together. She had gotten a sudden burst of energy the day before, much needed to finish out getting ready for their little Violet Howard to get there. That was the name all three of them had agreed on, and the boys even pitched in on that as well.
Leonardo and Harlow both appeared, baby furniture in hand. Lisa was instantly in awe of it, how gorgeous it was. They had been shopping around everywhere in stores and resale shops, anywhere they could find things. Leonardo had called her with great excitement when he had gone to a church yard sale his parents were a part of and found pretty much an entire set of pink and white baby furniture.
Currently in their hands were a crib and a changing table with three shelves on it, perfect for storing diapers and all the other supplies she would need, like wipes and even clean bottles for night feedings.
The crib was stunning, looking like it had almost never been used. “Oh, the bedding I bought will look so perfect with it!” Lisa exclaimed, clapping her hands together in front of her face and trying not to get emotional as it was all coming together. She had one set with teddy bears and another with lollipops. One was pink and one yellow. It was turning into the perfect little haven for Violet. She was also lucky the boys liked each other so much and had been willing to share a room. To be fair, she had actually let them have the master, and took the larger of the
two other bedrooms for herself. Harlow was actually pretty handy with remodels, and he was able to make the other bathroom into an en suite.
Things with the men had been good; very good, considering she had decided along with them to wait for a paternity test until after birth, and that even then it might not happen, depending on who she chose. She had made a promise to herself to make a choice soon, so that she would not confuse the boys any more than she felt like she already had. The officers were around a lot, but she had not revealed to her boys yet who the father was or who she was dating, but they were pretty smart for their age. So, it wouldn't take long for them to get suspicious about the station.
Lisa watched as the two men went back out only to bring in more items: a small dresser and a rocking horse, and a few stuffed animals and little noisemaking toys they had found at the yard sale as well. It was amazing what you could find on the cheap if you knew where to look. Lisa was suddenly glad she didn't buy some expensive set at a furniture store.
Finally, they brought in a glider, one that was a beautiful cherry wood with pink cushions. Her mother followed, a big smile on her face.
“That one is from me. I saw it and just could not resist,” she said brightly, coming in for a hug.
Lisa smiled and started to cry, the tears flooding out. “It is gorgeous, all of it is. I am sorry; I am just so emotional right now,” she apologized, looking around through the curtain of water in her eyes.
“As you should be,” Marsha replied, rubbing her daughter’s back. “Now, what can I help with?” she asked. Lisa's eyes went wide with excitement and she led her mother to the hall closet. In there, she had a few pieces of clothing, some burping cloths and diapers, and all the other things she got at the baby shower that was helpful for her at her mother’s place. She had been so surprised at the turnout, and she had scored many great things, even a baby swing and a beautiful crocheted blanket.
Two Serve And Protect_A Reverse Harem Romance Page 11