That made Lucian dig deeper. Who was she?
Turns out, Brianna was the result of an affair between Richard and her mother, Renee. The man that was shot? Brianna’s stepfather. And that meant that Brianna was the sole heir to Bind, one of the biggest the companies in the world.
This explained so much, but not enough. Why didn’t Beckham claim his daughter, and how did she end up with someone like James Connor on her back? Because James was no accident.
And he wasn’t. James was an ex-cop. He worked for his Uncle Aaron Jamerson. He too was curious about Brianna and started investigating her. When he found out who she was and her connection to Richard Beckham, he blackmailed the old man. And when the old man died, his money train ran out. At least on that end. Connor was into sex trafficking and drugs. Brianna knew this and said nothing. Until the day he tried to sell her.
But why? That’s what he wanted to know. And why was Connor still after Brianna. He got part of his answer talking to Agent Gabriel Roman of the FBI and he didn’t like it one bit. Bill Connor, current CEO of Bind and uncle to one James Connor, wanted her gone and offered his nephew a large sum of money to make her disappear. Not wanting to kill her, James tried to sell her. It backfired. Big time.
And that meant that this wasn’t over by a long shot and Brianna was in grave danger, thus putting Kelsey at risk as well. He needed to separate them, and as desperately as he wanted to protect her and tell her everything, Detective Roman wouldn’t allow it. Bill Connor needed to keep his place at the top of Bind in order for them to take him down properly.
So when he kissed Brianna goodbye, it really was goodbye until he figured out how to clean up his mess that he’d inherited, and hers. He wasn’t ready to let go of Brianna just yet, but he would do so for her sake.
He just prayed that his brother would protect her. Even if that meant that the old Drew that he tried so hard to suppress came out rearing his ugly, destructively dangerous head.
Thirty
School was starting in another week and she still hadn’t seen Jon. His band got a last minute gig in Los Angeles and ended up staying, doing a small tour in California and Las Vegas. They were on fire and Bree couldn’t blame them for wanting to keep the fire blazing.
In the meantime, Jon had her immediately move into his trailer outside of town. He promised that as soon as he returned, they were moving into a small home together. He was going to take care of her as always, and she found that it comforted her knowing that.
Cookies were fresh out of the oven and she popped one into her mouth as she scrubbed the dishes from her lunch. She couldn’t believe that she was still hungry, but stress eating does that to a person. She ate all day every day. She tried to catch herself and at least put something healthy into her mouth, but days like today, when she had to spend a large sum of money on college textbooks called for sugar.
“Honey, I’m home!” Jon called out, walking into the trailer.
Brianna squealed and cookie crumbs flew out of her mouth as she ran out of the kitchen to greet her best friend. His arms were full of bags, so she stood out of his way as he dropped them onto the couch. When he turned around to hug her, she froze in place at the look of shock on his face.
“Holy…shit!” he said slowly.
“What?” she glanced down at herself and blushed. She was wearing a pair of plaid shorts and a cotton t-shirt that was dirty from an accident with lunch and wet from washing dishes.
“Babe…” he trailed off, staring at her.
“What!” she demanded. “You missed me? I’m beautiful? I’m fat? I’m-“
“Pregnant!” he gasped.
She threw the rest of her cookie at him. “Shut up! I am not!”
“Baby, you’re…. Showing.” He said.
She scowled at him. “I’ve put on some weight from stress eating.” She insisted.
“I…. Babe….” He seemed to be at a loss for words, and it irritated her. “I’ve seen you gain weight from stress eating. It’s all hips and thighs. But this… Sweetheart, you’re all boobs and belly. Especially belly.”
He reached out and touched her stomach, rubbing the small curve that was once completely flat not too long ago. She glanced down to where his hand and her stomach met and she shook her head in disbelief. No, refusal. This could not be happening to her. Not now. Andrew would think that she planned it, trying to trap him into marrying her or something.
Besides, she didn’t want a baby. Babies needed responsible parents, and she could barely take care of herself. She was young, stupid, and reckless. And this just proved it. She was so self-absorbed that she didn’t even know she was pregnant. She was starting to show and Jon saw it with just one look at her. She’d been sitting there for weeks and didn’t notice her body changing.
“I haven’t been to a doctor.” She said. “I… I didn’t… I’m horrible!”
Jon pulled her into his arms and rubbed her back. “We’ll go tomorrow. I’ll force my way inside if I have to. We’ll see what’s what and get you the care that you need.” He insisted.
She smiled gratefully at him. He always knew what to do.
The baby measured in at fourteen almost fifteen weeks. Dr. Nash put her date of conception at the end of June. That meant that the baby could have been Lucian’s just as easily as Andrew’s and the knowledge made her stomach turn. She was definitely a dirty slut. She could see her episode of Maury now: Woman takes two billionaire brothers as lovers and needs to find her baby daddy. She could even picture herself running of the stage, and throwing herself on the sofa they keep backstage for some reason, crying.
Jon held her hand through everything. He was still holding her hand as they stopped in downtown Denver for ice cream. She wasn’t ready to fully acknowledge this child, yet she didn’t want the world to know either. So she was grateful that even though she wasn’t showing that much, she had the sense enough to wear the baggiest shirt she could find over a pair of sweats. What she wasn’t thankful for was the sudden surge of paparazzi wannabes who suddenly popped up, pointing their phones and snapping pictures of her and Jon thanks to his sudden burst of celebrity.
Eleanor sent her a text a few hours ago asking if everything was okay because she saw a picture of her with Jon, walking together into the hospital on some celebrity blog online. It was amazing how fast information travels nowadays thanks to social media. She saw the picture and cringed a little. The title read: Jonathan Moreno admitted to hospital. The article then goes into detail, making up a story about his being ill from the tour and his mystery girlfriend being by his side as he prepares for surgery. What crap!
“How do you feel?” he asked, watching her carefully as she went down the toppings bar, putting damn near everything on her two scoops.
“I don’t want to talk about it.” She said.
“Are you going to tell him? Lucian?” he asked. “I heard he’s getting married.”
“He is.” She shrugged.
“And?”
“No. I’m not going to tell him. Besides, I’m seeing someone else.” She told him.
His eyebrows shot up. “Who?”
“His brother.” She said and found herself blushing.
“Babe….” He sighed.
“I don’t want to talk about it.” She said again.
He shook his head. “Okay.” He agreed and dumped a heaping spoonful of Oreos on top of his chocolate ice cream.
She couldn’t enjoy her dessert. The baby wanted it, though, so she forced herself to eat it, making sure to drop in one of those nasty looking, huge prenatal vitamins to disguise it. Her mind went places she didn’t want it to. She wanted to think of the sex of the baby and what color she would paint the nursery, but then she would remind herself that she couldn’t afford a nursery. She wouldn’t ask Andrew for any help, and she refused to ask Lucian for anything ever again. She was stuck until she graduated and found a job.
Jon took her to dinner after ice cream and she nearly burst into tears. Kelsey, Amir
a, De’Antae, Paulie, Shelby, Eleanor, and Kevin were all waiting for them at the table. Jon gave her a squeeze before he sat down next to Shelby. Another pair of arms wrapped around her and she felt Drew kiss the back of her neck before she saw his face.
“Surprised?” he asked. She smiled and kissed him. “I just wanted to wish you luck on your senior year. I flew I your friends to surprise you.”
She did cry then. Happy tears. “Thank you, so much, Drew.” She sobbed.
He looked concerned for a moment. “Are you okay, sweetheart?” he asked. She nodded, unable to get anymore words out.
Andrew pulled her in for a hug. She glanced over his shoulder at Jon who looked confused. He pitied her situation but didn’t say it. Instead, he plastered on a smile and winked at her, making her feel instantly better as he spoke to Shelby.
Dinner went smoothly, but she was picking up on some tension coming from Andrew. He never let go of her during dinner. His hand was always around hers, or on her knee, his arm behind her chair, and a few times his hand was on her upper thigh. He kissed her a lot and whispered naughty things that made her blush in front of her friends.
When dinner was over, he expected her to go back to his hotel with him. She glanced worriedly at Jon who just shrugged, refusing to help her out of the current situation. He wanted her to tell him. She frowned at Jon before following Andrew out of the restaurant. To her surprise, Kevin and Eleanor were staying with Kelsey at her new apartment that she hated. It was right across the hall from Lucian and Samantha, who Kelsey described as a bridezilla from hell.
She was fidgeting the whole car ride to the hotel. She refused to let him touch her when they made love. Instead, she held his hands above his head and did all the work herself, telling him how sexy it was that they were doing it partially dressed. After it was all said and done, she silently cried herself to sleep in his arms when he casually mentioned how he enjoyed her extra weight and how she filled out more.
This pregnancy was going to ruin her life. She could feel it.
Thirty One
He’d spoken to his brother. He didn’t have a choice. He wanted Brianna protected and he knew that she wouldn’t let him within a thousand feet of her. Andrew would protect her. He proved it by dropping everything and flying straight to Colorado after their conversation. He had a feeling that his brother was in love with Brianna, and he hated him for it.
Drew used the opportunity to check on his local media station and look into new business projects. He hated that his brother was encroaching on his territory, and that included Brianna, but he swallowed down his rage for the greater good. He’d also noticed that the old Drew was starting to seep out. The dark one. The shady one. The one who hated Lucian as much as he hated him.
“Boss?” he looked up from his desk and saw Vinny standing in front of him. “He’s outside.”
“Bring him inside.” He snorted.
Vin walked out of his office and a moment later, pushed James Connor inside, shutting the door behind him and standing guard. He stared at the man up and down, approving of the obvious beating that Vin gave the guy before bringing him in. This was the main threat to his sister. To Brianna. And he was about to solve the problem.
“I hear you’ve been in contact with Brianna Michaels after I expressly forbid it.” He began.
“I only talked to her as an old friend.” He lied. He could tell the guy was lying because he wouldn’t look him in the eye. He was looking past him.
“Did I tell you that you could be friends with her? You were in New York for a specific reason. I didn’t give you permission to take any detours.” He was trying his hardest to be calm. He had camera rolling on this for the sake of the FBI. He couldn’t afford to slip up. There was too much depending on him dismantling what his stepfather had put into motion.
“She called me, Mr. D. I just-“
“Don’t fucking lie to me!” he yelled. “You called my sister’s home looking for Ms. Michaels several times before someone fucked up and told you that she was headed to New York. I want to know who you’ve been talking to, and how long you’ve been following that girl.”
James held his head up high and he could see the glint of defiance in his eyes. “Fuck you.” He growled. “What I do with my personal time is none of your business. I didn’t know that Bree was friends with your sister, and when I found out, I took a step back until they separated in New York. I went to go see an old friend. We had some things to clear up and work out.”
He was seeing red. “Did you just say, ‘fuck you’ to me?” he asked slowly.
“I was going to marry that girl!” James shouted, causing Lucian’s blood to boil.
“According to my ledger, you had her on the auction block for sale.” He said. There was embarrassment in James’ eyes before they went black. “How did she get away?”
“Someone tipped her off.” He shrugged.
“Who?”
“I don’t know.” He insisted.
“Why didn’t you find out?” he asked.
“I was in prison.” He grunted.
“Prison. Where I can have you sent back to very easily if you don’t do what I say.” Lucian pointed out. “Stay away from Brianna Michaels and do your job. I need a copy of the new ledger. I want the names of all the girls. Ages too. I don’t want anyone under sixteen on the block.”
“But-“
“But, what?” he demanded.
“That cuts our profit. Are you sure you want to do that?” James was staring at him.
Lucian sat back in his chair and glared at the piece of shit standing before him. He suddenly hated this guy more than anything else in the world. He hated him more than the whiny investors, the overpriced wedding planners, the hole in his heart for Brianna, and even his hate for his brother for taking her from him. He hated James Connor and he was going to destroy him.
“There is no “our profit”. It’s my money. My business. And you’ll do well to remember it.” His voice was calm and deadly. “I’m not in the business of selling children to sick bastards. And if you have anyone under the age of sixteen on the block at this moment, I suggest you remove her, or I’ll gut you myself. Do. You. Understand. Me?”
“Yes, sir.” James said, heading for the door.
“And Connor?” he said, stopping him. “You have no personal time. Stay away from Brianna Michaels, or you’re out and I’ll black ball you so no one will do business with you ever again.”
This seemed to really piss the guy off, but he said nothing. Instead, he stormed out of the office. He knew that Brianna was far from safe as he just goaded him. So, as he picked up the phone on his desk, he prayed that things went according to plan. Otherwise, he could lose everything.
“Crosby, activate the team.” He instructed.
Thirty Two
“Sweetheart, what’s wrong?” Drew demanded.
The random tears over the last few days have finally wore out his nerves. Now, he was packing to head back to New York and she was in tears not ready for him to leave her just yet.
“I don’t want you to hate me.” She sniffled.
He put down the shirt he was about to stuff into his duffle bag and stared at her. “Are you sleeping with Lucian again?” he asked. When she gaped at him, he barked, “Tell me!”
“No!” she cried, surprised by his outburst.
“Then I suggest you tell me what it is that has you crying all the time, because it’s putting me on edge and I don’t like jumping to conclusions. It makes me…..” he sighed. “Just, tell me.”
“I just don’t want you to think I did it on purpose, or that I’m trying to use you or anything like that.” She rambled. He just stood there, staring at her, so she blurted it out. “I’m pregnant.”
He shook his head and continued to stuff his bag. “I know.”
“You know?” she screeched, incredulous.
“You’re showing, darling.” He said.
“I am not!” she protested.
&nbs
p; “Not a lot, but enough for anyone who knows your body to notice.” He shrugged.
“You’re not mad?” she asked quietly.
“Of course not.”
She bit her lip and stared at him. “What if I told you that the baby might be Lucian’s?” she asked. When she saw the anger flash across his face, she blurted out the rest. “I’m about fifteen weeks pregnant, and that puts the conception date to the one and only time that I was with both you and Lucian, so I really don’t know, but the baby could belong to either of you and I just don’t want you to think that I did this on purpose to get money or anything from you, because I mean, who in their right mind would want this! I really didn’t mean…..”
Her rambling stopped when she finally got the courage to glance up at him. He was staring at her, his sapphire eyes boring into her. He didn’t look angry or upset in the least bit. He looked like he was almost happy about this.
“Drew?”
“I was just waiting for you to tell me, baby.” He said, pulling her into his arms and kissing the top of her head. “This child is mine and yours. Lucian has nothing to do with this.”
“But-“
“He’s chosen to live his life with Samantha, and we’re going to let him.” He went on. “We’ll do this together. Our child will want for nothing. I mean it.”
She didn’t know how to respond to that, so she didn’t, choosing instead to put her head on his shoulder and wrap her arms around him.
“If you already knew I was pregnant, why are you leaving me?” she asked.
“Work. I need to make money for my little family.” He said, kissing the top of her head. “I’ll be back in a few days. And then we need to make sure you’re able to travel to Atlanta for the wedding.”
“Whose wedding?” she frowned. When he just glared at her she nodded. “Oh.”
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