by LR Potter
She regained consciousness to find herself surrounded by numerous faces. Embarrassment caused a deep stain to creep up her face. Her father was kneeling beside her, concern sketched on his face.
“Sweetheart. How are you feeling?” he asked.
“Please take me home,” she begged quietly.
“Alex is bringing the car around. We’ll make a quick stop by the hospital and then we’ll go home. Okay?”
“I’m fine. I just want to go home. Please,” she beseeched him as tears formed in her eyes.
“We need to ensure you’re all right,” he said, patting her hand.
“Please help me up. All these people are staring at me.”
Her father waited until Alex appeared to help her up. They sandwiched her between them and on still trembling legs, they helped her across the room. She kept her head bowed not wanting to see the people who’d watched her fall to the floor. They’d gotten almost to the doors, when her father and Alex paused. She glanced up to see the obstacle in their path. She inhaled sharply as she met the hazel eyes of Rush Drayton. His unerringly amazing face was marred with concern. He stepped towards her.
“Are you okay, Trinity?” he asked.
Her heart felt as if a giant fist had it squeezed within its grasp. She closed her eyes briefly against the pain. Inhaling deeply to level her voice, she said, “Yes, thank you. If you’ll excuse us,” she said dismissively.
He stepped closer and raised a hand as if to touch her but dropped it instead. “Good. Well, I hope you feel better,” he murmured, as he turned on his heel and walked away.
As they rode in the car, her father sitting beside her, he turned to her and asked, “How often do you see Rush Drayton?”
With her head leaned back and her eyes closed, she murmured, “I don’t see him. As I sure your minions can attest to.”
She felt her father’s eyes on her but didn’t raise her head. “He’s a very dangerous man. You need to stay away from him, Trinity. Promise me, you will.”
“As he ended it between us weeks ago, Father, I don’t think that will be a problem.”
While she begged her father not to, he was persistent in taking her by the hospital. So there she sat in a small room waiting for her blood work to come back. Her father and Alex were waiting for her in the waiting room. A knock on the door alerted her to the doctor’s presence. The harried young intern gave her a small smile.
“Ms. Grace, it looks like congratulations are in order…”
Chapter 10
Pregnant. What was she going to do? She sat quietly in shock in the back of the car. Her father was going to go insane when she told him… especially because of who the father was. This was bad, very bad. She should have told her father the minute he asked what the doctor had said, but instead, she’d just said everything was fine. The easiest way around this problem was to just get rid of the baby. But she couldn’t do it. She’d never be able to live with herself. Did she tell Rush? She supposed eventually she would have to tell him. He deserved to know. She wondered how he would react?
How had this happened? She sat up quickly when she remembered the hot tub. She’d been so desperate to have him, she’d let passion overrule good sense. Rush would probably think she orchestrated everything to trap him into a relationship with her. What was she to do?
She tossed and turned all night, but still didn’t come up with any answers. She had to tell her father. While he wouldn’t be happy, he would eventually come to support her. He was her father and he loved her.
She found her father in his study the next morning. She took a deep breath and tapped on his door. Walking to the desk, she sat in one of two chairs facing it. She ran nervous hands, slick with sweat down her pants.
“What is it, Trinity?” her father asked with a touch of impatience.
“I have something I need to tell you,” she said quietly.
Her father sat back at her tone and eyed her speculatively. “Yes, what is it?”
She coughed nervously and rose from the chair unable to sit still. She rubbed her hands together. Clearing her throat, she said, “I’m pregnant.”
He gasped at her words. “Pregnant?” he whispered. “Pregnant,” he said the word almost in a shout. “How could this have happened? I’ve done my best to safeguard you from this very thing. Why do you think I eliminated all the others? And yet, you sneak out and do that very thing… and with him, of all people. Do you realize what you’ve done? Do you realize the shame and disgrace you have brought onto our family? I’m a Judge… a high-ranking official, and you have soiled our family name. There is no other alternative; you need to get rid of it, and the sooner, the better.”
She whipped her head up at his words. Rage flooded her. “I’m sorry you feel that way. But that is not your decision to make. I’m keeping this baby. And I’ll do this with or without you. In fact, I’ll go one step further; tomorrow I’ll begin looking for my own place. That way, you won’t have to live with my shame,” she declared.
He leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers. “And how does the perspective father feel about you being pregnant?”
“I… I haven’t told him.”
“I think it’d be better if you didn’t. I can’t emphasize enough how dangerous the man is. Outside of being evil, he is quite the ladies’ man. You sure can pick them,” he said mockingly.
“I don’t know what I’ll do yet. But the decision will be mine,” she answered quietly as hurt swept over her. Her father was probably right. She was probably just one girl in a long line for Rush Drayton.
Her father sighed heavily and scrubbed a hand over his face. “Listen, Trinity, I’m sorry for speaking so harshly to you, but I’m your father and I know what’s involved in rearing a child alone. It’s not the life I wanted for you. Let’s just wait until things calm down before we begin making any rash decisions. But I think you should seriously consider what having a child with Rush Drayton will entail. He’s an extremely wealthy man from a powerful family. Odds are, if he finds out about the baby, he’ll take it from you anyway. So what have you gained by going through the pain of having a child? I don’t want you to move out. This is your home… it will always be your home, no matter what decisions you make.”
Tears clogged her throat at the truth of his words so she just nodded her head before leaving the room.
She lay in bed that night with her hand over her stomach. What was she going to do? She knew the decision to move out was the best thing for her. Her father would continue trying to force her to make decisions based on what he wanted… not what was best for her.
The next morning, she rose and was hit by a wave of nausea so strong she barely made it to the bathroom. Once she could get her stomach settled, she dressed and met her father at the breakfast table.
As she nibbled on a piece of toast, she said, “I think it would be better if I find my own place.”
He set his coffee cup down carefully and eyed her for a long time. “Trinity, if you decide to go along with the pregnancy, you will need my help. Stay here. This is your home.”
“I appreciate that, but I think its time I got out on my own. I have a job and I have my heritance. It’s… time,” she said as she rose. “I’ll see you after work.”
“One more thing before you go. I want to let you know that I’m getting a new security team today. They should be in place by lunchtime. One will be by to guard you at your office. Wait for him, okay?”
“What happened to Alex and his team?” she asked.
“Alex forgot who ultimately was in charge. It was time for him to go,” her father answered evasively.
She nodded her head at his strange answer and headed off to work.
***
Trinity was thankful she had three different projects she’d just started at work. She didn’t want time to think. She worked throughout the morning. The new security guard hadn’t arrived by noon. Not that she minded, she needed some time alone. As was her norm, she grabbed
a sandwich and headed over to the museum. She sat on the bench she’d claimed as her own in the atrium in front of the statues. She ate as much of the sandwich as she could manage, but her nerves wouldn’t allow for much. She still didn’t know what to do about Rush and the baby. She tried to make sense out of the things he’d said to her at the ball, but it made no sense. What did she need protection from?
She rose from the bench and walked to the weathered glass and stared out at the riotous blooms on the bushes outside. She felt very overwhelmed. She wrapped her arms protectively around her middle.
“I thought I might find you here.”
Her breath left her in a gush and she closed her eyes against the pain of Rush’s voice behind her. She couldn’t deal with him right now.
“What do you want, Rush?”
“I was worried about you. I went by your office. Since you weren’t there, I took a chance and came here.”
“I’m fine,” she said, knowing she should just tell him, but was afraid.
He walked over to stand a little way away from her. He stood with his hands shoved down into his pants pocket. “I’m glad.”
Her heart seized at standing close enough to smell his musky cologne and see his godlike features. Her mind whirled at her available options. She struggled to find the words to tell him, but it was just all too new. She couldn’t do it. She couldn’t force the words out of her mouth.
She was glad her hands were wrapped around her middle so he couldn’t see their trembling. She took a deep breath and swallowed hard. With as much edge as she could manage, she asked, “Was there anything else?”
He lifted a hand to rub across his face. “I never wanted to hurt you, Trinity. I tried everything I could think of so that you wouldn’t be. I just… wasn’t strong enough.”
Unwanted tears slid down her cheeks. “I don’t understand,” she said, her throat clogged with tears.
He exhaled sharply. “I know you don’t, and I’m sorry. I want you to know I enjoyed our time together. My decision to end it had nothing to do with you.”
She gave a watery laugh. “It’s me, not you? Surely with your wealth of experience, you could come up with something better than that.”
He gave her a wry smile. “Be happy, Trinity Grace. I will miss you.” Without another word, he turned and walked away, the click of his shoes on the marble tiles echoing through the hallway.
She sat heavily on the stone bench and lifted a hand to stifle her sobs at the finality of his words. Would the pain ever lessen? His words never made any sense to her. He spoke as if his decisions weren’t his own to make. She thought again of her father’s files and the guys who’d been eliminated. Did her father have something on Rush?
Digging her cellphone out of her purse, she called Gavin and told him she wasn’t feeling well and wouldn’t be back to work. She then called for a taxi.
Sliding into the backseat, she said to the driver, “District Courthouse, please.”
Trinity swept through the halls of the courthouse she’d been walking through since she’d been a young girl. She walked purposefully to the elevator bank located in the center of the building and pushed the button for the third floor. She entered her father’s suite of offices. Mrs. Callie, who’d been his secretary for longer than Trinity could remember, sat at her desk, her fingers causing the computer keys to click madly. She looked up when Trinity entered the office.
“Trinity! How nice to see you. It’s been a long time.”
Trinity gave her a small smile. “Hi, Mrs. Callie. How have you been?”
“Working like a racehorse since your father returned,” she said with a laugh.
“I’ll bet,” Trinity said. “Is he in?”
“Oh no. He’s in the middle of a case. He should be back in his office in about an hour or so, if you want to wait.”
“I think I will.”
Trinity gave Mrs. Callie another smile and headed into her father’s office. She sat in the chair facing his desk and closed her eyes. The strain of the last month was fast catching up on her. Her mind whirled at the decisions she needed to make. With abortion being an unaccepted option, she needed to begin making plans for being a new mom. What did she know about being a mom? She barely remembered her own. And for the hundredth time, she wondered what to do about Rush.
She woke to a hand on her shoulder. She jerked up and looked into the stern face of her father.
“Trinity, why are you not at work? Is everything all right?” Arthur Grace asked.
She tilted her face as he leaned down to kiss her cheek. “Hi, Dad. I wanted to talk to you, if you have a minute.”
Arthur Grace removed his black robe and hung it on the coatrack in the corner of his office before sitting down behind his massive desk. He leaned forward and poured coffee from an antique coffee urn into a cup and sat back in his seat.
“What can I do for you?” he asked as he sipped his coffee.
She studied him carefully as she chewed the inside of her lip. “I want to ask you something, and I need to know the truth, okay?”
“Of course. I’m always truthful with you, Trinity.”
“What did you have on Rush Drayton?” she asked simply.
He glanced up at her quickly before his mask of passivity was slipped back into place. In a forced casual manner, he took another sip of coffee. “Whatever do you mean?”
Her heart began to beat wildly and she struggled to breathe. “What did you have on Rush that would force him to stop seeing me?” she asked from between clenched teeth.
Arthur Grace leaned back in his chair and gave her a sympathetic smile. “Trinity, sweetheart. Why would you think your breakup would have anything to do with me? I know you won’t believe this, but I never wanted you hurt. I won’t say I’m unhappy about your breakup, but really, what control would I have over a man like him?”
“Why didn’t you tell me you were his dad’s boss? Why did that seem to be such a point for him? And who is Tiko Mars?”
He sat contemplating her for several minutes. “Honey, I know he broke your heart and you’re hurting. But don’t go looking for shadows were there aren’t any.”
“Answer my questions, please.”
He sighed heavily as if aggrieved. “Blake Drayton was not a nice man. He was an Assistant DA when you and your mother were kidnapped. He tried to use the tragedy of that event to come after my job. I know how painful those memories are for you; it wasn’t something I wanted to bring up.”
“What about his mother? He seemed to want to make a point about his mother to you as well,” she said.
“Adrianna Drayton was having an affair with someone at the courthouse. It was assumed it was someone in the DA’s office, but I never knew who it was. When Blake was killed in lockup, she committed suicide. I can’t say I know why. I really don’t know what point he was trying to make.”
She studied him, trying to decipher the truth from his words. “Who’s Tiko Mars?” she asked.
“I don’t know, Trinity. Look, I have to be back in court soon. I am sorry you’re hurting, but it doesn’t have anything to do with me.”
Her heart was pounding and her breathing was rapid. Her mind was spinning. Was he telling the truth? She didn’t think so, but she just didn’t know what he was lying about. Maybe Rush just didn’t know how to let her down easy, so he said things to make himself look less culpable.
She dropped her gaze to her hands and her lips trembled. “I don’t know what to believe… what to trust. I’m so confused,” she whispered.
Her father stopped and pressed a kiss to her head. “I know, sweetheart. But you know you can trust me. You’ve got a lot of important decisions to make soon, and…” His voice trailed off as a thought occurred to him. “Trinity, where’s your security detail?”
“He wasn’t at the gallery when I left for lunch.”
His lips thinned. “Trinity, you were just attacked. It’s important for you to wait for security.”
“I kno
w, Dad.”
Arthur leaned over his desk and buzzed Mrs. Callie’s desk. “Get me the head of my new security team, Lance Planter.”
“Trinity, when Lance gets here, you have him take you home. Okay?”
“Don’t bother him. I’m only going home. I’ll get a taxi right outside the courthouse. I’ll be fine.”
“No, absolutely not,” her father said.
“I’ll be fine,” she said emphatically.
“Straight home,” her father said, as he strode out of the office.
Trinity took a moment to wipe her face and call for the taxi before she left his office. She waved goodbye to Mrs. Callie and headed out. As she moved back through the courthouse halls, she struggled to rein in her emotions. You know you can trust me, her father had said. But hadn’t Rush sworn to her… begged her even to trust him and look how that worked out. None of it made any sense. It was almost as if there was this huge piece of a puzzle that she didn’t have, and the truth lay somewhere in between what her father said and what Rush had told her.
She blinked rapidly when she stepped through the courthouse doors. The brightness of the sun after being in the dim hall of the courthouse made her nearly blind. She took a moment to allow her eyes time to adjust. Across the street from the courthouse, Trinity saw a taxi idling at the curve. She glanced quickly in both directions and moved swiftly towards it.
The squeal of tires drew her attention. If her mind hadn’t been so preoccupied, she might have reacted quicker. But in horrified fascination, she watched as a black SUV bore down on her. Her mind froze, trying to understand the situation. At the last second, she turned to jump back. Before she had an opportunity to move more than that, the SUV hit her on her side and flung her high into the air. She fell to the pavement with a sickening thud. The SUV didn’t stop, nor even slowed.