by MJ Masucci
“You see this?” The doctor was pointing to a couple of spots on the screen.
“These are your, babies.”
“Excuse me?”
“Babies. You’re pregnant with twins. Do they run in your family?”
“Uh, yes. My father is a twin. The babies I lost several years ago in the car accident were twins.”
“Well, congratulations.”
“But how? Dr. Emory said my fallopian tube was blocked.”
“Sometimes the dye used in the HSG test can disrupt a blockage either partially or fully. It’s enough to allow the sperm to fertilize the egg. This is not uncommon.”
“I’m just surprised.”
The doctor calculated that her due date would be somewhere around late November. She gave her some prenatal vitamins and told her it was important that she gain some weight, eat regularly, continue to exercise and refrain from alcohol usage. Dr. Walker gave her some literature on pregnancy and recommended a book she could purchase on what to expect.
On the way home from the doctor, she was excited. She was not having just one baby, but two. It was why she didn’t see the man across the street from her building watching her. If she had, she would have realized that anything she was planning for her future might not happen.
Liam watched Ava as she got out of the cab and went into her building. He breathed a big sigh of relief. For the past few days, he had been watching the building in which the asshole lived. He saw him come out, but never her. He cursed because the information Alfredo and Juan had given him said they were living together.
Finally, he decided to go and stake out her building. Sure enough, there she was that morning. She looked thinner than when he last saw her, but she was still beautiful, and he wanted her. Two things were going to happen, either she would agree to go with him to Brazil, or he would put a bullet in her head.
He had already assembled his kit, and he was able to convince Alfredo to rent a utility van for him. His arrival in the United States took them by surprise. Papi had never told anyone Liam was on his way. This way if anyone were going to rat him out, they would have no idea when he was coming. As it turned out, everything was fine.
He stayed with the thugs for a few days. Their apartment was a disaster but no worse than the first room he was given when he got to Brazil. He could deal with it until he got back. Papi had finally started to give him his money back. He had amassed almost one hundred grand, and there would be more coming. Ava would love Brazil. Liam started to harden at the thought of her in a bikini. She was some hot piece of ass.
Chapter 36
Ava awoke on Friday morning just before five to get ready to run to the gym. It was part of her new regimen she was adopting so she could be healthy for her babies. She hadn’t told anyone she was pregnant and she had no intention of doing so just yet. Xander was the first person who should know before anyone else. After all, he was the father. She just needed time to do that.
She dressed and was lost in her thoughts as she exited the building. As she walked down the block preparing to run, she felt something hard jam into her back.
“Hello, Ava.”
The voice sent chills down her spine. She had gotten complacent, and he was here.
“Liam?”
“You know it, baby. I told you I was coming for you. Where’s the asshole?”
“He…He’s not here.”
“I would love to chit chat, but I want to get you into my van before it gets too light out here.” He pressed the object hard into her ribs and yanked her backpack off her shoulders.
“Don’t hurt me, Liam, please,” she begged.
“Get in the van, and we’ll talk about it. And no bullshit or I’ll shoot you right here and leave you for dead,” he growled.
He grasped the hood on her sweatshirt and pushed her across the street all while keeping the gun pressed against her ribs. He made her stop at the back of a van parked a block down the street. After unlocking the back of it, Liam reached around and removed her cell phone from her sweatshirt pocket, then shoved her inside. He followed, and she watched as he grinned and took the battery out.
“Can’t have them tracking us with this.”
She tried to scramble to get up, but he placed his knee on her chest. Ava whimpered in fear but not for herself, for her babies.
“Don’t cry. If you follow what I tell you, maybe we can work this out.”
He took out a flashlight from his pocket, and the light winked on. She saw him unzip a duffle bag that he had towards the front of the van. A jingling noise came from the bag, and he pulled out a set of handcuffs, which he quickly clamped over one wrist. The other cuff was secured on a steel bar set into the wall of the van. He then removed a bandanna, and she watched as came towards her with it.
“Please, don’t cover my eyes.”
“I’m going to cover your mouth, not your eyes.”
This alarmed her because she was afraid she would vomit.
“I promise to be quiet,” her eyes pleaded with him.
“One word from you and I’ll gag and blindfold you. We have a long trip, so if you want to be comfortable, you’ll listen to what I tell you.
Long trip? Where was he taking her?
She could feel the fear rising as he closed the back door and got into the driver’s seat. The sick bastard was actually humming, like what he was doing was a fun thing. She listened closely, “Whistle While You Work” was the tune. Bile rose in her throat as he drove out of the city.
Her anxiety was at an all-time high, and she had a hard time breathing. Liam left one of her hands-free, and she wiped at the tears that silently leaked from her eyes. From the windshield, she could see that he was driving north. She saw a sign for RT-17. Where the fuck was he going?
They had left the city just before 5:30 AM as the sun was rising. Eventually, she dozed off from exhaustion. She was awakened by Liam poking at her with his boot. They were pulled over at a deserted rest area.
“Get up. You have a phone call to tell asshole that I have you. We need him to join the party, and if he brings the police or I suspect anything funny going on, it’s your life.”
He was going to make her call Xander. How was she going to keep it together when she told him what was happening? That was if he even talked to her. Liam unzipped the small front pocket on his duffel and felt around for her phone. He popped in the battery, and the screen sprang to life.
“Give me the passcode.”
Ava rattled off the numbers and then watched as he scrolled through her contacts and pressed the one for her husband.
He handed her the phone and pulled the gun from the back of his waistband as a warning. The phone rang and rang, eventually going to voicemail. Liam yanked the phone away and hit the redial button. Again it went to voicemail. He took the phone from her hand, and she could see the rage in his eyes.
“Where would asshole be at this hour, Ava? Work maybe? Hmm?”
She nodded.
He scrolled to Xander’s work number. Pressing the dial button, he handed the phone to her again. While he waited, he twirled the gun on his finger. She hoped the safety was on.
“Jessica? It’s Ava. Can you put me through to Xander’s office, please.” She tried to keep her voice steady though she wanted to cry.
Too many seconds ticked by and they felt like hours. Finally, Xander answered his phone.
“What do you want and why aren’t you at work? It’s past eight. I’ve had to make excuses for you.”
Liam grabbed the phone out of her hand so she didn't hear his comments.
“Hey, asshole. Ava isn’t at work because she’s with me.”
“Who the fuck is this?”
“You know who this is. Remember, you sucker punched me at the club?”
“Liam!?”
“That’s right. I have Ava, and I want you to join us at the house in Lake George. It will be one fun party, the three of us. Oh and dickhead, if you tell anyone or I suspect you contac
ted that fuck stick PI you’ve been using, I’ll blow her head off. I have a gun to her head right now.”
“Liam, don’t hurt her. I’ll do what you want. Let me talk to her.”
“Don’t order me around; I’m in charge. Ava can’t come to the phone; she’s indisposed. Now be a good little boy and leave the office right now. We’ve had a head start, but I’m giving you five hours to get your ass up here. And jerk-off, don’t play games with me or she dies. One other thing, bring that sweet Corvette you got. I could use a ride in a hot car.”
This time, Liam pressed the end button on the cell phone and then the power button.
“Can’t have anyone tracking us now, can we. Not that it matters because if I find out someone is, I have a bullet with your name on it.”
Ava whimpered, and he reached over to stroke her face with his fingers. She shrank away as he tried to touch her. It angered him, and he grabbed her by the hair, holding her face. He slammed his lips on hers and for good measure, he bit her. She could taste blood, and he pulled away licking it from his lips.
“I like it rough. You’re going to find that out soon.”
He slipped her phone into her backpack and took it up to the front of the van with him. The fear was emanating off her in waves. With her free hand, she rubbed her belly as if her hand would protect her babies. Then another emotion took over, anger. He wasn’t going to steal her life or that of her babies away. She wouldn’t allow it.
Ava blotted the blood from her lip with her sleeve while she thought back to what Dallas, her self-defense instructor had told her years ago. He had taught a class on negotiation. She knew it was risky because Liam seemed to be more than a little unhinged.
Years ago he had told her he wanted her for himself. It was the only information she withheld from Xander when he asked her to reveal what he had said to her during the attack when he had been unconscious. She didn’t feel he needed to know.
Liam had also mentioned something this morning about working it out. She wondered if that meant that he still wanted her. But more than likely if he did, she would have to plead for Xander’s life. Revenge was the reason for this whole scenario. He might let her get away, but he certainly wouldn’t let Xander.
She leaned against the van wall and tried to remain calm. Liam was still humming, and it frightened her. He was happy. She wanted to talk to him to see if she could ascertain his state of mind, so she took a chance.
“Liam?”
“I told you to be quiet, or I’ll stop and gag you.”
“I haven’t seen you in a long time. Last time we saw each other, you were so angry at me.”
“You fucked me over. All you had to do was talk to me at the club, and this could have all been avoided. I wanted you.”
“Do you still?”
She felt the van veer off the road onto the shoulder and come to a stop. He got up, went around to the back and came into the van with her.
Fear gripped her. She pushed him too far and asked the wrong question. Liam knelt in front of her, his gray eyes clouded and his mouth pursed.
“What do you think?”
“I don’t know. You said you want to shoot me.”
“Do you know what kept me going all those years in prison besides revenge for yours and Jayne’s betrayal? Your hot little pussy. I remember touching it that night, and I couldn’t forget it. I should have fucked you while I had the chance.”
Ava grew bold, “So why didn’t you? I offered myself to you, and you said no.”
“I wanted to call the shots. I didn’t need a virgin pushing me into sex. When the time came, you would have loved what I was going to do to you.”
He stroked her face with his knuckles and this time she didn’t pull back though it repulsed her sending shivers down her spine.
“Make no mistake, whether I let you live or die, I will have you.”
She reached up to finger the scar on his face.
“How did you get this?”
“It’s not important. Now shut up and let me think.”
He went back to the driver’s seat, and this time he started humming “Ain’t That a Kick in the Head” by either Dean Martin or Frank Sinatra, she couldn’t remember. It told her that he was more unstable than she thought. How had she been so wrong about him when they met?
An hour later and he was pulling off the exit in Lake George. He drove along the local streets until he came to her and Xander’s home. That was when it dawned on her that it wasn’t kids partying in their home; it was Liam. He had staked out their place months ago.
He drove past the long driveway and tucked the van near the hedge border almost one hundred feet away.
“What are we doing? Why don’t you just park in the driveway?”
He got up and gently slapped her face. “If this is going to work between us you need to learn to keep your mouth shut. I know what I’m doing. The next time I need to reprimand you, it will hurt.” He knelt in front of her and looked into her eyes. “You’re gorgeous; you know that? Asshole doesn’t deserve you, and I’m going to make sure he loses you to me.”
That statement was when Ava realized what this was all about. It wasn’t that he had gone to jail or she had betrayed him by testifying. In his twisted mind, it was that Xander had taken her from him. Never mind that he had broken up with her in the first place. It made her sick because her husband was in more jeopardy than her. Liam was going to kill him, and if he did, she would want to die, too. But her life was not the only one she had to worry about; she had babies to think about.
By now her bladder was ready to explode, and she let Liam know either he let her go to the bathroom, or she was going to pee right here in the van.
“You fucking women, always whining. Let’s go.”
He started up the van and pulled it into the long drive. He drove onto the lawn and parked it on the other side of the utility shed where it was hidden.
“Come on.”
“You need to unlock my handcuff.”
She watched as he felt around in his pocket, “Fuck. I must have left the key in my other jeans.” Then he started to laugh. The look on his face was frightening. He produced the key and unlocked her from the steel bar, leaving the cuff around her wrist.
“I don’t have the keys to the house.”
Again, Liam laughed, “Keys are a joke.”
He cuffed her to the railing near the back door and removed a small case that had two slim pieces of metal in it. He began manipulating the lock on the door with them, and within a minute, it was open. Uncuffing her, he pushed her into the house, following her to the closest bathroom.
“You’re going to watch me?”
“I can’t trust you, so I’ll stand here, but I’ll give you some privacy,” He turned around and stood in the doorway while she peed, turning around when she was washing her hands.
“Dry them and let’s get moving.”
“Where are we going?” In a flash, he struck her face causing her lip to start bleeding again. She cried out and rubbed her face, licking at the blood on her lip.
“I told you to keep your mouth shut. I warned you.” He roughly grasped her arm and dragged her to the back door. When they were out on the porch, he scooped her up and carried her down the stairs. She was nauseated by being so close to him and wanted to struggle, but she didn’t want him to hit her again.
He smelled of sweat and cigarettes. She didn’t remember him smoking when they were together nor did he smoke the entire trip up to the lake house. She was thankful since smoke would not be good for the babies. He put her down when they got to the storage shed and locked the cuff around his wrist. Again he used the metal tools to manipulate the lock on the door. Once he had it open, he pulled her into the shed with him.
He took her to the back of the building, unlocked his wrist and relocked the cuff around one of the iron rings bolted to the back wall.
“I have things to do, and I can’t be tethered to you. I estimate I have about a half
hour before asshole gets here.”
She watched as he removed the tool box from under the work table. He took a hammer out with a couple of thick nails and hammered them into the wooden window frame so there would be no way to open it. He hunted around the shed and removed the tool box, boat oars and a couple of filet knives he found in a drawer in the table. She could hear him loading everything in the van.
He came back with two more pairs of handcuffs latched to his belt along with the duffel bag. Just as he finished, she heard the engine of the Corvette as it pulled into the driveway.
“Showtime!” He opened the handcuff attached to the iron ring and pushed the gun into her back. “Walk slowly. No sudden moves or I’ll shoot you.”
She walked out of the shed and came face to face with Xander. He was ten feet away from her, and his face was pained when he saw her. Her lip was swollen, and she could still taste blood.
“Stay right there, dickhead, or I’ll shoot her. Look at you, came up in your suit and everything. Nice of you to dress for the occasion.”
“Liam, we can work this out. No one has to get hurt.”
“Spoken like a true lawyer. I’m calling the shots here.” He grabbed a handful of Ava’s hair and pulled her back with him, several feet from the entrance of the shed. She could see Xander’s jaw working as he clenched and unclenched it.
“Now, march. You’re going to walk into the shed and put this on your wrist,” He threw one set of handcuffs at Xander.
Xander did as he was instructed, locking one of the cuffs on his left wrist but made sure it wasn’t too tight though not loose enough that Liam would notice.
“Now walk to the back of the shed and lock yourself to one of the iron rings against the wall.”
Xander hesitated, making Liam raise his voice, “Do it, or I’ll shoot you both.”
He made his way to the back of the shed and locked the cuff to the ring on the wall. Then Liam pushed Ava into the shed, instructing her to do the same. When she was secured to one of the rings, Liam entered the shed, closing the door behind him.
“Now let’s have a little chat.” He hopped onto the table, which was several feet from where Ava and Xander were. Liam sat down and began to absentmindedly scratch his jaw with the barrel of the gun.