Calista opened the box to find an album. It was stained and faded to a light lavender. Going by the edges, it had once been a deep purple. It creaked when opened and a stale odor wafted from the interior. The first picture was a black-and-white of her mother. So young. She couldn’t have been more than eighteen and so damned beautiful in a floral summer dress. Page by page was a step into her mother’s past. Where had this come from, and why did Erica have it?
It had to be Harvey holding onto memories that didn’t belong to him, Calista thought angrily until she stumbled upon the pictures at the back of the album.
There they were, her parents in a trove of pictures. Some at the lake, others at the Fifth Avenue townhouse. There was a picture of them kissing in front of the Trevi Fountain in Rome. Never had her mother mentioned going to Italy. Another of her at the Eiffel Tower at sunset. The last rays made her caramel skin glow yet dimmed in comparison to her lustrous smile. She was happy, incandescently happy. First love did that to a woman, made them radiant from an inner light. How could Harvey not fall in love with her, and how could he break her heart?
Calista didn’t know this version of her mother. She’d never met her, never seen that glow in her eyes of a woman well-loved, valued, pampered, appreciated. The woman she’d met was worn, withdrawn, hollowed. She had just enough love for her daughter, and nothing else.
She found her mother staring out her bedroom window at the New York skyline and brought her the album. Though her mother never said a word, her eyes glistened and her lips curled as Calista turned the pages on her past life. Not a bad way to spend a few hours on Christmas Day, helping your mother relive a past she’d forgotten.
Her mother was tucked into bed when Calista walked out of the room, leaving the nurse with her. She had to call Laverne and tell her about the photos. Maybe they should drop in for a few hours, bring drinks and dessert. Her drink would be a glass of fruit punch which would pair nicely with strawberry cheesecake.
She entered Julius’ office to ask his opinion and twist him around her fingers. He was napping, his head on the headrest, his body completely at ease. Reposed, all the stress faded away from his features and rolled back the years. He was a boy again with a blond lock of hair teasing his forehead.
Their son would look just like that. She rubbed her bump, enjoying the soothing sensation. Hmm. “Let’s get you hatched, Jewel, before I consider another one,” she murmured.
Surprised he hadn’t woken, she crept forward. It was the quiet moments like this she loved the most between them. In a few short months, moments like this would be scarce. Jewel would dominate all their time.
As she rounded the corner of his desk, she noticed the documents front and center. It was a proposal. The proposal for eliminating the manufacturing division.
Fury enveloped her. He’d promised he’d find a way. He promised her and he fucking lied. Effective February first, the entire division would be gone. All those jobs, gone. All those people—indistinct faces filtered through her mind—unemployed. The factories shuttered.
Tears blurred her eyes and her hands trembled. Damnit!
Julius’ hand closed over hers. She yanked away, but his grip tightened and his arm snaked around her waist. He pulled her into his lap, trapping her against him.
“Let go!” She jabbed an elbow into his solar plexus. His pained grunt did little to appease her rage, especially when he didn’t release her. “Bastard. I said let me go.”
His hand fell away, and she sprang to her feet, facing him.
“Finish reading.”
“Why would I when it says it right there!” She slammed her fist onto the paper. “You're going ahead and closing it.”
He nodded once. “I am. It has to be done.”
It had to be done? What did she know? Nothing. Not about this. She knew how to fire a gun, knew enough martial arts to hold her own, knew how to take a punch, and deliver one. She knew shit about how to run a company. But this was wrong. And there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about it.
“All the board is behind this?”
“Read it, Calista.” He ordered and flipped a few pages.
“The shareholders too?”
He punched a finger into the paper.
Finally, she snatched it off the desk. “What am I reading?” He didn’t answer as she skimmed the compensation section. “Is this for real?”
“Every single word. A year’s severance pay. Money for reeducation. Employment assistance. Relocation assistance if they find a job out of state. Medical covered for a year, and a hardship allowance for special cases.”
This was more than generous, more than any employer would pay. It was fair. That was all she ever wanted. She looked at Julius and swallowed at the anger in his coppery eyes.
“I told you I would find a way to ensure the employees got a fair deal, but you thought the worst of me. That easily, you jumped to the wrong conclusion.”
Calista had no defense when he was right. She saw the proposal and went ballistic. “Julius…I’m sorry.” She didn’t know what else to say.
He rose and stared down at her from his full height. “Is this how it’s going to be, you not trusting me, ever?”
“No. It’s not. I…I… It’s easy to fall back into old patterns. Too not trust when I have no reason to. I promise to give you the benefit of the doubt, from now on. I swear.” She reached out to cup his face, then went to her tiptoes to kiss him. He grabbed her when she pulled away, his hands on her elbow and waist bringing her back to him. His lips were firm and warm, his tongue held a hint of scotch and his natural taste. She loved the combination and curled her fingers into his sweater, anchoring him, and deepened the kiss. He growled into her mouth. The sound dove straight to her core. God, he made her so horny.
His phone chimed.
Don’t answer it!
He broke away and flipped it over and studied the screen. Breathless, she clung to him, ready to snatch the phone away and continue where they left off. His frown and the slight tensing of his entire body gave him away.
“What’s wrong? What’s happened?”
“It’s Harden. He asked to see me.” His voice rough from lust.
“Why?”
“He didn’t say.”
Calista was good at reading people. She was real good at reading Julius. Something was going on, but she wouldn’t push it. You can’t say I trust you, seal it with a kiss, and then take it back seconds later.
“I’ll hold dinner for you. If Jewel lets me.” She squeezed his hand.
He rubbed her bump. “I’ll call you when I’m on the way home.”
One more kiss and he was out the door. She didn’t follow, she had some more reading to do.
J oshua stretched, scratched his nuts, and crawled out of his game rocker. He got hung up on his headphones until he yanked them off and made his way to his bathroom to drain his bladder. Job accomplished, he wandered back into his bedroom and surveyed his kingdom, which consisted of a king-size bed, a seventy-inch flat screen, PlayStation, a walk-in closet, and an en suite. Oh, and his laptop and phone.
My, how far he’d fallen.
He checked his Instagram feed and nearly wept at all the parties he’d missed, not just last night, but weeks of gatherings and events. His friends hadn’t even missed him. Not one had called, posted a message on his page, not even a voicemail. Not even his regular hook ups. Talk about a reality check. No one wanted his money, or his dick.
Great, now his phone was dead. He plugged it in and flicked on the TV. This wasn’t how his pre-birthday celebration was supposed to go down. A New Year’s baby, the winter holidays were his season. The partying began on the twentieth and didn’t stop until the third when he came out of his drunken coma.
This lockdown sucked… But the alternative sucked more. He loved breathing, spending his money, and fucking. Couldn’t do any of that if he were dead, or worse, in Russia with his mother.
A knock on his door and then the knob twisted.
He knew it was Julius before he strode into the room.
“I’m going to Harden’s. There’s been an explosion at Catalyst.”
Joshua gasped and reared back. “The Russian?”
Julius’ face was grim. “Don’t know. It’s a brand-new fucking club. Things like that don’t just explode.”
“Calista’s cousin, Jentry, and Harden, are they alright?”
Julius grimaced and shook his head. “I don’t know, but Calista’s in my office and I don’t want her to know until I have an answer.”
“I’ll come with you.” Joshua headed to his closet to haul on some clothes.
Julius slapped him on the shoulder, nearly knocking him off his feet. “No. Stay here. Protect the place.”
Damn, he knew that was coming, yet he hoped he’d be taken for a walk, like a good pet. Joshua hung his head and nodded. Then his brother was gone, leaving him in a room that was bigger than some apartments yet was a prison. And on babysitting duty. Hope Julius knew he wasn’t babysitting when the kid arrived. He couldn’t be trusted with a plant, never mind an infant.
Sighing, Joshua went to the window to look out on another day he couldn’t enjoy and saw their penthouse guest on their shared balcony. It was twenty degrees outside and all she wore was a tee shirt and those ugly baggy pants with her knapsack between her feet. She wasn’t even shivering as she puffed on a cigarette. Her lips moved between puffs, but her words were lost in the wind. Who was she talking to when her phone wasn’t active?
Her head angled the other way and he realized it wasn’t a cell phone she mumbled into. It was a satellite phone. What the hell is she doing with a sat phone?
The wind shifted, carrying her voice to him, not that Joshua understood a single word she said because he didn’t speak Russian. Shocked, he stumbled back, tripping over the shit piled on the floor, shit he never let Rebecca or the other maid inside to clean. Bottles, cans, plates, glasses, clothing, he tripped over everything. The noise. Jesus! He scrambled away, reaching for his phone. The fast charge would give him enough power to—Idiot! Open the door and run. Edwards, Sunny, Scotts, he had to tell someone.
He scrambled to his feet and lurched to his door, the debris of his life hampering each step. She slipped into the room before he got there. No weapon in her hand, yet she blocked the exit. He had fifty pounds on her and four inches. This would be easy.
“You’re working for Karpovilov. Why?”
She answered with a smirk.
“Whatever he’s paying you, I’ll double it.”
She shook her head once.
“Fine. My brother will quadruple it.”
Her lips peeled back in a feral grin. “You can’t buy loyalty.” Her New York accent was gone, replaced with something distinctly Russian in origin. Joshua backed up a step, then remembered to stand his ground. It was fast, brutal, and humiliating. Her attack was precise. She hit every pressure point in his body. And she was strong, stronger than her waif-like appearance let on.
In the end, he was facedown, pinned with a knee to his spine and her hand over his mouth, and he hadn’t even landed a punch.
“Goodnight,” Billie whispered instead of goodbye, her breath fanning his face. Goodnight meant he’d wake up again and maybe, maybe redeem himself from this humiliation. Thank God, his mother wanted him alive.
“You’re not getting away with it.” He managed to rasp out, his throat hoarse from her fist to his windpipe. He couldn’t even scream, not that anyone would hear him outside of the soundproof rooms. “You got in here, but you’re not getting out. We got six bodyguards out there.” He groaned from a deep pinch to the side of his neck. What the fuck was that?
She showed him the needle and syringe, and was kind enough to whisper, “Nighty night.” Then stuffed his dirty underwear in his mouth. His scream was lost in a cloud of musky funk as his consciousness faded away.
Julius left him to protect the place, and Oh fuck, I failed. Not just failed Julius, he failed Calista and the baby.
Chapter Thirty-Two
C alista floated in the bathtub, her belly slick from the oil scented water. It peeked out of the surface, a mini mountain. A flutter of movement stronger than any she’d experienced rippled across the surface. “Hey, there. How are you doing today?”
Another flurry of movement. “I guess you like the water, huh? Definitely swimming lessons. In a few decades maybe you’ll be in the Olympics? Challenge Phelps’ medal count?” Another ripple. “You like that idea. I like that idea too. Jewel Morgan, Olympian. And the crowd goes wild! Roar!”
The flutters quieted. “Not feeling it anymore? That’s okay, you can be anything you want. Anything at all.” Soaking in a tub big enough for four people was nice, until it became lonely. The remedy: a selfie of her submerged in the water tagged “Come wash my back, and front.”
Ten minutes later, he hadn’t responded. She wasn’t worried. He was with Harden. Everything was fine regardless of the unease whispering through her gut. She climbed in here to relax and it wasn’t working. Their argument replayed in her brain.
Relationships. God knows she had trust issues, but he didn’t deserve her mistrust. It was time to let go of her baggage and focus on their future. They weren’t perfect, no one was, but as a work in progress, they were strong and getting stronger.
She climbed out of the tub and dressed in a comfy pair of yoga pants and an oversized sweatshirt. Outside, a snowstorm churned the sky, moving swiftly toward a blizzard. It was pretty when you’re safely tucked in your home as the fluffy stuff piled up.
Calista picked up her phone to call Julius, then stopped and shoved the phone in the pocket of her sweater. She wasn’t this needy, whiny woman who couldn’t function on her own, and she’d be damned if that’s what she became. Spine stiffened, she wondered what the chef had prepared for dinner and exited the bedroom to find out. She stopped at Joshua’s bedroom and knocked. Maybe he’d like to join her and come out of his lair for some human interaction.
When he didn’t answer, she tested the knob and found it unlocked. “Joshua?” she said, poking her head inside. The boy was sprawled on his bed, dead to the world surrounded by trash. Ugh! She was so tempted to wake him up and make him clean the room. He was her soon to be brother-in-law, not her kid even if he acted like one.
Shaking her head, she backed away and closed the door and continued down the hallway. Boy, it’s quiet. Is everyone taking a nap? Not that she blamed them. It was that kind of day to curl up with a cup of hot cocoa by a roaring fire. That sounded like an epic plan for the night. She passed the theatre room—a usual gathering place—and found no one.
Hmm? Are they in the game room? She peered through the sliding glass doors into the empty game room, her puzzlement growing along with the quiet.
Calista backed away from the room, her attention focused on the end of the hallway that opened into the great room. Her palm itched for her gun as that sense of unease crawled down her spine.
Calista pushed it away. This was another of Julius’ surprises. Who was it now waiting to leap out at her? Jewel gave her a little kick, prompting her to march into the great room. “I’m here.” And jerked to a halt at two of her bodyguards laid out on the floor.
She froze, precisely the wrong thing to do. Oscar and Miguel were splayed on their backs, mouths slack, drool leaking from their mouths, eyes slitted. Their chest rose and fell in slow motion. They weren’t dead. The relief was swift and sweet. Then reality set in. Joshua! She spun.
Billie blocked her way, her finger on the trigger of a 9mm pointed down.
Dressed in the same black tee and baggy pants from the previous night when Calista welcomed her into her home, Billie grinned at her. “Joshua’s good. Alive. Propofal knocked him out. I think I gave him the correct dosage. Lynda will be pissed if I didn’t. She wants her precious boy back.” Billie’s gaze dropped to Calista’s stomach “And whatever you have cooking in your oven. A girl, is it? I’m going by the nursery décor. Good.” She didn�
�t wait for an answer. “She’ll have a matching set.”
Lynda. Fucking Lynda. It wasn’t enough to kidnap her son and bend him to her wishes. Now, she wanted Jewel. She’s not getting my baby.
“Everyone’s been taken care of.” Virgil strolled from the other wing of the penthouse and stopped short. A pearl handled switchblade in his hand, the edge red. “Oh, hi, Ms. Coleman.” He gave a wave as if people he worked with, broke bread with, weren’t laid out on the floor.
“What did you do?” Calista’s gaze locked onto the blade.
As if surprised, Virgil’s gaze dropped to his knife. “Yeah, Andrew went down hard. He won’t be getting back up.” He wiped the blade clean on the arm of the sofa, flicked it closed, and stowed it in his back pocket.
Calista backed away, but she had nowhere to go. She’d never make it to the front door, and the balcony wasn’t an option. She had to stall, keep them from taking her anywhere. Julius and the guys would be here any minute, unless…
She shoved the thought away and focused on the two in front of her. No stupid questions. Playing dumb and confused wouldn’t work with these two, especially not Virgil. That snake had been in this house for months. She couldn’t pretend with him. How the hell had he slipped past all the scrutiny? She knew how. Distracted by her pregnancy, he slithered into their lives. She was the gatekeeper and she’d failed. And these two were the result. So much for being a badass bodyguard.
“My mother,” she asked, praying they hadn’t hurt her.
“She’s fine. In bed. The nurse was already dozing in the recliner. She didn’t even wake when I came in, or when I gave her the injection.”
Calista circled her bump, reassured by the movement beneath her palms. “What happens now?”
Virgil frowned at her. “I thought you’d put up more of a fight,” he said, disappointed.
“She has too much to lose.” Billie tilted her head toward the bedrooms. “Get the little prince. Move him to the master suite.”
“Why?” Calista asked.
Plain and the Billionaire's Seduction (Plain Jane Series Book 3) Page 23