by DL Gallie
Just as I climb in my phone rings, my heart deflates when I see it’s my sister, Elena, calling and not my girl, Charli. “Hey, Sis,” I dejectedly say on a sigh.
“Hey, Boogerbutt. Why do you sound like your cat died?”
“Rough day,” I tell her.
“Wanna tell Dr. Cruz all about it?”
“I thought you were going into pediatrics and not psych?”
“Potato. Vodka,” she nonchalantly replies. “But seriously, what’s up?”
“Bianca for one.”
That name causes her to groan. “What’s your witch of an ex want now?”
“She’s pregnant—”
“Did you not wrap it with her? Seriously, Dominic, how could you be so stupid? Especially with an evil hobag skank like her.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence, Sis. And for the record, it's not mine. It Lawrence’s but when she told him, he dumped her.”
“Karma is awesome in this instance. So why, and how do you know?”
“She wants me back.”
“Of course she does. I hope you told her to stick it where the sun don’t shine.”
“Not in as many words but yes, I told her it's not my problem.”
“Okay, well that’s shit, but I know that isn’t what’s got you down. My sister senses are on high alert, wanna meet for an early dinner? I don’t have to be at the hospital ‘til tomorrow morning.”
“Sure,” I tell her. Even though I want to see Charli, hanging with my sister will be fun. Charli clearly needs time to process this IA thing. Since someone hung up earlier, I know she’s not alone, but I have to say, it hurts she didn’t come to me. I’m her boyfriend, surely she’d want comfort from me. I know if I were in her shoes I’d want her by my side, but she is in shock and hurt right now so she’s probably not thinking clearly. I’ll spend tonight with Elena and then tomorrow, I’ll find my Angel and together, we can come up with a plan to fix this mess. “Meet you at my place?” I offer.
“It’s a plan, taco-man.”
Then together we say, “Mexican.”
“You do the beer. I’ll do the food. And, Boogerbutt, don’t let that mole get you down.”
“Thanks, Sis. See you soon.”
Hanging up from Elena, I smile. A night with her is just what I need, but I’d much prefer to be with Charli. I’ll give her tonight but tomorrow, she will be talking to me. Before I leave her place, I send her a quick text.
NIC: Just letting you know I’m thinking of you.
NIC: See you tomorrow
NIC: Love you
Placing my phone in the center console, I drive to the liquor store and grab a six pack of Corona since Elena and I are having Mexican. With beer in hand, I head home and when I arrive, Elena is already waiting for me.
“Did you speed?” I ask her, as she walks into my garage to meet me.
“No, did you go to Mexico to get the beer? My tacos better not be soggy now.”
“Suck it up, Buttercup,” I tell her.
She sticks her tongue out at me and heads inside. We make our way into the kitchen. Our brother-sister bond sparks and in sync we serve up our dinner. I place the beers in the fridge and grab the plates and cutlery while she unpacks the food and plates it up.
“That smells amazing,” I tell her, as I uncap two beers and slide one over to her.
“Only the best for my Boogerbutt.” She raises her bottle toward me, we clink, and I take a sip.
Elena and I spend the night together and it was great to chill and catch up. After she leaves, I grab a shower and climb into bed. I try Charli again but it goes straight to voicemail. I don’t like this silence. Tomorrow is another day and this time, I won’t back down ‘til I see my girl.
19
Charli
Standing on the sidewalk, tears streak down my face while I wait for Bay. She pulls up to the curb and I climb in. Without saying a word, she leans over and hugs me, which causes more tears to flow.
She breaks away and sadly smiles at me. She reaches up and cups my cheek in that loving way; it eases my hurt ever so slightly. “We’ll talk when we get home.” Nodding, she puts the car into gear and pulls back into traffic, taking me to her and Corey’s place.
We walk inside and I head straight to her sofa. She joins me a few minutes later with a bottle of wine and two glasses. She pours me one and hands it to me. I take it and I’m about to take a sip when I remember I’m pregnant. “Can I just have water, please?”
“Are you sick? You never turn down wine.”
“I’m, ummm, ahh—”
“Holy shit, you’re preggers?”
Nodding my head, I begin to cry. “Ohh, babe,” she says, taking a seat next to me she pulls me into a sideways hug. “What did Daddy Dom say?”
At the mention of Nic, I cry harder. “He doesn’t want a baby.”
“What?” Baylor screeches.
“I went to tell him and I heard him telling a woman that he doesn’t care she’s pregnant and he doesn’t want to have to do anything.”
“That fucking dick monkey. I’m going to kick his ass. Did he tell you this too when you told him?”
I shake my head. “I didn’t tell him. I just got out of there.” We silently sit here and I process my words. “That’s not the only shitty thing to happen.”
“What more shit could there possibly be?”
“IA suspended me today. They have evidence against me relating to Dean.”
“They need an ass kicking too. Fucking dickheads.”
“Watch your mouth, Kitten,” Corey says, walking into the room. He places his messenger bag by the side table and walks over to kiss Bay on the head. Seeing them so lovey together hurts. He looks to me and sadly smiles.
“How you doing?”
“I’ve had better days,” I tell him.
“IA will come to their senses and see that you’re innocent.”
“That’s the least of my worries,” I tell him, and he looks quizzically at me. “I’m pregnant.”
My eyes widen when I realize something. “Oh My God, Bay, I ate gooey cheese. I drank wine. I went for a run, I’m a bad mom and the baby isn’t even here yet. Bay,” I cry. “I had sex on a motorcycle.” A tear breaks free and I wail, “I’m a shitty whore mom.” She wraps her arms around me and the tears continue to flow as I let all my grief out.
“You are not a whore, nor are you going to be a shitty mom. This baby is lucky to have you as their mom and they are even luckier because Aunty Bay and Uncle Corey are going to spoil them rotten.”
My eyes well with tears at her words, damn pregnancy hormones. I never cry, but for the last few days it feels like that’s all I’ve done. According to the books, this will be the new norm until my lil’ munchkin arrives.
The three of us eat dinner that Corey cooked and I have thirds, it’s was yummy, and I wash it all down with two bowls of ice cream. The ice cream is not because of the pregnancy; it’s my go-to food when I’m upset. And with the upsetting events from today, I deserve ALL the ice cream.
Saying good night to Bay and Corey, I head toward the spare room. Changing into a nightshirt that Bay gave me, I crawl into bed and take a deep breath as I turn my phone back on. It goes ballistic in my hand. I have a gazillion missed calls, voicemails, and texts. I click on Dominic’s texts and read over them.
The last one, I keep reading over and over.
NIC: Love you
He loves me but he won’t love you, I think to myself, rubbing my still flat belly. I alternate between reading his texts and staring at the ceiling. This time when I read his text, anger builds within me. I’m just about to place my phone down when it pings in my hand and I see his name on the screen.
NIC: Good night, Angel. Please let me know you’re okay? We will get through this IA thing. I promise.
A laugh escapes me, I completely forgot about that. I’ve been so focused on being pregnant and alone that I forgot my job is in jeopardy right now. Seems my life is just one big s
hitshow right now. And then he follows up with another text.
NIC: Just remember, I love you
“You love me but you won’t love our baby,” I whisper to myself, as another avalanche of tears break free. Stupid pregnancy hormones. I choke on a sob and let out a guttural cry.
The door to my room opens and Bay walks over to the bed, climbs in, and pulls me into her arms. She hugs me tightly and whispers, “Shhhh,” over and over as I continue to cry.
“What am I going to do?” I blubber into her shoulder.
“Be the super awesome kick-ass person that you are. We’ll clear your name and then you can focus on being the best mom to BJ.”
“BJ?” I question.
“Baylor Junior.”
For the first time all day, I laugh. It turns into a full-on belly laugh as I think about the name she suggested. “I am NOT calling my baby BJ. I’ll save that name for your and Core’s baby.”
“Ohh, yes, good call. BJ is mine.”
“Do I want to know why you two are discussing BJs right now?” Corey asks, leaning against the doorframe.
“See?” I tell Bay, “People immediately go to a blow job and not Baylor Junior.”
“You’re going to call the baby Baylor Junior?” Corey asks.
“No,” I say while Bay says, “We are.”
“We’re pregnant?” he asks her.
“Not yet, but when we are we will call our lil’ girl BJ and if it's a boy, CJ.”
“I like that,” he says.
Hearing him so excited for their nonexistent children hurts and I begin to cry again. “Why can’t Nic be like Core is over your fictional babies?” I hiccup on a sob. “I’m going to be alone, fat, and pregnant in jail.”
“You won’t be in jail,” Bay tells me. “I’m going to prove your innocence.”
“How?”
“I haven’t figured that out yet, but I promise you, your lil’ Jelly Bean will NOT be born in jail and you will not be alone. Babe, I’ll be by your side every step of the way.”
“What did I do to deserve you?”
“Swore to protect me when my life spiraled out of control ‘cause of the dumb decisions I made when I was a whorebag.” She pauses. “You know, that right there is why you will be the best mom in the entire universe. Charli, you have a heart of gold. You’re kick-ass. You’re strong and resilient AAAAAND you’re going to be the hottest pregnant woman ever…well, until I get pregnant that is.”
A smile graces my face. “Thank you. You always know how to cheer me up.”
“I know,” she cheekily says. On anyone else it would sound cocky but coming from Baylor, it's not. That’s just her. “Now, get some sleep, tomorrow we figure out how to get you out of the shit mess you are in.”
“You don't have to do that.”
“Yeah, I do, ‘cause if it wasn’t for me, Dean wouldn’t have gotten involved with Kye and you wouldn’t be in this mess.”
“This isn’t your fault.”
“Not directly it isn’t, but because of me and my shitty decisions, you are now in this mess. I refuse to let you wear orange ‘cause it really doesn’t go with your complexion.”
“You really are something else, Baylor Evans soon-to-be Cox.”
And with that, she and Corey leave me alone with my thoughts. My mind drifts to Nic. “Why couldn’t you be happy for this?” I whisper to the room, sadly adding, “Guess I didn’t know you as well as I thought.”
20
Dominic
It’s lunchtime and I still haven’t seen or heard from Charli. It's not like her to go off the grid like this. Then again, I’ve never been suspended from the job that I love, and Charli loves her job with all her heart and soul. Heading to the break room, I see Corey is making a coffee. “Hey,” I say as I grab my mug.
He head nods and quickly exits the break room. That was weird, I think to myself as I make my own coffee. With my mug in hand, I head toward his office. I knock on the door, he looks up and there’s a murderous look on his face. “Cruz,” he says, his tone anything but friendly.
“Got a minute.”
“Nope.” His curt one word answer confuses me even more.
“When you have time, I’d love to bounce ideas off you.”
“Mmmhmpf,” he nonchalantly replies. The air is stifling. Animosity is radiating off him in droves. He looks up at me and shakes his head. “You have some nerve coming in here acting like nothing is wrong.”
“Huh?”
“Stop playing dumb and get out of my sight.”
His dismissal is confusing but not wanting to enrage him further, I leave him alone. Guess he won’t be helping me to come up with a plan to clear Charli’s name. Heading back to my office, I grab my phone and dial her number, again. This time it rings and my heart beats faster at the thought of hearing her voice. And I do, via her voicemail, again. “Charli, Angel, it's me, again. Please call me. I’m worried about you.”
Throwing my phone on my desk, I lean back in my chair and sigh. “Where are you, Charli?” I mumble when there’s a knock at my door. “Hey, Bec, what’s up?”
“How are we going to clear our girl’s name?”
A smile graces my face and I laugh. “I just stopped by Cox’s office to ask the same thing, but he’s in a mood.”
“You would be too if you were engaged to Baylor.”
“What’s wrong with Baylor? She’s Charli’s BFF, right?”
“Bay has the nickname of ‘Bitchy Baylor’ and she lives up to that name one million percent.”
“Surely she isn’t that bad?”
She shrugs. “Enough about Bitchy Baylor, how are we going to clear Charli?”
“I have no clue. Have you spoken to her?”
“She texted to say she was fine but we all know when a woman says fine, they are anything but.”
“She isn’t talking to me.”
“Ohh no, trouble in paradise?” I shrug my shoulders. “Well, I can only imagine what she’s going through right now and because of her issue, you have been taken off all your cases. She probably feels bad that you too are caught up in this.”
“I never thought of that but it makes sense…even if it is far from how I feel.”
“Just be there for her. That’s all you can do.”
Nodding, I agree but there’s also a niggling in my stomach that it’s more. But to show her that I do care, I’m going to clear her name, and as Bec and I agreed, we need to go to the source of all this shit, Dean Chikatilo.
An hour later, Bec and I are in an interview room waiting for Dean. “What this guy like?” I ask Bec.
“An asshole through and through. Most of his partners would last one case, if that. Charli was the only one who could work with him. They’d been partners for almost a year before the Vlahos case.”
“So that’s why IA are riding her.”
“Yeah, but I know Charli, she wouldn't do what they’re accusing. Even his brother, Darren, thinks she’s involved.”
“How so?” I question.
“He paid her a visit a while back—” Before she can finish, the door opens and in walks Dean. The guard uncuffs him and he takes a seat across from us. He eyes us with disdain.
“Barber,” he says, “this is a pleasant surprise.” He looks to me, “And you are?”
“Dominic Cruz.”
He nods his head. “The new partner…and more, from what I’ve heard.”
“Cut the shit, Dean,” Bec interrupts him. “Why won’t you tell IA that Charli isn’t working with you?”
“Who says she isn’t?” I grind my molars at the audacity of this asshole.
“You and I both know that Charli would never do what she’s accused of. Are you seriously going to let your ego bring down one of the best agents we have? She was your friend, for fuck’s sake.” He shrugs. “I hope you drop the soap and become someone’s bitch. You’re a disgrace.” She pushes back from the table and storms out of the room, slamming the door behind her.
; “I think I pissed her off,” he jokes.
Slamming my palms on the table, I lean forward. “I will prove Charli’s innocence with or without your help.” Standing up, I walk to the door. With my hand on the handle, I look over my shoulder. “And tell your brother to stay away from Charli.”
“Darren visited Charli?” He seems genuinely shocked by this.
“Don’t play dumb, you know he visited her. How about you give him what he wants and clear Charli’s name at the same time.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about. Tell that bitch to watch her back.” That line pisses me off, I turn around and without thinking, I walk over to him and slam my fist into his face. His nose crunches under the force, with a satisfied smirk on my face, I walk out of the room and join Bec.
“Get anything out of him?”
“Nope, but I think I broke his nose.”
She grins. “Well, that’s a start.”
“He threatened Charli.”
“We need to get this sorted and fast,” she says. “I don’t have a good feeling about any of this.”
“You and me both, Bec.”
Bec and I head back and as soon as we step into the office, Amanda is waiting for us with a look on her face that tells me I’m in trouble. “Care to explain, Cruz, why Dean Chikatilo is in the infirmary with a broken nose?”
“He fell into my fist.” She eyes me. “He threatened Charli, I couldn’t let him get away with that.”
“As much as I admire you standing up for your partner, you can’t go around assaulting people.” She pauses. “Next time, get him in the ribs, that’s easier to blame on a table.”
“Yes, Boss.”
“Good. Now, did you get anything from him?”
“Nope,” I say, shaking my head. “He seemed shocked that Darren paid Charli a visit. This whole thing doesn’t make sense. Both Dean and Charli’s financials are clean. What was Dean doing for Vlahos? And what does Darren think Charli has? There are too many pieces and none of them fit together.”