Authors: K. D. Carrillo
Rebecca
I saw
Reed's truck coming down the dirt drive, and pretended to need a nap. Honestly I was exhausted. It seemed I was always tired lately, but I was forcing myself to stay awake.
Aiden was quiet a lot lately, and I knew he was keeping things from me. He had an intense need to protect me from everything, and it had only gotten worse since my abduction. I wanted to hear what he talked to
Reed about when I wasn't around. I knew neither of them would voluntarily tell me, therefore I didn't feel bad about eavesdropping.
I stayed quiet and listened to half his phone conversation. I continued to listen to
Aiden and Reed discuss what Ted told him. "The detectives haven't really looked into George Preston, only his daughter. It sounds like they should take a closer look at the father. I can't figure out what connection he could possibly have to Vincent James' lawyers though," Reed mused.
I heard Aiden exhale forcefully. He was smoking again. I thought I had smelled it on him the last time
Reed dropped by, but I didn't confront him. Aiden had enough stress lately without my adding to it. I didn't want him smoking after the baby came, but that would be a discussion for another time.
"I don't know man," Aiden said defeated. "It seems like there are threats from everywhere. How do I protect my family from all of this fucked up shit?" "You just do. And you let us help,"
Reed answered. "How long do you think we can hide here?" Aiden asked concerned.
"No one has been asking about you in town. You haven't used your cards in or around town. I used your credit card in Seattle to get your groceries. I think who ever hired the Jackson's probably thinks you are hiding near your dad."
I decided now was as good a time as any to let them know I was waking up. I moaned like I was stretching, and let the door open louder than usual. Aiden came in and rushed into the bathroom. I'm sure he was trying to cover the smell of the smoke. I would let him think that he did.
"You sneak,"
Reed teased. I raised one eyebrow in question. "You heard everything didn't you?" he continued. I shrugged. He caught me. "He won't tell me anything. I'm pregnant not helpless," I complained. "You've been through so much in the last several months. He just wants to protect you," Reed stated on Aiden's behalf. "I know he does. I guess I want to protect him too. He worries too much," I argued.
"I'm not sure if there is such a thing in this situation. We still don't know who
contracted the Jackson's," Reed whispered. I flinched when he said their last name. I hated them. They scared the hell out of me, but I felt guilt too. I killed a man. Not something you shrug off. I hadn't told Aiden how disturbed I was by what I'd done. Not that I could have done anything differently. I know I didn't have a choice, but I was still wracked with guilt.
"You feel guilty, don't you?"
Reed observed. I nodded slightly. "I'd tell you not to be, that you did what you had to do, but I'm sure you know that already. Did I ever tell you I was in the Army before I joined the E.P.D?" I shook my head.
"Yeah, I joined right out of high school. Went into the infantry. I stayed in for six years. I deployed to Iraq twice. I understand what you are going through. If you ever need to talk about it, I'm here. Talking helps,"
Reed advised, and patted my shoulder.
Aiden came out of the bathroom and wrapped his arms around me from behind, gently rubbing my belly. He nuzzled my neck. "Did you have a good nap?" "Mmm hmm," I lied.
"How is the little fella?" he cooed, sinking down to his knees and talking to my growing bump. "He is fluttering around. It feels like having butterflies in my belly. It kinda tickles," I said and giggled as the baby did it again. "Ok, I'm going to set up down in the spare room and get out of your hair. The two of you are going to give me cavities," Reed teased.
Aiden stood and tucked me back into his arms. I understood after my spying why he was constantly holding me. He was afraid to be away from me. Since I left the hospital he had his hands on me almost the entire day. It didn't have the heat his touch held before.
I started mindlessly rubbing myself against him. My hormones were driving me crazy, and I needed his help to cool myself off. "Aiden," I whispered in a husky voice. "Hmm," he answered, not catching on to the direction of my thoughts. "Come lay down with me," I whispered again. "Are you still tired?" he asked confused. "No," I answered simply.
"What about your head?" he asked concerned. "My head is fine. My hormones, however, are going to set me on fire. You knocked me up, so you have to fix it." He chuckled. "Well, in that case, lead the way."
Back in the bedroom Aiden slowly undressed me. He gently stroked my skin, in slow, worshipful caresses. "You're sure?" he asked concerned. "Aiden, if you don't take off your clothes and make love to me, I'm going to tie you to the bed and help myself," I threatened. He laughed, a deep, window-rattling laugh. "I think I'd like that."
He quickly undressed, and I could see my threat had managed to turn him on. Aiden continued to tease and arouse me. I wrapped my legs around him and flipped us over. "Aiden, you have very talented fingers. Ordinarily I would let you do what you were doing for as long as you felt like it, but I need you right now." I slid myself down on top of him, and released a moan. I found a rhythm on top of him that had both of us panting in minutes.
"Slow down. I won't last much longer," Aiden begged. I couldn't stop. My body was on fire. All of my nerve endings screamed to do that opposite of what he asked. Harder, faster, now, my body begged.
"Becca, honey. Oh God," he moaned. "Red, I can't hold off, slow down," he continued to beg. I shook my head. "No need. I'm already there," I panted. I started shaking and quivering, and he let go. He managed to pull me forward at the last second and swallow my scream with a deep kiss.
"Pregnancy keeps getting better and better," Aiden said smiling. "I imagine there are going to be some pretty sucky parts," I challenged. "I guess we will have to make sure we took full advantage of the good parts then," Aiden added, with a mischievous glint in his eye. He quickly rolled on top of me. "Again?" I squeaked. "I have lost time to make up for." And he proceeded to correct that oversight, slowly, and reverently.
A couple of hours later I was dozing in Aiden's arms. I rested my head on his chest. Aiden lazily traced designs on my naked back. Our door burst open, and I screamed. My heart was pounding, and I felt dizzy. I heard Aiden talking, but my blood was making a
whooshing sound in my ears.
"Red, shh, it's just
Reed," he repeated over and over. "Sorry, I guess I had a panic attack," I replied. Reed was busy throwing stuff in our bags while Aiden was trying to calm me down. When I stopped freaking out, Aiden slipped out of bed. He quickly pulled on his boxers and pants. He handed me a robe from the back of the door, which I tried to discretely put on without flashing Reed.
"We gotta go,"
Reed said quickly. Aiden tossed me my clothes, and I rushed off to the bathroom to change. Another officer showed up at the front door and we were ushered off into an unmarked SUV.
"What about my car?" Aiden asked. "We are going to leave it. We don't want it to be tracked. Your car has GPS. It was accessed about an hour ago. We were lucky to find out so quickly. We aren't taking any chances,"
Reed explained getting into the passenger seat.
Aiden latched onto my hand. He was back to touching me to be sure I was still there. I leaned into him giving comfort, and getting it in return.
Reed turned around to look at us.
"Stanley Jackson started talking about two hours ago. He told the detective they were watching your GPS to get Becca at the house alone. That was the reason we checked, and caught the last time the records were accessed."
"What are we going to do now?" Aiden asked, in a tight, angry voice. "We are going to leave your car where it is. There are officers setting up surveillance in the woods overlooking the cabin. If anyone approaches we will get them," Reed promised. "Where are we going now?" I asked. "Oregon. My grandparents have a house near Multnomah Falls. They are my mother's parents, so it should take whoever is searching for you a while to find us. We don't think they know I'm hiding you yet."
"What about security? We can't keep paying off-duty E
.P.D officers to protect us in Oregon," Aiden pointed out. "I know some guys that worked in private security after I got out of the Army. They have volunteered to come and stay at the cabin. I told them you wouldn't have a problem paying them. I hope you don't mind, but they are the best, and it won't break you."
"Good thinking
Reed. I don't have a problem with it. I'd pay anything to protect my family," Aiden said, squeezing my hand. "Might as well get some sleep, we have about six hours to drive ahead of us," Reed suggested. I yawned in agreement, and snuggled deeper into Aiden's arms.
Aiden
I ran my fingers through her dark red hair, pushing a few strands behind her ears. She was sleeping soundly, with her head resting on my chest. My chest felt tight. The fear that someone was still out there plotting to take her away from me made my blood boil.
"She overheard us talking on the porch earlier,"
Reed said, looking at me in the rearview mirror. He had taken over driving three hours into the trip. My arms tightened around her. I wanted to protect her from everything. I felt sick knowing I had probably brought this darkness into her life. I wanted to bring her only happiness.
"Why didn't she say anything?" I croaked. "That girl loves you as much as you love her. She wants to protect you too.
Right now, all she can do is keep from putting more stress on you. I know you are trying to keep her stress down, but she's bottling up some serious emotions trying to protect you. Talk to her, so she will open up to you too," Reed advised.
"She has nightmares," I confided. "Aiden, she killed a man. That shit lingers. It doesn't matter that he deserved it. She feels guilty." The tightness in my chest became a burning pain. "I wish I could take away all of this bad stuff from her." I returned to stroking her hair. I had to touch her. Those hours she was missing were burned into my brain, and I needed to feel her to believe she was here.
"Stop talking about me," she mumbled. "Sorry Red. I'll tell you what is going on from now on, if you promise the same." "Ok, but Reed kinda already told you my deal. I don't really want to talk about it right now."
"I got a call about an hour ago. Stanley woke again and started spilling everything,"
Reed informed us. "Why didn't I hear you talking?" I asked confused. "You were out cold," Reed answered. I chuckled. "Yeah, I was worn out for some reason." Becca playfully hit me in the side, and I could see her skin blush dark red.
"We have to verify what he is saying, but it's pretty messed up,"
Reed cautioned. "What, just spit it out," I demanded. He sighed and said what I'd feared he was going to say. "Aiden, I don't know how to tell you this. Remember there isn't any proof yet." "Reed, spit it out," I repeated.
"Brad Jackson dug into your past trying to turn up something to pressure Becca not to testify against Vincent James. He learned about your trust
fund and your relationship with Vanessa when he met with your mother. Nadine was apparently trying to convince him you shouldn't be involved with Becca because of your superior social standing. I guess she reasoned you were above blackmail."
"That sounds like her," I responded bitterly. "Well it had the opposite effect than she desired. Instead of leaving you alone, Brad Jackson began pressuring your mother for her help. He uncovered some documents from Vanessa's son's adoption listing the father as unknown. Stanley said his cousin became curious and got a copy of the documents for your trust fund. He was intrigued by all of the restrictions listed if you married Vanessa Preston."
"What could those have told him other than Vanessa was obviously untrustworthy?" I asked. "I think it was more that it made him curious about the adoption. You were supposedly two wealthy teenagers. Everyone was telling them Vanessa wanted her son back. Why would she have given him up in the first place if she had the means to care for him?" Reed reasoned.
"Nothing I didn't ask her when she did it," I seethed, remembering my hurt and anger from her betrayal. I never thought I would thank her for what she did. Now that I know the truth, I am so grateful. I could have married her and missed out on loving Becca. "I'm glad he wasn't mine. I wouldn't be here right now," I muttered into Becca's hair.
"How can you be thankful for this? God, I've brought you so much trouble. Because of me you have lost your relationship with your mother. Your family is falling apart. You lost your best friend of nearly twenty years. You are missing your last year of baseball. And to top it off, we are having an unplanned baby because I was too dumb to check how antibiotics react with my birth control," Becca blurted.
I pulled back and looked at her. Her green eyes glistened with tears, visible even in the poorly lit car. Her lip trembled, but she tried to keep it stiff. Dear lord, she
still felt that way. "Becca, no. How many times do I have to tell you that none of this is your fault?"
She blinked several times, trying to fight off tears. I pressed on, "
We have gone over and over that what happened with Nick wasn't your fault. I'm not playing baseball because I can't stand to be away from you. It's what I want. I don't want to miss a moment of your pregnancy. And Red," I paused, waiting for a response from her. Her eyes widened, focused on my face.
"Planned or not, I am excited about our baby. I'm twenty-five years old, filthy rich, and married to a sexy red head. Not only will every guy know you are taken because of your cute belly, but I get to have a son. I can delay growing up for at least another eighteen years.
Instead of one last year of baseball I can spend years coaching."
"Lucky bastard,"
Reed muttered from the front seat. "See," I pointed to the front, "I'm living every guy's dream." One tear rolled down her cheek. "Don't cry Becca. The only downside to being with you is what would happen to me if I were to ever lose you. It would kill me. Those hours you were gone were the worst of my life."
I tipped her chin up with my finger to get a better look at her face. "You are happy aren't you? You want this baby, don't you?"
Those words almost choked me. I needed her, but I couldn't lose my son. She smiled, and the strangle hold on my windpipe released. "I've never wanted anything as much as I want this baby. And, that is saying something, because I want you pretty badly," she whispered.
I kissed her. Softly, sweetly. It wasn't about passion, or a prelude to sex. I wanted to reassure and be reassured. Love, compassion, security. I wanted the promise I could find in the soft press of her rosebud mouth.
"I love you so much," she whispered against my mouth. "
There aren't words for how much I love you," I whispered back.
After a long, hot kiss,
Reed cleared his throat. "As I was saying," he picked up where he let off. "Brad must have realized the boy wasn't yours. He uncovered financial statements that showed the Prestons are nearly bankrupt. I can't speak as to the motive, but it seems when George learned his daughter was pregnant he convinced her to break up with Nick and pursue you."
"But why?" I blurted out. "How did you react when you thought you got Vanessa pregnant?" he asked in return. "I proposed," I answered. "Exactly. Sometime afterwards George convinced Ted's assistant to show him into Ted's private safe. He learned about the provisions if you were to marry his daughter, and began
looking into private adoption."
"They still needed to keep me on the hook. I'm guessing that is why George agreed to help us get the boy back after college," I mused. "That would be my guess.
Ted knew about the provisions, but he wasn't permitted to reveal them. However, he didn't feel there was anything wrong with suggesting your dad check out the kid's adoptive family to give you peace of mind," Reed responded.
"I saw how happy the kid was, and didn't feel right even thinking about taking him away from a family that had loved him for more than five years. I decided enough time had passed, and I didn't owe Vanessa anything anymore. Turns out I never did in the first place."
Becca had a forced smile on her face. I thought through my words. Hell, she was probably thinking I felt obligated to her since she was carrying
my
baby. "Don't travel down that road Red. I asked you to marry me before we ever knew about our little guy. I want to be with you. Please stop doubting me."
"I'm just tired, and feeling a little sorry for myself," she answered. Her voice was crackling with exhaustion. "It's ok to feel that way. You have been through a lot," I comforted. "I killed a man," she said, burying her head in my chest. "I know sweetheart, and as much as I wish you never had to do that, I'm very glad you did," I said, holding her to me.
I looked into the mirror and Reed nodded. He was right, she was holding a lot in. Trying to protect me, from the darkness she had experienced. "Hopefully we won't have to stay in Oregon for long. I believe there will be a move on the cabin you were staying at. Seattle P.D. is going to pick up George Preston tomorrow for an interview. There was some unethical billing, which might have been money laundering, by George and one of his top associates. They can hold him with that until he is arraigned," Reed finished explaining.
"I don't want to go home," Becca blurted, her anxiety spiking. "Tell me what you want and I'll make it happen," I promised. "I don't want to keep hiding, but I can't go back to our house. This was just one bad thing too many," she said emphatically. "I understand angel, really. I'll hire some movers and find us another place." "Thanks," she whispered, and
settled into my arms.