“Everything,” she moaned, unable to hide her fear. She gripped his little arms gently. “Baby, I need you to go to your room and pick out a few of your favorite toys, only the ones you can fit in a backpack, okay, sweetheart?”
“Why?” he asked, and she wanted to wipe away that solemn expression that had become much too familiar as of late. “Are we going on a trip?”
“Yes, baby, but we have to leave real soon so go do as I ask,” she said, pressing a quick kiss to his sweet forehead. He nodded and went to his room, his easy acquiescence another stab to her heart and further proof that her son was not living a normal life. He was too accustomed to unstable circumstances to question as the average four-year-old would. Not anymore!
Vivian and Belleni thought they were going to steal her child and she was going to just smile and send him off with her blessings? The rotten bastards! It wasn’t enough that they owned her? That they relished in making her life a living hell? She scrubbed the tears from her cheeks but she could do nothing to stem the flow. If they took Nico they’d take her soul. She’d never survive such a blow. She’d rather be dead. She leaned forward until her forehead met the carpet and she buried her fingers in the plush fibers and screamed low in the back of her throat. For the past five years they’d held her hostage, refusing to let her go, threatening her, using fear to control her and she’d allowed them to rule her. But they’d gone too far this time. No one, least of all that venomous spider Vivian, was going to take her son. She’d kill them all before that happened.
She stumbled to her feet and wiped her eyes again as she went to splash some cold water on her face.
Get a hold of yourself,
she chastised. They’ve declared war. She contemplated going to the police as she’d threatened to Vivian but she couldn’t rat out Belleni without implicating herself. The courts would take Nico and she’d lose either way. Plus, Belleni was a powerful man, well connected to the right people, and it wouldn’t be so hard to make a former, forgotten dancer disappear just like Vivian said.
The choice was clear: she and Nico had to leave. And it’s not that she hadn’t made this decision years ago or even tried to bolt but now Belleni had her reserve and she was basically penniless. Where would she go? Where would she turn? Her parents knew nothing about the situation she was in and it would mortify their Bible Belt roots to learn the ugly truth of what their daughter had been doing for the past five years. They didn’t even know about Nico. The shame of it burned as deeply as her regret. She made herself promise never to tell them about her life after her injury. As far as they knew she was living her life in New York as an administrative secretary, quite happy but extremely busy. She wouldn’t subject them to the humiliation they’d suffer if anyone knew.
So that left her with precious little options but she couldn’t accept that one-way street.
Christian.
She worried her bottom lip. Would he help her? He had no reason to but she couldn’t think of another person who might. Oh, please, Christian…she prayed fervently. If there was ever a moment when she needed his help it was now. If not…No, she wouldn’t even think of the consequences of her failure—they were too awful to bear.
“Christian, I need your help,” Skye cut in, the desperation in her voice commanding his attention quickly.
“What is it? Are you and Nico okay?” he asked.
“I know I’m asking a lot but can I meet you at your place? In about an hour?”
“Of course.” He didn’t hesitate. “Tell me what’s going on and I’ll do my best to help you.”
“When we get there, I’ll tell you. I can’t talk just yet. I’ll be there in an hour. Thank you, Christian.”
And then she was gone.
Worry replaced his personal quandary about his growing feelings for Skye but Christian could do nothing but wait and puzzle at what could have spooked Skye so bad that she’d run straight to him with Nico.
It had to be something bad.
And that worried him a lot more than he wanted to let on. He didn’t like the thought of Skye in danger and he certainly didn’t like the idea that perhaps Nico was in danger, too.
Well, he’d find out soon enough.
“If you have something stronger than Kool-Aid I’m game. It’s been a stressful morning,” she said. Her hands were still shaking but she didn’t try to hide that fact. It would probably help make her case if he saw just how desperate she felt.
“It’s too early for wine, how about a screw driver?”
“Hey, that’s practically a breakfast drink, right?” she joked weakly and he set to making her cocktail. Of course a bartender would have a fully stocked bar. She watched as he went fluidly through the motions of stirring up a whole dose of liquid courage and slid it into her hand. She accepted the glass and took a swallow to brace herself. “Thank you. It’s good,” she said, daring to meet his gaze finally. She saw true kindness and concern there and hope sprang to life. “I’m just going to come out and say it…I’m in a bit of trouble.”
“I think I figured that part out already,” he said. “What kind of trouble?”
“It’s complicated,” she began, wondering where to start and how much to share. Christian had never asked the specifics of her profession—she got the impression he didn’t want to know—so she’d never told him. Truthfully, she’d been glad he didn’t know. Keeping it separate and in the background made it easier to pretend she was like any other normal woman when she plainly wasn’t. “Someone is really angry with me and he wants to take Nico away from me as punishment.”
“That’s ridiculous. Have you called the police?” Christian asked. “And just who is this someone?”
“It’s better that you don’t know. Trust me when I say I’m doing you a favor. The less you know, the less danger it puts you in. Already, I’m taking a big risk with your safety by coming to you but I didn’t have anywhere else to go.”
“And the police?”
She shook her head. “No. They can’t help me. He’s a very powerful man. The kind who makes people disappear if they get in his way. On the surface, he seems every inch the professional businessman but he has…clandestine operations that are definitely against the law but tying him to the businesses would be tricky. Besides, once an investigation started, I’d be toast.”
“Are you saying your boss kills people?”
“I’m saying he could. He’s ruthless.” She drew a deep, shuddering breath, saying in a small voice, “I know he had one woman beaten and whipped for disobeying him.” And Vivian had watched, the sick freak. She’d ignored her screams for mercy, her pleas for it to stop, she’d laughed at her tears. Another shiver followed. “He may look like a gentleman but deep down he’s a monster,” she finished.
Christian grimaced, pushing his hand through his hair. “Okay, so what do you want to do if calling the cops isn’t an option right now?”
“I need to get away for a few days…but I’m short on cash…I know how this sounds. Believe me, I know. I had a healthy bank account but he managed to seize it and now he’s in control of my cash.”
“How’d you get mixed up with this guy?” Christian asked, clearly baffled given what he knew of her already.
“I was very young and naive,” she answered quietly. “I didn’t realize what kind of trouble I was getting myself into until it was too late to get out. By then, I was pregnant.”
“Is your boss…Nico’s father?”
She flinched but managed to shake her head. It was a lie but she couldn’t afford honesty at the moment. She didn’t miss the sigh of relief. She decided to ease his mind further with another lie. “Nico’s father isn’t in our lives.”
“Oh, well, I got that impression but I wasn’t sure and that’s a hard question to ask,” he said.
“I understand and I appreciate you not prying too hard. It was a painful period in my life and Nico was the only good thing to come out of it,” she said. At least that part was true. “So, will you be able to help me?”
“I’ll do what I can. What did you have in mind?” he asked.
“Well, I need to get out of town and I need some cash. Could you loan me some money so that Nico and I could get away?”
His brow furrowed as he contemplated her plea and once again she cursed Belleni for taking all her hard-earned money. Without his interference, she could’ve been long gone without needing anyone else. Suddenly Christian brightened. “How about this…I’ve been meaning to take a drive to my hometown of Bridgeport, West Virginia, to see my family for a few days. Why don’t you and Nico come with me?”
But a road trip would kill two birds with one stone. Besides, he could use a few days of R & R. Realizing she still hadn’t answered, he prompted, “What do you say? You, me, Nico and the open road. Lots of snacks and an iPod filled with great traveling music.”
“I couldn’t infringe on your visit to your family,” she said, shaking her head. “We’re strangers.”
“No one is a stranger to Mama Jo once she meets you. And she has a way with kids. Nico will love her. I promise. She’s like the quintessential grandmotherly type. You know, kind yet firm, loves to bake, isn’t afraid to slap you silly if you’re acting stupid…you know that kind of grandmother type. Except she’s my mom.”
“Foster mom, you mean.”
“Well, technically, that’s how it started out but she adopted me and my foster brothers so we belong to her now. No giving us back at this point.”
Skye seemed surprised that he could joke so freely about something that surely had to have been painful at one time. “I don’t know…it doesn’t seem right.”
“It’s fine. Actually, I think it’s a great idea and all you need to do is say the word and we’ll pile into my car—”
She looked astonished. “You have a car?”
“Yeah. It’s my baby. A Mustang GT convertible. I keep it stored because there’s no need to drive it in the city but I like having the freedom of going where I please. It’s an expensive luxury, let me tell you. The storage place charges as much as my loft. But it’s worth it.”
“A convertible, huh?” She chewed her lip, weighing the options. “Is it safe for Nico?”
“I would never drive recklessly with anyone else, let alone a child in the car. And the car does come fully equipped with seat belts,” he added with a slight tease in his tone. Anything to ease the burden he saw dragging on her shoulders. “What do you say? Road trip?”
She looked over at Nico then back at him, a long moment stretching between them before she gave him a tentative nod. “Road trip,” she affirmed and he smiled at her apprehension.
“A change of scenery is good,” he promised, and she jerked another short nod in agreement.
“Yeah. I hope you’re right. But we should get going. I’m not being melodramatic about the situation.”
“You got it.”
Christian made a few calls to cover his shifts at Martini, let Gage know where he’d be and then after Skye had let the center know she’d be taking a few days off as well, he started packing. And damn if he wasn’t shaking like a leaf in the wind.
He had an ominous feeling lurking in the shadows of his thoughts but he refused to add to Skye’s burden at this point. They’d figure out the details later.