Miles was speeding down the gravel road to the cabin. He was on the phone with his friend, Anthony, who helped us get here. Anthony was assuring him that the cabin was untraceable electronically, as long as we hadn’t told anyone we were here. “Thanks, I’ll be in contact.” Miles said before hanging up the phone.
Miles and James glanced at each other. It will be okay, I told myself. I felt like I was about to hyperventilate but I made small, deep breaths so nobody would worry.
When we pulled up to the house. Miles brought the car to a hard stop. He jumped out and unholstered his gun. He ran onto the porch and looked into the windows of the house before opening the door and checking the house. He came out after a few minutes and nodded at James who then let me out of the car.
They hurried me inside and lead me to my room. “Stay here until we come and get you.” Miles said before pulling the door closed and locking it behind him.
It’s like I was locked in the upstairs room at Maximo’s again. I started to feel my panic rise. I didn’t want to be locked in this room. I got up and began pacing. I decided that was just making my anxiety worse so I decided to take a bath. I started the water and let it run over my hand before adding some sandalwood bubble bath.
I got in and let the water run over my ankles as the bath continued to fill. I heard a knock at the door. “What?” I snorted, annoyed.
James came in and sat next to the tub, dipping his hand in the water. If only Claire knew he was here. “I’m sorry.” He started before sighing and closing his eyes. When he reopened them, his eyes trailed up from my toes to my thighs, my groin, stomach, and breasts. His eyes hovered over my breasts then back down to my pregnant belly. I could almost feel his hurt, his longing for who we were a year ago.
“What do you think it is?” He asked.
“I don’t know, it’s a 50/50 chance.” I smirked. He smiled and leaned into the tub, putting his hand on my belly. He rubbed my stomach before bringing his hand to my breasts. I raised my eyebrows has he rubbed my boobs. “Do they feel different, or something?” I asked.
“Bigger, firmer even.” He smiled before bringing his hand to my neck then my lips. His thumb grazed my lower lip.
I pulled my face back. “What is this, James? I thought you and Claire were together?” He put his index finger over my lips to shush me.
“Don’t worry about the labels.” He smirked at his own words. I huffed. He leaned in and gave me a soft kiss on my lips and whispered, “I’d chose you, any day, Fallon.” before getting up and leaving.
**Maximo**
“That bitch! How long has she been looking into us?” I slammed my fist onto the desk. “Hacked us? How? I pay you thousands of dollars a month and you can’t even keep a fucking hacker out of our dealings? Fucking fix it!” I hung up the phone and threw it down on the desk.
My men have still been looking for Fallon 24/7. They found leads on her best friend Amber and that she had been hacking our servers. Turns out Amber has not only been running Fallon’s business but keeping in regular contact with her. How dare she fucking lie to me! Nobodies lies to me and gets away with it!
I now have my men looking for Amber too. I have my hacker trying to hack her servers, but she’s damn good at hiding her secrets within a program. Fallon never told me about her best friend being a computer genius.
My phone was ringing. I answered. “Father.”
“Maximo, my son. You need to get home and start handling the business. You need to let that girl go and run the business before someone decides to take it over for you.”
“I’m handling it.” I hissed. I have still been running the business, harsher these days actually. Instead of having my men do most of the leg work, I have been doing it to stay busy. My knuckles have not healed in 4 months because every time they start to heal, I beat the shit out of someone who fucked me over, that’s called handling the business. “She’s carrying my heir, father. She won’t get off that easy. She is too much a liability to not be found. I don’t want the Russians, Italians, or Colombian cartels to capture her and try to use the baby against us, we cannot afford that fight.” Jesus sighed.
“Son, you have not been the same man since she came into your life. You are getting soft, son.”
“Came into my life? You forced our marriage! This is your fault!”
“Not my fault you fell in love with her, Maximo. Calm down and handle the shipment coming in this afternoon.” Fuck. I forgot about the coke shipment coming in this afternoon. I hung up the phone and called Julio.
“Boss?”
“Julio, pick me up in half an hour with three guys and have another crew meet us at the shipyard. We have a shipment coming in.”
“How hot are you wanting to go?”
“It’s the Colombians so bring hand helds and automatics, just to be safe.”
“Got it, I will be there in half an hour.” We both hung up. How dare my father try to insinuate that I am so in love with Fallon that I would allow her to ruin my business. I sucked air through my teeth. She is fucked when I find her, I thought to myself. She thought I was an asshole before? She’s lucky she’s carrying my heir, otherwise I’d kill her without a second thought.
Julio pulled up and we left for the shipyard. One of the shipyards that Fallon’s family managed. The charter boat was waiting when we pulled up. The dock crew was putting crates on forklifts and taking them inside.
“Maximo! Good to see you!”
“Juan, nice to see you. Where’s the inventory list?” He handed me a clipboard.
“This is a heavy load this month, has business been good?” He questioned.
“It was good this summer with the influx of travelers plus adding in several additional clubs into our route. We are hoping for the flow in the states or remain the same, but we are anticipating a decrease in sales here…” I mumbled while checking the inventory list to the crates. “Julio, Monte, twins, go check the inventory list to the inventory, every crate.”
Juan chuckled. “Don’t believe us, friend?”
My lips formed a hard line. “Just business, Juan.” He nodded and pulled out a bottle of tequila. I recognized the logo, it was Fallon’s tequila but I don’t know how he would have found it to purchase it. I raised my eyebrows. “Where’d you get that?” I motioned to the bottle.
“I came across this in Miami, it is good for non-Mexican tequila, want a shot?” He poured us both a shot. We clinked glasses and I waited for him to swallow his before I put mine to my lips.
Everything with the shipment was checked and was accounted for. I handed Juan a duffle bag full of cash before getting back into the SUV and headed back to the hotel.