Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
LYNAE
I t’s been over a month since I changed our relationship. We are officially boyfriend and girlfriend. However, he won’t leave my side very much lately, not after Coral was kidnapped and buried alive. I try to assure him that no one is coming after me. I’m safe.
I’m twenty-five weeks pregnant and getting bigger every day. The doctor keeps saying it’s because of how big Ryker is that our baby is growing so fast. I’m measuring at almost twenty-eight to thirty weeks, but developmentally, he’s right on target.
Ryker is upset with me because I’m still working at the vineyard restaurant when Jaden needs me, like tonight. I move between the tables, watching the floor to make sure I don’t trip on something.
“Welcome to Painted Desert Winery and Vineyard. Can I tempt you with a glass of our famous wine?” I ask the couple seated at the table.
“Lynae?”
I look up and freeze. “Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Humphreys. How are you doing?”
“You’re pregnant? Cheri said the pregnancy didn’t take. Does she know?”
“Oh, no, this isn’t from that. I got pregnant right afterward with my boyfriend’s baby.”
“Lynae, you okay?” Ryker says from behind me.
I love that he can sense when I’m not feeling right. I’m freaking out because if they go back and tell Cherise and Ken I’m pregnant, it could start another court battle.
“Excuse me, sir, she’s speaking to us,” Mrs. Humphreys says, her tone dripping with condescension as she addresses Ryker.
“I’m her boyfriend, so back off, lady.”
“Well, I never.” She gasps and holds her hand to her chest like she’s shocked.
“Mrs. Humphreys, let me get you a glass of wine. Mr. Humphreys, would you like me to get you some brandy? I’ll also have another server help you.”
I put in their drink orders and ask one of the other waitresses to help them before I join Ryker in the kitchen.
“Who are they?” he asks when I step up to him.
“They are close friends with Cherise and Ken.” My heart beats faster as worry sets in.
“Who are Cherise and Ken?” Jaden asks from where he’s running the kitchen and checking all the plates before they go out.
We haven’t told his family about Sayler’s, or the court battle I went through. I’m sure they’d look at me differently if they knew I had been on hormones and didn’t protect their son or myself.
“They’re Lyn’s ex-in-laws,” Ryker answers.
“Would you like me to send them a nice dessert?” He hasn’t looked over at us to see that I’m stressing or the worried look on Ryker’s face.
I lean up and whisper, “I’m scared.”
I’ve made sure to be honest with Ryker about everything, and my feelings are the most important. We still haven’t told each other how we feel about one another, but I know I’m falling in love with him.
“I’ll protect you. I’ll call my attorney on Monday. Can you call yours?”
“Yes.”
“Kids, what aren’t you telling me?” Jaden walks over and stands with us, having overheard us talking about attorneys.
“Can we talk in your office?” Ryker asks, and Jaden nods. He has the head chef take over the line before leading us into the room.
“Do I need to have your mother here?”
“Yeah, maybe, so we don’t have to explain this more than once,” Ryker says.
Charlene walks in a few moments later, and by this point, I’ve worked off a couple of pounds bouncing my leg in fear. Ryker reaches across and gently rubs my thigh.
“I got you, baby,” he says, and I start to calm.
“What’s going on?” his mom asks.
I take a deep breath. I need to be the one to tell them. I start by explaining how I was forced to marry Sayler and how my grandmother helped me get the divorce. Then, I tell them how, when Sayler went missing, a clause suddenly appeared in the prenup I had signed. The judge ruled that I had to undergo one round of hormones and one attempt at insemination. I explain that it didn’t take, and I have the proof, not only in pregnancy tests but also in an ultrasound.
“I didn’t think about the hormones still raging through my body and ended up making a bad judgement error when I met Ryker. Several weeks later, I found out I was pregnant. We know it’s Ryker’s. As proof, I had an amniocentesis and got the DNA results. It’s not Sayler’s baby. It’s Ryker’s.” I finish. I hadn’t told Ryker that part yet.
“Babe, I trusted you.” He pulls me onto his lap and holds me as I cry.
“I needed to make sure that, if there was ever any question, you wouldn’t lose our child. Especially if something happens to me.”
“You don’t trust them?” He holds my face in the palm of his hands, staring me down. I can’t hide and fidget with my lip between my teeth, and he knows. “Fuck.” He pulls me into him, his arms banding me close. “I’m not losing you.” I can hear the fear in his voice.
“Call the attorney. We need to be prepared for them. That woman out there isn’t going to keep what she saw a secret,” Jaden says, standing from his desk to hold his wife.
“I can get a hold of some of my old contacts with child protective services. They can’t and won’t get their hands on my grandbaby. They are sick for forcing a child to marry their adult son,” Charlene adds.
Charlene used to work for the state before quitting to help at the vineyard. She helped Coral when she was having issues with one of Rowdy’s exes.
I don’t want to be alone tonight, so Ryker stays with me at my house, holding me through the night after he makes love to me.
Ryker
I n the last couple of weeks since Lynae ran into the Humphreys, we’ve gotten everything put together with both of our attorneys. Mine will head up the case from here, while hers will use his staff to do some investigating for us. I’m not going to allow the Benedicts to get away with anything this time. She’s told me everything they did to her in the last case. How she basically walked away with nothing just to get away from them.
To get our mind off the Benedicts, we had dinner with Rowdy and Coral tonight. Coral is still recovering from everything she went through at the end of September and doesn’t like to go out much. That’s why we go to their place, or Lyn will hang out with Coral some days after school.
We pull up to Lyn’s small house, and something doesn’t feel right. I reach across her to open the glove box, where I keep my gun. I pull it out and slip it into the back of my waistband.
“What’s that for?” Lyn’s voice is high-pitched.
“Something feels off.”
“I left the porch light on.”
“Stay here.”
“No.” She tries to fight me. I dial Logan.
“What’s up?” he answers, and I can hear the baby crying in the background.
“Get Mom to your house and come to Lynae’s. Something isn’t right.”
“Don’t go in,” he warns, but he should know me better than that. If someone is in there, I’ll kill them to protect my girl.
I pull my flashlight from the door pocket before stepping down from the truck. The wind blows through the trees, and I can smell something in the air. I hear the passenger door open.
“Stay there, Lyn,” I order her and move to the porch.
The door is cracked open. I push it with my foot, and it stops part way. I change tactics and move to the side porch, just in case someone is behind the front door. I pull my gun from my waistband and hold it at my side. Trying to avoid the boards that would give away my position, I move silently toward the French doors. I can barely see into the room, not even the microwave or stove displays light up the kitchen. I reach through the broken glass and unlock the doors before opening them and stepping inside. My boots crunch on glass as I hold my gun at the ready. I flick on my flashlight and see complete disarray. Everything is destroyed. When my light bounces off of pictures in frames positioned all over the house, my blood runs cold. I back out of the room and head for my truck.
“What’s wrong?” Lyn asks, and I hate to ask, but I have to know.
“Are you sure Sayler is dead?”
“Why?” Her breathing increases.
“You’ll see.”
We wait for my brother. When he arrives, he and I check the perimeter and find that the main power to the house has been shut off. We turn it back on and move inside, while Lyn remains secured in the truck. Once the house is cleared, Logan calls his forensics person, and I head back outside to get Lyn. She’s crying, and I hold her as she sees the destruction through the window.
“Why do you think it’s Sayler?” she asks.
I don’t answer her question. When we step over the threshold, she sees the answer. All around the room are framed pictures from their wedding. Every surface is covered. From the pictures, I can see how young my girl was, and I also notice the fear in her eyes. I see the pure evil in his smile. I pull her close to my body as we walk through the rooms. Her clothes are strewn everywhere and cut to pieces. The baby’s room, which she had started decorating, is completely demolished. Nothing was left intact, not even the appliances.
“You’re moving in with me, Lyn.” I don’t ask, I tell her.
“Okay.” She doesn’t fight me on it, and I know it’s because she’s scared.
After we answer a few questions, I take her home. I’m glad she has a few outfits at my house so she can go to work tomorrow. I tried to talk her into staying home, but she won’t. I help her into bed, and we fall asleep in each other’s arms.
When she wakes up screaming in her sleep, I comfort her to calm her down.