Chapter 31
“Your story is like an R-rated Cinderella,” I hear Valerie tell Stella. I’m in the kitchen of the new home we are renovating while they’re checking some tile samples in the dining room.
We have a lot of work ahead of us, the house is a diamond in the rough. The first time we visited it, I noticed it had good bones, but we need to do some magic tricks to make it habitable, and we should have it done before our baby is born.
I’ve been living at a gallop between Los Angeles and Carrollton. It has been a logistical madness, but necessary. I have a business to attend to and Stella wants to be here close to her family, thanks to my mother’s meddling.
Everything would be easier if we were back on the west coast. The security will be easier to handle. We would only have to fill one house with furniture. We also have to prepare two homes for the baby. I would have already taken her to my house in the San Bernardino mountains. My favorite place to work on the weekends.
But we can’t live on if only .
The present is here and we are facing it as it is.
When I put down the house deeds in her hands while we were standing in front of the house a few weeks ago, I was rewarded with the sweetest of kisses. “Do you know how many times I dreamed of living here? I’ve been in love with it since I was a child.”
“Now it’s yours,” I replied.
“You are wrong, Mr. Kral,” she replied, a small smile touching up her kissable lips. “It’s ours.”
It was definitely the best decision to stay in town. We both needed it.
“Or rather, Beauty and the Beast,” Valerie laughs, pulling me out of my thoughts. That girl is something else. “Because after kissing him, your husband became Prince Charming, bought you a house, and now he’s remodeling it… when will I find my Prince Charming willing to die for me?”
“You and your progressive ideas…” Stella responds, her voice full of sarcasm.
“Just so you know, true feminism is about having options, and there is nothing better for that than having a lot of money in your bank account so you can choose between them.”
And speaking of options, that reminds me that I have business to attend to.
“ Hvězda ,” I call to her using her nickname. “I gotta go to Louisville with the measurements for the kitchen and the wood sample we chose.” We both discussed the design in detail, the materials and the textures. In the end, we reached an agreement that left us both happy. In more ways than one. Planning the renovations of a new house between the sheets is the best way to do it. “In a little while, the team we hired will come to start lifting the carpet off the second floor.”
Even though I told my wife not to worry about the money, she thinks hard before deciding, weighs the options and generally chooses something that combines quality and price. Stella would be a perfect addition to my team. The girl has a good eye. Unfortunately, she has her own business to manage.
“I’ll stay here taking care of the fort,” she says while entering the kitchen wearing denim overalls, her little bump stretching the fabric. I love seeing this more confident and self- assured Stella. She’s still the same girl I fell in love with, but she has lost the fear of showing off her body. She doesn’t wear those long skirts all the time anymore.
Alexandra sent us a lot of stuff from Los Angeles, including some of the clothes they got from their shopping expedition, and I must admit they fit her like a glove.
“Two men are posted outside, and Sanders is going to come be here with you. He won’t take his eye off you.”
I’m rewarded with a smile as she walks up to me and wraps her arms around my neck. “I can say goodbye to my plans to escape to go swimming in the river.”
I kiss her on the lips, unable to resist.
“Don’t even think about it,” I reply, frowning. “It’s too cold, you might catch a cold.”
Yes, I’m an overprotective husband and future father.
It may not be the best idea to go swimming in the river, but we can do other things. In my short time living here, I’ve discovered this place is wonderful, not only because of the friendly people, but also the places Stella has taken me to. Last weekend, at the suggestion of my wife, we had a mini-getaway to Cumberland Falls. We stayed at a hotel that’s right inside the park. The room had the most fantastic view of the rivers. We had plenty of time to tour the striking surroundings. Stella enjoys a quiet and simple life. I think she will be happy spending a few days with me in the cabin.
“How about we go apple picking in an orchard nearby this weekend?” Another great suggestion. “Maybe get some inspiration for some fall-inspired soaps like apple honey. How does that sound?”
She brings her face closer to kiss my neck, then bites me gently, running her tongue right over the spot. She doesn’t know what she’s doing to me, if this house were in better condition, less dusty, and we were alone…
“Baby, I gotta go…” Otherwise, I’ll have to ditch the appointment with the carpenter. I would end up throwing Stella over my shoulder, and taking her on the second floor.
“Ok, ok,” she says without untangling her body from mine. “At least it wasn’t for lack of trying.”
“You’re killing me,” I rebuke her.
“And me too,” Valerie yells from the dining room. “You’re feasting in front of the hungry, dammit.”
Stella laughs, earning her a slap on the butt. “I’m leaving,” I announce. “I’ll call you on my way back.”
I leave the old house feeling light, like someone walking through the clouds. Stella is fine, the baby is fine, I can hardly wait for the next check-up to hear its heartbeat. The decision to stay in Carrollton was a good one. In the near future, I will start to expand my business here to Kentucky. There are several opportunities in Louisville and I like this area. We are close to several important cities. This would be an optimal location for a new business.
The gears in my head are already turning at full speed. I could hire someone to manage the operation in California and dedicate myself to growing this new venture. Time will only tell, but I like knowing new opportunities are opening up for me, for both of us.
Since the success of the ‘Bee My Honey’ soaps at Alexandra’s party after several of the celebrity guests shared them on social media, Stella has been busier than ever. Felicia and Lorraine have been helping her, and the house she rented is now a makeshift factory.
We are about to enter Louisville when my phone pings with an incoming text message. I smile when I see Stella’s name flashing on the screen.
Stella: The time has come to pay off old debts.
Somehow, I manage to finish reading those words without my heart stopping. The message is accompanied by a photo of my wife with a gun pointed at her head, her eyes closed, and I can see thick tears running down her cheeks.
I turn around on the first U-turn I find, my heart beating fast. Over and over I call Sanders, getting no answer. Shit, this is not looking good.
Ethan answers on the first ring. “He has Stella,” I tell him without greeting him.
“Fuck, are you sure?” No, I’m playing, asshole.
“I wouldn’t joke about something so important, I just received a text with a very disturbing photo.”
I hear him sigh on the other end of the line before speaking again. “Josh and I are on our way. I know it’s asking a lot of you, but you have to calm down, Lionel. Help is on the way and we’ll get Stella back sooner than you know. Mathilda is going to get some things moving with the Feds while we fly.”
Those words sound so empty, as if said in another reality, to someone else.
“See you.” I finish the call as I push my foot on the pedal. I need to get to Carrollton as soon as possible.
When I get to town, the first thing I do is go to the house we bought. I run in, and what I find there isn’t very encouraging. The entrance guard is lying on the ground with a syringe stuck in his neck. Whoever has Stella isn’t afraid and is desperate—which is a bad combination.
Sanders is lying on the ground facedown. The wound on his head has stopped bleeding. I check his neck for a pulse, he’s unconscious, but not dead. Thank God.
“Mr. Kral, come see this,” Davis calls me, who usually accompanies me on my trips to Louisville. On one of the kitchen walls, taped to the wall with a bloody knife is a note.
Your life for hers.
Every minute counts.