Chapter Thirty-Nine
One week later…
S ara gazed at her doctor. “What do you mean?”
“Your stress is through the roof. It’s coming out in the panic attacks you’re experiencing and in your blood pressure,” Dr. Karen Cox said, swiveling her computer monitor around so that Sara could see the screen.
A chart and numbers were displayed, and she noticed the red when Dr. Cox placed her finger on the screen.
“What does that mean?” Sara gazed at the doctor with fear.
“It means if you’re not careful, you’ll jeopardize the baby and yourself.”
She left in a daze, not really seeing anything. Not even when Shane took her hand and walked her out of the building.
“What did she say?”
“I have high blood pressure,” she whispered, clutching the prescription the doctor had given her.
“It’s no wonder! You can’t marry Justin Clark,” Shane said, looking pissed.
“I already said I would.”
“So the fuck what? This isn’t the eighteenth century.” Shane tucked her into the car and closed the door. When her brother slid behind the wheel, he started the car, but didn’t put it in drive.
“You haven’t mentioned Levi since you came back,” he said.
“Don’t…” She held up her palm. “Don’t say his name.”
“Look, sis, I know he did something shitty, but he was also there for you when you needed him.”
She turned away and gazed out the window.
Sure, Levi had been there. He had saved her from being kidnapped. He had protected her from Kevin. He had made love to her as if she were the most important thing in the whole world.
And it was all a lie.
Levi had taken money to find her. He was getting paid to bring her back to her parents.
The only reason Levi had stopped the kidnappers was because Levi thought they worked for Kevin.
She knew that without a doubt. She was nothing more to him than a means for money.
Levi was the same as all the guys before, and she vowed to go it alone from now on.
Right now, though, she had to devise a plan to hide the baby.
That was going to be tricky.
Justin Clark wasn’t stupid, and passing the baby off as his really wasn’t going to fly.
If she told Justin about the baby, then maybe the man wouldn’t mind so much.
After all, the marriage was beneficial more so to Justin than to her.
What she didn’t want was to get Shane involved. While she loved her brother, he had a habit of sharing information with their adoptive parents.
The last thing she wanted was for Shane to spill the beans about the baby to Jack or Laura.
“He was paid to be there for me,” she whispered, picking up the thread of their conversation.
Shane made a sound under his breath, but didn’t argue.
After all, what could possibly be said?
Levi had been paid to be there.
She was nothing more than a job to him.
That might be thinking harshly, but she wasn’t a good judge of character. Between Chris, Kevin, and Levi, it was three strikes and she was out.
And while Levi was one of the good guys, she could never forgive him.
She knew to her soul.
Sara stood in one of the library’s alcoves, thumbing through a book when her father and Markem walked inside and closed the door.
Jack made his way over to pour two glasses of whiskey, and Sara sank back, hidden in the book aisle. High shelves would hide her from view.
She didn’t want to see anyone, much less her father or her mother, for that matter.
“Is Clark in agreement?” Jack asked.
“He’s on board. He’ll make the transfer as soon as he and Sara are married. I have the contract,” Markem said.
It didn’t surprise her that her marriage to Justin Clark had monetary gains. It was the way of the wealthy. Blue blood society never really gave anything away that would not benefit them.
“This time next week you’ll be a millionaire,” Jack told Markem lightly.
Sara heard their glasses clink together as they toasted. How would her marrying Justin make Markem rich?
“And don’t let Sara know that he gave the money back,” Jack said, ice clinking in the glass.
Sara held her breath.
Who gave money back?
There was only one possibility.
It had to be Levi. And just when did he give the money back? Was it after she caught him or before?
And did it really make a difference?
Not really.
If Levi gave the money back to Jack, then that meant he had done what he had done for different reasons. And those reasons might have nothing to do with monetary gain.
“I won’t. That’s privileged information, but I wonder about the government officials comment,” Markem said.
“What?” Jack asked, sounding surprised.
“Yeah, when I was leaving the warehouse, one of them said our guy wounded a government official.”
“And you’re just telling me this now?” Jack snapped.
“It’s no big deal,” Markem said, his voice turning soothing.
“What did you do with the money Huxley gave back?” Jack said through his teeth.
“That was months ago, why?”
“Just tell me.”
“I used it to hire people to bring Sara home.”
“So, there’s a trail between you and them,” Jack murmured as if relieved.
Markem seemed at a loss for words, and the pair left the library a few moments later.
Sara didn’t move from her spot.
Levi had given the money back months ago.
That had been around the time he had found her at the nightclub.
Which meant that he had protected her for a whole other reason.
Placing a hand protectively over her stomach, she rubbed her palm gently.
“Okay, baby, let’s go find daddy,” she whispered.
Pulling out her phone, she sent an all-alert text message to the girls.
Sara: We all need to talk.
Ana: About the dirtbag?
Sara gave a choking, tearful laugh. They all knew that she was pregnant with Levi’s baby, and he knew nothing about it.
Her friends knew she was planning to marry another man. They also knew that Levi had taken the money, but what they didn’t know was that Levi had given it back.
Things aren’t what they appear to be. I was lied to. I need your help.
Within seconds, Lily, Ana, Michelle, and even Carla rallied via text message responses.
Michelle: What’s going on?
Sara: I was misinformed. Levi returned the money to my parents long ago.”
Their immediate responses had her laughing, and the screen blurred when tears filled her eyes.
Lily: They lied? Tell me who to bitch slap.
Carla: I’ll hold them down.
Ana: I’ll press charges!
Michelle: Does this mean I have to return my bridesmaid’s dress?
Sara gave a choking laugh. Michelle was the airhead of their bunch, and right then, her humor helped.
God, she loved her friends.
And she was glad they were on her team.
Now, she had some planning to do.
Via video call, Sara had Ana, Sara, and Michelle on her laptop feed. It was their go-to way to talk.
Carla sent a text saying she couldn’t make it today, so Sara took a deep breath and started.
“So, they said that Levi gave the money back,” she said.
“Who said?” Ana asked.
“My father and his lawyer.” Sara glanced at the door to her room, but wasn’t worried about being overheard. Beyond her door was her own private sitting room, and the door to that was locked as well. Unless they put cameras or bugs in here, she was safe to talk freely.
“When?” Ana demanded.
“After our first meeting in San Francisco.”
“How was that first meeting?” Lily asked with a growing smile.
“We…hooked up that night,” Sara admitted, rubbing a hand over her stomach.
“Okay, so he came to you, you guys did it, and he gave the money back,” Lily said. “That sounds like he’s smitten.”
“It sounds like you’re in his corner,” Sara said with a slight frown. “I know he works for Max—”
Lily held up her hand, cutting her off. “Don’t even go there. I’m your friend first, but I think you need to hear him out.”
“I agree,” Ana chimed in. “Don’t you want to hear his explanation?”
“I do…” Sara whispered. “But there are huge gaps between us. Money, kids, jobs.” She ticked off her fingers.
“You can cross out the first one,” Lily informed her.
“What?” Sara knew she sounded confused. How in the world could she cross off money? Her family was loaded.
Of course, that didn’t matter, and she had only listed it because she was here at the Jones’s house.
“You’re right, I can walk away from it all without hesitating.”
That would put her and Levi on an even playing field.
It didn’t resolve their other differences, but perhaps it would help.
“No, you need to hear what I have to say.” Lily leaned toward the camera when she spoke. “There’s more to Levi than meets the eye.”
More?
Sara held her breath.
Now what?