Chapter Eleven #2
“Baby, do what I tell you; Vasco is waiting for you.”
“Okay.” I grabbed my things, as he said, and left without saying anything to Mr. Keaton. I had no idea why this was happening, but I trusted Diego completely. As I stepped outside, Vasco rushed me inside the SUV, and we drove off quickly.
“What’s going on?” Vasco didn’t bother answering me.
“I have her, Diego,” he said into his Bluetooth on the dashboard.
“Good. Bring her home. I’m going to bury that son of a bitch.” I’d heard Diego angry before, but he’d never raised his voice. His rage had been cool and collected. He wanted to kill my boss.
I gasped at his threat. “You can’t. Please tell me you’re not going to hurt my boss?”
“No, not him, baby.” How could I be so soft when it came to Diego when I had my doubts?
“Good, because Ava is my friend.” I was the one to introduce them and they were so unbelievably happy together.
“I happen to like Keaton, and that’s the reason why I got the tip-off that the asshole just showed up. No, it’s time to get that bastard. Vasco, I held off on the photos. Send them to his wife now, and to the newspaper. Anonymously, of course.”
“Of course, Diego.”
“Diego, do you know my father?” I asked before I lost my nerve. I might not love my father, but I didn’t want any secrets or lies between Diego and me.
“Yes, but we’ll talk when you get here, mi corazón.” Vasco ended the call before I pressed Diego for more information. The damn bastard was a big pain in the ass.
He looked through the rearview mirror and said, “Just so you know, your father got what he deserved. It’s only because of you that Diego will let that fuck live.” I pressed my fingers to my lips, trying to process the anger dripping from Vasco’s words.
The moment we pulled into Duke’s Operations Services, where Diego was waiting for me, I hopped out of the vehicle and jumped into his open arms. “I missed you, too, mi amor. Now, let’s go inside because there is much to discuss.”
We entered the building and after he helped me out of my winter coat, he led me straight to his office.
“Please sit over here.” It was the seat in front of his desk.
He didn’t sit, no. He took off his suit jacket and stood before me, looking magnificent in a white, well-pressed shirt with his gun clearly visible tucked on his hip.
He ran his fingers through his hair before he stopped and sat on the edge of his desk in front of me with his legs spread out. “Liza, my Elizabeth,” he sighed so hard, his shoulders sank.
I fidgeted, picking at the imaginary lint on my pants. Growing impatient with the nervous silence between us, I blurted out my frustration, “Just tell me the truth, damn it.” He was freaking me out.
His head jerked slightly back, and then he nodded. “I testified against your father and sent him to prison five years ago.”
“Did you?” I closed my eyes and thought about the case and the fact that I refused to go to the trial. I could have met him years ago. A sigh escaped me.
“I’m sorry. He had it coming.”
“I’m sure he did.”
“You believe me?”
“I knew my father, and I knew the piece of crap he was back then. He went away for attempted murder.”
“He still is a piece of shit. That’s why he’s doing life now.”
“What? I didn’t know he got life now.”
“I’m sorry, but yes. He killed one of the guards at the prison. Hell, I’m surprised he doesn’t get fried.” I pressed my mouth and then stood up, needing some air. I paced the room several times, looking for answers. Who was the man I called my father?
“Talk to me, my love.” I turned back to him and noticed the large neon sign outside in the parking lot.
The sign piqued my curiosity, and I wanted to know more about the man I was diving head over heels for. “Who is Duke?”
He smiled at me and said, “That was the former owner’s nickname back when he started the company. He hired me a long time ago when I had nothing and took me in as one of his own.” The pride rolled off his every word. This Duke meant something to him.
“Will I ever meet him?”
He pulled me into his arms with his hands resting on the small of my back. “No, you won’t. He retired half a decade ago and died last year.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” I whispered, brushing my hand along his jaw. He cuffed my hand and brought it to his lips, kissing my palm.
“Thank you. He gave me the keys to the empire and taught me how to be strong when I had nothing but the clothes on my back. It wouldn’t have been the life I’d chosen for myself, but now that I have you, I know I’d do it all over again.”
I snuggled my face into his chest, allowing myself to be wrapped up in his love and strength, but then he gently pulled me back by my biceps and looked me in the eyes. “So I know you’re avoiding this conversation about your father, but you haven’t yelled or hit me for lying to you.”
I sighed. “I understand why you didn’t tell me. I already knew the kind of man my father was before he went to prison, so he’s better where he is.”
A wry chuckle left his throat. “My heart and soul, I’m not any better than him.”
I shook my head because he was nothing like my father.
From the moment I met Diego, I knew they were nothing alike.
“No, but you’re better to me. My father didn’t care what happened to me.
I was a burden to him, a waste of space and hopefully a bargaining chip one day.
Both of my parents abandoned me. Although something has been bugging me and I need to ask. Were you ever planning on telling me?”
He gently tapped my nose. “I wanted to tell you that time we mentioned him, but you asked me not to talk about him, so I stopped.”
“Oh, well. I’d like to keep it that way. My life has been much better without him.”
“Good, me too.”
“Can we go home?” I asked him.
“Yes. I want to lie down and hold you for a while before someone drags my attention away,” he grumbled. I rubbed his chest and then slid my hand into his, where he gave it a firm squeeze before letting it go and getting our things.
Within the next five hours, we watched as the councilman was dragged through the mud.
Every newspaper and media outlet had his face plastered all over with pictures of him and his mistress.
Stories flooded every social media platform about where his campaign money was spent and how it had been going to fund his little adventures with his former employee.
There was no official report of who leaked the stories.
“Diego, you’re a bad boy.” He cupped my jaw.
“And your point, my love? The bastard was lucky after what he did to you. You do realize that there are several cameras on your floor. Keaton was gracious enough to let me have access to them while you are working.” He held me closer.
“That motherfucker put his hands on you.” He pointed to the computer.
“This is the least of his troubles right now.” He pressed his hand on my waist. “Now, there’s another matter we need to talk about.
I noticed that you were unwell and ran to the bathroom.
Do we need to take a trip to the doctor? ”
“I don’t know if it was something I ate.” I paused and stared up at him. “Well, I haven’t had my period since before that night.”
“Are you telling me that you might be having a baby?”
I shrugged my shoulders. “It’s possible.”
“Then what the fuck are we doing waiting? Let’s go right now and get some tests.” He rushed out of the room without me before coming back in and picking me up in his arms. “I said let’s go, woman,” he growled. My laugh echoed throughout the condo.
“Can we at least put on our shoes and stuff?”
“I suppose,” he huffed with a grin before slamming his lips on mine.
After a few minutes of making out, he remembered the reason we were standing in the front hall of the condo.
We put our coats on quickly and dressed for the store.
We found the first CVS and stepped inside.
He rushed through the main aisle, visually scanning the signs to see where to find the women’s section.
“Aha.” Diego practically carried me down the aisle for feminine care as he marched his way down to the spot where they had all the tests locked up. The man snarled. “What the hell?”
“We can just call someone.”
“Excuse me, do you need assistance?” a young man asked.
“Yes, we need the case opened,” I answered before Diego slammed the poor kid against the nearest wall for slowing down his momentum.
“Sure, let me get in here.” He moved between us and unlocked the cabinet. Diego picked up eight different pregnancy tests.
“We don’t need that many. That’s like twenty-five tests there. How much pee do you think I have in my bladder?”
“Hey, what if some of them are defective?”
“You’re nuts.”
“Sweetheart, you forget who you’re talking to,” he warned me, trying to sound tough, but it came out like butter. He was a marshmallow when it came to me and it only made me love him even more. Although I did love his hand around my throat ever
I tapped him on his slightly large yet distinguished nose. “I’m talking to the man who is obsessed with me.”
“Very true, which means I’m getting the fucking tests.” He looked at the employee and said, “Ring us up.”
“You have to take it to the front.” Uh oh.
“Did I stutter? You already wasted my time by having it locked, acting like we’re common criminals.
” I had to bite my inner lip, and Diego winked at me.
The man checked us out while the other lines were building.
Now I was grateful that he had the man ring us up separately.
We would have been stuck for twenty minutes.
Apparently, everyone and their mothers were shopping right at that moment.
Once we were back at the condo, he impatiently waited as I peed in a cup. “Are you almost done?”
“You’re listening to me pee. Ugh, one minute, please.” I washed my hands and then opened the bathroom door. One by one we dipped the four tests. Within a few minutes we had our answers, and they were all the same; each one told us that he struck gold on the first attempt.
Diego was practically doing backflips in our bedroom. “Are you happy, Daddy?”
“Damn right I am. I need to make a call.”
He stepped out of the bathroom and into our bedroom.
I leaned on the doorframe and listened as he paced.
“Keaton, this is Hernandez. Yeah, she’s safe and everything is fine, but that’s why I’m calling.
It’s time.” I stared at him, wondering what he was talking about, since I only had one side of the conversation.
Diego didn’t look at me as he continued to move around the room as if I wasn’t there. “My wife is done working for you. Yes, I know you need an assistant, but as we discussed, you have your talented wife. She might not want to help, but she’s capable.”
I gasped when I comprehended what he was doing. “Okay, sounds good; talk to you later.”
He ended the call and looked at me with a smirk, but I wasn’t smiling back. My arms were crossed and my teeth clenched. “Are you freaking serious? Did you just cause me to lose my job?”
“Sweetheart, you didn’t lose your job. You switched positions. Second of all, you don’t need a job. You’re going to be my wife.”
“But I’m not yet,” I huffed, trying to stand my ground, but I loved the way wife came from his mouth.
“We can rectify that today; keep it up.”
“God, you’re annoying.”
“But you love it, baby, don’t you?”
“Yes, I do.” A big smile pulled across my face.
“So you’ll work for me.”
“Sometimes.”
“That’ll have to do. Now, little mama, let’s celebrate.” He stripped me of my clothes and carried me off to bed for a proper celebration.