Chapter 29
CHAPTER 29
HUNTER
Jonah’s jaw drops. “Isabella’s pregnant? Fuck, Hunter. Dori and Jamison kissing is the least of your worries. Once you tell Dori that Isabella’s pregnant, you can say goodbye to your relationship.”
I push off my stool and pace in front of Jonah’s kitchen island. “You don’t think I know that?”
“And I thought my day was bad.” He grabs two glasses from the cabinet. “I thought you said nothing happened with her, so how can the baby be yours?”
“I don’t know, but she claims it is. She insists that something happened.” My stomach roils. “She offered to do a paternity test, which suggests she might be telling the truth.”
“Let’s say something did happen. Would you sleep with her without a condom?” He grabs a bottle of scotch off the counter and fills our glasses.
Isabella’s words echo in my head. “I’m pregnant, Hunter. It’s yours and I’m keeping it.”
Jonah hands me a much-needed shot of amber gold. I slam it back in one gulp, then hold out the glass for him to fill again. He hands me the bottle .
I refill my glass. “She says I woke her up in the middle of the night and that’s when it happened.”
“What does that have to do with using protection?”
“She said I was half asleep and muttered something about needing to feel ‘all’ of her. The problem is, I can see me doing that.” I down another shot to numb myself.
“Why do you say that?”
“Because I was wasted. Half the time I was with Isabella, I thought I was with Dorothy. I mean, I knew it was Isabella, but I was picturing Dorothy in her place.”
“Well, there’s your answer.” Jonah motions to the hall. “Let’s take this into the game room. We can play darts and pretend the bullseye is all of our problems.”
“Sounds good to me.” I grab the scotch and follow him to the other room with my heart collapsing. “Before we go further into my fucked up situation, tell me what’s going on with you.”
He opens a drawer near the bar area and pulls out two sets of darts. “I finally had it out with Melanie. She basically said we’re done.”
“What reason did she give?”
“None. She said I don’t fit into her world. Whatever the fuck that means.”
“She’s always been a bit of a wild card.”
He hands me my set of darts. “What do you mean?”
“You know she has no filter, so I’ve picked up on things she’s said.”
“Like?”
I pause, considering his feelings, then shrug because he’d want to know. “Like how many guys she’s hooked up with. She’s not known for her saintly behavior.”
Jonah stares at me. “I didn’t know she sleeps around.”
“That’s not something people go around talking about. Besides, I can’t be sure. It’s just that the times I’ve been around her, she’s talked about the different guys she’s hung out with.” I step up to the line and start our game.
Jonah takes his turn after I pull my darts from the board. “Back to you. What are you going to do now?”
“Take the night and get fucking wasted with my brother.” I lift the bottle of alcohol and ignore the pangs of impending doom. “We should be celebrating the launch’s success, so that’s what we’re going to do.”
“Fine by me. The bright side of your issue with Dori is Jamison will be out of the picture soon. That makes way for you to win her back.”
A bolt of anxiety hits my heart. “You say it like I’ve already lost her.”
Jonah takes his aim and tosses his dart. “Hunter, if Isabella is pregnant with your kid, you don’t stand a chance with Dori. I’m sorry, but you’ve got to face it. No woman should be expected to take that on.”
My neck and shoulders grow tense. “Don’t you think I would’ve remembered having sex? I mean, a brief glimpse or a flash of me having an orgasm. How could I not remember something like that?”
“I don’t know, Hunter. I would think you would’ve remembered some of it, but what the fuck do I know?”
I sip on my drink as I try to bring forward any recollection of that night. Nothing surfaces.
“Hunter, don’t kill me for saying this, but let’s pretend it happened like Isabella claims. If there is a baby and it’s yours, Dori has every reason to leave and go back to Jamison.”
Jonah shoots me a grimace. “He’s made it clear he still loves her. I’m sure he’d be happy to pick up the pieces of her broken heart.”
“Okay, I’ll play along. Say there’s a baby. But what if Dorothy sees I’m not interested in Isabella? I’m not planning on playing house with her or anything like that.” My stomach churns with bile .
“Maybe not with Isabella, but you would have a kid in the picture. Do you expect Dori to turn a blind eye to that fact?” Jonah knocks back his drink and goes to the counter to get more.
I take a minute to think about how she was when she learned about Jack. Since he’s happy and with a great family, he wasn’t that big of an issue for Dorothy, but this is different. Isabella is out for blood. I run my hand over my stiff neck.
I walk over to Jonah with my dread growing by the second. “How am I going to tell Dorothy about this?”
“I don’t know, but I’d do it before Isabella does.”
“Isabella has no clue Dorothy and I are together. There’s no reason for that to come out.”
“Really? Don’t be stupid about this, Hunter. Isabella and Dori are going to discuss the app’s success and how it affects Sacks Commodities’ sponsorship. They’re going to be in contact, so Dori will notice Isabella’s growing belly. Sorry, brother, but you’re not seeing this clearly.”
I pull out a barstool and bury my head in my hands. Not only is Jonah right, but Jamison still loves Dorothy. They shared a kiss only hours ago.
Jonah pats my back just as my phone pings me with an alert I’ve received a message. I rise and dig into my pants pocket, retrieving my phone.
Beauty: I understand you’re upset and have every right to be, but sending someone to follow me again without my permission is unacceptable. Call off your goons now or we’ll have bigger problems than Jamison kissing me. I’m nowhere near him. But I don’t have to tell you that, now do I?
What is she talking about?
Me: I don’t have anyone following you. Why would you think I do?
Beauty: Right. I see we’re back to you hiding shit from me again. Well, it was good while it lasted.
“What that fuck does that mean?” My head explodes as I try to piece her words together. “Does this make any sense to you, Jonah?”
I hand him my phone and he reads the message. His face pales as his eyes meet mine.
“Fuck, Hunter. This can only mean one thing.”
“What?” Right as I ask, the answer smacks me in the face. My heart rate spikes. “You think this is our mother’s doing?”
“Unless Jamison or Isabella have it in them to have Dori followed, it’s her. You said Ava was freaked out and didn’t think your deal was settled.” Jonah hands me my phone.
I take it back as my body shakes. There’s no question about it. My mother is behind this. I can barely type my message because I’m trembling so much.
Me: Where are you?
Beauty: Like you don’t know. Good night, Hunter. Call me when you want to be honest with me again.
“Fuck! She can be so stubborn sometimes.” I type another message, pounding on the screen with my fingertip.
Me: I swear to you, I don’t know where you are. No one that I know of is following you. Now tell me where the fuck you are.
I stare at the phone and wait for her to respond. Nothing comes through. I tug on my collar and think about where she would be on a Friday night.
We were supposed to meet, but I blew her off to get my head straight. That probably pissed her off. My terror grows with every passing minute.
“Jonah, I hate to ask you to do this, but can you ask Jamison if he knows where she is? I don’t want him to think she and I are fighting.”
“Sure, but he’s not dumb. He saw you leave today and now I’m looking for her. He’s going to know no matter what way you slice it.”
“Would you rather contact Melanie?”
“No. She’s done with me. Although, maybe it can open the door for me to get back in with her.” Jonah nods at something he’s thinking about. “I’ll reach out to Melanie.”
“And Jamison?”
“You sure are needy today, but yeah, I’ll reach out to him. In the meantime, you can call Dad and see if he has any insights on what our mobster mother wants with Dori.”
Jonah makes his calls and I contact our dad.
My dad sighs heavily through the phone. “I wouldn’t know, Hunter. I haven’t spoken to your mother for years. What did Ava tell you about her? She knows more than any of us.”
“Just what I told you. Joan Venturi wanted Ava and me to get married and have a baby by the time I turned thirty-five. She agreed to let the marriage part go, but she was always insistent on the kid. When Ava told her we decided not to comply, Mother Dear acted like it was no big deal.”
“It sounds to me like your mother has her sights on Dori as the one to make it happen. It’s the only thing that makes sense.”
“But why? My mother doesn’t want anyone to know about the Dupree’s son, so why does it matter that this child she wants comes from me? Nothing about it makes sense.”
My dad hesitates too long for my liking. “You’ve got me there, Hunter. Nothing about your mother makes sense. Are you sure Dori’s being followed? ”
I release a low growl. “Yes. She’s pissed off at me because she thinks I have someone tailing her without her permission, and she’s not in the position to be coming at me with her attitude right now.”
“Why?”
I shove my glass toward Jonah and gesture for a refill. “Because I caught her coming out of a closet with someone today. I left the party pissed at her.”
My dad groans. “That explains where you went. Christ, Hunter. What have you gotten yourself into?”
“Don’t hold it against Dorothy. She wasn’t doing anything wrong. I overreacted. Trying to date someone is hard when you can’t tell anybody about it. Other guys come on to her and I have no way to deal with it.”
“We’ll take her contract clause to the board at the next meeting, which should take care of the issue. But I don’t know what to tell you about your mom.” He clears his throat. “Hunter, you and Jonah need to be careful. I don’t have a good feeling about what she’s up to.”
“Dad, why do I get the feeling you’re not telling me something?”
“Find Dori and we can discuss this another time. I need to make a few phone calls and it’s getting late.” He hangs up.
I glance at my screen. Seeing no new messages from Dorothy, along with that reaction from my dad, has my heart racing.
I face Jonah. “What did Jamison and Melanie have to say?”
He pours us another drink. It’s not wise to be using alcohol to deal with my stress, but I’m unraveling.
“Melanie said she left Dori at the gym. They got into a fight about something and aren’t speaking.”
“What about Jamison?”
“He gave me little to go on other than he’s not seen her since the party. I think I threw him off by saying I needed one of the sponsor’s contact information from Dori because we have dinner plans tomorrow that I need to change.”
“Fuck! I need to find her.” I run my hands through my hair.
Jonah moves his glass aside and leans on his forearms, resting on the bar. “Why don’t you go to her loft? Maybe she’s there and there’s nothing to worry about.”
“I’ve called her a dozen times since our little text exchange. She’s turned off her phone, meaning she doesn’t want to hear from me.”
I slam my cell down on the counter. “This is what she did to Jamison. She found out something she didn’t like, and she cut off all communication with him. Trust me. She’s not at home because she knows that’s the first place I’ll go.”
“Why would she want to fight with you when she was the one who was kissing Jamison?”
“Knowing her, she’s probably upset with me for taking time out for myself and not putting her feelings first. Then she noticed someone following her and she instantly thought I was pulling the same stupid shit I did before. I can’t blame her because in the past, if I found her with Jamison, I would’ve been tracking her every move.”
“Then let’s go looking for her. She’s got to be somewhere.” He stands and rounds the bar.
I twist on my chair. “I want to find her, but honestly, Jonah, I’m afraid of what will happen when I do.”
“Like what?”
“I’m still upset about her kissing Jamison. As soon as that comes up, she’ll ask me about Isabella to deflect anything that she did.”
“And when she does, she’ll find out Isabella’s pregnant.” He picks up a dart and tosses it. It hits the bullseye.
“Something like that.”
“When Dori realizes Isabella’s going to be in your life, she’s going to lose her shit. That’s what you’re avoiding. You’re scared if you find her tonight, your relationship will end.”
“Exactly.”
“I get it, Hunter, but what if it’s something worse? What if she’s not avoiding you, but something else is going on?”
“Like?” My spine stacks straight.
“Hear me out before you freak out. But what if whoever was following her took her?”
“How the fuck am I not supposed to freak out about that? I didn’t let my mind go there and now it’s square in my head.” I stand and leave the room.
Jonah trails me down the hall. “Where are you going?”
“To find her. She’s somewhere in this town, or at least I hope she is.” I grab my coat and text my driver that I’m ready to leave.
“Do you want company?”
“No, but keep trying to think of places she’s mentioned to you. Text me anything you come up with.”
I jog out the door when my driver says he’s ready. I have no idea where to start, so I try her loft first.
If my mother has anything to do with Dorothy’s disappearance, I don’t know what I’m going to do. All I know is Dorothy’s life could be on the line and I’m to blame.