12. Inflation
Inflation
Sara
“You told him what?” I whisper yell at Finn when he pulls me into his arms. My pulse skyrockets even though there’s no way I am. And if I were, I’d be the one telling him, not him telling me.
“It also explains why you spent so much time in the bathroom this morning.” Finn’s words are whispers in my ear before he kisses beside it. “You’re welcome.”
I try to pull away to glare at him, but he holds me firm against him.
“Did you do what I asked you to?” he says softly.
“You didn’t ask me to do anything,” I bite back. I’m still reeling. He just told Peter I’m pregnant with his child. What the actual fuck? I mean, if I were pregnant, and I’m not, I wouldn’t even know who the father is. I blink at that thought.
It’s not as disturbing as it probably should be.
Finn pulls away and searches my eyes. “You’re smarter than that, flower.”
Fuck, what is he asking? My brain stalled out on babies. Oh, his coded message.
“My boss said, ‘Got you.’” I don’t know if it was Dante, but it had to be, right? Who else would be on the other end of the phone?
“Good.” Finn steps away and says in a normal tone, “Did you eat your breakfast?”
I wrinkle my nose, thinking of the cold eggs and bacon, and notice lunch sitting where breakfast was. “No. I’m starving.”
The plates hold some roasted chicken, potatoes, and vegetables smothered in gravy. My stomach growls and Finn chuckles before putting his palm over my abdomen. His green eyes glow as they meet mine. Tingles shouldn’t be scattering through me. There’s no baby in there.
Honestly, I haven’t even finished college yet. Sure, there’s only a semester to go, but my mom doesn’t know about any of this. What would she say if I turned up pregnant and told her it could be any one of my four guys’ baby? Not to mention those guys might not be all in.
Finn is. Drew definitely is. Dante is a maybe, but Wyatt… I sigh. Wyatt is a no, and I don’t know what will convince him to say yes. You know, if Tom doesn’t kill his friends for fucking me.
Though I’m looking forward to slapping Tom a few times.
As I do, I’ll tell him exactly what each one is for.
One for Verity. One for leaving. One for me getting kidnapped.
One for my clothes being ruined. One for my room being ruined.
I’m sure I could figure out a few more. If not, I’ll just repeat a couple.
Finn still holds my stomach like he really expects something to move in there. I shake my head and head over to the table to eat. There must be a plan to get us out of this. Maybe Finn getting caught was part of the plan. Maybe it wasn’t.
He sits next to me and drags my chair closer with his foot around the leg. He pushes my plate in front of me. “Eat, flower.”
“Are we being watched?” I ask and turn to look for the hidden cameras, like just saying that means I’ll be able to spot them.
“I wouldn’t put it past Sokolov.” Finn brushes my hair behind my ear and a little shiver flows through me.
He loves me. My heart beats faster.
“I missed you,” I whisper.
He tips my chin his way and gives me a soft kiss. “I missed you, flower.”
He turns to his food and I do too. If nothing else, Peter has an excellent chef. We eat in silence. I’m not sure what Finn’s thinking about, but I have things in my bra that are starting to make my skin itch.
“Is there somewhere I should…” I glance down at my cleavage.
His gaze dips to my breasts and he wets his lips. “They’re perfect.”
I roll my eyes. That’s not what I meant, but when his gaze meets mine, I get it. Where the things are hidden is perfect. Even if Lurch decides to check me for contraband, he most likely won’t feel up my breasts.
“What are we going to do with the day, flower?” Finn pops his last bite of roll into his mouth.
“The day?” Does that mean we’re getting out of here tonight?
“What do you do for fun around here?” He glances meaningfully at the bed.
I shake my head. “Not that.”
If there are cameras, I definitely don’t want to provide extra entertainment. While I don’t mind my guys watching me get fucked, I don’t need any actual evidence of it.
“A nap, flower. So we’re well rested.” He brushes my hair behind my ear and those sparks light inside me again.
Not that I’ll do anything about them. “A nap sounds good. I didn’t sleep well last night.”
“I haven’t slept since you left my arms.”
I touch his cheek and search for the truth. I hadn’t noticed the dark smudges in the corner of his eyes. My thumb rubs on the scruff on his chin. Fuck, I love him so fucking much.
“Worried about me?” I rest my forehead against his, wanting a more solid connection. Our eyes are locked.
“Terrified.” The word is harsh and quiet.
For a moment, I just breathe in his tantalizing cologne and that raw scent that’s just Finn. His hand covers mine.
“Come on, flower.” He draws me to my feet and over to the bed. After toeing off his shoes, he climbs on. I follow his example, ditching my shoes and curling up in his arms. My head rests on his bare chest.
“We’ll get out of this.” Finn kisses my hair. “I’m not letting you go again.”
“Good.” I release my breath and listen to his heartbeat, steady beneath my ear. For this moment, I can forget about that lock on the door. That we’re prisoners. And just feel safe in his arms.
* * *
A knock sounds on the door, waking me. Finn strokes his hand down my back as I sit up. He rises and stands beside me.
When the door opens, Lurch holds it as he glares at us.
“Sokolov would like you both to dine with him this evening.”
“Of course.” Finn acts like he has a choice. We’re both being held here against our will. Though Finn kind of just walked in, so I guess that’s different from being abducted off the street in the middle of the night.
Lurch nods and leaves.
Stretching, I head into the bathroom. When Finn follows me in, I arch an eyebrow.
“I need to use the bathroom.” I gesture to the toilet so he realizes what I’m talking about.
He shuts the door to the bathroom with him inside. “Go ahead, flower. I’m not letting you out of my sight again.”
Rolling my eyes, I turn on the faucet and he washes his hands while I go to the bathroom. When I finish, I wash my hands and he hands me the toothbrush I used this morning. We get ready together at the same sink. It feels so domestic and so not what Finn always represented to me.
But somehow this also fits who Finn has always been to me. Easy. Loyal. Playful.
When we’re finished, we walk out and sit on the bed. He holds my hand while we wait to be summoned.
Lurch appears with the other man from earlier in tow. He’s the guy who looked at me at dinner last night. He’s still just as buttoned-up and proper. Both of them escort us down to the dining room. Finn holds out the chair for me to sit in and then sits next to me. Peter sits at the other end.
“Could someone get him a shirt?” Peter sounds exasperated, like someone should have thought of that.
The man who walked down with us disappears out a door and comes back with a white buttoned shirt like the ones the waitstaff wear. When he hands it to Finn, he says something I can’t hear.
Finn shrugs it on and buttons it. It’s a little big on him.
“Now we can eat.” Peter gestures and the first course is set in front of us.
Finn raises an eyebrow at me and I just shrug. I’m still in the clothes Peter picked me up off the street in. I may be tempted to shower, but not in his bathroom. It’s Peter’s house, and I don’t know where his surveillance begins or ends. So I’m not getting comfortable.
“I hear congratulations are in order, Ms. Morris.”
My cheeks heat and I glance at Finn, who smirks down at his plate.
“Thank you.” I lift my gaze to Peter’s. “You can imagine how stressful this whole situation is to me.”
Maybe he’ll let us go if he thinks it’s dangerous to my fictitious unborn child.
“Rest assured. We’ll make sure you get the nutrition and sleep required.” Peter smiles. “My wife practically glowed under the care of this household when she was pregnant with Natasha.”
Ah, yes, Natasha. “You said she would sometimes wander. Isn’t that what she’s doing now? Just wandering?”
Peter holds his wineglass by his fingers above his plate. “Normally. But she knows we have important dealings to attend. It isn’t the best time to hide from me.”
“And you think she went with my brother?” I skip the wine set out for me and reach for the water. Did I drink last night? I think one glass of wine would be fine for a pregnant woman in distress, right?
He chuckles. “Tom is an interesting man. Smart. Driven. But with that sense of romance. I’m afraid he might have a bit of a savior complex about him.”
“There’s nothing wrong with wanting to help someone.” I sip my water and the courses are changed. A pumpkin soup is placed before me.
Before I can even catch a whiff, Finn jerks it away from me. “Quick, take these away. She’s allergic.”
I am?
Peter waves his hand for the soup to be taken away. Finn holds my hands.
“Breathe deep, flower. Are you okay? Is your throat tightening?” Finn slides his hand down my throat, looking every bit the worried lover. “Does anyone have an EpiPen?”
Heads shake as someone hurries into the kitchen shouting about an EpiPen.
“We need to get her to a hospital immediately.” Finn stands and scoops me into his arms.
My face is probably bright red, which plays into this farce.
“There’s no EpiPen on the premises, sir,” someone says to Peter. Oh, thank god.
I pretend to wheeze. If they’d had an EpiPen, we really would have had to go to the hospital.
“Someone needs to drive us to the hospital. Now!” Finn heads to the door like they’ll let him right through. “If she or the baby dies, there will be hell to pay.”
This is all pretend, but there’s something very sexy about a riled-up, order-giving Finn. I want to put my hands in his hair and kiss him. But instead, I cling to him while trying to look like I can’t breathe as he carries me out front.
“Where’s the car?” he yells.
I make all sorts of wheezing noises.
A car pulls up and Finn hurries to it. The gentleman who walked us down climbs out and opens the door for Finn to slide in with me.
“Bring them back after the hospital.” Peter stands on the porch while Lurch nods and heads toward the car.
The car takes off before Lurch reaches it. I look back to see Lurch run a little after us like he could catch it. Peter steps into the house, already on his phone.
Finn moves me into the seat and puts on my belt before putting on his own. “Thanks, Frank.”
“No problem, boss.” Frank winks at me.
I lean back on the seat as Frank turns off the headlights and drives across a field. “What’s happening?”
Finn smirks. “My dad always has someone on staff at his business partner’s residences. It helps if they’re well-trusted. Of course, Frank’s cover is blown now, but my dad will pay him well for getting us out of there.”
“I figured out who you were that first night, miss.” His brown eyes meet mine in the rearview mirror before focusing on driving. “I’m sorry I couldn’t help you until now.”
I narrow my eyes at Finn. “Your dad knows about me?”
Finn’s smile softens and he tucks my hair behind my ear. “My dad knows you’re Tom’s sister. I’m sure he’s heard by now that you’re my girlfriend and potentially pregnant.”
My eyes widen, but the car comes to a stop and the door flies open.
“Sara?” Dante!
I release my seatbelt and fly out of the car into Dante’s arms. He lifts me against him and holds me so tight. Fuck, he feels like coming home. I don’t want to let him go.
“Seemed like the nuclear option was the way to go,” someone says.
“Your father will want to talk to you,” Frank says.
There’s more talking behind me but I ignore it. Dante holds me so fucking tight I can barely breathe, but I don’t care. Breathing is overrated. I’m not leaving either of them ever again.