Page 124 of Ruining Vanessa

My mouth goes dry, and I stare at him.

He stares right back.

I want to tell him that I’m sorry, but there are no words to erase the horror he’s about to be put through.

Ben forces Paul to his knees. “Boss says you’ve got cuffs for him?”

“Yep.” Slayer reaches into his back pocket and tosses a pair of handcuffs in Ben’s direction.

I’m surprised that Paul keeps his mouth shut, even though he’s struggling and trying to run away. It isn’t until his wrists are cuffed behind his back that he gives up attempting to escape.

“He’s all yours,” Ben says to Slayer before he leaves.

Paul glares at both of us. “I didn’t fucking do anything. Tell Giulio. I really didn’t.”

Slayer barks out a laugh. “You want us to lie to Giulio Pavone? Man, if I thought you were stupid before, I’m sure of it now.” He shakes his head. “Vanessa’s not going to lie, either. Are you, Vanessa?”

I hesitate, swallowing hard around the lump in my throat.

Before I can figure out what I want to say, the door opens again. This time, it’s Dr. Savage, who looks beyond annoyed.

He spares one look at Paul, eyebrows rising a bit, before turning to me. “Damien said you fell down the stairs?”

I nod. I’m honestly a little surprised he’s talking directly to me, but I guess since Damien isn’t here, he has to treat me like a person. “I… blacked out for a few seconds, but I didn’t fall on my stomach or anything.”

Savage nods. He sets his briefcase down on the table, flipping it open and pulling out a handheld device. “I’ll just listen to make sure the heartbeat is normal, but you and the fetus should be fine. Let Damien know at once if you notice unusual discharge or bleeding. Now, lie back on the couch and lift up your shirt.”

I glance over at Paul, my cheeks flushing, but I lie down and pull my shirt up until right beneath my breasts. Dr. Savage doesn’t even blink at the sight of the scars on my stomach, going right in to squirt some gel over my abdomen.

Before he can use the device, though, the door opens yet again, and Damien drags Traci inside.

My heart drops into my stomach.

“Please, Damien, please,” Traci begs. “I swear, nothing happened.”

Her hands are tied in front of her, with more rope around her ankles, with only just enough slack that she can walk.

I bite my lip, trying to sit up, but Dr. Savage pushes down on my stomach.

“Stay still,” he orders. “And try to be quiet so I can listen. I’d like to be home before this hellhole opens.”

Traci whimpers as Damien pulls her farther into the room. “Quiet,” he hisses at her. He shoves her to the floor next to Paul.

This whole thing is unbelievable. The entire day has left me off-balance, but in the past hour, everything has gone from bad to worse. I can’t even understand how a single delivery, a single piece of paper, has led to two people tied up in the VIP room while a doctor examines me.

Giulio isn’t even in here, and it should make me relieved that he’s letting Damien deal with this, but… I can’t help but think it’s not that simple.

Dr. Savage grunts after a few seconds. “Everything looks fine. Which I told you was going to be the case on the phone.”

“Thank you,” Damien answers, ignoring Dr. Savage’s annoyance. “It’ll bring Giulio some peace of mind.”

Right. Peace of mind. That’s never going to happen, not after everything that’s happened today. I almost laugh—almost—as Dr. Savage wipes my stomach clean of the gel.

Dr. Savage tucks the machine back into his briefcase and heads for the door without another word, only giving a slight grunt to indicate that he heard anything to begin with.

I sit up on the couch, looking from one of the men to the next, then finally to Traci’s face. I half-expect her to look pissed off, but instead, she just looks terrified. My heart aches. She might not be kind to me, but she didn’t actually push me down the stairs. They’re going to treat her like she did, and I don’t know that anything I say can make a difference.

“Well,” Slayer remarks after a moment, coming to sit down beside me again and wrapping an arm around my shoulders. “Looks like a fucking party in here. Just missing the man of the hour who, I suspect, is plotting to kill all of us.” He glances at me. “Except baby mama here.”

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