Page 15 of Bred By The Deputy
“There she is,mi Corazon,” Mateo purrs as he opens the door to the black Bentley blocking me in.
“M-Mateo. How…how did you find me?”
“Oh, princess, did you think you were free of me? I knew you would come to your friends. Their coffee shop is very popular,non?”
Fear bleeds through me, icing the blood in my veins. I cannot move. I am barely breathing. I back towards the station, but he makes a move forward. His hand comes up, waving me towards him. I shake my head, knowing salvation is just behind me. If I can just move my legs to get me back into that police station, Dole will be here soon.
Then I think about him coming back to find he’s going to be a father. Or getting in the way of what Mateo wants. About Watt who just proposed to the woman he loves. I think about Mackenzie being so sweet, wanting to patch things up and be friends. I can’t let anything happen to any of them.
“We need to talk, don’t weCorazon? Do not make a scene here. I would hate for that pretty girl inside to get hurt. Or that backwater boyfriend of yours to get caught in the middle of things between us.”
“There is nothing between us,” I snarl, stiffening my spine.
“Oh, yes, we do. Never should have been there,mi Corazon. Wish you had not seen things that night at the parking garage.”
“Who said I saw anything?” I lie, trying to sidestep past him.
“Why, you said it, Della,” he murmurs with a grin that scares me. “You ran. Think that said enough. Now come,morra, let’s go talk.”
Swallowing hard as my throat dries out, I nod. Tears slip down my temples, but I can’t fight him. I cannot make a scene. Not if it would risk the baby I just found out I am having or anyone else here. I go to him, ducking into the back seat of the car, my heart breaking.
Mateo slides in beside me, pushing me against the other door. He was always a man spreader, the big jerkoff. Tsking me, he leans in to brush the back of his hand down my face. I huff and pull away, hating his touch. After being touched by Dole, his touch feels so wrong.
“We’re just going to go chat,Corazon.The deputy will get you back. Well, he will get back whatever pieces of you I am done with.”
Turning to stare out the window, I let out a breath. It feels as if I have been holding my breath since fleeing Silver Shores. Waiting for this moment. For him to find me. Since I met Dole, I have started to breathe again. I believed I had gotten away, had a chance at a real life.
How can I breathe now, without Dole, without our baby?
Chapter Nine
Dole
Fear was never something I had to deal with.
For a while, I was a little afraid I would never find the right woman. Now I have. Even if I knew it that very first night, the past months with her have proven it tenfold. Della is the woman of my dreams and I want to give her whatever she dreams of.
I want to give her my children, my love, my last name.
Pulling away from Mrs. Murphy’s house, I am smiling big. We talked about the MC club, as she has seemingly taken a liking to them. Guess Panic has seen to it that his guys steer clear of her and even handled some neighbors who were bothering her. Then we talk about Della and Mrs. Murphy is about as excited as I am about me having babies.
“You will make a fine father,” she murmurs with a pat of her hand on mine. “You’re the sort of man who does anything for the people he loves.”
Those words hit me in the heart. Yeah, I love Della. We said it this morning before I left. I could not believe it when she said it. There has never been a more perfect, poignant moment in my life. We were connected by more than body, more than need, more than hunger. It was body and soul, spiritual and sensation and I will never forget how it felt.
“I sure do love her. I’m going to marry her as soon as I can.”
“Good for you, son,” she says sweetly, seeming proud of me. “I would love to meet her, you know. I call and bother you a lot, I know…but you’ve come to mean a great deal to me. You’re a good man, you always do the right thing. No matter what that means, you do what is right.”
Promising to bring my girl by soon enough I head out. As soon as I climb into my cruiser, something feels off. It’s a fewhours into my shift and I am still getting used to the hours away from Della. Having her there when I come home, sometimes with dinner waiting, sometimes waiting in bed for me, it’s fulfilled my life.
“Deputy Cahill, come back,” my radio crackles, Mackenzie’s voice sounding more urgent than usual.
“Deputy Cahill, go ahead dispatch,” I call back, my hands clenching tight on my radio.
“Get to the station. Your old lady was just here. Saw a Bentley outside then she never came back. Don’t look good, sergeant.”
My entire world bottoms out. A Bentley. Mateo Acosta was dumb enough to come looking for my girl. My chest seizes. I can’t see or hear anything for a minute. No. No, he can’t have her. He cannot touch her. If he hurts her…if he so much as touches her, being a Deputy will mean nothing to me.
