Page 74 of Captive Vows
“It fucking seems that way.” I paced, too worked up to sit still.
“With your child?” he asked as Allen appeared.
I narrowed my eyes. “Yes, with my child. For fuck’s sake.” She was a virgin when she came here, and she had no freedom to be anywhere without me. Of course, it would be my child.
“All I know is what was reported moments ago. Lopez is stirring shit, trying to tell the Riveras that they can have her, which is ridiculous since she’s here, with you and—” He ran his hand through his hair, furrowing his brow. “What?—”
“The fuckers who came to try to take her said she was expecting. That they’d take her and her child.My—” I gritted myteeth, pacing once more and so furious at this sudden change of events that was throwing me off balance.
“Theytold you that she was pregnant?” His brows hiked high. “And you believed them?”
I shook my head. “It’s not a matter of believing them. It’s a matter of her never having her cycles. Of her—” I growled, pissed all over again that she’d kept this from me.
“Wait.” Allen lifted his hand. “Did you ask her? Did she confirm?”
“No.” I shook my head. “I haven’t asked her.” But it was all too telling how quiet she got and how she didn’t rush to tell me that wasn’t true. I hadn’t given her the chance to speak up since I was focused on the phone the whole ride out of there, but as soon as I had everything under control, she’d be fucking answering me.
“How could they know?” Ivan asked, keeping a clear and level head despite the heightened senses and rush of this news. “If she hasn’t told you or anyone here about her being pregnant, how the fuck would the Riveras know?”
Allen shook his head, just as confused.
“How would Miguel know?” Ivan asked, more like he was postulating out loud instead of expecting a reply.
“She hasn’t been in contact with him,” Allen said. “She’s never tried to contact him. Or anyone else.” He would know. I put him in charge of surveillance in my stead. Nothing got past Allen in this household. But now, he arched one brow, lifting a finger to indicate that we should wait. “Let me go speak with the housekeeping staff.”
I rolled my eyes. “I don’t give a fuck about them being catty right now.” They’d always given her a hard time. I was aware of it. So was Allen. All that had mattered to me about that was the way Gabriella ignored them and never let the jealous house staff’s attitudes bother her.
“No, no.” Allen shook his head, backing up to exit the office. “One of them was acting strange the other day. Secretive. It made me suspicious but not overly so. Now, though…”
I flicked my hand at him, dismissing him. “Go. Go bring her to me.” If this maid had a clue about Gabriella’s secret, I wanted to hear it now.
“She didn’t give you any hints? Nothing?” Ivan seemed determined not to assume the worst of Gabriella for lying to me.
“Nothing,” I growled.
“You have been away and busier than usual lately.”
“But not so much that she couldn’t fucking tell me if I’d knocked her up.” She shared a bed with me every night. She could’ve had every chance to mention this detail.
Allen returned with the maid. At the first glance of the nervous, crying woman, I knew it.
It was all I had to see.
She was guilty. Scared. And probably regretting her mistake in this matter.
“Speak.”
Allen pushed her until she fell to her knees. Sobbing and trembling, she lowered her head.
“I won’t repeat myself,” I growled.
I’d had it with liars and rats. Traitors would never belong in my sphere. If she thought tears would help her case, she was mistaken. My patience was running thin.
Ivan stepped up close and pressed the end of his gun to her temple. “Start talkingnow.”
She vibrated, shaking like a leaf. Yet, she looked up at me and licked her trembling lower lip. “I wondered why your guest was seeming so ill in the mornings.”
It was none of your fucking business.
