Page 41 of Take A Chance

Allegra gestured at the bed and moved that way. I sat, folding my legs to my chest, and she perched on the edge of the mattress. “Well, they gave me a rough time when they trashed my house, but when they were trying to take me, I fought back.” She pointed at her face. “Bad idea.”

“But why are you here?” I chewed on my bottom lip. It made no sense why they’d involve her in this.

“They said you won’t eat. Your father is worried. They think I can convince you to eat something, so they made me come here and talk sense into you.” She reached over and took my hand. “Why aren’t you eating?”

I sighed and grumbled, “Well, at least they’re not planning to kill me. Why worry about whether I’m eating or not if they were going to murder me?” I rubbed my forehead and continued. “I’m sick. I don’t know what’s wrong, but I can’t keep anything down. I’ve gone downstairs for a snack after midnight a few times, but now they keep me under lock and key.”

“You’re not pregnant, are you?” she asked, eyebrows raised.

“No, there’s no way. I mean, I’d have known by now. Missed my period or something, right?” I shrugged and planted my chin on my knees. I tried to think whether I’d had a period, but my brain wasn’t thinking straight. My thoughts were jumbled, and my body ached from exhaustion.

“Look, you need to eat to take care of yourself.” She squeezed my hand and angled her body to look at me better. “You look pale and weak.”

“I feel weak.” Fear played at the corner of my mind. If I was pregnant, that made this twice as dangerous. My father would dig more, maybe threaten Blake too.

“What is it?” she asked, scooting closer to me. Just her being there comforted me, but I knew she couldn’t stay.

“It’s Blake. My boss... Well, my boyfriend—lover—I’m not sure what to call him.” The look of understanding she gave me made my blood run cold. I didn’t even have to explain how my father would react if he knew I was sleeping with Blake. It was one thing to be his nanny, but my father expected me to marry the man he selected for me, and he hated that I had slept with Louie. Said it “tarnished my value.”

“Allegra, you need to leave. And when you get home, pack everything and leave town. Go somewhere safe. Get away from here. They’ll never leave you alone now.” I felt tears welling up at the thought of losing her by any means, but sending her away to safety was far better than the alternative.

She nodded. “Please eat. Don’t starve yourself.” She stood, but her hand lingered on mine. “I love you, Amelia.”

“I love you too.”

“Let’s go now,” a gruff voice called from the hallway.

Allegra looked back at me one last time before she left. The guard strolled in and set a tray on my nightstand, barked an order, then left, locking behind himself. I stared at the tray for a few moments—a bowl of soup, a few crackers, a glass of juice, and silverware wrapped in a paper napkin. Just seeing the food and the whiff of chicken broth that wafted my way had my stomach turning inside out. I raced to the bathroom and threw up stomach acid.

As I sat there on the floor next to the toilet, Allegra’s question came back to me. Was I pregnant? I reached into the drawer and pulled out the test. I didn’t want to think about it, but I had to. Blake and I'd had unprotected sex several times, and I didn’t remember having my period since I moved in with him. The nausea, the inability to concentrate, it made sense. I squeezed my right breast, finding it tender and achy. All the signs were there too.

“Oh, God,” I moaned, pushing myself off the floor. I pulled my pants down and sat on the toilet, then tore open the plastic packaging and held the wand between my legs as I relaxed and started peeing. My heart was panicked at the same time I felt a rush of adrenaline. I wanted Blake’s baby growing inside me so badly right now, but I was terrified of what it meant for him if my father found out.

I laid the stick on the counter and finished peeing, wiping myself and pulling my pants back up. I flushed, washed my hands, and waited, pacing the tiny bathroom while the test processed. I wasn’t surprised at all to see two pink lines show across the results window. I was pregnant. And for a moment, I stood there staring at that test, grinning. I was going to have Blake’s baby.

In shock, I quickly took the test packaging and the stick and wrapped them in a wad of toilet paper, burying them beneath things in the trash can. Then I went back to my bed and sat down to let things sink in. The soup still didn’t look appetizing, but I knew I had to eat. I hadn’t really had any nourishment in days, and that explained why I was so exhausted. My body was building a new life inside me, and I hadn’t given it any fuel to work with.

So I picked up the bowl and sipped the broth, happy to find that it didn’t upset my stomach. So I drank more, trying to decide on a way to escape. I listened to the movements in the house, knowing the guard was still right outside my door. The old trellis outside my bedroom window would be a good option, but getting out of the house was only part of the escape. The other part of finding a ride away from here was more difficult. Climbing out my window would only cause more problems if they came after me and caught me.

I finished the broth, but after one bite of the noodles, I knew I would only throw it up, so I ate a cracker and sipped the juice. I was glad my stomach felt a bit better, and I was glad Allegra had come and cheered me up. As soon as I got out of this, I needed to thank her and make sure she never got messed up in this again.

Someone banged on the door, and I jumped up. The door swung open and one of my father’s men stepped in the room. The large gun across his chest frightened me. “Get dressed. We have to go,” he ordered, and I nodded at him with wide eyes.

“Go where?”

“Does it matter? Just get dressed.”

I waited for him to leave, but he stood there like a dumb oaf. “Um... I need to change. Can I have privacy?”

“I was told to come up here and get you. Now get dressed.”

His hand brushed over the gun, and his eyes stayed glued to me. This was ridiculous. I was being treated like a common prisoner, not the daughter of the mafia Don. I glared at him, but he didn’t budge. With shaky legs, I moved to my closet and selected a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. I draped them over my arm and went to my dresser, where I picked a pair of socks and a bra, then stopped and turned to him.

“Please, I just want to get dressed in privacy.”

“Now...” He pursed his lips, but I saw a smirk turn the corner of his mouth upward. He was enjoying this too much.

Shame washed over me, making my fingers tremble as I slid the shorts off my body. I felt his eyes ogling me, scanning my movements as I pulled my T-shirt off and reached for my bra.

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