Beautifully Destroyed (14 page)

Chapter Thirty-Four

Jeb

I hate being in Boston, but I had to take care of my hotel. My father decided that he wanted to come along with me. We had over ten applicants come in to be interviewed. We ended up hiring a younger lady around my age for the position. She was the only one that had the experience I was looking for.               “Hey, let me call Toria, and then we can head out to dinner,” I told my father after the interview was over.

“Sounds great.”

I called her and it went straight to voicemail. I left her a quick message and didn’t think twice about it, and then went to get seafood with Dad.

“Has Paul given you an update yet?”

I took a sip of my whiskey. “Nope, not yet. Why is it taking him so long?”

“He said that the prints are hard to find, because the perp isn’t in the system. It wasn’t Sean or Barb’s, so he’s at a standstill.”

“I just hope she is safe while I am here.”

“I have my bodyguard on her. So you have nothing to worry about.”

I took a bite of my chowder. “Yeah, you’re right.”

“So, how is detoxing going?”

“Pretty good. She only had a couple of episodes last week, but I walk her through them.”

“Good.” I watch him motion for the check. “You know, Son, I really like her. I think she is good for you.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

After we paid the check, we got up and headed for the car. I tried to call Toria again as the driver sped down the street, but it went straight to voicemail again. I decided to call Vanessa.

“What’s up, boss?”

“Hey, can you go by my condo? I’ve been trying to call Toria and it’s going straight to voicemail.”

“I’m on it.”

We hung up, and I just looked out the window. I thought about how much I loved that girl and how she had changed me for the good. I knew she would always have her issues, but I would be there right beside her. I started to doze off when my phone rang.

“Jeb, something is wrong.”

I sat up in my seat. “What do you mean?”

“She’s not here, the door is open, and there is blood on the ground.”

“Calm down. Talk slow.”

She took a deep breath. “The door was open, so I walked in, thinking she had it open for some fresh air. But she’s not here.”

I put the phone down to tell my father. He was on the phone with the bodyguard in an instant. “Vanessa, you stay right there. We should be back in about thirty minutes.”

I hung up the phone and listened to what my father was saying. Once he hung up, he turned to me. “You are not going to like this.”

“What? What? Please tell me.”

He scratched his chin. “Fuck. Okay, here goes. I think I know who is tormenting Toria.”

I was growing annoyed. “Father, stop beating around the bush and fucking tell me.”

“It’s Jake. Henry told me that Jake came by and said he would keep an eye on her. Not thinking he was a threat, he left and went home for the night.”

“So he just left her there with Jake?”

“Calm down. We will take care of this when we get home.”

I fucking wished the driver would hurry up. I needed to get home and make sure she was safe. Why would Jake do this to me? To Toria? What was wrong with him? Once we pulled up to my condo, I jumped out and Paul came running to the car.

“Hey. So I dug deeper into this case and I ran more fingerprints. The fingerprints on the pipe are from Jake.”

“Yeah, we know now. He was the last one here, and now Toria is missing.”

Vanessa was sitting on the couch, clearly upset. When she saw me, she got up and ran into my arms. “Why is this happening to her?”

I ran my hand down her back. Vanessa had become like a sister to me without me even realizing it. “Shh, we will find her,” I soothed, but I wasn’t sure if I was soothing her fears, or my own.

Chapter Thirty-Five

Toria

A sense of vertigo washed through me, and I felt like I was going to be sick to my stomach. I had no idea where I was, or what happened. The last thing I remembered was getting hit again.

“Now now, don’t throw up on my carpet,” a voice said from the darkness.

My eyes went big and I looked in the direction of the voice. The man emerged from the shadows, and I couldn’t believe it. Why would he do this to me? What had I done to him to warrant this kind of revenge?

“Jake?”

“Yes.”

“Why am I here?”

“Because you ruined everything. You ruined this family.”

Confused, I looked down at my hands. “How?”

“Because of you, my father won’t be getting that money. I needed that fucking money.”

“Hey, that’s not my fault.”

He cut me off. “Yes, it is! My brother was supposed to marry Barb. And once she got the money, she was going to leave him for me.”

I was shocked. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “So you and Barb are an item?”

“Were. We
were
an item … until you ruined it all. Here, I went to get you something. I know you want it. I went to that abandoned place and got you these.”

He threw a bottle at me. “It was you. You attacked me that day.”

“Yes. I was hoping that it would kill you, but stupid hero Jeb had to find you.”

Then it was coming back to me. I saw him across the street that day I was given the drugs. “Why can’t you just be with Barb now?”

“Because we wanted that money, so we could start out lives together.”

“Still not my fault. Maybe if you let me go.”

I tried to stand up, but I got dizzy.

“No, you’re not going to happen.”

“You know he will find me,” I said, grabbing the back of my head. My hand came away bloody, and I worried that I was losing too much blood lately to survive. But I had to hold on … for Jeb.

“I don’t care. What are they going to do? I am their son. They will just slap me on the back of the hand and let me go. And I will still be here making your life a living hell. So if you want to live, why don’t you just leave my family alone?”

I thought about what he was saying to me. Was he right? Will they just slap him on the hand and let him go after all he has done to me? “You know that is a chance I will have to take. I love Jeb and he loves me. I think you just need help.”

That made him mad, and he leapt across the room and put his hands around my neck and started to squeeze. I tried to kick him off, but he was too strong.

“Die, you whore!”

As I felt the breath leaving my lungs, someone pulled him off me. I started to cough and grabbed at my neck. It felt like my chest was burning, and tears slipped from my eyes. I tried to sit up and Jeb came into my line of sight.

“Toria, breathe, baby. Please, just concentrate on breathing.”

I sat up, and put my arms around him and started to cry.

“Jeb, I am so sorry.”

He pulled back and put his hands on my face. “Babe, you have nothing to be sorry about. He did this, not you.”

I was crying so hard. “But… but he said this was all my fault.”

“Shh, babe, I am here. I am not going anywhere.”

He held me tight as I watched the police arrest Jake. His father was talking to Paul and some other guy. Then they walked over to me, and his father kneelt in front of me.

“Toria, can you tell us what he said?”

I told them everything. Jeb was so pissed, but he never let me go. He held me so tight the entire time that I felt I was going to burst, but I didn’t care.

After I explained what had happened, they told me that I needed to get to the hospital for testing. When I got up, the bottle of pills fell from my lap and I went to pick them up. I was so tempted to keep them, but I didn’t.

“Jeb.”

He turned around to look at me. “What’s up?”

“Here.” I handed him the bottle. “He gave me those.”

He swooped me into a tight hug. “Thank you for not taking any of them.”

We walked out of Jake’s place, and he took me to the hospital. Once I was set up in the room, Doctor Johnson walked in. “We are going to have to stop meeting like this.”

We laughed. “I know. I just wish people would leave my head alone.”

“Okay, we are going to order more blood work and order another CT Scan. I want to keep you over night to observe you.”

After she left the room, I looked to Jeb, and noticed he looked exhausted. “Come here.” I held my arms open to him.

He walked over and climbed into the bed with me. “Toria, I love you. I am so sorry.”

I cut him off. “Shh, this is not your fault. Not all relationships are rainbows and butterflies. We will have our ups and downs. Ours is just your brother trying to kill me.”

He looked up at me and smiled. “Let’s get through one month without you having to come in here.”

I laughed. “Sounds good. Now, give me a kiss before I go insane.”

He grabbed the sides of my face, and he pulled my face in and slowly kissed me. It wasn’t a rushed kiss; it was just perfect. He pulled back and looked at me. “You, Toria, are simply amazing.”

I felt my cheeks heating up. I almost forgot we were in the hospital. The nurse came in and took my blood, and my scan was scheduled for the early morning. Jeb fell asleep next to me and I watched him sleep. Then I got a flash. It was us working together at the hotel. The numerous times we almost kissed. I smiled to myself. I finally remembered the most important thing in my life. Jeb. I would just have to tell him the next day. What a surprise that would be.

***

I woke up when Doctor Johnson walked in. “Good morning, Toria. How are you?”

“I have a little headache, but other than that, I am okay.”

She pulled up a chair and sat. “Jeb, I need you to wake up.”

Jeb woke up and sat up. “What’s going on?”

She opened up the chart and smiled. “Well, congratulations! The blood work came back, and it shows that you are having a baby.”

I looked at her in shock. Jeb looked at me and, he smiled. “Oh my god. This is huge.”

Doctor Johnson got up and walked toward the door. “I will give you time. You have an ultrasound in an hour.”

Once she was gone, I started to cry. “Jeb, I am so sorry.”

He pulled me onto his lap and held me. “Babe, listen: I am so happy about this.”

“I don’t want you to think I am trapping you.”

He kissed my forehead. “I would never think that.”

We sat there talking about the baby when the nurse came in to get us for the ultrasound. I laid down and she put the cold gel on my stomach. Jeb held my hand the entire time. I just stared at the screen, crying. I couldn’t have been happier. Once we were done, I was discharged from the hospital and told to come back in four weeks for a checkup. I couldn’t get the scan because I was pregnant, so she told me if I experienced any vision problems or headaches that last more than two days to come back.

After I was released from the hospital, we got picked up by Jeb’s Father’s driver. “So do you want to tell your family now or wait?”

“What do you want to do?”

I really wanted to tell my family, but I was still so angry with them. “Can we meet my sister for dinner? I would love to tell her.”

“Of course.”

I called my sister, and she answered on the second ring. “Toria, I am so glad you called.”

“Brianna, I would like for you to meet us for dinner.
Just
you.”

She agreed to meet us at six. “Now I would love to go tell Mitch, maybe Vanessa. Can she meet us over there?”

“Give her a call; she is off today.”

I called her, and she said she was on her way over there. We drive in silence, and I just looked out of the window. I put my hand on my stomach. I couldn’t believe I was actually pregnant. I was going to be a mother. I thought back to two months ago. I was homeless and had no one but Mitch. Now I had a whole new family. I was just excited to share the news with all those who had stuck by me.

We pulled in the driveway just as Vanessa did. We walked in, and everyone took a seat on the couch and Jeb and I stood in front of them.

“Last night, I was attacked again.” Mitch gasped and his hand flew to his mouth. “I am okay. It was the same person who attacked me weeks ago.”

“So, did they catch him or her?” Tony had spoken up.

“Yes, he is now in jail.”

I decided not to tell them who it was, and Jeb squeezed my hand. “But I have some good news for you all. I decided that I wanted to tell you three first, because you all have been here for me.”

“What is it? Are you okay?” Mitch asked as he squeezed Tony’s hand.

I smiled and looked over to Jeb. “Yes. I am more than okay. I am going to have a baby.”

“Oh my god! No way!” Vanessa got up and wrapped me in a hug.             

“Vanessa, you are going to make a fantastic aunt. And Mitch.” I pulled back from the hug. “You are going to make a great grandpa.”

“Really?” He got up and walked over to me and we hugged. “This means the world to me.”

“Mitch, I wouldn’t have survived without you helping me. I love you. You are the only father I need.”

He pulled out of the hug and tears were rolling down his cheeks. “I love you, Toria.”

“I love you, too.”

We all sat around talking baby names. Vanessa was excited to go shopping for the baby and me. They asked about us getting married, and Jeb and I agreed that we will not get married just because we had a baby on the way. We would marry when the time was right. After visiting them for a while, it was time to meet up with my sister.

“Are you nervous?”

I sighed and looked at him. “I am really nervous.”

“You got this.”

He reached over and took my hand. When we got to the restaurant, I saw Brianna sitting on the bench in front of the building. She looked really nervous.

I approached her and she got up to give me a hug. I backed away. “I’m not ready, Bri. Please forgive me.”

“I understand that you are mad at me. I just want to tell you how sorry I am for all that I did.”

“Just give me time. Are you ready to eat?”

Jeb got us a table and we went to take a seat. We ordered our drinks and food, and then I took a deep breath. “I have some news for you. I didn’t know if I wanted to tell you or not. But I have faith that I will forgive you and we will become close again.”

“Okay. Is it bad?”

I looked over to Jeb and he smiled. “No, it’s the best news ever. I’m pregnant.”

She was taking a drink of water when I said that, and my news made her choke. I giggled a little. “Oh my god, Toria! That is amazing! Thank you so much for telling me the news.”

“Please don’t tell our parents.”

“I promise, I won’t.”