Blind Faith (24 page)

“Pleased?” Audrey leaped to her feet. “You did this without my consent and without Nate’s consent.

You had no right.”

“Sometimes sacrifices are made in the pursuit of excellence.” No emotion showed on Isobel’s face.

Fine. There was no getting through to her mother, and Audrey would never receive an apology or even

an understanding of how badly she’d been violated. Her shoulders slumped. “I need to know more about

this pregnancy.” Hopefully her mother wouldn’t search too hard into the computer, even though Audrey

had erased her trail. Nothing was ever really erased.

“Why didn’t you ask me?” Isobel asked.

“Because I trust you as far as I can throw your skinny, neurotic, narcissistic ass,” Audrey said. “I even

tried to use my name as your password.”

Isobel’s dark eyebrows both arched high. “Why in the world would I use your name as my password?”

That pretty much said it all, didn’t it? “What now, Mother?” Audrey asked.

“Well, now we go back to the lab where you’re supposed to be”—Isobel pointed toward the doorway

—“and we go meet with Dr. Zycor to come up with your treatment plan… after you apologize to him, of

course. You’ll need to take vitamins and have a weekly check-in here.”

“No.” Audrey shook her head as she lurched into the hallway.

“Listen, Audrey.” Isobel grasped her arm and twirled her around. “We don’t have time for theatrics.

Either you agree to our terms or you stay here.”

Audrey towered over her mother, stepping into the older woman’s space. “I work for a United States

senator. If I disappear, I guarantee he’ll call out the National Guard to find me. Plus, I’m a person of

interest in an ongoing investigation.”

“The National Guard would never find you if Franklin decides to hide you, and you know it. Besides,

he has taken care of the investigation.” Isobel lifted a shoulder.

Audrey coughed. “Who did he set up as Darian and the cabbie’s killer?”

“Who cares?” Isobel gestured toward the doorway. “Regardless, the police will make an arrest later

today, and you’ll be in the clear.”

The commander cared little for Audrey and had put her in the clear for his own benefit. Audrey tried to

concentrate, when all she wanted to do was run for safety. “I’ll check in about the pregnancy, but only if

you take the tail off me. The men following me are making me nervous, and the second I see them again,

I’m done cooperating.”

Isobel pursed her lips. “I can speak with Franklin, but I’m sure he’s concerned you’ll run.”

Audrey forced a grim chuckle. “Run where? There’s nowhere to go.”

Isobel nodded. “Well, I suppose that’s true. All right. I’ll speak with Franklin, because we are willing to

let you continue in your work and in living on your own, so long as you report in once a week.”

Aha.
They needed Audrey to continue with the senator in gaining funding. The second funding was

obtained, no doubt the commander would “secure” Audrey in a place far away from DC—where he and

Isobel would control the baby’s life. They had no interest in her living her own life. “Fine. Give me the

prenatals, and I’m out of here.” She turned toward the secured doorway.

“I will—after the amniocentesis. We need to make sure there are no fetal defects, and you want to find

out the sex of the baby, don’t you?” Isobel asked, swiping her card through the door.

Audrey stumbled. The sex of the baby?

* * *

had been watching her apartment all day, while two had accompanied her to work and then to the

commander’s local compound. Everything inside Nate had rebelled at allowing Audrey to go into the area

secured by Nate’s greatest enemy. But his focus had to remain on saving his brothers.

Wishing for something different wasted time and energy.

Yet the muscles along his spine relaxed when she unlocked her door and stepped inside. The scent of

gardenias wafted along his nose, tempting his taste buds. His groin warmed while his heart thumped. “How

was your appointment?” he asked.

“Fine.” Her gaze darted around the room, and she dropped her briefcase onto a chair. “I, ah, really want

to change out of this skirt, and then we can talk. We, ah, need to talk.”

“Okay. I picked up sandwiches earlier.” He didn’t know if she still liked veggie, so he’d bought veggie,

ham, roast beef, and turkey. Whatever she didn’t want, he’d probably eat.

“Great. I’m starving.” She turned and headed into the bedroom, her gait stilted.

Whatever tests they’d conducted had left her sore. Maybe he should force her somewhere safe now

instead of later.

Nate strode into the kitchen to fetch the sandwiches from the refrigerator. The cat downstairs suddenly

came alive, its heartbeat hammering. There must be a mouse or something down there, because Nate hadn’t

heard the little bugger all day. Weird.

He set the food out and waited for her. Should he say something about the previous night? If so, what?

She stepped into the room wearing cropped yoga pants, a blue tank top that showed full breasts, and

bright-purple fuzzy socks. A band secured her thick hair in a sexy mass, and no makeup remained on her

face.

The woman was fucking perfect.

She eyed the food and then him. “I think you need to sit down.”

Pale. All color had fled her face, leaving her skin nearly see-through.

Nothing could’ve kept him from reaching for her arm. “Sit down, Aud. Are you okay?”

Panic lightened her eyes. “No. I mean, yes. We can’t talk about this in the kitchen.” Slight hysteria lifted

her voice. Slender fingers tangled through his as she led him into the living room and all but pushed him

onto the sofa. “Yeah. This is better.”

What in the hell was going on?

He reached for her, and she waved him off.

“No. I need to be standing.” She turned toward the window and rubbed a hand over her eyes. Then she

took a deep breath, her chest moving. “Okay. You need to keep calm.”

Instantly he became anything but calm. “What happened?” He shot to his feet, already planning an

attack on the compound. “What did they do to you? How hurt are you?” He studied her from head to toe,

calculating the weapons he’d need.

“I’m not hurt.” She gently pushed him back down on the couch. “Take a deep breath.”

Was she talking to him or to herself? He frowned.
Oh God.
“Did you find out about Jory?” He braced

himself for the pain. Jory was dead.

“Jory?” She shook her head, her hair band letting go. The dark mass fell around her shoulders. “No,

sorry. I didn’t find out anything about Jory.”

Oh. Nate shook his head, trying to regain his bearings. Okay. Well, good. He forced himself into a calm

place and smiled. “What’s going on, Audrey?” He kept his voice low and soothing, like he’d been trained.

He frowned. That cat downstairs was distracting him again.

Audrey drew in air. “My last surgery wasn’t needed. At all.”

He tilted his head to the side. “Okay…”

“No.” She shook her head, her hands trembling as she clasped them together. “I’m doing this wrong.”

“Just tell me. It’s okay.” He’d help her—he’d have to.

“I’mpregnant,” she said in a rush. Then she took a deep breath. “Oh, good. Okay. I said it.”

He blinked. Once. Twice. “You’re what?”

She stepped forward and dropped next to him on the sofa. “Pregnant—about fourteen weeks.”

Oh. Holy fucking shit. Pregnant? In a fight years ago, he’d taken a sledgehammer to the gut… and that

was a tickle compared to this. He pulled away from her to stand, facing her. She’d lied to him? So much for

not being with anybody else. The thrumming of the cat’s heartbeat became louder in his ears, and his gaze

dropped to her abdomen. Oh. Not a
cat
. “Congratulations.”

“Thanks.” She rubbed her eyes, her body relaxing. “I’ve been freaking out about telling you all

afternoon.”

Yeah, considering she’d lied. Something hurt deep in his chest, and he fought the urge to rub it. His

brain suddenly slowed, each neuron in pain. “Who’s the father?”

She stilled, her chin lifting, her brows drawing down. “Huh?”

“The father.” That was
not
a tough question.

She shook her head. “Oh. I didn’t explain. Um, you’re the father.”

He coughed, his breath heating. Damn her. “I’m sure my sperm is super and all of that, but we only just

had sex. Plus, I used protection both times. So I’m going to ask you again—who’s the father?”

She rolled her eyes. “You. Are.” With a sigh, she drew her legs up to sit cross-legged, wincing as she set

the left one in place. “My surgery three months ago wasn’t a surgery. They inseminated me with the last vial

of your sperm that had been kept at a different place than the one you blew up.”

His vision grayed.

She nodded. “Yep.”

His mind shut down while his chest expanded until he couldn’t breathe. Panic? He staggered over to

drop next to her on the couch.

“I told you to sit down.” She reached out and patted his knee. “By the way… it’s a boy.”

Chapter 19

Audrey sat on the couch, munching on a turkey sandwich. She’d wanted the veggie but figured a baby

needed protein. Right? Man, she needed to get ahold of a few pregnancy books. Last time she hadn’t been

pregnant long enough to really study the situation or get a feel for it, so right now, confusion ruled her

mind. Although, the turkey tasted delicious. She extended her legs onto the coffee table and watched Nate

pace the room.

He scrubbed both hands down his face. “A boy?”

“Yep.” Audrey took another bite. She wasn’t sure about the tomatoes—they tasted too soft.

“A boy? Oh no.” Nate paced faster, pure panic on his face.

“I know.” Maybe she’d have texture problems while pregnant, because she definitely didn’t want the

tomatoes.

“I mean, I’d love a boy. Or a girl. But in this case, a boy—”

“I know.” Yep. Audrey took out the remaining tomato and tossed it on the paper wrapping on the table.

The commander would want to study and train a girl, but to have a boy with the size and strength of the

Gray brothers? Yeah. He’d never let that kid go.

“Wait a minute.” Nate shook his head. “Why do you trust them? You could be pregnant with anybody’s

kid.” His eyes widened. “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.”

Yeah, he did. But it was a good question, and she’d already thought it through. “I think the baby is

yours because you’d impregnated me before, the first and only time a Gray had impregnated anybody. It

makes sense they’d try again. You know how many times they’d tried to impregnate surrogates with the

Gray brothers’ specimens. The commander is desperate to have a next generation of Gray boys.”

“Why?” Nate asked, his voice hoarse.

“Because you’re the most successful experiment they’d ever conducted.” Audrey lowered her voice in

sympathy. Now wasn’t the time to sugarcoat the truth, even though she wanted to ease his pain. Now was

about the baby and not either one of them. Man, she loved turkey all of a sudden.

“I’m not an experiment.” Fire lit his eyes.

“I agree, and neither is this baby.” She tried to clear her cloudy mind. “But that’s not how they see you

or junior here, and we can’t forget that.”

Nate whirled toward her, his eyes a wild stormy gray, dark grooves lining the sides of his mouth. “How

are you so calm?”

She shrugged, finishing off the sandwich. “I had the long car ride back to freak out, and well, I think I

may still be in shock.” The satisfying numbness surrounding her brain felt good, and she didn’t want to let

it go. The second that calmness disappeared, she’d freak out like never before. Her feet hit the floor. “I have

to stay calm for the baby.”

Nate dropped to his haunches, his hands warming her knees. “You’re right. Calm. That’s good.”

Poor guy couldn’t even talk in complete sentences. She reached out and cupped his whiskered jaw.

“Take a breath, Nate. We’ll protect this baby with everything we have.” Nobody was going to hurt the little

guy.

“I know.” Determination and something else lit his dark eyes.

What was that? Oh. Fear. She’d never seen Nate afraid of anything. Ever. Drawing on a store of

strength she hadn’t realized she owned, she fastened her hands over his shoulders. Hard. “Trust me.

Nothing
is going to happen to this baby. Period.”

He nodded, the fear vanishing and leaving a deadly light.

She shivered.

“We need to plan.” He strode out of the room and returned with a glass of milk. “I think you’re

supposed to drink this.”

She hated milk unless it was on cereal. “Sure.” Taking the glass, she set it down on the coffee table. He

wouldn’t notice in his current state. “Oh, hey.” She reached for her briefcase and drew out a picture of the

ultrasound Dr. Zycor had made for her. “Here’s a picture of the little Gray guy.”

Nate took the picture, his hand visibly shaking. “He’s real. I mean, I can hear his heartbeat, but… he’s

real.”

“You can hear his heartbeat?”

“Yes. Thought it was the cat’s.”