Of Love and Deception (32 page)

Did Meg shoot him? Did she have a gun? Or… did Blake shoot her? He definitely has a gun.

Was she dead?

Or he?

Or both?

Minutes ticked, but it felt like forever before she heard a clanking noise outside, as if someone were rummaging through a pile of metal. And then faint muffles of Meg’s voice. No hint of Blake’s voice was evident.

And then nothing. For hours, there was nothing but silence surrounding her once again. She was certain she and her unborn baby would die here, tied to the bed and starved to death before anyone would find her. Sweat and tears dribbled down along her temples, along her ears and down her neck.

~~~

Shock. Delusion. Disoriented. Daniella wasn’t sure which, if not all three, she suffered from because right now, she would almost swear she was the star in some Stephen King movie. Either Blake came back from the dead or he hadn’t died after all.
That means… did he kill Meg?

Streaks of blood smudged the wall he was using for support as he slid further into the room.

“Blake?”

“Shhh.” He shook his head. “Be quiet or I’ll have to silence you.”

So he didn’t kill Meg? What does this mean for me? I’ve got to escape. Think! Think! Think! Lord, help me, help this baby.

“Blake, listen to me. Meg lied. She knew you were listening and she wants you out of the picture,” she whispered. “That’s why she was saying the baby is Cruz’s, because she wants him, not you. She’s always wanted him.”

“Why should I believe you?”

“Why shouldn’t you? I’ve never lied to you. Not when we were together, not when you screwed me over, and certainly not now.”

He gave her a wary once over and shook his head.

Daniella heated and feigned anger. “How stupid are you? Don’t you get it? She lied in hopes it would break you down. She wants my baby… our baby and then she’s going to kill me. Wake up Blake! By the looks of you, I’d guess she already thinks she’s killed you! One down, me to go and she walks away with our baby. OUR baby, Blake.” She prayed he’d believe her.

“You said you still loved me, Blake. Why would you let
her
do this to me, to us, to our baby? Why?” She sniffled.

He didn’t reply but only kept his head lowered and rubbed his temples. She didn’t let her eyes wander. She kept close watch, taking in his gestures, movements, anything that might give her hope that he’d consider her words and maybe release her.

“I’m sorry,” she said. Blake’s head shot up and his eyes steadied with hers. She continued. “I didn’t tell you I loved you then. I… I wanted to, but I couldn’t. I was mad and afraid.” She willed the tears to flow. It was easy to do when she thought about dying and the baby tucked away in a psychotic Meg’s arms. And at the thought of never seeing Cruz again.

“Afraid? Of what?” His voice was raspy, weak. She sensed he was breaking down.

“Afraid to love you. Afraid of heartache all over again, and how much worse that heartache would be if you broke my heart, again.”
Oh, God, please let him cave in.

“So. You’ve decided you don’t love Cruz anymore. You say you love me. And I’m supposed to believe you? Or maybe you’re saying these things with the intentions of getting me to set you free. Is that what this is really about?” Blake arched a brow.

Think, think, think!

“I don’t want to die but if you chose to take my life—”

“No, no. Don’t put this on me.” He slowly approached her and to her dismay, he circled the bed, dropped the arm and curled up next to her. Maybe she should have panicked, but she didn’t. Instead, she turned slightly to face him. His eyes were glossy and full of sorrow? Or something more. He swept away her tears with gentle strokes of his thumbs. He reached for her belly, ran his hand over it and then leaned down to kiss it.

“You’re to blame for letting it happen. May my blood be upon you, Blake Sheldon. Remember me, if she allows you to see that precious little one in her arms, and know that it could have been us loving our child. My face you’d wake up to. What will you do if she tries to pass it off as Cruz’s child? You heard her little speech. She shot and tried to kill you so she could pull off her scam. Deny it all you want, but I think you’re smart enough to figure out she’s a lying, conniving bitch who’ll stop at nothing to get what she wants. And it’s not you, Blake. It’s Cruz she wants, has always wanted.

“I want this baby. It’s a part of you, and me and… and I know I told you I’d give it up for adoption and that I wasn’t the one who halted it, but I did… stop the adoption.” She lied, and then stretched the lie further in a last ditch effort to save her baby and herself.

“Just remember all that I’m telling you now. Know that I loved you. Know that I’ll be thinking of you when she kills me.” Tears streamed down her cheeks, and she turned to look at him to see if he was even listening to her.

“Blake!” she screamed. Nothing could have prepared her for this. The sight of him. Blood dribbled out of his mouth, his eyes raised toward the ceiling, no life left in them. “Oh god, Blake.”

She knew he was gone when she noticed dried blood coating his left arm and the way his shirt stuck to the left side of his chest. The fabric over his left chest unraveled, blood crusted the edges and matted the hair against his chest. Maybe she shouldn’t have felt bad, but she did. Even if he was twisted, and even if he deserved to die, her heart ached for him. Ached for the person he once was, the perfect boyfriend until….

Closing her eyes, she recalled the first time she had met him.

He stands with his left arm stretched along the doorframe, the same side of his body flesh against it. I try to maneuver my way around him, to take my seat in my last class of the day, but he throws out his right arm to block me. I glance up at him, his blue eyes and black hair mesmerizing, yet dark somehow. That is the beginning of our relationship.

“I’m not letting you pass until I get your number and you agree to go out with me,” he says.

“I don’t even know you and you want my number and a date?”

“Blake. Blake Sheldon. I’m a really great guy who wants to get to know this really hot chick. Her name’s Daniella and I’m pretty sweet on her. Say you’ll go out with me. One date and if you find me irresistible, then we’ll go from there. If not, you can kick me to the curb.” He smiles a million dollar smile. I can’t resist.

“Alright, one date, but no funny business.” I stupidly agree and give him my number.

Oh, that first date. He charms the shit out of me. Takes me to the Golden Gate Bridge. Calms my fear of heights when his warm arms envelop me and he speaks soothing words in my ear. I’m safe. We date…

Things change.

His sweet demeanor slowly changes into something, someone different.

“Where have you been? You promised you’d be here hours ago. It’s after midnight and you reek… of smoke? And why are your lips pasty? Is that… you have white matter lining your nostrils! Blake, are high on cocaine?”

“Stop being a sourpuss! It’s just a little pick-me-up. Don’t worry your pretty little head off, sweetheart.” He wraps his arms around my waist and clings to me.

I vow not to marry him if he continues to use. He stops for a time, but once a date has been set and the wedding plans begin, he spends less time with me and claims he’s working on selling his home, searching for a new one for us to occupy once we’re married. It makes sense until…

 
His house finally sells and he moves back to his parent’s house until his ‘big’ purchase of ‘our’ home goes through.

“Why don’t you stay at my apartment while I’m away on a business trip?”

He accepts.

I come home a day earlier than expected.

It’s past midnight and the normally lit hallway is dark. I have trouble locating my keys.

“Ah, there you are.” I jiggle the lock and open the door.

 
I freeze at the sound of heavy breathing. 

“Oh, baby! Don’t stop. Harder!” The woman cries and pants from the back room.

“You like that? Hard? Tell me what you want, baby.” 

 Blake fucking Sheldon!

“Fuck me harder… oh… oh yeah… I’m… coming, Blake. I’m…”

 Rage soars through my body. I drop my bag, keys and purse, and storm toward my bedroom.

 Before I reach for the doorknob, I hear, “Shit. Hide!”

 And then a startled “What… why?”

 I fling the door open and flip on the light. A tall blonde stands at the end of my bed, clothes in hand, pressed against her naked chest. She turns toward the bed, where Blake shot up, naked.

“Get. The. Fuck. Out. NOW,” I scream.

 
The blonde obliges, scrambling for the rest of her things and scurries past me. But Blake, Oh, no, no. He sits there with a… what? A smile on his flipping face? Are you freaking kidding
me!

“Awe, babe, I can explain this.”

 Un fucking believable. Un fucking…

 I ball my fists and press them tightly against my thighs. “Get. Out. Get out get out get out!”

 And that’s when he stands, pretty smile turns sour. His eyes narrow and he charges at me….

~~~

“HOLY SHIT! What the hell is this?” A man shouted, startling Daniella out of her dream. The instant shock of bright lights stunned her eyes, and she immediately closed them.

“Dan… Daniella? Is that… Bloody hell. What happened… what’s going on… where’s Meg… how’d you…” Falcon’s voice trailed off.

It took a few minutes for her to adjust to the overhead lights as she opened her eyes slowly. She squinted a few times and then she saw him. Falcon had his hands pressed against his head, and he kept shaking it at his obvious discovery of what was going on. She watched him lean over and pick up the fake bodysuit Meg had worn to fool everyone into believing she was pregnant. It must have registered in his head what her plan was. He kept looking at the suit and then at Daniella’s pregnant belly and back to the suit again. His eyes rolled back after he took in the surrounding trays and baby warmer.

“Good god, Meg. What have you done?” His eyes clicked on Daniella. “What the hell has she done? Who the hell is he… is… is he… did she… Oh FUUUCK! She killed him. Didn’t she? She killed him! FUCK, FUCK FUUUUUUCK.”

“She’s… she’s going to take my baby and kill me. She… she wants to pass it off as hers and… Cruz’s. She thinks he loves her and… and I’m sorry, so sorry, Falcon.”

“I’ve seen him. I swear. Around the clinic. After hours. Meg swore… swore it was your ex. I believed her. After you and Cruz split—I’m sorry. So damn sorry, Daniella! I should have said something along time ago. Fuck! She was such a good goddam liar and manipulator. She’s fucking insane!” He laughed in some kind of crazed hysteria.

“W-what made you come…” She paused at the tight sensation of a contraction? “Here?” she said breathlessly.

“Daniella, did Meg insert something inside of you?”

“Uh… not when I was coherent?”

“What do you mean? Did she knock you out?” He leaned over the bed, traced a finger over her forehead and around her eye. “Jesus. You’re a bruised up mess. And your lip.”

She winced at his touch. “She’s evil. She probably did something to me after she knocked me out with that stuff she put over my mouth and nose.”

He uncovered the metal tray and grabbed a pair of scissors. “Shit. She’s had this all planned out. I’ve got to get you the hell out of here. Do you have any idea where Meg is?” He cut the straps and each arm flopped down to her sides, weak from the length of time her arms were strapped above her head. Her fingers started to tingle and prickle as her blood circulated toward the tips.

“The last I saw of Meg was before… before
he
came back. They were fighting and then I heard shots. Obviously gunfire,” she said and glanced at Blake’s lifeless body next to her.

 Falcon scanned the tray and picked up a crumpled piece of foil “Shit! I need to remove the Cytotec. That’s what this foil is from. It will soften your cervix, and you could go into labor. Meg must have inserted it while you were passed out.” Falcon moved further down and sat on the bed next to her waist. His face filled with anguish.

He slipped on a glove. “Bend your knees and drop them to your sides.”

Slightly uncomfortable at his instructions, Daniella obeyed and dropped her knees. He reached between her legs and slipped his gloved fingers inside of her.

“Now I want you to bear down like you’re going to have a bowel movement.” A bead if sweat laced his upper lip and forehead. His fingers twisted in many directions as he struggled to remove the medicated bullet. “Okay. I’ve got what’s left of it. Your cervix is firm and not dilated,” he said as he slipped it out of her.

“To answer your question. What made me come here. Well, you’ll have to thank your husband, not me. He kept hounding me, forcing me to find out where Meg was. Cruz flipped out on me, said you were missing and he was certain Meg and that ‘filthy bastard
,
Blake,’ were behind it. His words verbatim. He threatened and swore he’d kill me if you and
his
baby were found dead.”

The ringing of his cell phone startled them both. He rushed out of the room. Daniella could hear him talking.
Meg!
His answers were short and clipped. “Yes. No. What the hell—” The sound of his phone snapping shut resonated down the hall along with the rush of his steps as he came back to the room.

“Get up! Hurry, hurry! You’ve got to go now… before she gets back.” He grabbed her hands and pulled her into a tight embrace.

“You’re not coming with me?” Daniella panicked. “Please come with me. I need you… and, and…” She whimpered.

Falcon loosened his grip, placed his cell phone in her hand and startled her when he pushed her toward the door.

“Go. Go now before she returns!”

“Please. Please go with mm—”

Pressing his fingers against her lips, he said, “Shhh. No more words. I can’t go. I need to stave her off as long as possible or she will find and kill you. She’s a psychotic master manipulator who will stop at nothing, won’t hesitate to leave collateral damage if it gets her what she’s after.” His eyes were wet pools full of remorse. “I’m sorry for all of this. Please, only forgive me and remember, I never knew about any of this, never thought she was crazy enough to do something this heinous. Take care of your baby and make it right with Cruz. And when you get far enough away from this place, call him. He loves you no matter what you might think. Don’t ever forget that.”