Single Dad Baker: A Second Chance Romance Series (Book 1)

by Wood, Lauren

  20

  Bella

  “You’re not going to get away with this Billy.”

  “Away with what? You came willingly with me.”

  The only reason I came with you, was because you threatened to do something to Jack.”

  Billy was madder than I'd ever seen him before. While he always had a bit of a temper, this was different. It looked like he was going to literally lose his mind and it was all my fault. There used to be love behind his eyes, even when he was upset, but now there was only hate. I don't think I'd ever seen him looking at me like that before, but I certainly didn't like it.

  “It doesn't matter why you came with me, but it matters that you're here. It wasn’t a threat either. I was just telling you exactly what I was going to do to your new boyfriend. I'm still debating if I should take care of him. I don't like the idea of someone putting their hands on you. You're mine Bella. I told you that a long time ago and nothing's changed.”

  He had always talked about us being together in the terms of forever. It had been sweet at the time, the way he acted like we would always be together. But now I was starting to see that it wasn't just sweet. It was something else altogether. It was more menacing them before. Forever seemed like a punishment, instead a time.

  “So where are we going?”

  He had showed up at the bakery, while Jack was in the back and this time he had his gun with him. When we were in California, there was only a couple of places that he would go without it. It was like another extension of him and it certainly wasn't the first time I had seen it.

  It had been made clear to me very quickly, that if I didn't leave with him, then he had no problem shooting Jack. I wanted to believe that Jack could keep me safe, but at the same time, I knew what Billy was capable of. I wasn’t going to finally get Jack in my life, just to lose him. I couldn't let anything happen to him, especially not because of me. So, the only thing that there was to do was to walk away.

  I kept telling myself that as soon as Billy stopped the car and I was able to get away, that I would. I just needed to get him away from him, and make him think that I wasn't going back. The only way I was going to get rid of Billy, was to take off in a direction and not stop for a very long time. I should have never come home.

  “We're going back home. I have never liked the east coast and I certainly don't want to stay. It's too damn cold here. There's no ocean. This is not where we're supposed to be. My business is back in California and that's where you belong, with me.”

  I didn't like to think that I belonged anywhere that had Billy in it. He was the whole reason that I had to leave California to begin with. The idea of going back with him, did not sit right with me and actually made my stomach a little crazy. It had been so hard to get away from him and now I was right back where I started. Back on the crazy train then I wanted desperately to get off of.

  There really was no reason to respond to his declaration. He made himself clear of what his intentions were, but I did not see the necessity of doing the same thing. I had a plan or at least I liked to believe that I had a plan. It didn't feel like it was going to be the easiest thing to do, getting away from him. But I knew that I had to. There was no way that I could go another day with Billy. He was no longer a part of my life.

  After a while of ignoring him, he started to get angry, so I figured the least I could do was have a conversation with him. I knew what he wanted to hear and as long as I didn’t let the rebellion inside of me get ahead of me, I was able to appease him with some light conversation.

  While Billy liked to be in control, he also wanted people to do what he wanted, because they wanted to. He didn’t want to force people to do what he wanted, but he had no problem if he had to. At the end of the day, I realized that Billy just wanted to get his way and was willing to do about anything to get it.

  “I have missed California. The weather is certainly better there.”

  “Well, we will be out of Michigan in a few more miles and then we will be back on our way home. I'm glad that you got to come home for a little bit and see your family, but it’s time for you to come back with me.”

  “You're probably right Billy. I was just out here for a visit.”

  We both knew that what I was saying was a lie. I was not in Michigan because I was here for a visit. The truth was, that I had ran as far away from him as I possibly could. I had actually run across the country and went back home to stay with my parents, something I said I would never do, just to get away from him. But if he wanted to sugarcoat it and pretend like that was the reason, I was going to let him. It would at least make the road trip a little more bearable. The last thing I wanted to do, was get him all pissed off in the confines of a car. I wasn't that stupid.

  “Next time you go for a visit Bella, I want to make sure that I go with you. That way, I can make sure that you're safe and that something isn’t amiss.”

  I agreed, but I didn't feel that way at all. As soon as I could get far away from him, I was going to. The last thing I wanted to do was go anywhere with him. All I wanted to do was to put some distance between the two of us.

  Even being around him just this little bit, in this fairy tale world that he had made, made me realize that I should have left a long time ago. Angie was right. I was an idiot. Kayla was right too.

  “Well I am safe Billy, I'm back by your side. There's nothing to worry about now.”

  He smiled at me and took my hand into his. For a moment, I thought that he was going to make the sweet gesture of holding hands together, but then I realized very quickly that it was not it at all. Instead, he started to squeeze my hand as hard as he could and only when I made whimpering sound, did he finally stop with a grin on his face.

  “You are never to leave my side again Bella. I am going to have to find a way for you to remember that. I need to make sure that you never forget it again.”

  That didn't sound good and I couldn't even meet his eyes. I could feel them burning into the side of my face, but I refused to look. I also refused to pull my hand away. I wasn't going to let him get the satisfaction of it. I had known Billy long enough, to realize he liked it when it hurt.

  Finally, he let my hand go and I didn't say much more after that. I had given up trying to have a conversation with him, when everything was going to be twisted and used against me. It did not seem like the sort of conversation I was trying to get myself into. Instead, I watched the miles passed by me, knowing that I was getting further and further away from where I wanted to be. I wasn't panicked yet, but I was getting there.

  Looking over at the gas gauge, I knew that eventually we would have to stop. We had maybe another hour of gas left by the way he was driving and all I could hope for was a little bit of luck.

  One way or another, I was getting out of this car and I was going to get some help. It didn't matter to me where it came from. More than anything, I just wanted to get out so I could call the cops. Then I could finally get away from Billy once and for all. I didn't think I was going to be able to do it by myself.

  In the midst of all of it, all I could think about was Jack. I wished more than anything, that he was here. He always kept me safe and now I was regretting my decision. I really wished I had said something. Maybe if I would have made a ruckus, he would have heard, and he would have stopped Billy from taking me.

  Or maybe, Billy would have shot Jack…

  That wasn’t something that I could live with. I was just going to have to figure out a plan. One where I saved myself.

  21

  Jack

  I checked all over the house and once I realized that Bella was gone, I knew that I had to find her. It didn't take long for me to come to terms with where she was or rather who she was with. Bella had tried to warn me about her ex-boyfriend Billy, but my pride would not let me worry about it. I had never been afraid of a man and I certainly wasn't going to start now.

  The problem was, she had been right. I would have never believed that he would
have actually kidnapped her, but that was the only thing I could come up with. I didn't know if I should call the police, because I didn't have any proof. They were going to look at me like I didn't know what I was talking about. That maybe Bella had left me because she was afraid to tell me that she wanted to go. I knew that wasn't true though. Bella would not have left, unless she had to.

  The biggest problem that I had in the immediate future, was the fact that the bakery was open and there was nobody to stay with it. I did something I haven't done in a very long time. I closed the bakery up for the day and tried to figure out what I was going to do next. I had to find Billy and Bella. I called her number several times and only when I was walking into the back, did I realize that it was ringing on the floor. That was my only chance of finding out where she was. Now I was going to have to start from scratch again.

  I went over to Bella’s place because that was the first place I could think of to look. I didn't want to alarm her parents just yet. I wasn't even sure if I was just being paranoid or if this was really real. I wanted to think that I was just making things up in my head. Sometimes I did that, and I really wanted it to be the case this time. I wanted to go over to Bella’s and find her there. Maybe she needed something extra. I don't know, anything other than the idea that she had been taken.

  Bella was not there. It wasn't that much of a shock, but there had been a small hope in the back of my mind that wanted her to be there and she would have been safe, and I wouldn't have to worry about her. That was just not the case.

  Since that didn't happen though, I pushed open the unlocked door and looked around for a moment. Bella really didn't have that many things that she had brought with her. She was traveling light, and I was starting to see why. All of the unsure moments and innocence that I'd seen in her face, was actually something else. I was starting to think that she was afraid of Billy, really afraid of him and I might have made it worse.

  I scoffed out loud. Here I was telling her that I was going to keep her safe and I couldn't even do that. Wherever she was right now, I doubted that she was very safe. The man that was with her, was obsessed with her and I knew that it wasn't going to turn out well. How could it? He had lost her or rather he had taken her, so that he wouldn’t lose her. That meant that I had to find her and save her before something terrible happened. I had to protect her.

  The more I worried about it, the less I was helping myself. I couldn't find what I was looking for, because I really didn't know what I was looking for to begin with. All I knew for certain, was that Bella was gone and I had to find her. Since I was pretty sure that it was Billy that had taken her, I needed to find out more about him. I didn't even know his last name, so how was I going to find him? California was a big state and if I didn't have more to go off of, there was no way that I was going to find them.

  There was a little bit of paperwork and I started to go through it, because I didn't know what else to do. I felt bad for a few moments, because I was going through her belongings and her personal effects, but then I saw an old letter that was addressed to her. The post date was last year and since she told me that she lived Billy for several years, I was going to take it as his address. I really hoped it was anyways.

  At this point, I had to make some arrangements. I knew that I wasn't going to be back in time to see Dana off the bus, so I called my sister Dina to help me out. She was really good with Dana and I knew that all I had to do was ask. She was always there to help me and this was one of those times when I needed her help. Another thing that I liked about my younger sister, was she didn't ask a lot of questions. Right now, I definitely didn't have an answer for them.

  When I had everything settled, I made another call to a private investigator that I'd used before. When Dana's mother had taken off the first time, I had tried to track her down. I thought that I could force her to be a mother to her daughter, but I learned quickly that I was wrong. Now I needed him for something else, though I couldn’t deny the pattern. I always needed John when I lost one of the women in my life.

  “What can I do for you Jack?”

  “I was hoping that you could find somebody for me. I think I have a location, but I know that they won't be there for a couple of days. Do you feel like taking a trip out west?”

  He paused for a moment and then he agreed to it. I would imagine that John was thinking about how much money he had made from me last time. I paid well and he expensed the hell out of the trip. This time, I didn't expect him to do any different, but it didn't matter. I would have spent every dime that I had, to find her. I just had to find her, that's all that mattered.

  He took the job and I was instantly relieved. I knew that since he was taking the case, there was no way that he would fail. He would find his mark; I would find Bella, and everything would be fine.

  As soon as I knew that she was there, I would be on the next flight out there, ready to bring her home. I wasn't going to let someone like Billy do something like that to her. He couldn't have her. She was mine.

  John took the job, but he warned me that it might take a while to find them.

  “If they are driving, it will take at least three or four days for them to get there. Then I will be waiting for them. As soon as someone goes in that house, I will tell you about it. If I see her, you will be the first one to know.”

  I thanked John, but after I hung up, I couldn't imagine sitting around waiting for him to figure it out. All I wanted was to see Bella again and make sure she was safe. The rest of it really was just background noise. I would make Billy pay, when this was all said and done.

  I did my own digging on the internet and I'm pretty sure that I found the Billy I was looking for. He had quite an internet presence in social medias. Then I saw a picture of him hiked up against Bella. It was the second picture down and he still described himself as someone who was in a relationship with her. I did not like to see the two of them together, but at least I knew who I was dealing with now.

  The guy was probably a little off in the head. Where he hadn't been able to get over losing Bella. Again, I felt empathy. I could understand how that would feel.

  I tried to message Billy, but it wouldn't go through, because we weren't friends together. So, I sent him a friend request and again I was supposed to sit back and wait. Nothing was going the way I planned today, and I just started to get more and more frustrated.

  Without a way to sit around and wait, I figured the best thing I could do, was go out to California and wait for them to get there. I couldn't track them while they were in a car, so I was just going to have to wait till they got there.

  22

  Bella

  “We have been driving all day Billy. Don't you think that it's time that we take a break? Get something to eat, pee, stretch out legs?”

  I had been watching the gas tank for what seemed like forever. It just kept going and even though it was low, it looked like we could keep going for another hour. I had thought for sure that there was only an hour left, but now it was almost going on three. How big of a tank was this?

  “We haven't been driving that long at all Bella. You know how far away this is.”

  “Why don't we take a plane?”

  “Because I don't trust you around people right now. You’re still thinking about getting away from me. Once you realize that this is for the best and you are back where you belong, then maybe we can talk about being able to travel and let you go around people. Right now, I just don't trust you to do the right thing.”

  It was of course my worst nightmare. Billy was always a little possessive, but now something had snapped inside of him and it just went overboard. I could see it from the gleam in his eyes. Something was wrong and I had to find a way to get out of this car. I had to get around the people that Billy was so sure I need to stay away from. How was I going to manage that?

  “Well, I don't know about you, but there's no way I can hold it any longer. I have really got to go, really bad.”

  I
t looked like he was going to tell me that I was just going to have to wait, but then maybe he saw something different in my eyes. I really didn’t know if I was going to be able to hold it much longer. I had no intentions of waiting either.

  Billy just looked down at the gas gauge. “Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt to get a little gas. We will stop for a little bit, but don't think that you're going to mastermind some kind of great escape. I am not going to let you go anywhere.”

  He believed the words that he said, and I believed him. Billy was killing any chances that I had of getting away. Maybe this was how it was supposed to end. Maybe we really were supposed to be together. It could be romantic. If I wouldn't have met Jack, maybe I would have even agreed with him. But I had met Jack and I don't know why, but that connection changed everything.

  Things had changed and there was no way that I was going to go back with Billy. He was stronger and had the upper hand right now, but that didn’t mean that it was going to last all that long. I knew deep down that there had to be a way to stop it.

  “Well we aren’t going to sleep in the car, are we?”

  I wrinkled up like my nose, like that was truly the worst thing on my mind, but of course, it was not. I knew that things could get bad for me and him. I knew that, but there was something about the way he looked at me. It made me wonder if there was anything that I could say about it. I had to play along to get what I wanted, even though playing along went against everything inside of me.

  “Would it be so bad? We’ve had many a night in a car. You never seemed to mind before.”

  “I am just tired Billy. We haven’t seen each other in a long while and I thought a bed would help. I guess I’m wrong.”