by Bella Rose
“It was only for three weeks!” Maggie said frantically. “Then it would be done. I was in jail, Jacob! I’m pregnant! I can’t spend months in jail in my condition. I would have had to deliver my baby in jail.”
“Our baby,” Jacob corrected.
“I suppose its possible.” Maggie hated this part. She knew with all her heart that the baby she carried was Jacob’s. There had been no one else. Yet for this plan to work, she had to make the FBI believe she was trying to separate herself from Jacob as she’d claimed she wanted to do. She took a deep breath. “We could always do a DNA test, but you already said you have no interest in marrying me.”
“But this is my son!” Jacob shouted. “My son!”
“This is no life for a child,” she protested. “No matter who he is.”
“This is because I refused to marry you.” Jacob threw up his hands and paced wild circles in the office. “You were hunting for a man to take care of you just like every other woman in history. Children are nothing but a plan to trap a man into marriage!”
Maggie gave a derisive sniff. “Please. The only reason I wanted to marry you was so the FBI would have to leave me alone. Wives can’t testify against their husbands.”
“Bitch!” Jacob curled his lip and pointed a finger.
The laughter of Sasha and the other men grated on Maggie’s nerves. Then Sasha waved his gun in the air. “As entertaining as this lovers’ quarrel is, I believe we have business to conclude, Jacob Dolohov.”
“You think to take everything from me?” Jacob glared at them all. “This lying whore would take my son. And you, Sasha, my brother in arms, you would take my men and my position.”
Sasha’s nonchalant shrug was eerily genuine. Maggie started to wonder how much of this was planned and how much was real. There was no way to know now that the ball had started rolling. Yet she couldn’t forget how many times she had wondered if Sasha was jealous of Jacob.
Sasha waved at Vasily. “Tie him up. Make sure the knots are secure.”
“Wait.” Adrenaline surged through Maggie’s bloodstream. This was not part of the plan. “What are you doing?”
Sasha raised an eyebrow. “Getting rid of my predecessor.”
“You can’t do that!” Maggie protested.
Vasily was having difficulty trying to restrain Jacob. There was a scuffle. Igor ran to help as Jacob’s fist connected with Vasily’s face. Maggie held her breath as the three men grappled. Igor grabbed Jacob’s legs as Vasily forced him into a chair. Jacob struggled to get an arm free, but Vasily’s mittlike hands were too strong. Igor sank to his knees and leaned his whole weight on Jacob’s legs as he spread his ankles far enough to tie to the legs of the chair.
“Stop, Sasha!” Maggie pleaded. “The FBI is here. You know that! What are you doing? You said I’m a traitor so you know they must be following me.”
“Good!” Sasha bellowed. “Let them come! They can see that Jacob Dolohov is the criminal. He is the man they want and we’re getting rid of him. We’re leaving him tied here for them to arrest!”
Maggie’s mouth fell wide open. Sasha had turned on Jacob! That was the only answer that made any sense. She started to go and help him, but Sasha grabbed her around her waist. Maggie struggled, but he was too strong.
In the meantime, Jacob had managed to punt Igor away from his feet. Jacob launched up out of the chair, knocking Vasily into a barrel of something that smelled vile. Vasily grunted, trying to regain control of Jacob and unable to get a handle on the fists pounding his midsection.
Dark liquid spilled across the floor. Holding tight to Maggie, Sasha leaped backwards. “That oil is flammable! All of you get out of here!”
The men began to scramble for the exits. Maggie tried in vain to help Jacob, but Sasha had a death grip on her. Jacob was pushing Vasily away now, and reaching for his gun.
Until that moment Maggie hadn’t realized that Igor had a cheroot hanging out of his mouth. Why the man would be smoking in the middle of a fight she couldn’t guess. Then Jacob punched Igor in the jaw and the cigarillo went flying.
“Shit,” Sasha groaned. “Vasily! Igor! Move!”
Maggie watched as though the whole thing were happening in slow motion. The cigarillo landed in a puddle of dark, oily fluid on the floor. A fireball almost immediately belched toward the ceiling. The puddles of liquid went up in flames, separating Jacob from his attackers and cutting him off from the exit.
“Jacob!” Maggie screamed. “You have to save him!” she begged Sasha.
Sasha dragged her toward the stairs, finally throwing her over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry and pounding down the stairs with her in tow.
Seconds after they hit the pavement, Vasily and Igor landed behind them. The three men dragged her away from the warehouse. It was already engulfed in flames. Maggie screamed until her throat was raw both from that and the smoke billowing across the wharf.
She kept seeing Jacob in her mind’s eye, lying on the ground as the flames roared toward the ceiling. He couldn’t be gone. It had to be a mistake! Tears soaked her cheeks and she sobbed as though the world were ending.
“You have to get away from here, for the baby’s sake,” Sasha told her urgently. “The smoke isn’t good for you.”
“You asshole!” She punched his arm until her knuckles felt as though they might break. “You killed him!”
“It was an accident.” Sasha looked stricken. “I would never hurt him!”
Maggie moaned. “You killed him!”
“Boss, the feds are here,” Vasily snapped. He barked orders to the rest of the men in Russian. The scene seemed to explode as the Dolohovs scurried away like rats.
“Maggie, let’s go.” Sasha tried to tug her along after him.
She yanked her arm away. “Fuck you!”
Sasha pursed his lips, but left her there on the ground. He bolted from the scene like the criminal he was. Maggie wrapped her arms around her knees and rocked back and forth. Jacob was gone. He was dead. She was alone. The FBI could want nothing more from her. How could they? She’d already given them everything.
Chapter Fourteen
Maggie stared at the pattern of scratches on the metal tabletop in the interrogation room. This place was becoming almost familiar. She couldn’t even make herself care about that anymore. She felt dead inside, as if she would never feel an emotion again.
“Ms. Morrison?” Taggart sounded irritated. “I asked you a question.”
“I wasn’t paying attention,” Maggie returned in a flat tone.
Taggart heaved a giant sigh. “Do you know anything about Sasha Dolohov?”
“His last name is Dolohov?” Maggie muddled that one through. Were they cousins then? How could Sasha have left a member of his family to die like that?
“Ms. Morrison!” Taggart snapped. “You will answer these questions or you will go back to jail.”
“For what?” Maggie asked dully.
“Obstruction of justice.”
She shrugged. “Go ahead. You’ve already ruined my life. Might as well finish the job.”
“We did not ruin your life!” Taggart argued. “You did.” He stabbed his fingers through his hair in frustration. “How could you allow yourself to be discovered like that? They knew everything about our deal.”
“Sasha knows people I think,” Maggie murmured. “Someone made a comment once about having FBI agents on the payroll.”
“What?” Taggart’s voice went up two octaves until Maggie thought the one way glass window would shatter. “You’re just thinking to tell me this now?”
“Did it matter?”
“Of course it mattered!” Taggart shouted. “You endangered a ten month operation because you forgot to tell me that!”
“I didn’t do anything.” Maggie felt sullen. None of this was her fault. None of it. She’d had a freaking one-night stand. That was it. Then she’d been stupid enough to fall in love with the guy she’d had sex with. Gee, what a crime.
“You’re useless!” Taggart spun around and grabbed a file. He thumbed through it with unnecessary violence.
“I’m so sorry they didn’t teach me this stuff in FBI informant school,” Maggie said listlessly. “Oh wait. I never went to school for this stuff. I’m just a paralegal who fell for the wrong guy and you and your asshole coworkers seem determined to make me pay some imaginary price for that.”
“You’d better watch yourself.”
“No.” Maggie felt the first stirrings of something since she’d seen the warehouse burn to the ground. “You promised to tell me if they found Jacob’s body and you haven’t. You promised nobody would get hurt. You promised a lot of things that you couldn’t seem to deliver on. But the one thing you did promise was that you would leave me alone when this was over.” Maggie’s eyes welled with tears. She couldn’t believe she had any left. “Well this whole thing is very much over. I have nothing to tell you about Sasha. I’ve never fucked him and he doesn’t trust me and never has. I’m not saying another word until I speak to my attorney.”
“You’re impossible!” Taggart turned on his heel and stormed from the interview room.
Maggie didn’t care. In fact she couldn’t seem to make herself care about anything. She knew she needed to eat and take her vitamins because of the baby. Still, the joy she had felt was now hollow. She hadn’t expected to enjoy being a real family with Jacob but she had. Now that was gone.
“Maggie?”
Maggie lifted her gaze and realized she was staring right into a familiar face. “Courtney?”
“I’ve come to take you home, honey.”
“I don’t have a home anymore.” Maggie swallowed. “Jacob is dead.”
“Yes. I know.” Courtney paused as if she couldn’t decide whether to go on or not. “They found a body in the warehouse they identified as his. They had to use dental records.”
“I didn’t expect to fall in love with him, but I did,” Maggie whispered.
“I know.”
“What am I going to do now?”
Courtney seemed to gather herself. “First we’re going to sign some papers that will give you eternal freedom from these assholes at the FBI. Then we’re going to go on a little vacation just to get you away from the city for a while.”
“I’m not in the mood for a vacation,” Maggie said, feeling grouchy. “And I swear if you think I’m going clubbing with you I’m going to bitch slap you.”
Courtney actually chuckled. “No clubbing. I promise.”
“And I don’t think”—Maggie’s voice broke on a sob—“sex just isn’t going to fix it this time.”
Courtney put her arms around Maggie’s shoulders. “It’s going to get better. I promise.”
Maggie had her doubts.
***
“This is stupid.” Maggie didn’t even bother to try positivity as they pulled up the long, winding road to a town that boasted a bed and breakfast they’d seen advertised along the road. “We don’t even have reservations. If they have a room it’s probably because the place sucks. And if they don’t, we’ve wasted a trip up here.”
“Would you relax?” Courtney urged. “Either you’re begging me to pull over so you can pee, demanding ice cream, or bitching that you don’t want to be here.”
“I’m depressed.” Maggie figured that was a good excuse for just about anything at this point. “And I’m pregnant. And you’ve been dragging me all over the Eastern Seaboard for nearly a month. When you said vacation I had no idea you meant road trip.”
Courtney laughed. “Well if I’m going to take a month’s sabbatical from work, I need it to be worthwhile.”
“Worthwhile for you would be Cancun,” Maggie reminded her. “So why are we in Vermont?”
“Don’t you think this town is cute?”
“Maybe.”
“You’re just not willing to give anything a chance at the moment,” Courtney told her. “Look at the little town square and the shops. It’s quaint and perfect. Six months ago you would have been oohing and aahing over every single thing. So quit being bitchy and really look at this place.”
Maggie felt so listless, but she had to admit that the tiny town in Northern Vermont had charm. It looked like a greeting card come to life. There were old-fashioned lamp posts and people taking leisurely strolls down the sidewalks. There was an ice cream shop, which looked rather appealing at the moment. And there were a few cafes on the tiny square too. Someone was even playing fetch with a dog near the gazebo.
“Okay, so it’s cute,” Maggie allowed. “I bet they even have a craft fair once a month. And there’s probably a quilting club and a group of ladies that get together and can jams and crap every year.”
“So what’s not to like?” Courtney prodded.
“For you?” Maggie snorted. “You hate this kind of thing.”
“I’ll admit the lack of a Starbucks is giving me hives,” Courtney joked. “But this isn’t about me right now.”
Maggie reached across the interior of the car and put her hand on Courtney’s arm. “You’re a really good friend for putting up with me. I don’t think I’ve told you that enough.”
“This is what friends do,” Courtney insisted. “And someday you might owe me one.”
“Oh boy.”
“There’s the sign for the B & B.” Courtney yanked the wheel sideways, nearly sending the car up on two wheels as they careened around a sharp curve on their way up a gravel drive.
“Why are you acting so weird?” Maggie wondered aloud. “Seriously. I know you’re not that great a driver. Let’s be honest, most New Yorkers aren’t. But you’re normally not this bad.”
“I have a lot on my mind,” Courtney muttered as she steered the car through a narrow chokepoint of thick trees.
“A case?” Maggie frowned. It was pretty serious for her friend to take this much time away from her law practice. Maggie had been so self-absorbed lately she’d really neglected to appreciate how much effort Courtney was putting into this trip.
“No. Just stuff.” Courtney pulled up in front of a beautiful three story house that looked like something out of a storybook.
“Wow.” Maggie couldn’t help but appreciate the place. “It looks like a dollhouse.”
“I thought you might like it.” Courtney sounded intensely satisfied. How odd.
Maggie got out of the car, feeling the first pangs of eagerness she’d experienced in what felt like ages. Painted white with green shutters, the house appeared to be a hundred years old or more. The wraparound porch was dotted with rocking chairs. The place seemed homey, but she didn’t see any other guests.
“Is this place even open for business?” Maggie called back to Courtney.
The screen of the front door squeaked open. “We are not technically open to guests just yet. I’ve been waiting to find the perfect person to fill the position of cook. As yet, I’ve not found anyone who can make the perfect breakfast.”
Maggie’s heart nearly stopped at the sound of that voice. She turned slowly, wanting to close her eyes. Yet it was Jacob she saw standing on that porch. He looked good. His dark hair was a little long. It brushed the collar of his T-shirt.
“Jacob?” Maggie whispered. “I’m dreaming.”
“No, sweetie,” Courtney said gently. “He’s really here. Although the T-shirt and jeans are definitely weird.”
Jacob shot her a dirty look and Maggie realized it was really him. Jacob was not dead. He was in Vermont at a weird bed and breakfast. Maggie’s heart rate skyrocketed and she stumbled her way up the steps onto the porch in order to fall into his arms.
“You’re here!” she whispered. “You’re alive. You’re not dead. How? How?” Then she thought about it. Pulling away from his embrace, she smacked him in the chest. “How could you do that to me?”
“I’m so sorry, my love,” Jacob said softly. He tugged her back into his arms. “I had to let you believe I was dead. The FBI would have been able to tell if you were lying. They would nev
er have let you go.”
“I hate that you make sense,” Maggie huffed. “And I’m still going to be pissed at you for a while.”
“That’s fair.” He was hiding a grin. Then he touched her belly. “And how is our son?”
Courtney rolled her eyes. “Hungry and apparently very prone to dancing on her bladder.” Then Courtney pulled out her phone and glanced at the time. “Yeah. Have fun with that.”
Maggie felt her heart nearly stop again. “Wait. This is why we were driving around in circles for a month?”
Jacob cupped her face, gently touching her cheeks and lips as if soaking up the very sight of her. “We had to make certain the FBI had lost interest. They did follow the two of you for a week or so. Then they apparently decided Courtney was really just trying to help you get over your loss.”
“All of you knew.” Maggie couldn’t be sure how she felt about this. The sense of betrayal ran deep even though her logic told her it all made sense. “Never again,” she said fervently. “Promise me. Both of you. Never again.”
Courtney flung her arms around Maggie, tugging her away from Jacob long enough to give her a big squeeze. “I promise. Never again.”
“And I’m never letting you out of my sight again,” Jacob assured her. “It’s just us now. Our family and our life are going to be here, where we can start over.”
Chapter Fifteen
One year later…
Maggie let the gentle rocking and the familiar soft squeak of her chair send her into a state of near hypnosis. With her baby son snuggled close to her chest, all of the worries and problems of the past year seemed to fade away to nothing. Life had certainly not turned out the way she’d thought it would, but it was also better than she’d ever imagined possible.
“Is he asleep?” Jacob murmured, coming into the baby’s room.
Their son’s nursery adjoined the master suite on the third floor of the bed and breakfast. It was somehow comforting to Maggie that there were ten guests hunkered down in their cozy beds on the second floor of their snug house.
“He’s out.” Maggie yawned hugely. “And I’m nearly there.”
“You work too hard,” Jacob fretted. “Perhaps we should hire someone to take care of breakfast for the guests while you’re nursing.”
