Indebted

by Sharon C. Cooper

  Sitting in jail had given him plenty of time to think about how the last few months had been some of the best of his life with Journey. Spending time with her every day and most of their nights together felt like the most natural thing in the world to him.

  That’s what he wanted going forward. She was who he wanted in his life.

  With that decision made, he knew for sure he had to make some changes. The day of his release, he had returned to the anger management group that he had participated in off and on for the last few years.

  He had also smoothed things over with Mason Bennett.

  After explaining what went down with Gabe, Laz was being given a second chance to prove that he would make a good addition to the Atlanta’s finest team.

  Now he was sitting in Ford’s office waiting to do something he should’ve done years ago.

  “Usually when someone is suspended, they don’t show up at work,” Ford said as he walked into his office, slamming his door closed. He dropped down in his desk chair, ignoring the way it protested under his weight. “What are you doing here, Laz?”

  “I came to apologize.”

  Ford’s left brow lifted in disbelief. “Well, that’s a first. All the shit you’ve pulled over the years and now you want to apologize?”

  Laz shrugged nonchalantly. “Well, I’m not sorry for most of that, but I am sorry for putting you in some compromising positions, especially this situation recently. Though I had good reason for what I did to Hall, I probably could’ve handled the situation better.” Laz threw up his hands. “But I won’t rehash all of that. I just want you to know that I have appreciated your support over the years.”

  “Why do I have a feeling this little impromptu meeting is about more than an apology?”

  Due to his suspension, Laz had already turned in his badge and service weapon. He set his letter of resignation in the middle of Ford’s desk. “You’re finally going to be rid of me.” He grinned at Ford’s frown.

  “Why now?”

  “It’s time. Hell, it’s past time. I’m actually surprised you haven’t fired my ass before now.”

  Ford chuckled. “Oh, I’ve thought about it more than once and had even started the paperwork at least a hundred times, but you’re a damn good cop, Laz. Shady as hell, but damn good.”

  Laz laughed and stood. “Thanks, I think. Sorry for all the trouble, Sarg.”

  “No you’re not.” Ford stood and extended his hand. “You’ll be missed, Lazarus. All the best to you, man.”

  “Thanks, and if you ever need me to do any, um…let’s just say, heavy lifting for you guys, you know where to find me.”

  After saying his goodbyes to everyone, Laz left the precinct feeling lighter than he’d felt in a long time.

  His next assignment with Supreme Security wasn’t for another week, giving him time to get his personal life in order. He had to win Journey and her trust back. She wasn’t making it easy for him, but he was up for the challenge.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Journey shoved her cell phone into the side pocket of her handbag and released a noisy sigh. Staring out the passenger side window as her sister drove her back to work, she wondered if agreeing to meet with Laz later had been a good idea. It didn’t matter that she’d thought about him practically every hour of every day since leaving him behind bars. She wasn’t ready to see him.

  “You should’ve just told him, Journey,” Geneva said as she maneuvered the car through downtown traffic. “You’re working yourself into a tizzy for no reason. He—”

  “No reason!” Journey snapped. “You’re acting like I just stubbed my toe or something. My life is about to change…forever! Nothing will ever be the same. Not my life. Not my body. Nothing!”

  Journey covered her face with her hands and growled. She had royally screwed up. Something she rarely did. She planned everything, but this…

  “Maybe you should go home instead of going back to work. Clearly you need some rest.”

  “I can’t. I’m swamped. I can barely keep up with my work load, and don’t even get me started about my crazy work hours. All the more reason why I can’t handle any more responsibilities.”

  “Are you done?”

  “No, I’m not done.” Journey sagged against her seat, trying to fight the tears that had been threatening to fall ever since she walked out of the doctor’s office. “How am I going to tell Laz that…that…” She was never at a loss for words, but she’d been having trouble with these particular words.

  Words she never thought she’d ever have to say.

  “You open your mouth and say, I’m pregnant, Laz. Three little words. Or you can just say—we’re having a baby. Oh, I know. You can take a more comical route and say something like—How would you feel about being my baby’s daddy? Or, you know what? If that doesn’t work for you, you can say…”

  Journey shook her head, unable to keep the smile from her lips as her sister continued with one scenario after another, getting sillier with each one. “Sometimes I can’t stand you,” Journey mumbled, swiping at an errant tear.

  “Whatever. You know you love me,” Geneva said as she pulled up to the side entrance of the courthouse.

  “This is the scariest thing I’ve ever had to face. I don’t know how to be somebody’s mother, Geneva.”

  “You love kids.”

  “Yeah, when they belong to someone else. Raising a child, as a single mom, is hard for women who have that mommy…compassionate gene. But for those of us who don’t have that trait, like me, what am I supposed to do? What if I screw up and…and…”

  “Would you knock it off! Instead of going to see your OB/GYN, maybe you should’ve gone to get your head checked. You are straight trippin’. Just because having a baby wasn’t on that ridiculous master to-do list you live by doesn’t mean you can’t handle it. Or is it that you’re thinking about the alternative?”

  Journey gasped. “Of course not! I couldn’t…ever!”

  “All right then. You’re going to handle motherhood like you handle everything else. Like a damn maniac who has to do everything perfectly.”

  “You’re not helping, Geneva.”

  “Sorry. Anyway, you’re forgetting about one important factor.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Laz. That man worships the ground you walk on. When he finds out that you’re having his baby, he probably won’t let your feet touch the ground. He’s going to be thrilled. Almost as thrilled as I am about becoming an auntie.”

  “Still not helping. The thought of either of you helping me raise this baby makes me even more nervous. You both live life on the edge. You both curse way too much. And you both get on my last nerve.” Journey shook her head in mock disgust. “With you two, I might not survive any of this.”

  Geneva laughed. “Shut up. We’re not that bad.” She paused. “Okay, maybe we are. But seriously, sis. I know you’ve had these grand career plans for all of your life. Having a baby or two doesn’t mean you can’t still be the DA or a judge someday. No, it probably won’t be easy, but you are the most determined woman I know. I have no doubt you’re going to accomplish all of your goals while being an amazing mommy.”

  More tears welled up in Journey’s eyes and she dug through her bag for tissue. “I hate it when you say stuff like that. You almost sound…human.”

  Geneva laughed again. “Actually, I almost gagged on those words. Now get your ass out of my car so I can get back to work.”

  Journey reached over and hugged her little sister. “Even if you are a pain in the you-know-what, I love you. Thanks for dropping everything to pick me up from the doctor’s office. I really appreciate it.”

  “No problem, but you should’ve called Laz to pick you up. That would’ve been the perfect time to spring this exciting news on him.”

  “Maybe.”

  “When you see him tonight, tell him.”

  “Yeah, yeah.” Journey climbed out of the car and started to walk away but turned back when h
er sister rolled down the window and called out her name.

  “What?”

  “I want to be there when you tell Mom and Dad the news. I want to see their faces when they find out their perfect daughter is having a baby out of wedlock.”

  Journey shook her head. “Like I said, I can’t stand you.”

  She headed to the building feeling a little better than she had since getting the news, but trepidation still nipped at her nerves. Normally she handled surprises pretty well, but this had totally caught her off guard.

  In a little more than seven months, she was having a baby.

  I’m having a baby.

  Laz is going to flip.

  *

  Hours later, Journey dragged herself out of her office and headed to the elevator, exhausted and dealing with a slow-building headache. She had gone back to working extra-long hours and like tonight, was one of the last people to leave the building.

  And then there was Laz. She had wimped out and had called him earlier to let him know that something had come up and that she couldn’t meet with him tonight. It had been a relief to get his voicemail, but he had called her a couple of times since then, only to get her voicemail. He wasn’t the type of man to be ignored, and she already knew that if she didn’t call him soon, he’d probably hunt her down.

  She pushed the down button for the elevator and leaned against the wall. What she could use was a good night’s sleep, something she hadn’t gotten since she and Laz agreed to take a break. Now that she thought about it, their separation would’ve been easier had she officially broken up with him.

  But sometime during their shared meals, lounging around chatting, and their steamy nights together, she had fallen in love. Every other thought was of him. Whenever she closed her eyes she saw him, and each time her phone rang, she prayed it was him and hoped it wasn’t.

  I’m in love with Lazarus Dimas…and I’m having his baby.

  Journey’s hand went to her stomach. “Unbelievable,” she mumbled. Never in a million years had she seen her life going in this direction. Instead of being happy about that realization, she was frustrated. Laz would never change and if she was honest with herself, she didn’t want him to; well, at least not totally. He had shaken up her peaceful life, but had also been a bright light in her world. Yes, he was a jerk sometimes, but he was her jerk. She even missed their silly arguments as well as the laughs.

  I have to talk to him. I have to tell him.

  With plans on calling him once she arrived home, she rode the elevator to the ground level, and the moment she stepped off, her cell phone rang. Digging the device out of the side pocket of her handbag, Prentice’s name flashed across the screen.

  “Hey, Prentice, hold on a sec.” She switched over to the Uber app to see if the black car she’d order was close by. Six minutes. “Okay, sorry about that. What’s up?”

  “The murder weapon for the Monsuli case was signed out of evidence three weeks ago.”

  “By who?”

  “Carmen.”

  “What? Wait, she’s been on medical leave since before that time,” Journey said, wondering what Carmen had been up to.

  “I know, Laz called me and—”

  “Prentice, Laz is no longer with the police department. We’re done talking to him about this case.”

  Prentice was quiet for so long, Journey thought that maybe the call had dropped until he spoke.

  “Journey, just listen. You can even pretend that you don’t hear his name in this conversation, but there’s something you should know.”

  “Fine. What’s happened?”

  “Someone contacted Carmen a week before the accident and told her that if she didn’t make the weapon disappear, they would hurt her ten-year-old daughter.”

  Journey stood speechless just inside the door that led outside. She thought back on the last time she’d had any interaction with Carmen and could remember Carmen being distracted and anxious. Journey assumed she was struggling with a case.

  “Carmen was told that if she went to the police, they’d kill her and her daughter.”

  “Oh, my God. Is her daughter okay?”

  “She’s fine. Carmen had immediately sent her to Florida where her uncle lives, and before Carmen could figure out what to do about the threat, the accident happened.”

  Journey felt sick to her stomach at what her friend must be going through. “That explains why she hasn’t returned my calls and why she didn’t answer her door when I stopped by yesterday.”

  “She’s terrified, Journey. She finally broke down and contacted Laz this afternoon. He had helped her with an incident with her ex-husband years ago and thought he’d know what to do in this situation. She said that she just hated that she didn’t think to call him sooner.”

  “Where is she now?”

  “Laz is taking her to a safe house as we speak. He said he called me since he couldn’t reach you.”

  Laz to the rescue again. He always seemed to be there and know what to do when people needed him.

  I should’ve just answered his call.

  His voice message said they needed to talk, but she assumed it was about their relationship, not the case.

  “Not sure how Laz did it and he wouldn’t tell me, but where he’s taking Carmen, she’ll be safe. A security firm is providing her personal protection until after the trial.”

  Journey assumed that he had gotten his new employer involved, which was smart. He’d been pretty sure they’d let him go after the situation with Gabe.

  “Oh, and Carmen gave him the knife. He dropped it off to me, and I know you said you wanted the weapon tested again, but Journey, that’s going to be useless. It’s contaminated with prints.”

  Journey pinched the bridge of her nose. At this point, the chain of custody was broken and the weapon inadmissible. Besides that, she would never know if Laz had indeed planted the knife…or if Monsuli really did use it as the murder weapon.

  “I don’t know what to say, Prentice. This case is going to be the death of me. Between witnesses backing out, tainted evidence, threats, people dying…I’m…I’m tired,” she said the last part more to herself.

  Each case brought its own set of twists and turns, but this one had her on an emotional roller-coaster. She didn’t have to ask why because she knew it was mainly due to Laz’s involvement.

  Journey wanted…no, she needed him to be innocent of all wrongdoing, but deep down inside she had a feeling he wasn’t. Part of her wanted to know the truth, but there was that other part of her that just wanted it all to go away. Truth be damned.

  “I know this has been a tough one for you,” Prentice said with sympathy. “But we still have Melody Kane, the ex-mistress’s testimony. If we go to trial, her testimony will help.”

  It might help, but it wouldn’t be enough to prove that Monsuli did indeed kill the victim with the knife that they couldn’t resubmit into evidence.

  Before Journey could respond to Prentice, she glanced outside and saw a black town car stop in front of the door.

  “Prentice, I hate to cut this short but my ride is here. I’ll call you when I get home. Better yet, let me call you tomorrow when my brain is fresh and I can form some solid questions.” Right now, all she wanted to do was go home and go to bed, but first she needed to talk to Laz.

  Journey dropped her cell phone into her purse and headed for the car, feeling as if she’d gone through two spin cycles in a washing machine.

  “Hi, you’re Craig?” she asked the driver when he opened the back door for her, remembering the driver’s name and his photo from the Uber app.

  “Yes.” He smiled and Journey stopped. Alarm bells went off inside her head when she realized he wasn’t the same person in the photo.

  Something is wrong.

  “Oh shoot, Craig. I think I left my files upstairs. I’ll be right…” she started, but before she could finish forming her lie, she felt a pinprick on her neck.

  “Help!” she screamed before the g
uy slapped his hand over her mouth.

  Panic roared through Journey’s body and she wiggled against him, dropping her bag to the ground as she tried to pull away. She couldn’t let him put her in the car.

  Breaths coming in short spurts, she swung wildly until her fist made contact with his face. He didn’t release her, tightening his hold as he lifted her off her feet.

  Scared but determined, Journey kicked out her legs and pushed against the inside of the opened door, forcing the guy back until he bumped the car. He loosened his hold, but he didn’t let go and she balled her fists and just started moving her arms wildly, hoping to make contact to his body. She didn’t care where she hit him as long as she hit him as hard as she could.

  “Damn it,” he growled, loosening his hold again, giving her just enough slack to make a run for it. But before she could take a step, he reached out and grabbed the back of her blouse, pulling her back.

  “Let go! Let me go!” Journey yelled, but she barely heard herself. Something was wrong with her. Something was very wrong as her head grew heavy and her body became weak.

  Oh God, my baby. “Wh-what did you in—inject…me…” she started and thought she heard someone call out in the distance.

  But a wave of dizziness overpowered her just before her world went black.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Laz paced his living room floor, a two-finger glass of whiskey in his hand and frustration gnawing on his last nerve. He’d been trying to reach Journey for the past couple of hours and she still hadn’t returned his call. Even stopping by her condo had proved to be useless.

  “This shit is ridiculous.” He had honored her wishes of giving her some space, but now that he knew more about what happened with Carmen, the deal was off. Journey might not be safe. Hell, anyone working the Monsuli case might not be safe.