“That’s because I don’t. I have no idea what’s going on here!”
In response to her statement, the officer frowned deeply before taking a pair of handcuffs from his belt. “Very well. I’ll humor you. The charges are being filed by XTech.”
Helena’s heart stopped.
Xavier’s company was charging her with theft and extortion? How the hell could this happen? She’d just seen her lover that morning. He’d laughed with her –smiled at her and pressed kisses to her round belly. How could he possibly be accusing her of theft? This couldn’t be happening!
“You have the right to remain silent.” All three officers began to move slowly – cautiously- towards her, as if they were afraid that she might bolt. “Anything you say can be used against you in a court of law.” The commanding officer began to come around the reception desk, handcuffs extended – and though Helena had no intention of running, her heart was suddenly in her throat, her pulse loud in her ears.
“Oh for heaven’s sake.” Susan called attention to herself, making the officers stop as they turned to face her. “She’s eight and a half months pregnant and you’re going to cuff her like a common criminal? As a doctor, I forbid it! You might hurt her and the baby.” Her expression furiously imperious, the elder woman shoved her way through the group of officers to Helena’s side to wrap a comforting arm around her protégé. “Helena will go quietly, won’t you darling? This is all going to turn out to be a big mistake anyway. You’ll see.” She glared daggers at the handcuffs still in the commanding officer’s hand.
“Yes.” The words left Helena’s lips automatically as she curled her arm over her belly, safeguarding the baby within. “I’ll come without a fight. Please, just be careful.” It was hard to think straight with the fear coursing through her, but she fought to remain calm. Susan was right. They would take her down to the station and find out that this was all a terrible misunderstanding.
Susan kept her arm tight around her – like a port in a storm- until the commanding officer reluctantly replaced his handcuffs. His expression was no more forgiving than before, but at least he wasn’t planning on restraining her anymore. “Fine. Please, come with us, Ms. Graves.” With that, he stepped forward, forcibly prying Susan’s arm from Helena before taking the young woman’s wrist in an iron grip that made her wince.
“You’re hurting her.” Susan’s tone was frigid as she looked from one officer to the other. “Do you want her to deliver in the back of your police car?”
The notion seemed to intimidate all three officers quite a bit and they sobered slightly. Their leader lessened the pressure on Helena’s arm as he led her firmly out of the office and down the steps toward the waiting police car. Helena felt both Miranda and Susan’s worried eyes on her as she carefully slid into the back of the vehicle, trying to calm her pounding heart.
She would call Xavier the moment she got to the station and find out what was going on. He would have to explain to the officers that there had been some kind of mishap. Closing her eyes, the young woman soothed herself. Everything was going to be alright.
At a sudden twinge in her stomach, she winced. The baby was particularly active this afternoon. Perhaps he could sense his mother’s distress.
Her gaze softening, Helena rubbed her fingertips gently over her midsection as the squad car pulled out of the office parking lot and into the street. “Shhhh, little one. It’s going to be OK. Everything’s going to be alright.”
At least, she sincerely hoped it would be.
Before she could ask for her phone call, Helena was ushered into a small holding cell at the station. Thankfully, the cells on either side of her weren’t occupied, and so she was spared having to speak to anyone about her predicament. The guard who deposited her in the cell left her there without a single word, even when she called after him down the hall.
Helena forced herself to take a deep breath as she settled into a sitting position on the small, hard cot. She was alright. She was perfectly fine. And, eventually, they would have to let her make her phone call. It was the law. She just had to wait patiently, and refrain from losing her cool. Not that she could when she was carrying about thirty pounds of extra weight.
Helena smoothed a hand over her belly, giving herself a little pep talk. Though she felt herself regaining her Zen, the baby within her didn’t seem so inclined. Her son was writhing and wriggling in ways that made her suck in a breath of discomfort. She couldn’t ever remember a time during her pregnancy that he’d been so active. He had, she reflected sardonically, picked the absolute worst time to decide to throw a party. Blowing out a breath, Helena glanced at a clock just beyond her cell. It was about three in the afternoon. Hopefully, she wouldn’t be forced to wait too long.
Five o’clock soon arrived, then six, then seven. Since there was no one in either of the cells adjoining hers, Helena didn’t feel too ill-at-ease about using the very open toilet in the corner of her area. By the time eight o’clock rolled around, however, she began to get nervous. Were they going to keep her here all night? She was uncomfortable from sitting on the rock-hard cot for a few hours and couldn’t imagine bearing the weight of her pregnant belly all night. Atop that, her son still hadn’t settled down inside her, which meant that she might not be able to sleep at all.
Where on earth was Xavier? She couldn’t imagine why he wouldn’t be looking for her. She was supposed to have come home from work hours ago, and ever since Elliot the man had been on constant high alert. He hovered to an almost annoying extent sometimes, concerned with both her and the baby’s safety.
Frowning, Helena glanced down at the still scabbing scars covering her exposed arms. Though the incident with Elliot had happened weeks prior, when she closed her eyes, she could still see the madman – still feel the burn of his blade slicing through her skin. With a low moan of dismay, she shuddered.
When she opened her eyes, the sight that met them forced a cry of shocked dismay from her throat.
Standing just outside her cell was the officer who had arrested her, leading her handcuffed lover with a very firm grip on his shoulder. Xavier was arguing lowly with the man, his voice the definition of reasonable.
“There has to be some mistake. How can my own company be pressing charges against me? I know nothing about this.” At the sound of his wife’s anguished cry, however, Xavier’s gaze turned from entreating to pure outrage. “Helena?” He immediately turned to the cop, his eyes wide. “What the hell is my girlfriend doing here? She’s eight months pregnant!”
“And charged with aiding and abetting in larceny.” In a smooth movement, the officer uncuffed Xavier before shoving him into the cell so he stumbled. The CEO cast a furious glance back at him before straightening to hurry to his lover as the officer slammed the door shut. Xavier immediately enveloped her in his embrace and Helena hugged him almost desperately – as close as her round belly would allow.
“Xavier. What the hell is going on?”
“Helena, I’m so sorry.” He pulled back to cup her face tenderly, searching for injuries. “Are you alright? They didn’t hurt you, did they?”
“I’m fine. They didn’t even cuff me. I think Susan might have exploded if they had.” At her statement, Xavier’s eyes narrowed in fury.
“They took you from work?” His tone made her wince at its thinly veiled ire. She took hold of his shoulders in a gentle grip, touching her lips to his briefly.
“Yes, Xavier, but I’m alright.” She smiled faintly, touching the swell of her belly. “The baby’s been a little unsettled all day, but we’re fine.”
“You’ve been here all fucking day?” The anger radiated from her lover’s eyes in little sparks that told Helena that she was going to have a time of calming him down.
“Xavier, please, I’m fine.” The baby gave a little twinge inside her and Helena winced, taking a deep breath as she tried to soothe their son. “Please, just tell me what’s going on. Why are we here? And more importantly…how are we going to
get out?”
Xavier exhaled slowly to steady himself. His taut form was literally trembling with anger, and Helena massaged his shoulders gently as she watched him try to regain his temper. Anger wasn’t going to help them now. What they needed was a plan- and she needed to understand why she’d been arrested in her place of employment in the middle of the day.
It was a good two or three minutes before Xavier developed the wherewithal to speak rationally. He sank into a sitting position next to Helena on the cot, pulling her against him to press a tender kiss to the top of her head. “To be honest, honey, I’m not sure what’s going on myself.” He sighed. “I was just leaving the office when a couple of cops approached me and told me that I was under arrest for extortion and larceny, and when I tried to protest, they hauled me here. They’re saying ridiculous things, like my company is the one filing the charges…but I swear that I’ve never heard anything about any of this. It’s all confusing as hell.”
So not even Xavier knew what was going on with these wild accusations.
Which meant that they had to find a way out of their cell and speak to someone who could get them out of this royal mess. “They…didn’t give me my phone call yet.” Helena managed, biting her lip as she rubbed her stomach absently. Xavier’s frown returned briefly at the information before he sighed.
“Well, they’re going to have to let one of us call. If they don’t, I intend to make waves.” The CEO sighed, holding Helena flush against them as she buried her face in his shoulder. “Just try to relax, honey. When they come back, I’ll call Brandy. By this time tomorrow, this will all be a distant memory.
Somehow, Helena doubted that she’d be able to forget being detained eight and a half months through her pregnancy so soon, but for Xavier’s sake, and their son’s, she’d certainly try. Closing her eyes, she clung to her lover, hoping against hope that she would wake up back in their bed, and this would all be a bad dream.
She was so tired from the tension that had coursed through her veins all day that she did manage to find sleep. The young woman dozed off against her lover’s shoulder before sinking into a surprisingly deep slumber, considering the space she had to maneuver into. She was assaulted by dreams of the baby coming in the dark, dank cell, and no one answering her calls for help.
After only a few hours, she awoke with a gasp to find she was alone in the cell. For one swift, embarrassing moment, Helena panicked, fearing that Xavier had left her to her own devices. The rising sense of fear was quelled, however, when her lover appeared down the hallway with two trays of food. He was escorted back to their cell by an unknown officer and let inside, and when a sleepy Helena met his gaze, she was surprised to see that he looked hopeful.
Xavier set the tray down on the bed next to her and Helena immediately made a face. A polite way to refer to the mess would be slop, but she certainly wasn’t feeling polite at its appearance. And, of course, her stomach chose that moment to growl in opposition to her hormone-fueled nausea. She gently set the tray down on the floor beside the bed, bending as best she could. “I can’t eat that.”
Xavier sighed. “Honey, I know it looks awful, but when’s the last time you ate?” The young woman merely frowned, shaking her head.
“Don’t remind me.”
Xavier glanced from her tray to his own before tossing it on the cement floor as well. “Well, hopefully, we won’t be in here long enough for them to serve us another one of those.”
The gray-eyed woman perked up immediately, maneuvering to the edge of the bed to fix her lover with a broad smile. “You got your phone call?”
He nodded solemnly. “Brandy and Hank are headed here on the first flight that she can get…though she cited it might be a bit difficult because she’s at home with Mom and Dad.” Helena immediately winced. Well, that timing couldn’t have been more awful. Exhaling hotly, she shook her head, burying her face in her hands. The last thing she wanted to do was cause trouble for the woman she’d come to love like a sister. Knowing what a physical strain pregnancy could be, the idea of putting an emotional strain on Brandy as well was….repellent.
However, Helena also had to admit to herself that her lover’s sister was a damn good attorney. And if this turned out to be more than a minor mishap, they were going to need one on their side.
So, all they could do for the moment was wait.
And wait they did.
For the next twenty four hours.
If Helena hadn’t had the experience she had with her mother, she might be inclined to say that they were the most torturous twenty four hours in her existence. They were given three more meals of the same slop provided to them on their first night, and by hour twelve of sitting on the board-like cot, her back was killing her. Xavier did all he could do to soothe her pain, but Helena could tell by his expression that sheer stress had exhausted him. All around them, there was nothing but the silence of the empty cells and tiny slivers of sunlight from the slit-like windows that served as insubstantial illumination next to the flickering fluorescents.
By the time night fell on the second day, Helena was almost ready to give in and consume the slop the station had provided them with. Xavier’s coaxing was beginning to sound more and more rational. She’d almost worked herself up to taking a bite when the officer who had arrested her sauntered into the holding corridor, looking none too happy.
He unlocked their cell before holding the door open. “Someone has paid your bail. You’re free to go.”
Helena could hardly believe her ears. Though she’d known that Brandy was coming, being released was still the ultimate feeling of relief. She was embarrassed when she tried to stand and couldn’t – her legs had fallen asleep. Xavier had to help her from the cell and down the long hall before the guard could let them out of the holding area.
In the station’s waiting room, seated on a beat-up leather chair, was Brandy. At the sight of them, she immediately leapt to her feet and rushed over, enfolding Helena carefully in her arms. “Oh, thank goodness! I got here as soon as I could.”
For a moment, Helena just let herself be hugged by the taller woman, relishing in her warmth. It wasn’t long, however, before she noticed that Brandy was trembling slightly, her slender frame unsteady beneath Helena’s fingers. Alarmed, the young woman immediately pulled back to take a good look at her friend.
Brandy’s eyes were red-rimmed and bloodshot, as if she’d been crying, and signs of fatigue were evident. Helena was immediately concerned, taking her by the shoulders. “Brandy! Are you alright? Is the baby alright?”
“Jesus, Brandy.” Xavier took his sister gingerly into his arms, hugging her tightly. “Are you OK?”
For a moment, Brandy said nothing, merely leaning against her brother as if for support. Then, taking a deep breath, she pulled back and her lovely blue eyes were filled with tears. “The baby’s fine. Healthy.” She managed, dashing them away. “Hank and I just can’t go back to New York anymore.”
Helena felt her heart sink. That could only mean one thing.
Xavier, however, looked nowhere near as forlorn. On the contrary, he looked absolutely furious. Before he could say a word, Brandy covered his mouth gently with a hand. “Not here.” She managed in a hoarse tone. “Let’s go back to the hotel. We can discuss it there.”
His mouth in a tight line, Xavier merely nodded curtly, allowing his sister to lead them out of the station and to the waiting car. Once they were safely inside, Helena cast a worried glance at her lover’s sister. She didn’t think she’d ever seen Brandy look so forlorn.
Whatever she and Xavier’s parents had done to her, it must have been devastating.
How could they possibly ask Brandy to defend them when she’d just finished defending herself?
Chapter Three: The Beginning of the End
Xavier lie in bed that night with Helena at his side, still in a state of disbelief at all that had happened to them over the past forty eight hours. He had been practically dragged away from his own office
downtown without being allowed to contact the woman he loved, only to find out that she had been hauled down to the station and locked up at eight and a half months pregnant. No one had allowed her a phone call or even thought to feed her until he arrived, which made him angry enough to do some very stupid things.
Thankfully, Helena had kept him from getting into trouble for long enough for Brandy to reach them – though that particular request had been far from easy. Once Brandy had told him that she and Hank were at the family home, he’d known how risky it would be to ask her to come for them. He’d known that their parents would react badly to her helping him…he had just underestimated how badly.
Now, he almost wished that he had called someone down from the office. It might have taken them longer to get out of their holding cell, but then, perhaps, his sister wouldn’t have been hurt the way she had. At the time, his decision had seemed like the right one. He thought with such mysterious accusations, he’d be better off steering clear of everyone at the office. He hated to think that someone would have betrayed him like this, but living with parents like his had made him pretty careful over the years.
And so, Brandy had come.
But not until after her parents had threatened her to within an inch of her life. They told Brandy if she helped him that they would all but disown her – use their influence to ensure that she lost her position as partner of the law firm she all but ran, to sever ties with her husband’s family and disavow her of her trust fund. They would smear her name all over the social scene she that Hank frequented, and ensure that if they weren’t with the Thompsons, that they would be ruined. Brandy begged, pleaded, and tried to reason with them – tried to appeal to their affection for their yet-unborn grandchild, but ultimately, their father had stood firm.
And so had she.
Brandy lost everything.
A Kiss of Color: A BWWM Interracial Romance (Book 3) Page 3
