Basement Level 5: Never Scared

by L. R. Wright

“I missed you too,” she breathed, beaming at him.

  Dro had laid out the whole plan to the group that evening in the hospital room. Chase had already gone ahead to the house in Spain to get it ready for them. Dro explained to her that the surest way to make sure she wasn’t sucked back into the life was to “kill” her. Of course, the fact that she really did get shot put made it easy.

  Dro would work with Lei to give Alexa a new identity. To the world, she would be known as Lena Ky Hernandez. They’d had to pull Dr. Lambert into the plan, but he helped them make sure everything worked out in the hospital.

  Once Dro had decided to make her disappear, Pop had suggested they use the same drug he used on his sister to knock Alexa out. Kendrick rigged the monitors to go off as if she was in code blue. When they injected her, Dro panicked. The drug would take fifteen to thirty minutes to work. The monitors went off as planned and he immediately wanted to abort the whole thing. But he knew this was the only way.

  Dr. Lambert pronounced her dead, and Kendrick whisked her away from the morgue that night. The antidote was administered by Dr. Lambert at a deserted safe house. When Alexa came to, Dro had sighed with relief.

  Pop suggested they hold a memorial for her within two weeks which would give Alexa time to heal from her gunshot wound. It would also give her and Kendrick the time they needed to pick up the children from Pop’s villa in San Jose and fly to Spain. Dro agreed because he wanted her out of the country before the memorial service.

  Time passed by quickly, as he tied up loose ends at Martinez and played the grieving husband. But there was a large part of him that wasn’t acting. The thought of Alexa really being in that casket had forced him to go through a real grieving period. It was probably the combination of everything that had happened, along with the fact that he was ending a major part of his life.

  When it was time for the funeral, Kendrick was already in Spain and decided not to come back. It was too close to home for him since Alexa had almost died. It was too real to all of them, and because of that, Dro knew he was making the right decision by letting Martinez go.

  When everything was said and done, the decision to leave life as he knew it wasn’t hard. It was the execution of everything that caused the doubt. There were so many uncertainties, so many things to do.

  Fortunately, Owens was no longer a threat. He was found hanging in his cell a couple of days before the memorial. When they received the news, Dro remembered the smirk that crept across Pop’s face.

  Dro snapped out of his thoughts and stared at Alexa standing before him. She lifted herself up on the tips of her toes to place a kiss on his mouth. He cradled her face in his hands and poured his soul into that kiss. He wanted her. He wanted to make love to his wife. It had been so long.

  Just when he started luring her to the bed, there was a soft knock on the door. He reluctantly pulled back from her. “Come in.”

  Ky and Alex burst into the room. “Papa! Mama!”

  The kids ran into both of them. Dro didn’t think it could get any better than this. He picked Alex up in his arms. “Hijo, you’re getting so big. Both of you are.”

  Ky squeezed his waist. “Are you happy to see Mama?”

  Dro slid his hand up Alexa’s back and into her hair. Pulling her closer to him, he grazed his lips against hers. “Very,” he murmured against her lips.

  Alexa blushed as Dro raked his eyes over her. She was a vision to him, dressed in a white linen, floor length sundress. Her skin was kissed by the Spanish sun, and he noted she dyed her hair a warm brown, which brought out her eyes and her golden skin tone. And the best part? She hadn’t straightened her hair. It was just the way he liked it, wavy and flowing down her back. She was glowing. He couldn’t help but stare.

  “Ugh, Papa,” Alex groaned. “You opened your mouth when you kissed Mama. That’s gross.”

  Alexa giggled and Dro let the sound wash over him. He grinned at his son. “You won’t think so in a few years.”

  “Sí, Alex,” Ky told her little brother. “That’s just what adults do when they’re in love.”

  Dro raised his eyebrows. His daughter was growing up so fast. He patted her head affectionately. “Right, that’s what adults do. You have a long time before you can do that, Ky.”

  Alexa smacked Dro’s shoulder playfully. “Papa has a double standard, Ky. He’s right, though. You need to wait for the right person first.”

  “Unlike her Mama,” he whispered against her ear. Even after all these years, he still hated the fact that Kendrick gave Alexa her first kiss.

  Dro kissed Alexa again and Alex buried his head in his papa’s shoulder.

  “Stop, Papa! Nasty,” Alex screeched.

  He barked out a laugh at his son’s antics. He ran a thumb over Alexa’s plump lips. “Okay okay. Let’s go downstairs. I’m sure Mama told you some of the things that are going on. I want to make sure you’re both all right with everything. There are going to be some important changes in our lives. Everyone should be downstairs by now and we’re going to have a big family dinner.” Dro set Alex on the floor and both kids bolted out of the room. He looked at Alexa again. “I love you.”

  She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his chin. “I love you, too.”

  EPILOGUE

  December 2, 2012:

  It was the Christmas holiday and everyone was gathering in Spain.

  Alexa spent an enormous amount of time getting the house ready. Her parents were flying in from San Jose. Chase and Kendrick’s parents were flying in from Canada. Everything had to be perfect.

  The weather in Spain during the month of December was mild, but it was too rainy and cold for the children to play outside. So she had a house full of stir crazy children running around.

  The hoard of kids traipsed through her living room, screaming at the top of their lungs. Kendrick’s kids were there, playing while they went shopping. CJ was there as well. “Go down to the gym, children. You’re making me nervous,” she yelled, wishing she hadn’t given Sara the afternoon off.

  A chorus of ‘Okays’ sounded as the children ran to the gym on the lower level. She shook her head and smiled to herself. The children had flourished since the move. It wasn’t hard for them to catch on in school because they already knew the language. Spanish was a requirement in the Martinez household. And they had each other for a support system. The kids reminded her of Chase, Kendrick, Lei, Dro, Ari, Makayla, and herself while they were growing up. When they were young children, they had promised to always stick by each other. They kept that promise as they grew into adults.

  She sighed as she focused on the mounds of Christmas decorations piled up in the living area. There was still much to do around the house. She had managed to talk Dro into helping her put the nine foot Christmas tree up the night before, but he disappeared when it was time to put all the decorations on it. She reached into the box of ornaments she insisted on bringing with her when they flew to Spain. Dro wanted to start over on everything, but she couldn’t bear leaving her special ornaments—ones given to her throughout the years by the people nearest to her heart like her Daddy and Dro’s mother, Laila. Even Enrique had given her a couple ornaments before he died.

  She thought of Laila and Enrique often. She wondered if Laila would’ve been happy Dro found a way to distance himself from the life that suffocated her. She convinced herself that even Enrique would be proud of the business acumen his son had.

  Dro was a totally different person away from the pressures of the Martinez legacy. He didn’t have to dress in suits anymore when he went to work at the hotels and he made it a point to spend more time with the children every night. In fact, she was furious with him when he insisted on being the one to teach the children how to swim. He claimed her breaststroke was a little off. Of course, after he took her on a little private walk on the beach, she forgave him. Alexa blushed when she thought about their dream of making love on the beach being realized, not that they’d never made love on a beach before. This
time, though, they made love on a beach without guns hiding in the sand next to them.

  She had even convinced Dro to go to church with her and the children. She never expected forgiveness for all of her actions, but she still felt a peace when she entered the cathedral with her whole family. She was thankful to God for their new life.

  She busied herself putting the ornaments on the tree. “Baby,” Dro called. “Baby, come here. I have surprises for you.”

  Knowing the surprise in store, she bolted into the foyer, and straight into her Daddy’s arms. He lifted her up off the ground. “Daddy, I’m so glad you’re here.”

  When Pop set Alexa down, she hurried into her mother’s waiting arms. “Ma, I’m so happy to see you. I missed you too.”

  Veronica embraced her daughter. “I missed you too, Baby.”

  “Ladybug,” Pop said, folding Alexa into his arms again. “Fall on my neck again.”

  “The kids are going to be so excited,” Alexa chirped. “I didn’t tell them you were coming. I wanted to keep it a surprise.” In all the excitement, she hadn’t realized there was another person in the house. When she turned her attention to the woman standing next to her father, she gasped. Staring into the older woman’s eyes was like looking into a mirror.

  Realizing who it was, she wrapped her arms around her aunt, Alexi. They held on to each other, rocking back and forth. Alexa finally pulled away. “I’m so glad to meet you. I wish it was under different circumstances.” She had hoped to meet her aunt sooner, but it never worked out. She was happy to hear that Pop moved her from Puerto Rico to his villa in San Jose. They were slowly rebuilding their relationship.

  Tears gathered in her aunt’s eyes. “I’m so glad to be here. I thank you for everything you did to help me out of my situation. I cannot wait to know you.”

  Tears welled Pop’s eyes when she turned to him. She took in the sight of her entire family. “Come on in. I want the kids to see you all.”

  Everything was working out so well for them in Spain. Now she would have everyone dear to her near over the holidays.

  The family gathered for dinner that evening, and Alexa couldn’t stop smiling. She managed to convince her mother to spend the first part of the year with them. When her Daddy found out, he insisted on staying too, along with Alexi.

  “Why are you smiling so much?” Dro asked, squeezing her hand.

  She leaned forward and placed a kiss against his mouth. “No reason—just happy.”

  “Is that all?”

  “Well, there is something else, but you have to wait.”

  He traced invisible circles on hand. “You know I hate waiting.”

  We are sitting here together eating dinner,” Kendrick said, interrupting their private talk. “No private conversations, Dro.”

  Dro tossed a dinner roll at Kendrick. “Mind your own business, Kendrick.”

  “Well, I guess things really are back to normal,” Pop mused, hiding his amusement with a hand over his mouth.

  “Not quite,” Lei added sadly.

  Alexa glanced at her brother and her heart broke for him. Makayla passed away in September. What she thought were bad cramps turned out to be ovarian cancer. Her death came swiftly, and she succumbed only six weeks after the diagnosis.

  “Yes, we all miss Makayla.” Pop dabbed his eyes with a napkin.

  “We do,” Ari agreed, placing her hand on top of Lei’s.

  “She would have been so happy to see everyone here,” Lei said softly.

  Alexa wiped the tears that had streaked down her face.

  When Makayla was in the hospital, she had called Ari to her side and confronted her on her ongoing relationship with Lei. Ari apologized and tried to sooth her by telling her they’d never slept together since he married. Makayla had been shocked because she assumed they were. With tears in her eyes, Makayla begged Ari to take care of their guy because he had always taken care of her. Ari promised her she would.

  Alexa watched Lei and Ari. She hated that Makayla’s death was the reason they were making strides to be together. Lei took Makayla’s death hard, as did everyone else. Although Lei was still in love with Ari, he loved Makayla very much. It was hard for him to live without her because they’d been together for so long. Alexa was sure Makayla would want him to be happy in life. She guessed time would heal the rest.

  The table was silent for a couple of minutes, each person lost in their own thoughts.

  Alexa cleared her throat after a while, capturing everyone’s attention. “Since Kendrick can’t stand for there to be secrets, I guess it’s okay for everyone to know.” Everyone turned their attention to her, and she blushed. She squeezed Dro’s hand. “Baby, I’m pregnant.”

  The color drained from Dro’s face, and the table erupted in congratulations. As different members of the family got up from their seats and hugged her, she was amused by the blank look on Dro’s face.

  Kendrick smacked Dro on the back. “Is ‘Jefe’ speechless?”

  Chase laughed out loud. “It looks that way.”

  Everyone laughed as Chase and Kendrick teased Dro. Alexa smiled at the carefree look on Chase’s face. He was happy. She guessed it might have something to do with the Spanish woman he’d been seeing over the last couple of months.

  “Baby, what’s wrong?” she asked Dro.

  He seemed to finally snap out of his trance. “You’re pregnant?”

  “With twins,” she joked.

  The table erupted into fits of laughter when Dro was rendered speechless again. He glared at everyone around the table and all the laughter and giggles screeched to a halt. He leaned closer to Alexa. “Twins?” His voice cracked.

  “Psike! It’s just one.” She burst into fit of giggles. Everyone else followed suit.

  Dro frowned. “Good one. Ha Ha. I’ll get you.” He pointed at her teasingly.

  The table roared to life again when Kendrick announced that Kara and he were expecting as well. “And Dro, that means you have to be there for your own wife this time.” Kendrick teased.

  Dro scowled at him. “You’re just the comedian today, aren’t you Kendrick? When will you stop bringing that up every time the conversation shifts to babies?”

  Kendrick winked at Alexa. “Never. My finger is still crooked because of your wife. I’ll never stop bringing it up.”

  She looked at Dro with a mock sad face. Kendrick had never let Dro live down Kyleigh’s birth and Dro’s absence, even after Dro was present and accounted for at Alejo’s birth.

  ***

  After they all enjoyed dessert and drinks by the fireplace, Dro stood in their bedroom staring at the town below them. She wrapped her arms around his waist from the back. “I still can’t get over how beautiful Costa Blanca is at night,” she breathed.

  He placed her hand over his heart. “It is nice.”

  “What are you thinking about?”

  He turned to her, wrapping his arms around her. “Nothing, just life. I still can’t believe you’re pregnant.”

  She nuzzled into him. “Well, we weren’t exactly protecting against it.” He kissed the top of her head and they swayed back and forth to their own music. She ran her fingernails through his hair.

  “Are you happy?” he asked.

  “Very. I love it here.”

  He kissed her forehead, her nose, then her mouth. She fell into the heated kiss and he pulled her closer to him. “Te amo,” he whispered against her lips.

  She smiled brightly. “I love you too.”

  She placed her forefinger on his mouth when he leaned down for another kiss.

  “What’s wrong?” he mumbled. “Are you nauseous or something?”

  “I just wanted to tell you something.”

  “It better not be about a multiple birth. One more is enough.”

  “I’m sorry about that,” she giggled. You were just so silent. It was very funny.”

  He smacked her behind playfully. “Not that funny.” He nipped her below her ear.

  When
his gaze met hers again, she ran her finger down the side of his face. “Dro,” she said, getting lost in his stormy eyes. “I love you. Thank you for my life.”

  THE END

  About the Author

  L. R. Wright is a devoted wife of many years. She is the mother of three children who inspire and motivate her to follow her dreams. In addition to writing, Wright loves to plan events for her friends and family.

  Genre: Women's Fiction/Thriller

  This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, businesses, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental. All trademarks, service marks, registered trademarks, and registered service marks are the property of their respective owners and are used herein for identification purposes only. The publisher does not have any control over or assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their contents.

  BASEMENT LEVEL 5: NEVER SCARED

  Copyright © 2012 by L. R. Wright

  Cover Design by Jay Sabo

  All cover art copyright © 2012

  All Rights Reserved

  eBook ISBN: 978-1-937329-40-2

  First Publication: April 28, 2012

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