“Omma, I’m tired.” And he was. He hadn’t slept since the night before the last, and what he’d just done to Kim had been nothing short of a workout.
Hannah only tightened her grip. “Sleep when you’re dead.” Her eyes narrowed to slits. “At the rate you’re going, that’s what you want, isn’t it? You want to work yourself to death?” When he only stared at her, she loosened her grip. “You’re my son, Ramsey, my firstborn, and you used to remind me of all of the good parts of me…and your father.” She smiled sadly, before it faded. The look in her eyes was chilling. “Now, you remind me of my father, a man so ruthless, so conniving, he couldn’t even put that aside for his own child.”
Ramsey frowned. His mother and grandfather had been close. She’d been indulged, spoiled. Even he knew that. “Whatever omma wants” had been his grandfather’s staple phrase.
She laughed bitterly and released him. “You’re turning into my father, Ramsey.” It was said in an accusatory manner. “Don’t.”
Hannah was walking back to the kitchen and he was staring after her in confusion, when she added, “And take a shower before you go to Jezebel. You have blood stains on your neck.”
***
Delilah was still sleeping.
Although she wanted badly to just get under the covers with her sister and hold her, Jezebel decided to forgo her own selfishness for now, and retreat back to her bedroom. She could watch TV but she was too wired for that. She had questions, lots of questions, like what had happened to her team? Was Brandon okay? He’d been pale when she last saw him, but he’d been breathing. What about Ryder? Giles? Jim? And shouldn’t she call in to tell them she was alive? To keep herself occupied, she paced. She’d already used the bathroom, both to relieve herself and shower, and had changed into a familiar long sleeved T-shirt and gray sweats. Hers. She wondered what else she’d left in this place.
She’d paced the entire room before she went to the door. As much as she’d like to stay in this bedroom and pretend her problems didn’t exist, she couldn’t. She needed answers, and although she never wanted to see, or much less, speak to him again, Ramsey likely had them.
Pulling the door open, she went in search of her answers.
Chapter 5
“Family is strength and weakness.”
―Anonymous
Ramsey had just stepped from the shower when the knock sounded on his door. He ignored it. It was likely Hannah and he wasn’t in the mood for another lecture.
The past hours had been spent dragging information from a man who was trained to die before giving anything up. It was commendable, but Ramsey was tenacious. Kim wasn’t dead yet, but he had to know death was coming. From the moment he’d attacked Jezebel, he’d sealed his fate, but divulging what he and his men intended to do to Jezebel and an unborn baby, the baby they’d assumed was his, had made Ramsey determined to make him feel the utmost pain before he got to hell. It was clear that they wanted to anger him. Lily’s death had started it, but killing Jezebel and her baby would have sent him over the edge, particularly as they’d intended to torture her, record it, and send it to him. Kim hadn’t yet confessed to Chang’s involvement but the fact that he was being so vehement in his denial was confession enough.
He began to dry himself off, checking his body in the full-length mirror to make sure he’d scrubbed the dried blood and other matter from his person. When he was satisfied that he looked presentable for company, he wrapped the towel around his waist and grabbed another for his hair. Moving back to his bedroom, he was toweling his hair when a gasp caught his ear. Already prepared to put his mother out—he’d forgotten to lock the door and Hannah was known to barge in from time to time—he lowered the towel and came face-to-face with Jezebel.
The familiarity of her, the comfortable clothes she’d forgotten at his apartment, her being in his room, sent a pang through his body. That feeling soon changed to something dark when he caught sight of her belly. Without the concealment of the oversized bubble jacket, and through the snug fit of the shirt, it was quite obvious that Jezebel was pregnant. As he stared at the oblong shaped bump, he remembered what she’d told Kim even as his brain began to crunch numbers. Was it possible…?
“I knocked.” She sounded a bit out of breath and Ramsey lifted his gaze to her face. She seemed flustered, but her eyes held his steadily.
Ramsey nodded and waited, even as he stole another glimpse at her belly. She suddenly locked her fingers there. How many months was she?
“I have questions and I need them answered.” Her voice was cool, all business.
He nodded again.
Her eyes dipped down to his bare chest and she stated, “I’ll wait for you to get dressed.”
“What are your questions?”
Ramsey could have gone into his closet and found a robe, but the glutton-for-punishment part of his brain refused. He liked the way her eyes kept dipping down his body, even if nothing would come of it.
Clearing her throat, she glared at him, before she began, “Is Brandon alive?”
“I don’t know.” His voice was sharp because he didn’t want any reminders of the man. Her belly was reminder enough.
She blinked up at him. “Well, I need to find out, so how do I go about doing that?”
Even as anger simmered within, he managed to keep his voice low, calm. “Of course you’d be worried about him.”
Jezebel nodded instantly. “Do you know where they were taken? Which hospitals?”
“Brandon and the other agents?”
She nodded again, this time as if he were slow.
“No.” Before she could speak, he added, “I’ll have someone find out.”
“Thank you.”
He nodded. “I’m sure he’s fine.”
Stark concern registered on her face before she closed her eyes and nodded. “Yes.”
“At least, let’s hope he is.”
Instantly, she opened her eyes, and after a quick nod, asked, “What happens now? Should I call in, let them know I’m alive—”
“Children need fathers, Jezebel.” He purposely kept his voice low and easy.
She froze, her entire body tensing, as she nodded. “Yes, they do.”
“And Brandon…that’s his real name, isn’t it? I’m sure he’ll pull through to be there for his child.”
Jezebel stared at him for long moments before she dropped her gaze to her belly and murmured, “Right.”
Taking a small step forward, he continued, “And you two are married?”
She nodded once.
“That was quick, Jezebel.” He allowed disappointment to echo in his voice. It had only been three months since the FBI raided her home.
“I don’t believe in wasting people’s time, unlike you,” she bit out. “So, should I call the agency or not?”
“No.” They’d trace the call and be on his doorstep immediately. As it stood, he was surprised they hadn’t shown up yet. His lawyer was just a few floors down for when they did.
“Where are you taking me?”
“Somewhere safe.” While these were genuine questions, he also knew she was playing the avoidance game. “So, you and Brandon?”
Her eyes hardened. “Why do you care? You moved on. I did too.”
“When did it start?”
She scoffed. “Are you serious? You can’t be serious.”
“I am.”
***
Jezebel laughed. It wasn’t as a result of humor, because there was nothing humorous about this situation. Some of the emotions running through her body included anger, bitterness and dread, but humor wasn’t there. “That’s rich, Ramsey. I move on, and you act jealous, but when you move on, I’m supposed to accept it and be on my merry way.”
He lifted a brow. “I moved on after our relationship ended. You might have ‘moved on’ while you were with me.”
“And you’re calling me the cheater?” She shook her head as anger rose to the top and claimed its place as king of her emoti
ons. Taking a breath, she swallowed and decided it was time to leave. “Get dressed, Ramsey. I’ll have more questions later.”
She was heading for the door, seething at his accusations, when he gripped her arm. “But I have questions I need answered now.”
Jezebel pulled at her arm, and when he released it, she slapped him hard. “Don’t touch me, you asshole!”
“Jezebel—”
“Shut up!” He seemed surprised by the force of her anger and if she wasn’t so pissed off, she would have smiled. “You don’t get to question me! You put my life in danger! You put my family in danger! And when I came to you, asking what I should do, you had another woman here, do you remember that?”
“Jezebel…”
“SHUT UP!”
He blinked.
“How long ago was that?” It was the night of Lily’s funeral. “A few weeks after the FBI raid? That wasn’t very long, was it? And I walked into this apartment and there you were cuddled up with—”
“Sarah.”
“What?” she hissed. “Do you think I give a shit?”
“It was Sarah, Lily’s mother.”
She drew back.
“Nothing happened. She watched the DVD I’d made of Lily with the puppy…” He trailed off and looked down briefly, before returning his gaze to hers. The cool mask slipped and she saw the pain there. “I was comforting her. She fell asleep.”
Jezebel didn’t speak for long moments, but then she nodded as understanding set in. “And you didn’t tell me because you wanted me to think the worst?”
He didn’t deny it.
“Well, it worked.”
She turned again. She had to get out of his bedroom, away from him…
For the second time, he stopped her, but this time, he slid his arm around her belly, his large hand splaying it and shocking her into stillness. Behind her, his body was hard, warm, and familiar. The citrusy scent that clung to him invaded her nostrils and took her back in time. She shook her head and gripped his hand. “Ramsey, what are you doing?”
“How long?”
His voice was too close to her ear and she turned her head instantly. “What?”
“How long have you been sleeping with him?” There was a slight edge to his voice.
She swallowed. “That’s none of your business!”
“I already told you why it is, Jezebel.”
“No!” she hissed, pushing at his hand. “You cut me out of your life, you put me in danger, you made me—” She broke off, remembering how terrified and alone she’d been on that operating table. With that memory, she pulled it together. “Let me go, Ramsey!”
“Just answer the question, Jez.”
“Don’t call me that!” she snapped. “And stop touching me!” She managed to push his arm away and turned on him. “What I did to find happiness after you ruined my life is none of your goddamn business!”
“So you started sleeping with him after?” He nodded as if he understood and they were having a conversation about the weather. “Did he comfort you on those cold nights in the Catskills?”
“Maybe,” she bit out. “It was awfully cold up there and pregnancy makes a girl horny.”
His nostrils flared and his lips thinned briefly before he nodded. “Especially with her husband…”
“If you can’t sleep with your own husband, who can you sleep with?” She batted her lashes and smiled, before spinning and heading for the door. This time, she actually reached the door, but as she pulled the knob, she realized the door wasn’t moving. Looking up, she noticed his hand pressed to it.
Jezebel turned to face him, again.
“Look, I’m not the bad guy here, Ramsey, you are.” It was a struggle to hold on to her temper. “I didn’t do anything wrong, you did. So, I’m going to go back to my room, and you’re going to let me.”
“Three months?” He ran a hand over her belly again, and she slapped it away. He kept it at his side but continued, “Two and a half?”
“What?”
“How many months along are you, Jezebel?”
She stared at him long and hard, watching the mask dissolve as anger took its place. “What does it matter?”
“Oh, it matters.” The smile he gave her was chilling. “You know exactly why it matters.”
Jezebel shook her head. One of her biggest fears was being realized. She’d never thought to call and tell Ramsey she was pregnant. She was in protective custody after all, and couldn’t reach out to anyone. Now here, she could tell him, but something made her pause. It was his child and he had rights as far as the baby was concerned, but his lifestyle was so dangerous. She’d seen firsthand how dangerous. “It doesn’t matter, Ramsey.”
“How many months?” he demanded, obsidian eyes seeming to grow even darker.
Bracing her weight against the door, she shook her head. “I despise you. I really do!”
He took a step forward, crowding her into the door. “How many?”
She sighed. In a low voice, she muttered, “Almost five.”
He drew away, pacing over to his bed, stopping before the television, before looking back to her. The anger emanating from his body was palpable.
“Don’t. Move.”
With that, he strode into his closet. She was contemplating running to her room when Jezebel decided against it. If he wanted to be angry, she could get angry too. Hell, she was already there.
When he emerged, he was wearing cotton pajama bottoms and his hair was pushed away from his face as if he’d run his fingers through it numerous times.
“You lied to me.”
“Feels like shit, doesn’t it?” She shrugged.
“Were you going to tell me about…” He broke off and looked down at her belly before lifting cold eyes back to hers. “Is it a boy or a girl?”
“I don’t know.”
“Jezebel.” His voice held a warning.
“I said I don’t know.” She didn’t. At her last checkup, the baby had been in too strange a position for the doctor to tell.
Ramsey inhaled once, twice. “No more lies.”
“I’m guessing that only applies to me.”
He scowled. “You weren’t going to tell me about my own child!”
“I had to go into protective custody because of you, Ramsey! You’re a mobster! A real mobster. You’re not some honest-to-God businessman. You kill people for a living!” When he didn’t deny it, she nodded. “Do you think I want my child to grow up around that? You think I want him to have a target on his back? Do you think I want my child to end up like…?” She caught herself before she said it but from the way his face closed up and he took a step back, she knew he’d gotten her drift.
“End up like Lily?” he finished in a cool tone. “Of course you wouldn’t. No mother would.”
Although she had every right to be upset, Jezebel couldn’t help but say, “I shouldn’t have mentioned her—”
“No.” Ramsey turned away. “You had every right to.”
He walked back into his closet, and this time, Jezebel slipped from his room.
***
He was going to be a father.
Seated on the edge of his bed, Ramsey shook his head. Many emotions warred inside him but the one that practically emitted from his skin was one he’d forgotten in the past months. Terror. This was a first for him, unchartered territory. He had no idea what he was doing. Yes, he’d helped to parent Lily, but he hadn’t been there for her birth, or through Sarah’s pregnancy. And he was going to be with Jezebel every step of the way until his child entered the world safely. That was his other fear; Jezebel was pregnant with his child.
He allowed his body to fall back until he was staring up at the yellow lights twinkling beneath the star-shaped, crystal chandelier on his ceiling. Someone had murdered Lily to hurt him. That person had gone after Jezebel and his unborn child to bring him to his knees. The child wasn’t even born and already, he was in danger.
Ramsey closed his eyes.
Resolved, he sat up. Jezebel was now tied to him for life. Whatever future she’d imagined without him would have to change. She couldn’t be more linked to him if he married her in a church and mailed DVDs to every enemy.
Ramsey frowned as he thought of Brandon Erickson. Had she even slept with him? Granted, Jezebel was the epitome of modern. She hadn’t any need for him but for sex, intimacy, and love. Still, he couldn’t see her sleeping with the man, no matter how attractive or charming, knowing she was pregnant with another man’s child. But anger and hurt made people act differently. Had it been a one-time occurrence? He gnashed his teeth together. Had she been hormonal, as she’d mentioned, and Erickson there?
He didn’t realize he was clenching his fists until his hands began to cramp up. Relaxing his muscles, he exhaled deep, before drawing air back into his lungs. After doing that over and over, he calmed enough to come to a decision.
Whatever she’d had with Erickson was over.
He doubted their marriage, considering she’d been using aliases when she’d been in Witness Protection, but whatever feelings she had for the bastard or he had for her, would have to stop. Jezebel would hate him for it at first, but he was doing it to protect his child and his child’s mother. That was what he told himself. Getting the FBI agent out of the picture was simply a bonus.
***
“What?”
Jezebel stared at him as if he’d grown another head because he might have well sprouted one. She must have misheard him. She looked around the guestroom, searching for anything amiss to indicate that she was dreaming, before returning her attention to the sharply dressed man before her.
He dropped two shopping bags at her feet. “Get dressed.”
When he moved to turn away, Jezebel grabbed his arm. He looked down at her hand clenching him through the suit before lifting a brow.
She shook her head once, twice. “I’m—Ramsey…I…no.”
“No, what?”
“No, I am not going to South Korea with you!” she yelled, pushing away from him. She should have called the FBI or the US Marshalls, but she had been found while under their protection. It didn’t take a genius to know that meant someone was giving away classified information. At least with Ramsey, she didn’t have to worry about that. What she needed to worry about was this madman attempting to whisk her out of the country and take her across the world!
The Dragon (G.O.N.Y. - Double Dragon) Page 8
