He scratched his neck, flexing his muscles as his face darkened. “I have’'t dated in a while either.”
Good. Yes. She nodded and couldn’t help smiling as she said, “So we’re both free, we’re both alive, and it’s okay that we explore whatever is happening. Either way, lovers or not, I want you to stay. I’ll send the money to your mom as agreed.”
“Are you honestly afraid Ali’s family will come for you?”
Technically she had the crown prince now, not that Jacob was quite legitimate. Engaged wasn’t married, and she had more than enough that her son wouldn’t ever want a kingdom anyhow.
He’d have a hotel empire which should be enough for whatever he wanted in life. Mica helped Rocco with the silverware on top of the plates as she said, “I’m not afraid, but I’m certain they’ll come. Jacob will inherit a lot from me but also from Ali. Since I didn’t die and he was born… it makes that family’s inheritance skewed. I’m sure Ali’s family would want Jacob, if they could find him.” With her out of the way.
He stood with all the plates but she went to help. Without her staff, she and Jacob were alone here and she wasn’t afraid of soap. He said, “Money isn’t a bad thing…”
“It’s not a reason to give up my son, and nobody will take him from me.” She followed Rocco into the kitchen, checking her baby monitor on the counter in case Jacob awoke.
“I’ll help keep you safe.” Rocco placed the dishes in the sink.
She took her place beside him to wash and for once felt like she belonged to someone. Who he was before he came here wasn’t her business. She still hadn’t said how much she had or her name either and right now, together, this was nice.
7
Jacob’s cries woke Mica fast. She jumped out of her bed, tossing the sheets and comforter to the side and picked up her baby in the crib across the room.
However the moment she did, her head spun and her heart skipped erratically.
In her sleep shorts and wife beater, she wasn’t quite dressed, but she wasn’t naked.
If she was found this way, she’d be decent, not that she’d go back to any hospital.
That was a bad thought as her medication was in the refrigerator, unless she hit her emergency supplies.
She held her baby to her breast to ensure he didn’t fall but she went back to the bed as pain rushed through her.
Now was not a good time.
She needed her medication.
But Jacob was so calm now, in her arms, but she knew his expressions. He’d need a bottle soon.
And he relaxed her too. She needed to be strong for her baby.
After a few minutes, she slowly got to her feet and tested her balance at the edge of her bed.
If she went slow, maybe she’d make it to the kitchen. Or be somewhere Rocco might hear her if he was around, if she collapsed. Just because she was in her room, doesn’t mean he went to his right away.
Her heart thundered but she took the first step. Then another.
Confidence built in her that if she went slow, she’d make it.
The service elevator was at the end of the hall and she hugged the wall whenever she lost breath, but she never once loosened her grip on Jacob.
He’d need food within minutes.
They both needed to go to the kitchen.
She pressed the button and closed her eyes, leaning against the corner of the elevator that brought them downstairs.
As the elevator doors opened on the main floor, she met Rocco’s eyes.
Pain rocketed through her, but a different pang that was way more pleasant also hit her as he said, “You’re up early.”
She took a deep breath and murmured, “Please come. Help.” He rushed toward her and grabbed her waist before she fell back. She clutched his belt buckle like it might hold her and said, “I need to get my medicine.”
His other hand helped cradle Jacob. She used his strength to get out of the elevator as he asked, “I’ve got you. Are you okay?”
She didn’t let go of him as they made it into the hall. “I’m feeling weak. I need my pills.”
“Sit. I’ll be fast.” He deposited her in a plush white chair meant for hotel guests and tried to pass her Jacob.
She pushed her son back in his arms. “Give me a minute. He’s safe with you.”
He nodded with acceptance and ran down toward kitchen, tightly holding her son.
She watched and clutched the armrest, wishing she’d made better choices, like Rocco, all along.
He raced back, Jacob tucked in the crook of his arm with a bottle, and gave her the orange pill bottle, and a glass of water. “Here you go.”
“Thanks.” She took the water to wash down the pill.
He pushed her hair out of her face and knelt in front of her.
Rocco and Jacob looked like they belonged together, comfortable, but her vision was fuzzy.
At last the pain subsided and she could breathe. She pressed her hand to his cheek. “Can you hold Jacob for a while until I get my strength back?”
He moved her baby up to his shoulder. “Of course. He’s a cutie”" Rocco teased,“"I’m sure he’ll love helping with the dishes.”
“Sounds great. Thank you.” She tested her strength.
She slowly made her way back to her room with the service elevator.
Appearing weak like this wasn’t good. Once again Rocco jumped in right away. Her doctors had told her these attacks would lessen in time, and honestly they had. She wasn’t being rushed to a hospital. Once she was sure she was back to normal, she fixed her hair in a loose bun and tossed a pair of jeans on, along with a cashmere sweater.
If this never happened again, she’d be happy but she had no control over them, other than to try and live stress-free. She left her room, and hurried downstairs to the kitchen, where Rocco one-handedly put the plates in the cabinet while Jacob played with his shirt, and stared up in fascination.
They were clearly happy. She walked from the kitchen door but then a knock echoed.
Rocco turned and said, “I’ll get the door for you and finish the dishes later.”
“Finish and keep Jacob a few more minutes. I’ll go.” She shook her head as she wasn’t quite ready to hold her son yet as her arms were weak.
“You should still be resting.” His gaze narrowed. “If you need me to answer the door…”
Adrenaline coursed through her as she smiled. “Your hands are full. I doubt Ali’s men will knock politely and this early in the morning. Watch Jacob. It’s probably something Julie, my secretary, sent over.”
He nodded and picked up the next dish.
Mica made her way toward the front door of the chalet but as she saw the shadows with police hats and the blue and red lights from underneath the door and the side windwos, her spine stiffened as this wasn’t a social visit. She opened the door and said, “Hello officers.”
One of the officers with a mocking upper lip that frowned more than smiled nodded at her and said, “Ma’am. We weren’t sure the hotel was occupied.”
Another ma’am. She stood taller. She seriously wasn’t that old, but she lifted her chin and said, “I’m staying to prepare it for opening. I like to get a feel for the place before I invite people to get rooms.”
The older officer then said, “Are you Miss Murphy, the owner then?”
Good. She gave him a smile. At least he looked up the deed and who owned the property as she said, “Yes, sir. That’s me. Why are you here?”
The older man then said, “W’'re here looking for escaped runaways.”
Her eyes widened as she imagined children lost in the mountain as she asked, “Runaways?”
The younger man took out his phone and said, “Prison. In Utah, lost two men a few days ago. We doubt any of them came this far, but we saw you in town with your son and we weren’t entirely sure if you knew, so we wanted to ensure all our residents are aware. patrolling.”
Cold seeped through her. Rocco escaped? She didn’t blink as
she just nodded and said, “I see. Well, it’s just me and my help here.”
The younger man handed her his phone with that scowl on his face as he said, “If you see any of these men, please don’t approach them. Call 911.”
She flipped through the pictures but then froze.
Rocco Hellsworth. Ice crept through her fast and furious. Escaped prisoner? Here. Her son… Rocco’s kisses were still on her lips. Her muscles pulsated like she’d tremble so she held the door frame. She’d been fooled before, but Rocco was nothing like Ali. She glanced up and her voice was steady like this was a board room as she said, “Of course. Is this man related to Roger and Harry Hellsworth? The men who tried to kill me last year?”
The older man’s eyes widened but he pressed the younger man’s shoulder who stepped back as the older man said, “Their younger brother.”
She nodded and then closed the door a moment later.
Rocco had said his brother was bad news. But if Rocco was here to kill her, he’d had the opportunity.
There had to be a mistake.
She rushed back but her baby and Rocco weren’t in the kitchen.
Oh no. Her heart raced and she pressed her hand to her chest as she ran, but then saw the library lights on. She headed inside where Jacob rested in Rocco’s arms. Rocco had a copy of Moby Dick and seemed to be reading out loud.
She’d kissed him.
Her son clearly loved him.
Maybe she was crazy for not turning him in right away, but she needed answers as she asked, “Rocco, what’s going on?”
He shrugged. “Jacob was crying so I am reading to keep him calm.”
She'd read that reading aloud was good for babies. She hugged her waist and ignored the pins and needles of her skin as she said, “You’re both okay?”
“We’re fine.” Rocco’s gaze met hers and he asked, "Who was at the door?”
“Sales people.” She straightened her spine as she absolutely wasn’t going to tip her hand that she knew who he was. Not now. Roger and Harry had worked for Ali and tried to kill her and her brother and sister-in-law. He’d been a murder for hire and was the brute force, no questions.
Rocco was smarter. Clearly. If he was here to spy on her, Ali’s family would have come for her.
Yet no one had come.
And her heart whispered to trust Rocco.
Drat. Even if Rocco was related to Roger and Harry, for once she needed to trust herself. She wasn’t always wrong. She swallowed and pushed back the impulse to grab Jacob from him as she said, “I’ll be right back. I need to order myself a few items from my assistant. Can you watch Jacob?”
The last question hurt. She’d been tempted to grab her son, but Rocco’s brown eyes as he gazed at her hit. She’d already trusted him with Jacob. And her.
He picked up the book from where he'd left it beside him. “I’ll guard him with my life though we’re just going to read more.”
Moby Dick was a fun one as Jacob would listen to Rocco’s voice the whole time in that soothing tone of his. She would read to Jacob more herself. She held up her finger and prayed she was making the right choice as she said, “I just need two minutes.”
“Not a problem.” He began to read more about Captain Ahab.
Her mind swirled with memories of how Rocco had saved those birds, fetched her medicine, and stayed in his room without a fight. He had the strength to overpower her. But his use of ma'am, and his unwillingness to take advantage of her.
Rocco was a good man.
If she was scared of him, it would be different. But she wasn’t.
She’d been nervous near Ali, even when they’d slept together, but she’d put that off as being out of her element.
With Rocco, nothing like that happened.
She flung open her bedroom door, grabbed her cell phone and called her assistant. Without even a hello when she answered, Mica said, “Julie, I need you to get my legal team to work on a criminal case.”
“Criminal?” Julie asked, and stopped typing.
Mica glanced out the window and the calmness of the trees with the snow on their tips somehow made her calmer but she stood taller as she recalled the rap sheet she’d just read as she said, “Yes. I want them to investigate Rocco Hellsworth's arrest two years ago.”
Armed robbery of a bank didn’t fit in with what she’d seen. Julie asked, “The guy who tried to kill you?”
“No. That was Roger. I’m talking about his brother.” She curled her hand under her chest.
The more she thought about Rocco, his demeaner, his sweetness, and his kiss, the more she knew she was right.
She’d bet her life and her son’s life on it.
“Okay, so he was arrested and you want the legal team to find out what exactly? His conviction?”
His entire life, but her secretary didn’t need to know that. Her legal team needed to get to work as she said, “I want to know everything they think about his case. And I need this as soon as possible.”
Hopefully her instincts were still in tact because something seemed off. The rap sheet on Rocco had one crime and it didn’t make sense.
She probably had more cash than the bank had lying around this house and he’d hated her jeans she’d given him.
Julie typed fast and said, “Okay. Anything else?”
Hmm. Yes. She might not leave this house, but she needed to show Rocco he could trust her too and he should tell her the truth. She nodded to herself and dropped one hand to her side. “Yes. I need a black dress for a cocktail party.”
Julie asked, “You’re going out?”
No need to answer as no, she wasn’t. But she was planning a date and she hadn’t packed for more than the basics for her and her son. She opened the bedroom door, and headed down the hall as she said, “I need you to send a gray shirt and pants with a blue tie in the same size man’s clothes I ordered earlier.”
Julie continued to take notes as she said, “Well, this sounds nicer than anything criminal.”
She pressed the button for the elevator and ignored that comment. Once she’d been a smart business woman who made all the right choices. She’d made billions of dollars and that part of her brain was sure. Rocco was good. “Last thing… Julie, please send a strawberry whipped cream cake.”
“On its way.”
Good. The elevator arrived and she needed to ignore the panic part of her brain and trust her judgment again. She’d once been smart.
Rocco’s brother had been a hired assassin. He’d said his brother was a bad guy who set him up. Now she understood. She stepped inside and told her secretary, “Talk to you later.”
Mica ended the call, pressed L for the first floor, and pocketed her phone.
She’d made the right decision. She even hummed as she stepped out and headed back to the library.
Rocco still had her son and must be near the end of a chapter.
His calm voice reverberated through her when she stepped into the room. He put the book down and she saw her sleeping son on his chest as he asked, “Everything okay, Mica?”
A huge smile grew on her face and she practically jumped in the seat beside him as she said, “You called me my name!”
His cheeks went red as he said, “It’s not a big deal.”
Good. She pointed to the playpen that was already set up to put him in.
Once Rocco put her baby down, she took his hand and a spark raced through her as she said, “Walk with me.”
His brow furrowed but he followed and asked, “Where are we going?”
She motioned with her head. “I want you to show me the bird’s nest you moved.”
He sped up and walked beside her as he said, “Of course.”
With his hand on hers, she was sure she was right. In business she was considered sharp and for once she’d hope she was in her personal life.
Outside, the air was neither hot nor cold. The snow would melt away soon. She closed her eyes and listened to her heart as she asked, “How did you eve
n see those birds?”
“I listened.” He closed his eyes.
She did the same and heard the beat of her own heart. At first that’s all she heard, along with her thoughts, and then she heard a chirp.
Then the chirp became so clear. She opened her eyes and stared at his profile. Rocco’s clean shaven face, solemn eyes that seemed to burn into her soul were right underneath those eyelids.
She was right. She had to be so she batted her eyes and wished she was the begging type as she called for him, “Rocco…”
“Yes?” He glanced down at her.
Confrontation cleared the air. She lifted her chin and met his brown hues. “Last year Roger anf Harry Hellsworth tried to kill me.”
He rocked back and his face went white. “How many people try to kill you?”
Rocco's body went tight and hard--she'd shaken him.
Until now he’d always been gentle even the night he'd broken in to avoid the storm. She hugged her waist, unsure how to explain so she said, “Well, Roger actually killed Ali too, so I don’t hate him. Though it was Ali who first employed Roger.”
He ran his hands through his short hair and squeezed the back of his head. “I had no idea.”
Roger and Harry and Rocco didn’t have any facial features in common. Roger had been scarred and scary, Harry huge and brawny, as they stormed around her brother’s castle to murder them. There was no way the man in front of her was like… she’d been stupid once but smart most of the time. So she reached out and placed her hand on his chest. “When I saw you with Jacob earlier… are you related to Roger?”
The look in his brown eyes gave her the sense he was on the point of breaking--she'd never met a man more controlled. “Yeah, Roger and Harry were my older brothers, but I’m not him.”
She patted his shoulder. “I believe you.”
His eyes narrowed but didn’t close. He studied her face. She didn’t flinch from his perusal. Finally he asked in a raw voice, “Why? Most people who see Roger assume the worst about me as he’s my older brother.”
A small laugh escaped her lips and she went up on her tiptoes to be taller, though she still only went to his chin as she said, “After almost being killed a few times, I feel like I have a handle on seeing evil and you’re not it.”
Sweetest Obsessions - Anthology Page 87
