“Is that normal?” Ethan asked.
“It’s perfect. No worries,” the doctor responded. “Would you like to know the babies sex?”
Ethan and Selene exchanged a look. “Yes,” Selene said.
“Well, do you see this?” Dr. Graham said pointing to a white blur on the monitor. Selene couldn’t make anything out on the screen it looked like a Rorschach test to her. “It’s a boy,” he announced.
“A boy,” Selene repeated. Ethan took her hand and kissed it. She would have a son. The thought brought tears to her eyes. Ethan kissed her hand again and smiled down at her.
Dr. Graham let them have a moment, then ran through what would happen at the hospital (she was still a couple months away from delivery). He asked them if they had any questions. Before either could respond, there was a knock at the door.
Miss Miller entered. Selene was momentarily taken aback. She hadn’t seen the woman in months and wondered why she was here now.
Ignoring Selene, Miss Miller’s eyes were focused on Ethan. All business, Selene thought, typical Miss Miller.
She told Ethan he had an urgent phone call. He looked to Selene. She furrowed her brow, worried about who could be calling.
“We’re done here,” Dr. Graham said. “If you’re needed elsewhere,” he added with a smile.
“Go,” Selene said.
Ethan thanked the doctor and left the room. Selene pulled her top down and sat up. Dr.
Graham bent over and began rummaging in his bag for something.
“I want to thank you for making a house call,” Selene said. “We’re very-”
She was interrupted by the sound of a scream coming from the kitchen. The scream was followed by a thud and the sound of crashing, as if several people were fighting.
The hair on the back of her neck stood on end. She sat frozen, unsure what to do.
“Oh yes,” Dr Graham said cheerily. “I know what stress you’ve been under. No worries.
It’ll all be over soon.”
Finally finding what he was looking for, he sat up. In his hand was a long hypodermic needle. Selene opened her mouth to yell for Ethan but it was too late. The needle went into her neck and the world went dark.
6
A fast paced hollow beating sound, echoed through her mind. The ultrasound, she thought, the baby: a boy.
Selene smiled and opened her eyes. She floated on a bay of crystal clear blue water. The sun was warm on her skin. It shone brightly and pulsed with the sound of the baby’s heartbeat.
She felt the baby kick.
She wanted to rest her hands across the expanse of her full belly, but when she brought her hands to her midsection her belly was flat. No worries, she thought.
The tide carried her out further; the water around her grew darker. She knew she was drifting out to sea.
The current was soothing, it lulled her into a hypnotic state. She felt her eyelids grow heavy. I bet it’s peaceful in the deep, she thought. The urge to fall asleep and slip below the water was overwhelming.
The sound of a woman’s scream shot through the atmosphere like a bolt of lightning.
Selene opened her eyes. All was quiet except for the sound of gently lapping waves. Her eyes grew heavy again. Then came a voice: “You may come with me now. If you’re
finished.”
“Ms. Miller?” Selene said out loud. Her voice sounded distant to her ears. She barely recognized it as her own.
The sound of the baby’s heartbeat grew faster and faster. The sun’s light grew brighter, filling the world with blinding white light.
Selene covered her eyes and began to kick wildly in the water. She was suddenly having trouble staying afloat. A hand grabbed her ankle. She tried to fight it but couldn’t, its grip was like a vice. It pulled her under, deep into the water. Her lungs burned desperate for oxygen. Finally, she let go: she breathed the water in.
To her surprise, her lungs did not fill with water. She opened her eyes. The blinding light was gone and replaced by darkness. She realized her hands still covered her eyes. A hand pulled at her wrist.
“Stop it!” the voice commanded.
Selene uncovered her eyes. It was Ms. Miller. She stood inches from Selene’s face. “I thought I was going to have to slap you,” she said matter-of-factly. “You’ve taken leave of your senses.”
They were in a small dark room with bare cement floors. A thin stream of light poured between the cracks of a heavy wooden door.
“Don’t bother,” Ms. Miller said. “I already tried. It’s locked.”
Selene remembered her dream. Her hands flew to her stomach. It was round and full. The baby locked in his own world, safe and sound. Selene sighed with relief.
“Who was it,” she asked, “that kidnapped us?”
Ms. Miller looked at her quizzically. “You mean you don’t know?”
Selene shook her head.
“Well how should I know?” Ms. Miller said frustrated. “You know more about this business than I do.”
Selene doubted that. Ms. Miller knew far more about Ethan’s business dealings than she did.
“I didn’t even know you were pregnant. You two work quickly.”
“What do you mean?” Selene asked. “You were there at the interview. You know about the arrangement.”
“Arrangement?” Ms. Miller looked puzzled. She narrowed her eyes. “Mr. Cole was
interviewing new girls for his… business ventures.”
Selene assumed she was referring to Belle Amie. “You thought I was a hooker?”
Ms. Miller scoffed. “Don’t flatter yourself dear. We get women from all walks of life.
You’re nothing special. Now tell me about this arrangement.”
Selene told her everything. Starting with the conditions of Ethan’s billion dollar trust fund she worked through the events of the last few months up through her kidnapping. When she was finished they sat in silence. Selene waited for Ms. Miller to speak.
“What exactly did the trust fund say? You’re sure the only way to get the money was through an heir?”
Ms. Miller didn’t seem to be concerned or even surprised by these revelations. Selene eyed her suspiciously. “I don’t know.”
Ms. Miller grimaced then rose. She walked to the door and knocked twice.
“What are you doing?” Selene said.
She shook her head. “You poor dear. You really have no idea.”
The door opened and Ms. Miller walked out.
Selene pounded on the door and screamed, but no one came. Giving up, she retreated to a corner of the room and waited. Hours passed.
She was drifting off to sleep when the sound voices jolted her awake. She heard a man laugh, then the door to her cell was thrown open.
A man, his arms bound behind his back was tossed into the room. The door slammed shut behind him. The light was dim but Selene could make out Ethan’s features clearly. She wrapped her arms around him; he groaned.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “Are you okay?”
Ethan moaned, “Yes.”
His eye was swollen and he was bleeding from a cut on his forehead. His clothes were dirty and covered in blood. Selene imagined the worst: scenes of torture and beatings flashed through her mind.
She moved behind him and pulled at the ropes binding his wrists. The knot was tight and it took her a while to untie him.
“Are you alright?” he asked. “…the baby?”
“We’re fine. Where are you hurt?”
“Everywhere.” He tried to laugh but ended up clutching his side in pain. “I don’t want you to worry,” he said through gritted teeth. “I’m going to get us out of this.”
“Ms. Miller’s working with them,” she blurted out. “I woke up and she was in here with me. I thought she had been kidnapped too. I told her everything I know, which isn’t much.”
Ethan nodded. “I’ve kept most of the important details from you. I’m sorry but it was for your own protection.”
> Look at how well that worked out, she thought. “I told her about your trust fund- about how you had to have an heir to collect the money. She seemed surprised. The day you interviewed me in your office she thought you were auditioning hookers for Belle Amie.”
Ethan looked pensive. “She didn’t know about the trust fund?”
“No, at least she didn’t seem to know.”
“Good, that means they’re not as smart or well organized as I thought.”
Ethan slowly rose to his feet. Selene helped steady him. “What do we do now?” she asked.
“Now, we wait.”
Hours ticked by without a word from their captors. Selene rested her head on Ethan’s chest. They sat on the hard cement floor in the corner of the room. It was impossible to get comfortable. Her back ached and her feet were swollen but Selene didn’t want to complain, not after what Ethan had been through. She snuggled in next to him. Ethan draped his arms around her.
“You’re getting big. I can barely wrap my arms around you. Won’t be long, before the baby comes.”
“Before you get your money,” Selene said cynically.
Ethan paused. “That too.”
“It’s what they’re after, isn’t it?”
“The money? Yes, that’s usually what it comes down to.” Ethan sounded defeated, or maybe just resigned to their situation, Selene couldn’t tell.
She placed her hand on his chest, then pulled it away quickly. His shirt was covered in blood and dirt. “Take it off.”
Ethan sat up and pulled his shirt off. Selene laid back against him and ran her fingers over his chest. A small amount of dried blood matted his hair.
“Are you hurt anywhere else?” she asked.
“No, just my head and my ribs.”
“Sorry,” she said, sitting up.
“No, you’re fine.” Ethan pulled her back down on top of him.
Selene ran her hands over his chest. Feelings of loneliness and fear played at the corner of her mind, threatening to consume her. Thoughts of the dark water and blinding sun flashed through her head; she didn’t want to go back to that place.
She moved her hand down lower, over Ethan’s abs. Being close to him gave her a small amount of comfort: his warmth, his strong arms, despite the situation she felt safe with him.
It occurred to her this was a significant change from times past. In the beginning, she feared Ethan and his secrets, now she couldn’t run to him fast enough. Maybe he was right to keep quiet about his life she thought. The less she knew the less valuable she was to these people. She grimaced when she remembered how she had trusted Ms. Miller.
Without thinking, Selene moved her hand down inside Ethan’s pants. He jumped, startled by her intimate touch. Selene didn’t care if he was in the mood or not, she needed him.
She stroked his cock quickly. It grew hard in her hand. Maybe he is in the mood, she thought.
Ethan’s pulse quickened. Selene could feel his heart pounding in his chest.
She removed her hand from his pants and unzipped them. Hastily she undressed. They hadn’t heard or seen their captors in hours, but she had no way of knowing when they would be back. Selene left her shirt on, for fear of being seen completely naked by the guards.
After taking off her pants she climbed on top of Ethan. Closing her eyes, she lowered herself onto his cock. The pleasant feeling of floating in the clear water returned. It was as if she’d found her center. She remembered the sensation of the slowly lapping water and moved against Ethan in the same soothing rhythm.
A moan escaped from somewhere deep inside her. Faintly, she heard Ethan echo her own pleasure. His moan was deep and low with a rough timbre that seemed to reverberate through her bones.
The feeling of being dragged away by the tide returned. She moved her hips faster, taking his cock deep inside her. She felt like she was racing against an unknown force. Chills raced up her spine. Selene moaned again, loud enough for the guards to hear, but she didn’t care. She felt herself reach an apex.
She was on the verge of coming when Ethan grabbed her hips. It was an innocent gesture, but she was instantly reminded of the hand pulling her down into the depths. Selene’s eyes shot open like she was waking from a nightmare. She pushed Ethan’s hands away and jumped off of him. She pulled her pants on and began pacing the room.
“Christ, what’s the matter with you?” Ethan said.
The cell door opened. Ethan was on his feet within a second, but the guards were faster.
One of them had Selene by the arm and was pulling her out of the room. The other two were restraining Ethan as he vainly tried to save Selene. After pulling out a night stick and hitting Ethan, Selene agreed to go peacefully as long as they didn’t hurt Ethan. The guards exchanged a look. The one with the night stick shrugged and threw Ethan to the floor. The last thing Selene saw as the guard led her out of the room was Ethan pinned to the ground and bleeding.
Selene was led down a maze of corridors, before finally being left in a room. The room was identical to the one she and Ethan had been held in except this one contained a table and two chairs.
Selene walked the perimeter of the room. She felt like a caged animal. Suddenly, the sound of footsteps and laughter stopped her dead in her tracks. The voices were coming from above her. It sounded like someone was having a party. She pressed her ear to the wall and heard a woman giggling and glasses clinking. What is this place, she wondered.
The door behind her opened. A tall man with a crew cut entered. “Please, sit,” he said, it came out more as a command than a request.
He looked like a soldier. Selene guessed he was a man used to having his orders obeyed.
Deciding to play along, she sat quickly. He took the seat across from her at the table. He placed his hands on the table and smiled.
“Selene, I understand you became involved with Ethan Cole a few months ago. The two of you drew up a contract concerning a baby and a large sum of money. I would like to buy you out of that contract.”
There was a loud crash and the sound of music from above. The man didn’t react. It was as if he couldn’t hear it.
Selene ignored his proposal. “What is this place?” she asked.
“I assume you are referring to our noisy guests upstairs?” Selene detected a hint of frustration in his voice. It was clear he wasn’t pleased with this arrangement. “A bit of an inconvenience, but not our concern.” He smiled again. Selene found it unsettling; he looked like a predator that has its prey in sight.
“We’ve prepared a generous offer for you, I think you should consider it. Upon the birth of your child, we will pay you the sum of fifty million dollars. In exchange, you will turn over all holdings contained in your child’s trust fund to us. You take the fifty million and the baby and you never hear from us again.”
Ethan had told her the trust was in his name, not the babies. It was simply a condition of the trust fund that he have a child before he could collect. This man seemed to think the baby was the sole heir. Selene decided it would be wise to keep this to herself.
“Why would I take the fifty million when the trust is worth a billion?”
“The trust is more complicated then Ethan may have told you. Most of the money is tied up in investments. There’s only around thirty million in cash.”
“You tried to kill us and now you’ve kidnapped us. Why should I believe you?”
“Because you have no choice. You are all out of options.”
“What about Ethan?”
The man grimaced. “Ethan and I have history. There’s still much to be sorted out between us.”
Selene swallowed hard. “Are you going to kill him?”
The man studied her for a moment. “You really do care about him, don’t you?”
“I love him.”
The smile faded from the man’s face. “You should forget about him. Look what he’s done to your life. He’ll only cause you more pain. Take it from me, he’s more trouble than he’s worth.
”
There was something in his expression Selene couldn’t quite place. “Were you and Ethan friends?” she asked meekly.
The man’s expression turned to cold. “I advice you to take the money, leave and never come back.”
“And if I say no?”
“Then we’ll kill you. Actually we’ll kill Ethan first and make you watch, then we’ll take your baby and dispose of you.”
Selene began to shake.
“Hey,” the man said, “don’t start that. Let’s be reasonable. Take the money, save your baby and yourself. Forget about Ethan.”
“Promise you won’t kill him?”
He sighed. “For now.”
“How can I trust you?”
“You can’t. You’ll just have to take my word for it when I say that for the time being, Ethan is more valuable alive than dead. Of course, that can change, depending on you.”
Selene nodded. She had no intention of honoring the agreement but it bought her time.
She had to get out of there and figure out how to save Ethan. Besides, Ethan was the one inheriting the money, not the baby, wasn’t he? Her captors seemed to believe the baby would inherit it all. She couldn’t legally sign away something that belonged to Ethan, so there was no harm in agreeing to sign, but what if he had misled her about the details of the trust fund?
“Fine,” she said hoarsely.
“Good. I knew you would make the right choice. We will escort you out and see you home. You will be returning to your residence- not Ethan’s. We will monitor you, perhaps, check in on you from time to time. Then, when the baby’s born, we’ll meet you with the paperwork.” The man leaned in close. “Don’t get any ideas about running away.
We will be watching and we will find you. We’re allowing you to leave this place as a courtesy. Wouldn’t want anything happening to our baby, now would we?” The wolfish smile returned to his face. “Any questions?”
“Can I say goodbye to him?”
The man considered for a moment, then shrugged. “Make it quick.”
He rose and walked to the door. He knocked twice, the same way Ms. Miller had. The door opened promptly and he instructed the guard to take Selene to Ethan’s cell, then escort her home. Without a second look back the man left, disappearing down the corridor. The guard assigned to Selene took her arm and led her back to Ethan.
Billion Dollar Baby Bundle 2 Page 3
