He walked through the alleyway until he come up to a back door that had the Italian restaurant’s name on it. He tested the knob and pulled the door open when he found it unlocked. When he slipped inside, he caught the eye of the cook and put his finger to his mouth. After he found that the cook would stay silent, he slipped him a twenty and made his way to the dining room. He took a minute to scan the room and found the man he suspected was Wilder. He walked over to Wilder’s table and pulled out a chair. He watched as all of the men at the table reached into their jackets to put their hands on their guns in case the situation required defense.
Chuck nodded to them. “Look, you don’t know me but I suspect we have a common enemy. Christopher Dalton took something that I want back. It’s my understanding that he took the life of your boss’ son by sending him into danger with the intention of using him as the fall guy.” He watched the men look at Wilder and Wilder nodded for them to relax. Chuck relaxed slightly as well. “Somehow, you boys seem to have attracted a tail.” Chuck pointed to the man closest to the window. “Why don’t you go outside as if you forgot something in the car. After you look in the car, glance down the street to the north. You’ll see a dark blue sedan with two men sitting inside. We’ll wait here.”
Chuck and the remaining men waited in silence while the man went outside to check everything as Chuck instructed. When the man returned, he nodded to Wilder, who finally spoke. “Thank you for the tip. As for your problem with this Mr. Dalton, I have no knowledge of such a man.” That was okay. Chuck was prepared to prove himself.
He shrugged his shoulders and directed himself to Wilder. “Why don’t I lose your tail for you and then we see if that answer changes?” Chuck picked up his cell phone and made a call to a buddy. He ordered a plate of pasta and the men ate as if they were old acquaintances who were comfortable eating in silence. Suddenly there was a commotion outside and Chuck counted to ten out loud. When he hit ten, all of the men watched as the sedan sped off away from the restaurant.
Wilder snapped his fingers at his crew. “Okay, boys. Let’s go.” He stood up and pointed at Chuck. “You follow us. We should talk further.”
Thirty Nine
Hailey woke up and walked into the kitchen in her robe and pajamas. She figured that Chris had already left for work or whatever it was that he did these days and she was hoping for another chance to talk with Maria over some hot chocolate. She sat in one of the stools and waited for Maria to emerge from the pantry, where Hailey could hear her moving around. Hailey looked up as she heard her come into the kitchen and was surprised to see another woman instead.
“Oh, hi. Sorry, I thought you were Maria. Is today her day off?” Hailey asked the older woman. She was dismayed that Maria wasn’t there. Hailey was really looking forward to a friendly face. But if she was off for the day, Hailey couldn’t hold that against her. She would give anything to have the freedom to just leave herself.
The new woman shook her head. “No, ma’am. I’m her replacement, Helga. Mr. Dalton called the service late last night and asked for someone new.” Hailey realized that Chris had let Maria go just to prevent her from having a friend let alone an ally. He had gotten her guard down with that friendly movie day. She had actually thought for a second that maybe he was changing. Instead, it was all part of his plan to keep her there.
“Okay. Well, welcome, Helga. Can I please get a cup of hot chocolate and a piece of toast? I’ll take it in my room, please. Suddenly I’m not feeling well.” Hailey left the kitchen and made her way back to her room. She sat on the bed and realized that she needed to do something with her time. She couldn’t just sit on the bed all day every day and wait for the baby to be born. She decided to ask Helga to go to the store for supplies so she could crochet a blanket for the baby. When Helga brought in breakfast, Hailey asked her to do just that.
“Yes, ma’am. I would be happy to. Just let me telephone Mr. Dalton first. He said to do so if I needed to leave the house so he could instruct a guard to protect you.” Helga left the room and Hailey pushed away the food. She was disgusted that Chris was turning the house into a prison. She already knew she had no way out but he didn’t have to rub it in her face constantly. She walked over to the window and watched as a man outside answered his cell phone and moved closer to the door. Hailey decided that must be the guard.
Feeling incredibly lonely, Hailey walked down the hall to where the library was. While the office had been Chris’ domain, the library had always belonged to Erin. She hoped that by being here she could somehow feel Erin’s presence. The loss of her dear friend was still fresh for Hailey but she tried to focus on saving Erin’s baby. She knew that was what Erin would have wanted most.
Hailey walked around the library, running her fingers along the books. She cried out as something sharp cut her finger. She looked to see what she had touched and found that a section of bookcase had a loose nail. She touched the nail and decided to pull it out. However, instead of coming free, the nail pulled open a secret compartment. Hailey stepped back away from the bookcase and peered into the hallway to make sure no one had heard her cry out and decided to investigate. When she was certain no one was coming, Hailey went back to the secret compartment and peeked inside. She saw that a leather bound journal was inside and pulled it out. When she flipped open the front of the journal, she was surprised to see that Erin’s handwriting was there. She realized this was Erin’s private journal and quickly closed the secret compartment. She made a mental note of where it was in case she needed to use it later and snuck back to her room with the journal.
Forty
Chuck pulled up to the back of a warehouse and parked next to Wilder and his men. They were down by the water somewhere but Chuck was unfamiliar with that part of town. He suspected that Gamboli picked this specific warehouse because it was so out of the way. It’s exactly what Chuck would do. He got out of the car and Wilder waved him over.
“I called the boss on our way over here. You were right. He wants to speak to you. Come inside.” Wilder turned and entered a different door to the warehouse than his men. Chuck followed him and tried to make mental notes of his surroundings in case he needed to find his way in or out again. They moved to a staircase and Chuck followed Wilder up. However, when they hit the top of the stairs, Wilder motioned for Chuck to go in alone.
Chuck took a deep breath and turned the knob to the door in front of him. If Hailey’s life wasn’t at stake, he would laugh at the interior. It was typical of every “meet the boss” scene in every mob movie Chuck had ever seen. The fact that it was so stereotypical would make it easier for Chuck to predict the behavior of the man he was about to meet. This would work to his advantage. Sitting in the dark, damp room was Gamboli. He was watching Chuck closely, waiting for him to make the first move. Instead, Chuck simply sat in one of the chairs in front of Gamboli’s desk and remained quiet. Gamboli took his silence as a sign of respect and nodded at him.
“I understand you helped Wilder and his men out of a sticky situation with some tails. I appreciate that and it is the reason why you are here. Talk.” Gamboli waved for him to start.
“I am here about your son. I know that Christopher Dalton hired him to get back the girl carrying his baby. I know when things went badly, Dalton used your son as the scapegoat for the death of his wife and forced the pregnant girl to agree to the testimony against her will to save her own life. I am sure that you wouldn’t have gotten involved with Dalton unless he owed you something and you thought helping him would help to get what was owed to you. Am I on the right track here?” Chuck waited until Gamboli slowly nodded.
“Well, Dalton has something that I want as well. I am ex-Navy SEAL and if we combine my elite training with your men, I think we can help each other out here.” Chuck sat back in his seat, confident that he was getting through to Gamboli.
“And what is it that you want?” Gamboli narrowed his eyes at Chuck.
“I want the girl carrying Dalton’s baby. Safe and
unharmed.” Chuck saw Gamboli’s expression change to understanding.
“I see. You love the girl, yes?”
“Yes.” Chuck admitted. “I do. So much that I am willing to go against all of my training to help you get whatever it is that you want from Dalton in exchange for her.” Gamboli touched his fingers together as he contemplated Chuck’s offer.
“I will need to think about this. Go back to your hotel room and I will contact you when I have made a decision.” Chuck stood up and turned as Wilder opened the door behind him, aware that the meeting was over.
“Do you know how to reach me?” Chuck looked back at Gamboli.
“Yes, we know exactly where you are staying.” Gamboli waved for Wilder to escort Chuck out. As Chuck followed Wilder out, he smiled to himself. The meeting had gone exactly how he had hoped it would. As he drove back to the hotel, he would contact John about his next step.
Forty One
Hailey had finally found refuge in a the form of a nap when she suddenly heard raised voices. Chris was yelling and she could hear Helga crying in response. As quick as she could with her growing belly, Hailey got out of bed and threw on some clothes. She made her way to the kitchen and found Chris was still yelling at Helga, who was cowering in fear.
“Chris, what’s going on here? Why are you screaming at Helga like that?” Hailey moved in front of Helga to protect her. That seemed to anger Chris more as Hailey saw a flash of anger in his eyes. But he quickly stifled it.
“Hailey, darling, this doesn’t concern you. You do not need added stress in your life.” He moved forward to put his hands on her arms and glare at Helga over her shoulder.
“I wouldn’t have excess stress if you would stop yelling at Helga so that we could settle all of this as adults.” Hailey shrugged off his embrace and looked pointedly at Chris. She turned to Helga behind her. “Helga, what’s this all about?”
“Ma’am, I am so sorry, ma’am. I went into Mr. Dalton’s office to clean and that is where he found me. I am so sorry. I didn’t not know he did not want the office cleaned. I would not have gone in if I had known. I promise.” Hailey knew what was striking a nerve with Dalton. She had done the same thing and started this nightmare. Hailey turned to Chris, intent on calming the situation.
“Chris, this was just an accident. Helga thought you simply wanted her to clean everywhere, as do most people who call the agency.” She stepped over to him and touched his cheek. “Surely we can let this go, right? Helga helps me. I need her as the pregnancy progresses.” Chris reached up to touch her hand. It was the first time that she had initiated contact and she was hoping that it would shock him enough to shake him out of his determination to remove another friendly face from her life.
“My precious Hailey, I appreciate your warm heart. And I can see that you care for Helga. But I cannot allow someone in my home who was disobeyed my boundaries. You know the truth of that. But out of my appreciation for what Helga has done to make you comfortable in your delicate state, I will grant her a month of severance pay and give a glowing recommendation to the service. Will that make you happy, dear?” Hailey looked at Helga, who had stopped crying, and saw Helga visibly relax.
“Yes, Chris. Thank you. I appreciate your kindness.” Hailey reached over and squeezed Helga’s hand. She heard Chris call for the men outside the front door to come escort Helga out. Helga smiled and moved her mouth to silently thank Hailey as she left. She turned back to Chris who was looking at her as if he was trying to decipher her mind. “Chris, I am here without you a lot. I need a housekeeper who I can trust to care for me if something happens with the baby. Why don’t you have the agency send over three housekeepers and we can pick on together.”
Chris smiled at her and nodded. “Sure. That sounds good. But first, today is your appointment. What do you say we find out what we are having and maybe even buy some baby things on the way home?”
Hailey’s smile was actually genuine in response. As much as she hated Chris, she loved this baby and ready to see the baby on the ultrasound screen and know that it was okay after all of this.
Forty Two
Hailey laid down in the doctor’s office while the tech readied the ultrasound machine. True to his word, Dalton had called the agency with a good review for Helga and told them he would be sending a check by carrier for a month’s of pay for her. He also requested the three candidates be at the house this evening for Hailey to help choose another housekeeper. She hoped there would be someone kind among them but also felt a stab of guilt at bringing someone else into the home and the danger present there.
The tech gently pulled up Hailey’s stomach and smiled at her while she put the clear gel on Hailey’s belly. The tech used her tool on Hailey’s stomach and slowly but surely the screen by Hailey’s face started to jump around.
“Okay, mom and dad. I am seeing a strong heartbeat and all of the right measurements. You are about seven and a half months along now and right on track for a healthy baby. I understand we also want to know the sex of baby today as well. I can certainly help with that. Let’s take a look.” Hailey closed her eyes and imagined that it was Chuck in the exam room with her, holding her hand. She prayed that he was somewhere safe.
“Alright, folks. According to this, you are having a healthy baby girl!” Hailey opened her eyes to look at the screen. A baby girl! She always wanted to have a little girl one day. She would raise her just like Gram had raised Hailey. She felt Chris lean forward and was shocked to feel his lips at her ear.
“I’ve always wanted a daughter. We’ll raise her together as our own. She’ll be just like you, Hailey.” Hailey closed her eyes and tried to fight the fear that was turning her stomach as she imagined this precious baby, this daughter of Erin’s being raised in the hell that Chris created.
The tech cleaned off the gel and handed Hailey a print out of the sonogram. Hailey slowly pulled herself off the exam table and righted her clothing. Chris held out his hand to help her down and Hailey took it. As she slowly made her way out of the doctor’s office, Chris paid the receptionist and made the follow up appointment. She could hear the little brunette receptionist laughing at something Chris said. She was clearly smitten and Hailey wanted to run over and tell her the truth about what a monster Chris was. Instead, she stayed quiet and waited for Chris to unlock the car. He was beaming.
They were quiet as Chris drove down the road to the baby store. Hailey had been there a year ago with Erin when Erin was first trying to get pregnant. Together they had laughed about some of the current celebrity baby names and imagined what Erin’s baby would look like in some of the adorable clothes. Erin had even shown Hailey the crib that she wanted to buy once there was a baby on the way. Hailey could almost hear her laughter and feel her warmth as they pulled up to the store.
Hailey followed Chris inside but immediately went to the back to find the crib that she and Erin had found. It was still there with the whole matching furniture set surrounding it. It was wooden and painted white. Erin loved the airy feel of it. Hailey ran her fingers along the grain and pretended that Erin was still there with her. She was so engrossed in her memories that she did not hear the saleswoman approach.
“Oh that’s a lovely set. And it’s actually on sale today. A whole twenty percent off if you get the matching pieces!” Hailey turned to see the bubbly woman who had also helped her and Erin during that previous visit. Did she recognize Hailey? When she saw Erin’s death on the news, did she put the pieces together? Hailey saw nothing in her eyes to make her think that she did. She was surprised. Erin had such an impact on her life that it always surprised her to find that other people didn’t immediately feel the same from encountering her.
“We’ll take it.” Chris walked up behind Hailey. “It’s perfect for our little girl.”
“A baby girl! How exciting! We have the perfect pink bedding to match. It’s a Parisian theme.” The saleslady ran to grab the bedding and Hailey found a chair to sit down. Paris would always remind
her of Chuck. What a fateful day to bombard her with so many memories at once. Would her life always be like this?
“Chris, I want to go home. Today has been too much for me.” Hailey closed her eyes and wished she could go home to New Mexico instead of the mansion but she would never be free to do that.
Forty Three
Chuck waited impatiently in his motel room. He had ordered a pizza but couldn’t seem to make himself eat. He was confident when he left the meeting with Gamboli but he had been sure that he would hear something from him by now. It had been two days and pure radio silence. The local gossip reports had shown pictures of Hailey and Chris walking into a baby store. The gossip sites had reported that it was so touching to see the two moving on with life after the tragedy of Erin’s death. But Chuck could see different. He could read the barely concealed fear on Hailey’s face and was getting impatient to move forward.
Luckily, John had been amenable to Chuck’s idea when he had called. It was hard for Chuck to even ask and he was honestly surprised that John had agreed to it. If he was in John’s position, Chuck wasn’t sure it was something that he would say yes to. It was a testament to John and Maggie’s love for Hailey that they even considered it.
Chuck heard a knocking on the door and took several deep breaths to make sure he didn’t appear eager. When he opened the door, Wilder was standing on the other side. Without even exchanging pleasantries, Chuck headed back into the room and left the door open for Wilder to follow. After Wilder closed the door, Chuck turned to hear him out.
Last Chance Baby Page 10
