“You think you’re so great and everybody loves you.” She scoffed at her own comment and rolled her eyes. “You’re delusional.”
“Whatever you say, Izzy. I’m not arguing with you today.”
As much as I wanted to turn around and ignore her, I couldn’t. She crept closer, stopping shy of the stool where Ayden had been sitting. Staring at the seat, she stroked it with her fingers before glancing at me.
“He still loves me. If I hadn’t miscarried, he and I would be back together. If you hadn’t walked in on us last week, we would have tried for another baby.”
The more Izzy talked, the more I worried about her mental health. She was saying things that weren’t true. Ever since she suffered the miscarriage, she’d grown stranger. We didn’t see her every day, but when she came around, her words and actions were that of someone mentally unbalanced.
Chris couldn’t tell me much about my sister’s case. He didn’t want to break confidentiality, but he told me as much as he could. It was only a few days ago when he told me he was consulting with another physician and that Izzy needed care he couldn’t provide her. I questioned if he meant a shrink, but he couldn’t tell me.
“Izzy, I don’t have time for this. I need to finish a report and—”
“I don’t want to talk to you either. Where did Ayden go?”
Her harsh tone put me on the defense. “He’s retrieving something for me that I forgot. Why do you ask?”
Izzy studied me from head to toe. “Getting forgetful, are you? That doesn’t sound like you, sister, but then, I’ve heard how forgetful women get when they’re expecting.”
My blood turned cold. Every nerve in my body tingled as reality crashed into me. Izzy knew, but how?
“Who said I was pregnant?”
She feigned a smile, but I saw how white her knuckles turned as she gripped the stool next to her. “It’s funny you should ask. I guess you were too busy with work to see me pass by earlier. Ayden didn’t either, but then, he was chatting on the phone with his mom, telling her the wonderful news.”
I wasn’t sure how to respond. It was true that I had my nose buried in my work and not paying attention. Once Ayden called his mother, I did my best not to listen to their conversation, but when it turned to me, it was hard to ignore. Instead of acknowledging him, I’d managed to keep working. Izzy could have stood there and listened to every word he said and I wouldn’t have known.
She must have left before he ended the call. Otherwise, we would have spotted her at that point. Maybe he had sensed her presence. It would explain why he scanned the bar before he went to grab the file I needed.
Unsure how to proceed, I glanced at my lap when I noticed Izzy’s eyes lower toward it. “If you want to hide your pregnancy, I suggest you wear bigger clothes. Your bump is noticeable.”
Instincts had me reacting to her words. I folded my hands over my belly, covering my bump from her piercing gaze. “I’m sorry you found out this way, Izzy. I wanted to tell you, but I didn’t want—”
“Let me guess. You didn’t want me to feel bad? How else did you think I would feel?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know what else to say.”
“You don’t have to explain anything, sis. It’s all crystal clear.”
My face wrinkled as confusion filled me. “What is?”
“I understand why you didn’t try to save me from falling. You wanted me to miscarry so my baby wouldn’t be in the way of yours.”
“No!” One of my greatest fears was coming true. She was blaming me for the miscarriage. “You’re wrong. When I saw you slip, I tried to grab your hand. I never wanted you to fall, Izzy, and I never wanted you to lose your child. That was my niece or nephew you lost.”
“Don’t play innocent, Mia.”
“I’m not. I didn’t even know I was pregnant until the night you fell, after we went to the hospital. I’m sorry you lost your child, but don’t you dare blame this on me.”
Izzy rushed me and grabbed my arm. “You were jealous of the bond forming between Ayden and me. You know he wanted our baby. That’s why you left the day I thought I was miscarrying.”
“Take your hands off me,” I growled the words at her, but she tightened her grip.
“Just admit it, Mia. When Ayden was comforting me, you finally saw for yourself that he wanted his baby and me.”
“Let go of me, Izzy, or so help me God, I’ll have you arrested.”
Her eyes darkened. So did her smile. “Go ahead. I’d love for you to call the cops. Maybe I’ll show them the footage of you shoving me down the steps.”
“Excuse me?” Her threat had me livid. I gripped her hand and pushed her back as I stood. “I didn’t push you down the stairs. You swung at me and slipped.”
“I have a video that shows something else. Someone was here that night, and they videoed the whole thing. It was the perfect angle too. When I fell backward and you tried to grab my hand, it looks like you pushed me.”
She was lying. I could feel it. I wasn’t going to let her win this time. I was finished playing her sick, twisted games.
“You’re full of shit, Izzy. You don’t have a video, and no one was filming anything that night. You’re trying to scare me, but it isn’t working.”
Another step in my direction brought her nose a few inches from mine. “Then maybe this will. I’m going to give you a couple of options. If you don’t choose one, I will have you arrested for pushing me and causing my miscarriage. Then you’ll see I’m not bluffing.”
I gripped the stool behind me and stared in her eyes. “How generous of you to give me options. Just for entertainment, tell me what they are.”
Izzy eased back and crossed her arms over her chest. “Option one is you can have Ayden and live out this little family life you have planned. I won’t interfere. In fact, you never have to see me again. All you have to do is sign over Music Haven.”
I snorted. I couldn’t help it. She was insane if she thought I would give her this place. My grandfather had it in his will that no one could inherit Music Haven except for my children. Otherwise, it would close its doors.
“You’ve lost your mind. I can’t sign over Music Haven. It’s not in my power to do so. You know this.”
Her face tightened. “Then let’s discuss option two. If you won’t sign over Music Haven, keep it, just give up Ayden. If I can’t have him, neither will you.”
I shook my head. “Now I know you’ve lost it. Ayden is never going to stay away. After everything that’s happened, you should know this by now.”
A long, slender finger pointed in my face. “Need I remind you that my offer is generous? Stop being the greedy bitch you are, sister. You better make a choice, or I’ll make it for you.”
“And need I remind you that I’m not scared of you, Izzy.”
“You should be.” She gritted her teeth and lowered her eyes to my belly. “If you don’t choose to give up Music Haven or Ayden, I will make sure you wind up in jail. Let’s see how fun it will be to deliver there. Don’t worry though. After they give the baby to Ayden, I’ll help him raise your child. I’ll treat it like my own.”
“The hell you will.” I jabbed my finger against her chest and backed her up a couple of bar stools. “You will never touch my child.”
“Then you better make a choice. Don’t keep me waiting. If you do, who knows what will happen. Ayden could be in a wreck or stung by a scorpion. Or something could happen to someone else.” Her eyes lowered back to my stomach as I covered it again.
“Are you threatening my baby?”
Izzy shrugged. “I never said I was going to do anything to anyone. But I would hate to see anything happen to the precious little baby you’re carrying. Think Ayden would stay with you if you lost it?”
I snapped.
As soon as I lunged for my sister, my fingers wrapped around her neck. My muscles flexed as I applied pressure, but I was no longer holding anything. Izzy’s body spun away before I could choke her
. In her place stood a face that provided me with relief.
Ayden had returned.
~Ayden~
From the moment I stepped back inside the arena and spotted Izzy standing in front of Mia, I broke into a sprint. I didn’t need to hear their conversation to know they were arguing. When Izzy pointed her finger in Mia’s face, every instinct inside me screamed at me to protect my fiancé.
As I rounded the corner of the bar, Mia poked Izzy’s chest with her finger and frowned at her. Whatever they were discussing, it was getting worse by the second. I had to end their confrontation.
By the time I was a few feet away from them, I heard Izzy mention my name, though I wasn’t sure why. The next thing I knew, Mia lunged for her sister. I gripped my ex’s shoulder and jerked her back before the situation escalated.
Izzy stumbled away from the bar. Then Mia was in my sight. As soon as I saw the relief in her eyes, I rushed toward her. She was in my arms in an instant.
“Are you okay?”
“I am now that you’re here.”
“What the hell is going on?”
Mia didn’t say anything. She clung to me and pressed her face against my neck. I squeezed her tighter, doing my best to chase away her fears. Whatever they had discussed, it had her trembling.
“Calm down,” I whispered the words in her ear as I glared at Izzy. She was standing near the railing that separated the bar and the dance floor, sneering at her sister.
“What happened, Mia?”
She drew in a shaky breath. “She’s making threats, just like I knew she would.”
“What type of threats?” I unburied her head from my neck and gripped her cheeks. Tears were already sliding down her face. “Mia?”
“I don’t want to talk about it. Just get me out of here, Ayden. If not, I’m going to hurt her.”
And here I thought her tears were from fear. She was angry, and rightly so. I wasn’t sure what type of threats Izzy was making, but it didn’t matter. I’d be damned if I let my ex hurt anyone.
“Come on. Let’s go.”
As Mia kept her arms around me, I led her to the corner of the bar. Izzy studied both of us, and for a moment, I was sure she would try to cut off our path. The instant I noticed her body flinch, I pointed in her direction. “Move one step away from that rail and it will be the last mistake you make. Leave us alone, Izzy.”
“But Ayden, I need—”
“I don’t give a shit what you need.” My jaw ached the harder I clenched my teeth. “Don’t talk to us, don’t look at us, don’t even think about us. We’re finished with your games.”
It was all that needed to be said. I was out of words for Izzy anyway. She’d come between Mia and me too many times. I wasn’t allowing it to happen anymore.
Mia didn’t say a word after we made our way through the bar. Thankfully it was early enough that not many people were around. Most of the guests went to their suites around four o’clock to prep for dinner, nap, or whatever else they needed to do. They often returned around seven.
As we made our way toward the exit, I waited for Mia to say something. When she remained silent, I took her to the golf cart and helped her inside. Maybe she didn’t want to have this conversation where other people could hear us. Or perhaps she was afraid Izzy was following us. I couldn’t deny I’d wondered the same. Hell, I’d checked behind us several times as we left the arena. I did again before I put the cart in forward and headed toward the condos.
Within a few minutes, I had the cart parked, Mia inside the building, and then inside her suite. Once the door clicked closed and the lock engaged, I eased her onto the sofa.
“You going to talk to me now?”
“What do you want me to say? You heard the things Izzy said.”
“Yeah, but I didn’t hear the entire conversation. When I found you, you were ready to beat the hell out of her. What did she say?”
Mia grimaced. She placed her hands over her belly and gazed toward them. “She threatened me—us.”
The hairs on the back of my neck stood. “What do you mean she threatened us? Are you talking about you and me?”
“No. Izzy threatened the baby and me.”
My heart pounded at the thought. I pulled Mia close in hopes of providing her a little comfort. “What did she say?”
This time, Mia’s eyes turned on me. The moisture within them shimmered under the light. The stress of this situation with her sister was getting the best of her, and I felt helpless in making it better.
“Izzy wants me to either give up Music Haven or you.”
The laughter coming from me wasn’t because I found what she said humorous. It was from nerves. And anger. My ex had officially lost her mind.
“Your sister is crazy. I don’t need to explain that to you. Don’t let anything she says upset you.”
Mia eased out of my embrace and shook her head. “It’s not that simple. Believe me, I want to ignore her, but she said if I don’t give one of you up, I’ll lose everything. She knows I can’t legally sign over my rights to Music Haven.”
“So that means you have to give up me?” When she nodded, I gritted my teeth. No way was I going to let my ex get away with this harassment.
“Let me handle Izzy.”
Clinging to my arm, Mia shook her head. “You can’t. She knows she doesn’t have a chance with you. She told me if she can’t have you, neither will I.”
“She doesn’t get to make those decisions, Mia. This is our life and our relationship.”
When Mia winced, I drew her back into my arms. Her breath beat against my neck. It soothed the violent storm raging within me. I wanted my ex to disappear from our lives. If I had the connections to make it happen . . .
No. I would never arrange for someone to die. My anger was controlling me right now. I needed to calm down and focus on what was important—protecting my fiancé and my child.
“You said she threatened the baby too?”
Mia swiped tears off her cheek and nodded. “Yes. She said she wasn’t a patient woman and that if I didn’t give her an answer soon, terrible things would happen. She said she’d hate to see me deliver in jail and then swore she would be there to help you when you got the baby. She said she would take care of our child like her own.”
As she lost control of her emotions and planted her face against my neck, I held her close. I processed her words as best as I could when it hit me what Mia said.
“Why would she insinuate that you’d be in jail when you delivered?”
“Because she plans to have me arrested for causing her miscarriage.”
Chapter 10
~Mia~
The moment I passed Izzy on my way backstage, my skin chilled. She didn’t acknowledge me so I wasn’t sure she’d seen me, but I saw her. After threatening me, she had kept her distance for the last week. If not for Andi and Bentley spotting her around the community, I would have believed she left.
I should have known I wouldn’t get that lucky.
Glancing down at the box in my hands, I set it on one of the tables lining the hallway near the dressing rooms. After checking in with the sound and lighting crew with the upcoming schedule, the new sound producer handed me the box. It was some of Wesley’s belongings he’d found in the office.
As much as I wanted to take a match to the box and set it on fire, I couldn’t. Wesley’s lawyer had already sent a certified letter asking for the items to be returned. I’d much rather burn them.
Sorting through the items, I double-checked to make sure there was none of Music Haven’s property inside. It wouldn’t be the first time I caught Wesley trying to sell off some piece of equipment. Last time, it’s what led me to discover he was using drugs.
I skimmed the box, happy to see nothing inside belonged to my company or me. Most of the items were old porn magazines, a bottle of liquor, and some C.D.’s from his personal collection. Aside from his degree that had been hanging on the wall, most of the items were junk.
&
nbsp; Grabbing the flaps, I prepared to close the box when something else caught my attention. An envelope lay in the bottom with a few pictures sticking out. I reached inside the box and lifted them into my hand. The first few were just different pictures of the arena. Some were of my employees, females in particular. Judging by the poses, these pictures were taken without the knowledge of the people in the photographs. I was about to set them back inside the box when I made a stark discovery. The next few pictures were of my sister. My face burned when I realized she was naked.
I wasn’t sure why Wesley had nude pictures of Izzy or how old they were. Perhaps it was part of some scheme they had planned. I’m sure it was something to hurt me. God knows they’d tried enough.
Unable to view the rest of the photos, I dropped them back inside the box. My mind raced with thoughts. Did I really want to know why Wesley had these photos of Izzy?
Everything disappeared from my sight as a pair of hands covered my eyes. Fear rushed through me at the thought of who was behind me. Was it Izzy? Surely she wasn’t stupid enough to attack me with a bunch of people standing close by.
Within a matter of seconds, I pulled the hands away from my eyes and spun around, fist drawn. If Izzy had brought this fight to me today, I would make her regret it. I didn’t want to have a physical confrontation while pregnant, but I would defend my child and myself at all costs.
“Hey. It’s just me.” Ayden’s voice broke through the panic exploding inside of me. Once I realized it was him, I hurled myself into his arms.
“God, Ayden. Don’t scare me like that.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. Is everything okay?
Love Deserved (Rock N Roll Heiress Book 3) Page 9
