Falling for Agent Cruz:A Falling novel

by DL Gallie

  “I should but I’m quite content just being here with you.”

  “I’m content too, but my knees are starting to hurt and there’s a perfectly comfy sofa in the living room. How about, you get that,” I nod toward his once again ringing phone, “I’ll freshen up and we can have a lazy day.”

  “Can we have tacos for dinner?”

  “Deal.” Placing a kiss on his nose, I stand up and offer him my hand. He places his in mine and I help him up. We stare at one another, I know it’s only been a few weeks but those three words are on the tip of my tongue, I’m just about to say them when his phone rings again.

  He steps around me and picks it up. “Hey, Abs,” he says when he answers, and I can hear Abi berating him from where I’m standing and I laugh. Walking past, I head into my bathroom and freshen up. By time I return, he’s on the sofa and has a strange look on his face.

  “You okay?” I ask, as I sit next to him.

  He nods. “Yeah, I’m fine.” Much like when a woman says they are fine, I don’t believe him.

  “You sure?”

  “Yeah, I’m sure. How about we order in our Mexican fiesta?”

  “That sounds great. I’ll see if Bay and Corey want to join us.”

  “Perfect,” he says, but I can tell his mind is elsewhere.

  Bay and Corey are busy so it’s just us. We order enough food to feed the entire country. After eating my weight in Mexican, Dominic and I head to bed. I fall asleep after a mind-blowing orgasmcap, my new favorite bedtime nightcap.

  Just as the sun is rising, I wake up and feel queasy. I think I overdid it on the Coronas last night and as soon as I stand up, my stomach rolls. I race into the bathroom and throw up. Once I start vomiting, I can’t stop.

  Dominic is a saint and looks after me. He runs the shower for me and I climb in once the water is hot. When I get out, I feel much better. Stepping into my room, I smile when I see my navy blue pantsuit on the bed waiting for me. With a smile on my face, I get dressed and when I step into the kitchen, Dominic hands me a cup of peppermint tea. “Thanks,” I say as I wrap my hand around the mug.

  Dominic and I head into the office but a few hours later, I start to feel sick again so I head home. I climb into bed and fall asleep straight away. I wake when there’s a knocking at my front door. Shuffling through my apartment, I open the door and see Bay.

  “Well, you look like shit.”

  “Hello to you too,” I snarkily reply.

  “Ohh, I’m sorry. Hello, Charli, you look like shit.”

  Flipping her the bird, I turn around and collapse onto my sofa. Bay comes in and sits next to me. “You okay?”

  “No,” I shake my head, “I feel like shit and I can’t stop throwing up. I think the Mexican we had yesterday is not agreeing with me.”

  “Or you’re preggers,” she teases.

  “Hardy har har, Evans.”

  She shrugs. “Can I get you anything?”

  I shake my head. “No, I just need to get this bug to pass and then I’ll be fine.”

  “Okay, well, I’m going to go ‘cause I don’t want to catch anything. Call Corey if you need anything.”

  “Why not you?”

  “I don't want to catch what you got.”

  “Feel the love,” I tell her.

  She stands up and places a kiss on my head. “You know I love you but I don’t do vomiting or poop.”

  “You’ll make a great mom one day.”

  “I know I will.”

  “You do know that babies poop and vomit…quite a lot from the little that I know.”

  “And that’s where Core comes in.”

  “You are something, Baylor.”

  “Something awesome,” she confirms. “Laters, lady.”

  And as quick as she was here, she’s gone again.

  Picking up my phone, I see a text from Nic.

  NIC: Hope you are feeling better, let me know if you need anything

  I grin as I read his message, he really is a sweetheart.

  CHARLI: Feeling better. Hoping a good night’s sleep will help. See you tomorrow

  Placing my phone on my bedside table, I close my eyes and begin to drift off to sleep when Bay’s words cause my eyes to open and I sit upright. “Shit,” I grumble.

  Slipping on my running shoes, I grab my bag and keys and jump into my car. I drive to Walmart and I race to the pharmacy. With a test box in hand, I head home and make a beeline into my bathroom. I open the first box and read the instructions. Pee. Wait two minutes and then I’ll know. It all seems pretty simple but trying to pee on a little white stick is much harder than it looks. Finally, I hit the stick and place it on the counter, before I have finished washing my hands, two pink lines stare back up at me. Ever the optimist, I think maybe it's a false positive, so I open the second test and repeat. As before two pink lines stare back at me.

  Not trusting the first two, I race back to Walmart and grab two more boxes, different brands this time. I pee on the extra four and like the first two, they all come up positive.

  Sliding to the floor, I lay all six tests on the bathroom mat. I stare down at the six white sticks, all with two pink lines waving their pee-pink jazz hands in my face. “Shit, I’m pregnant,” I whisper to myself.

  Lifting my knees up, I rest my elbows on my knees, and cover my face with my hands. I’ve felt off this past week but I thought it was due to stress, or food poisoning, but no, it’s because I’m pregnant. My periods have never been regular due to having polycystic ovarian syndrome, or PCOS, so my lack of period since meeting Dominic didn’t really register. When I think of him I smile, he will make a great dad. Sure, this is sudden, but we are in a good place, it will all be fine…but ohh am I wrong. The next day at work, the shocks just keep rolling and life will never be the same again.

  17

  Charli

  Last night I tossed and turned all night long. By time the sun rises, I’m dressed and ready for work. So I head in early. I still feel queasy but not as bad as yesterday. With a peppermint tea in hand, I head into my office and start looking over the upcoming case files. At 9:00 a.m. I call my doctor and I manage to get an appointment in forty-five minutes. Calling the boss, I tell her I have an appointment and head to the doctor. Like I knew, she officially confirms I’m pregnant. She does a scan and tells me that I’m roughly nine weeks pregnant. Seems Dominic knocked me up on our first night together.

  “How can I be nine weeks along and not know it?”

  “All women’s pregnancies are different. There are no set rules when it comes to babies.”

  Nodding my head, Dr. Clark continues to do her baby doctor thing. She assures me everything looks good and hands me a printout. “My baby’s first picture,” I say with eyes full of tears as I stare at the picture in my hands. The baby just looks like a blob, but it’s our baby and I cannot wait to tell and show Dominic.

  With a billion pamphlets and some prenatal vitamins in hand, I head back to the office with a stop at McDonald’s for something to eat. I tell myself that it’s almost lunchtime so it’s okay, but in reality, I’ve been thinking about cheeseburgers all morning. I notice a woman enter the elevator behind me and she’s pregnant, my eyes drop to her belly and I smile. That’ll be me in a few months’ time, I think to myself.

  We both get off on floor seven. I go left and she goes right, when I look up I see Patrick Fitzpatrick—yep, he’s a double Patrick—from IA with the Boss Lady. “Good morning, Patrick. Amanda,” I say with a smile, nodding at them both, but the animosity radiating from Patrick does nothing to ease my already churning stomach.

  “Charli, can you meet with us in interrogation three, please?” He’s all official and stick up his ass like, I don’t envy the people in IA at all. They get a bad rap but they are only doing their job.

  “Sure, I just need to drop off my bag and grab some water.” Not waiting for a reply, I head to my office. Patrick follows me and I notice that he’s watching my every move. An eerie feeling runs u
p my spine. With my water in hand, I follow him into interrogation and just as I take my seat, a wave a nausea hits me. Covering my mouth, I take a few deep breaths and manage to keep the vomit at bay.

  “You okay, Charli?” Amanda asks when she walks in.

  Nodding my head, I smile. “Yeah, the sickness from yesterday is still lingering,” I tell her and silently I add, “And it will for the foreseeable future.”

  She nods and takes a seat. I look up and from the look on her face, I know it's not good news. “What’s going on?”

  “Charli—” she says but Patrick interrupts her, “Agent Davis, you are officially on suspension. We have reason to believe that you were, and still are, working in cahoots with your previous partner, Dean Chikatilo.”

  “That’s bullshit!” I shout and stand up. “You don’t honestly believe I would be involved with this?” I stare down at him. “I—”

  “It doesn’t matter what I believe and I will ask that you contain yourself, Agent Davis.”

  Turning to Amanda, I plead with my eyes but she shakes her head. “I’m sorry, Charli, my hands are tied with regard to this, this is all IA.”

  Dejectedly I sigh and fall back into my chair. Patrick continues to talk and tell me what’s going to happen from here on, but I don’t register a word he’s saying. Once I hand over my badge and gun, I exit interrogation and walk in a daze back to my office. In a matter of twelve hours my life has been turned upside down and inside out, and the hits haven’t finished coming.

  A wave of sickness hits and I race into the restroom. I just make it into a cubicle before I empty my stomach. Ever so thankful that I grabbed a cheeseburger from McDonald’s on my way back, otherwise I’d be throwing up nothing. Grabbing some toilet paper, I wipe my mouth and flush. Washing my hands, I look at my reflection and sadly smile at myself. “Nic,” I mumble, “I need Nic.”

  Exiting the bathroom, I take the long way round to his office and as I get closer, I hear raised voices coming from inside his office. The door is slightly ajar and I peek through the gap. My eyes land on him and I notice that he’s angry. A woman is sitting with her back to me. “I don’t give a flying fuck that you’re pregnant, Bianca. I will not be a part of this kid’s life. It’s all yours. Not my responsibility.”

  Those words shatter me. Here I am, outside his office door to tell him that I’m pregnant with his baby, and he’s telling who I presume is his ex that he doesn’t want to be a father to her baby. If he doesn’t want to be a father to hers, he sure as hell won’t want to be a father to mine.

  Walking backward slowly, I turn on my heel and race to my office. I need to get out of here so I grab my things. The air is stifling and the need to get out of here intensifies. I need fresh air and I need it now. Amanda is calling my name but I keep walking, ignoring her. Reaching out I punch the elevator button and thankfully it opens immediately. I can’t deal with any of this right now, I dive into the metal car and quickly press the close door button.

  A voice yells, “Hold the elevator,” but I don’t want to be near anyone so I repeatedly punch the close button. “Please, please, please,” I mumble. The doors finally begin to close and I sigh. “I’m free,” I whisper as the car begins its descent to the ground.

  Stepping backward, I close my eyes and my stomach lurches. I’m not sure if it’s from morning sickness, betrayal of what I just heard, or at the prospect of losing my career. The elevator doors open into the lobby and I race over to a trash can. Resting my palms on the edge, I empty my stomach. I’m heaving when I hear the ding of an elevator. I freeze, hoping it isn’t the boss, or him, and I’m relieved when I don’t see either of them. It’s a woman but that relief turns to dread when I see she’s pregnant and I immediately know it’s her: she’s Dominic’s other baby momma.

  Turning back to the can, I vomit again.

  Thankfully she doesn’t stop and from the corner of my eye, I watch her waddle through the lobby and outside. Wiping my mouth on the back of my hand, I follow the path she took and step outside. The cool air hits my face and the tears I’ve been holding back begin to fall. Pulling out my phone, I dial the one person who I know won’t judge me. Before they say anything, I blubber, “Bay, I need you.”

  18

  Dominic

  A knock on my door startles me. Dropping my pen, I look up and see the last person I expected standing there. “Bianca, what are you doing here?”

  “Hi, Dominic,” she says. My eyes are locked on her as she walks into my office and sits down across from me. Why the hell is she here?

  “What do you want?” My tone is harsh, but I said all I needed before I left.

  “I…umm, ahh, I wanted to see you.”

  “Why?” I question again.

  “Lawrence and I are no longer seeing each other.”

  “And?”

  “I’m pregnant,” she quietly whispers.

  “Congrats,” I tell her.

  “It’s, ummm—”

  Shit, fuck no, is my immediate thought. “Is it mine?” I ask, not sure I really want to hear the answer.

  She shakes her head. “No, I’m twelve weeks. The last time you and I had sex was way before that. Lawrence is the father.”

  Phew, I think to myself. “So why are you here?”

  “I want you back, Dominic. I made a mistake with Lawrence, I see that now. I want you, me, and this baby to be a family.”

  “You expect me to play daddy to his child?”

  “It would be our child.”

  “No, it's his child. And not my problem, Bianca. You have some fucking nerve coming to my workplace and dropping this on me.”

  “I’m alone and pregnant,” she cries.

  “I don’t give a flying fuck that you’re pregnant, Bianca. I will not be a part of this kid’s life. It’s all yours. Not my responsibility. Go back to where you came from and work this shit out with Lawrence.”

  “He…he doesn’t want me or the baby.” She’s crying now, a part of me feels bad for her but there’s also a part that doesn’t give a shit. She did this to herself.

  “Look, Bianca. I really am sorry you’re in this mess but it's not my problem. You broke us and any future we had when you cheated on me. Now, please leave.”

  “I thought you were better than this,” she snaps.

  “Well, I never thought you’d cheat on me with the neighbor. So there’s that.” We stare at one another across my desk. Leaning back in my chair, I dismiss her, “Good bye and good luck.”

  Without a word, she nods, stands up, and exits my office. “Fuck,” I mumble and rub my forehead as I watch Bianca leave my office. The nerve of that woman to come here and grovel for me to take her back because she’s knocked up…and not even with my baby. Lifting my hands, I link my fingers and rest my hands behind my head.

  Sighing I shake my head, I need to see Charli.

  Looking up, I see it’s nearly 1:00 p.m., maybe I can take her out for a late lunch. Pushing back from my desk, I stand up and smile as I walk out of my office only to be met with Amanda, my new boss, calling my name. Turning around, I face her. “Can I speak with you in private, Dominic?”

  Nodding my head, I smile. “Yeah, sure.” But inside I’m pissed ‘cause I need to see Charli. I need a hug from my Angel. A cuddle from her will make this, and me, feel better. Following Amanda, I enter her office and take a seat across from her. “What’s up, Boss Lady?”

  “You know I hate being called Boss Lady.”

  “Sorry,” I say with a shrug, but she knows I don’t mean it. Calling her Boss Lady is a running joke in the office.

  “Dominic, all your upcoming cases are being transferred until I can find you a new partner.”

  I scrunch my eyes in confusion, “Shouldn’t Charli be here for this?”

  She shakes her head, “Charli is officially suspended, under suspicion of working with her old partner, Dean.”

  “That’s bullshit!” I shout, “Charli is—”

  “I know as well as you
do that she’s innocent but IA sees it differently.”

  “Where’s Charli now?”

  “She left.”

  “What?” I question. “Why didn’t she come and see me?”

  “She was pretty upset when she left. I know you two are close so I’m happy for you to head out early and make sure she’s okay. She’s an integral part of this office and I will do everything in my power to get this wrapped up quickly and have her officially back on the team.”

  “Thanks, and I will do what I can too.” I shake my head. “How is this happening? And why? Why Charli?”

  “Your guess is as good as mine, but we need to work together as a team to clear her name.”

  “I’ll do anything to help. But first, I need to see if she’s okay.”

  Without waiting for a reply, I stand up and exit the boss’s office. I swing via mine and grab my things and head over to her place.

  On the drive over, I try calling her but it goes to voicemail. “Angel, it's me. I’m on my way to your place. I just heard the news, I’m so sorry this has happened to you. I’ll be there soon.” Disconnecting the call, I focus on the road. An accident on the freeway delays me and it takes me nearly two hours to get from the office to her place.

  Knocking on her door, I’m met with silence and nothing. “Charli? Angel? It's me. Open up.”

  Resting my forehead on the wood, I close my eyes and sigh. “Where are you, Angel?” I whisper. Pulling my phone out, I call her and again it goes to voicemail. I dial again and press my ear to her door to see if she’s inside but I don't hear anything. Again voicemail picks up. Not giving up, I dial again and this time the call connects. “Angel, where are you?”

  “Don’t call again,” a voice that isn’t Charli’s growls down the line before hanging up on me.

  Confusion mars my face at what just happened. Dialing her again, it goes straight to voicemail without ringing, her phone has been switched off. “What the hell?” I murmur to myself, as I make my way back to my car.