Acquisition (5 page)

Lorraine nodded sympathetically. “I’m glad to see you. We’re closing up soon.” She left the rest unspoken, apparently not feeling the need to remind Abby that tardy pickups led to additional expense and eventual notification of the police to come pick up the child.

“I’m sorry about that.”

“Well, you know where Lucas is, so I’ll leave you to fetch him. We’re shorthanded today, and there’s always something to do around here.” With one more curious glance cast in Luka’s direction, Lorraine disappeared back into the playroom, leaving them alone.

Luka had stiffened as soon as she said Lucas’s name, and now he glared down at her ferociously. “His name is Lucas?”

She nodded reluctantly, having given in to sentiment during the throes of labor and named her son after his father. She wanted him to have a tentative connection with Luka, though at the time she’d assumed neither would ever know of the other’s existence. It had seemed like the safest course to protect her child, though she had hated not being able to share his birth with Luka.

“Show me where my son is.”

She shivered at the intensity of possessiveness in his tone, her heart sinking as nausea churned in her stomach. Luka still didn’t release his hold on her wrist, but he loosened it slightly to allow her to lead the way to the baby room. As they stepped inside, her gaze immediately focused on Lucas, though there were three other infants also still waiting for pickup.

She went straight to him, surprised when Luka released his hold on her as she neared the crib where Lucas was napping. She bent over and picked him up, cuddling him against her before pressing a kiss to his forehead as she enjoyed the feel and scent of her baby against her. How she hated leaving him, especially for long hours every day.

That probably wouldn’t be a concern any longer, unless Luka permanently removed her from his life. The thought sent a pang of fear through her, and she inadvertently tightened her arms to the point where Lucas squawked in protest as his eyes opened.

Luka drew in a deep breath. “My eyes.”

She nodded, not bothering to argue. She couldn’t anyway. Most babies were born with blue eyes, but Lucas’s had been that whiskey-brown shade right from the start, fringed by thick eyelashes, and accompanied by a robust head of black hair. He looked like a Rinaldi, and there was no point in trying to pretend otherwise.

“Let’s go.”

She shook her head, holding the baby tightly.

“Don’t even try to push me on this, Abby. I’m so angry at you right now…” He trailed off, seeming to be beyond able to express the depths of his anger.

She glared at him, feeling a surge of spirit return. “Don’t pretend like this all falls on me, Luka. If you’d been honest with me about who and what you were, there never would have been a baby to start with. I wouldn’t have gotten involved with you.”

His glower was even fiercer than hers. “You think I don’t know that? Why do you think I never told you? You’re one of those people who sees the world in strictly black and white, good or bad, and you have no room for compromise. Well, you’re damn well going to compromise now, so get your ass in the car.”

“I can’t leave without his car seat and bottles.” She shook her head. “You can’t drive around in an SUV with a baby in your arms.”

He sighed impatiently. “Is the car seat in that wreck on wheels you were getting into?”

She shook her head. “Just the base. The seat itself is over in the corner.” She nodded in the direction of where four infant car seats were lined up against a shelf. Lucas’s was the plainest of the bunch, purchased at a big-box store and without some of the fancier features. “His is the black and gray one.”

“Can it be used without the base?” As he asked the question, he strode to the car seat, his gaze never wavering from her. Perhaps he expected her to try to make a run for it. She might have attempted it, except she knew he had two goons with him in the SUV, and likely a whole contingent somewhere nearby. Trying to escape right now was futile. “Yes,” she snapped, giving no further answer or information.

He returned with the car seat a second later, placing it on a table nearby. “Now what?”

She didn’t respond as she laid Lucas in the car seat and began fastening the straps and adjusting the buckle. When she was satisfied with the fit, she nodded and clicked the handle into carrying position.

When she started to reach for it, Luka’s hand reached it first. “I’ll carry my son.”

She nodded, a little surprised when he didn’t take her wrist this time. Apparently, Luka had realized as long as he had Lucas, he had her full compliance. She wasn’t going to try to run away and leave her son behind. She’d made a lot of mistakes, but that wasn’t one she could even bear to contemplate.

They left the center without speaking to each other, though Luka paused in the playroom and waved in Lorraine’s direction. “Lucas won’t be returning,” he said firmly before turning away, allowing Lorraine no time to ask questions, or give Abby a chance to protest his decree. A few moments later, they were in the SUV, with Lucas’s car seat strapped in, and the baby between them.

Luka couldn’t seem to look away from the baby, who had gone back to sleep once he was settled in his seat. His fingers rested lightly on Lucas’s abdomen, though he occasionally channeled his thumb down the baby’s rounded cheek. There was tenderness in his gaze that disappeared every time he looked up from the baby and in her direction. Rage burned then, along with something else. It was difficult to identify, but she tentatively labeled it as pain. She had clearly hurt him by keeping the baby from him.

What other choice had she had? He lived a dangerous life, and he was a dangerous man. She couldn’t just turn a blind eye to that or let Lucas be raised in such an environment.

Now, all her choices were gone, and she would have to do what Luka wanted, unless an opportunity to escape presented itself. Considering he knew about their son now, and he knew she had witnessed him shooting Sean Armstrong, she didn’t imagine she would ever get that chance.

It was far more likely he would lock her away, and if she were lucky, she might get to see Lucas upon occasion. The thought sent a sharp pang through her chest and brought tears to her eyes. She looked away from Luka and Lucas, staring at the road as the SUV carried them inexorably down the freeway, back to the seat of Rinaldi power.

She turned to glance in Luka’s direction when she heard him start to speak.

“Amber, I need a huge favor. I need you to set up a makeshift nursery at the condo. Get whatever stuff tiny babies need.” He was silent for a moment. “I don’t know what they fucking need, Amber. He’s three months old, so figure it out. Thank you.” He hung up after another minute during which his sister was clearly speaking to him.

She wanted to ask what Amber had said, or perhaps offer some suggestions, but she kept quiet. Luka wouldn’t care what she said, and he wouldn’t want her input. For a swoon-worthy moment, she imagined what it would be like to be Amber in the baby store, shopping with an unlimited budget.

The thrill faded quickly as she realized the price that went along with that option, which was accepting the Rinaldis’ criminal activity. That was something she had vowed not to do when she had fled, but now all her resolutions didn’t mean anything in the face of Luka’s anger and his clear determination to keep Lucas.

They didn’t speak for more than an hour, and she grew progressively more uncomfortable, having gone far beyond the pumping session during her afternoon break. Her breasts were tingling, and she knew letdown was coming soon. She looked at Lucas, who was still sleeping, and bit her lip. She didn’t even have her breast pump here, or she could pump to relieve a little of the pressure and wait for Lucas to wake up to nurse.

Since he was still sleeping, he must have just had a bottle shortly before they arrived to pick him up. He should be waking soon though, since three to four hours was the most he’d ever slept without nursing.

Finally, as she could feel the telltale leaking of milk from her breasts that indicated she was about to flood herself, she bit her lip and swallowed her pride. “I need to stop somewhere.”

Luka didn’t even look up from his phone, which he had left out after speaking with his sister. “No. I’m not giving you a chance to run away under the pretense of going to the bathroom.”

She gritted her teeth. “It doesn’t have to be a bathroom. I just need somewhere with a little bit of privacy. I’m getting…full.” She blushed as she said the words.

Now he did look up from his phone, his expression bewildered. “What does that mean?”

She glanced down at her chest, and then let out a heavy sigh of exasperation when he still didn’t get it. “I need to nurse Lucas, okay?”

He still looked skeptical as he glanced down at the sleeping baby. “Lucas is asleep, and you grabbed bottles from the fridge at the daycare center. Try another excuse, Abby.”

She let out an even longer sigh. “You’re such a jackass, Luka. Why didn’t I see that before?”

He quirked a brow, seemingly unbothered by their captive audience in the front seat. “You’re really going to call me names when you’re the one who ran away and kept my son a secret?”

She bit her lip and turned away from him, determined not to make another request, though she could feel milk trickling from her swollen breasts. She crossed her arms lightly over her chest to hide the fact as the minutes passed, and the nursing pads stopped absorbing the excess milk. It was now trailing down her stomach, and she pressed her shirt against her abdomen in an attempt to catch some of the spill. She was miserable, and she prayed Lucas would wake up soon, because that was like the only way Luka was going to stop and allow her to get any relief.

The pressure was increasing, and tears swam in her eyes as she tried to ignore the discomfort of her overly full breasts. It was a relief when she heard Lucas stirring a few minutes later, and she looked back at him. “Can we pull over now? He’s going to be waking up and needs to eat.”

Still appearing skeptical, Luka didn’t quite look at her, but he instructed the driver to pull off at the next opportunity. There was an exit two miles away, and she was barely fighting back tears by the time they pulled into the parking lot of a truck stop.

“Where are the bottles and formula?”

She glared at Luka as she let her arms fall away to reveal her wet front. “Right here.”

She was vaguely aware of the two men in the front getting out of the vehicle, and she was thankful for their discretion as she fumbled with the car seat straps and removed Lucas. He was starting to wake up now, and he rooted frantically as she lifted up her wet T-shirt and unhooked her soaked nursing bra, allowing the baby to latch on. It was a relief to feel the milk leaving, and she knew she’d soon have to switch him to the other breast to get similar relief.

It was only after she had done so a few minutes later that she gave any thought to Luka in the car with them. She looked up, startled to see his gaze on them, eyes full of wonder, and perhaps something she didn’t want to identify as lust. Abruptly, she realized her other breast was still exposed and tried to cover it the best she could with her sodden T-shirt.

“I’m sorry,” said Luka in a soft voice.

She blinked. “You are? For what?”

“I didn’t believe you were nursing him, and I apologize. You were clearly uncomfortable, and it wasn’t my intention to cause you pain.”

She could have snorted or refused the apology, but she just shrugged it off. It was unexpected, but she didn’t feel like getting into a deep, heartfelt conversation at the moment about the pain they had caused each other. Instead, she asked, “Do you have a shirt or something I can borrow?”

He nodded. “I’ll find something.” With that, he exited his side of the SUV and went around to the back, and the hatch opened a moment later. She didn’t glance in his direction or look behind her to see what he was doing as she finished feeding Lucas. She burped him and then just held him for a moment before her door opened, causing her to cover her exposed breasts as best she could.

Luka thrust in a gray undershirt, and she took it awkwardly. She was trying to figure out how to change her shirt while holding Lucas when Luka solved the problem by reaching over and taking the baby from her arms. She bit her lip as a whirlwind of feelings swept through her.

There was a touch of jealousy at the way Luka cradled Lucas, and the baby didn’t even protest being held by someone new. There was also a strong surge of tenderness at the sight of her son in his father’s arms, which was as it should be under normal circumstances. There was also fear when she recognized the bond forming between them practically in front of her eyes.

She tried to tell herself it was good that Luka would take care of Lucas, especially since she didn’t know what he had planned for her, but she feared losing her son. She couldn’t imagine a worse fate than being ripped from him and shoved into some dark corner to slowly disappear. It would be better for Luka to kill her outright than put her through that. She had a feeling he was going to torture her for her perceived betrayals, and she feared what was coming next.

He was bound to realize he had the perfect weapon to wield against her in the form of the infant in his arms. Once upon a time, she would have been certain he’d never stoop so low as to use a harmless baby is such a way, but that was before she’d seen him shoot Agent Armstrong and learned what he did for a living. Would he understand that making her suffer by removing Lucas from her care would also make Lucas suffer? Would he even care?