Billionaire’s Missing Baby Read online

  “Man, you got one weird family,” Maggie snickered.

  Adam glanced at Theresa and their daughter, who were still cuddling and getting to know each other on a nearby couch. One eyebrow raised as he thought about how their baby had come into being.

  “That I do,” he said.

  “Don’t you want to hold your daughter, too?” Maggie asked him.

  “Of course I do,” he grinned. “But I don’t think she’d give her to me just yet, do you?”

  ***

  “It definitely sounds like the same guy I talked to,” Chris told Geraldo grimly. “Listen up, I think you’d better make yourself scarce for a while. I’ll call in some local shields, and we’ll set up in Maggie’s room and wait for them to show.”

  “Isn’t there some way you can keep them out to begin with?” the apartment manager asked with a sigh. “If they come in here, they’re gonna start shooting up the place, I just know it.”

  “Well, I think the main concern is that they don’t get their hands on you,” Chris pointed out. “These guys are hardcore. They’ve left a trail of bodies a mile wide, but nobody has been able to convict them because they’re tied in with the mob. You don’t want to mess with these guys, okay?”

  “And this James guy?” asked Geraldo. “He been messing with them?”

  “Oh yeah, he’s been messing with them big time,” Chris replied. “And if I had my way, I’d fuck the guy up and hand him over to them on a silver platter for all the things he’s done.”

  “I think you’re right,” Geraldo said nervously. “I think I need to take a trip to the bank. Last thing I want is those guys to show up and find out I got this kind of cash in my pocket. You go on up and do whatever you like with Maggie’s place. I already got enough to fix it up again.”

  A few hours later, true to their word, the thugs who had been there earlier returned. They did not find the tenants they were looking for, but found several guns trained in their faces instead.

  “I think there has been a misunderstanding here,” said the man Chris knew as Juan as he held his hands up high. “We’ve come here by invitation, sir. Our associate, James Costanza, has asked us to come and retrieve his niece from the very nice woman who had been caring for her. All on the up and up, I can assure you.”

  “Oh, really?” Chris asked him. “And that’s why you boys broke down this door?”

  “Officers, we are willing to come quietly down to the station to discuss this situation,” added his friend. “We were given to understand the woman expected us, and we broke down the door because we believed she and the baby might be in danger. After all, the leader of the Costanza family is not the type to want a child like this one around.”

  “So you were just here on a mission of mercy, right?” Chris scoffed at their lies. “Go ahead, boys, I have no use for these two. Get them out of my sight.”

  Geraldo had returned to his office around the same time the cops were taking the two men outside. “Oh, hey, I see you two found the rest of your crew. You ready to serve that warrant now?”

  “I’m not going to forget about this, so you know,” Juan told him in a low growl. “Once I’m done clearing my good name, I’ll be back to have a little chat with you.”

  “Look here, I run a clean place,” Geraldo fired back angrily. “I don’t need people like you comin’ in here. You and me, we’re both just tryin’ to make a living, you know? You broke my door, I told you to go. That’s all. Don’t need to be no hard feelings.”

  “You keep thinking that,” George sneered.

  As soon as the two men had left, Geraldo sighed. As Chris came back down the stairs he saw him pulling a sign out of one of the desk drawers. It read ‘For Sale.’

  “What’s that about?” he wanted to know.

  “That’s about me savin’ my own skin,” Geraldo replied. “I don’t intend to be here when they let those two out. That thousand dollars could fix my door, or it could save my life. I think I gonna buy the first plane ticket up out of here. I’ll let my brother Chico handle the details. He’s in real estate.”

  “Where will you go?” Chris asked him curiously.

  “I’m not sure yet,” he shrugged. “I think it’s better if nobody knows.”

  The cell in Chris’ shirt pocket rang and he answered it. It was Adam.

  “We’re here with Maggie now, Chris,” Adam told him. “We’ve decided to bring her along with us for now.”

  “Bring her along? Where are you going to go?”

  “Well, we’ve already got a room down in Paradise for a few more days,” he explained. “There’s a ton of evidence just sitting there waiting for us to load it in the car again, so we need to get back down there and deal with that. Then we thought it might be nice to just drive on back down to Los Angeles together and go deal with a few things.”

  “You know what you’re going to say to your dad?”

  “Not yet,” Adam sighed. “I think we still need to look for James. But at least the baby is safe.”

  “I hear you, my friend,” Chris said. “I’ll keep looking and check in with you tomorrow.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Adam had insisted on purchasing the safest, most expensive car seat available at the local baby supply store. While he was at it, he’d also ordered a top-of-the-line nursery set to be delivered to Theresa’s door within the next three days. Theresa had even gave Iris a call to have her keep an eye out for it if she wasn’t home by then.

  “So, you’ve got the baby?” Iris asked excitedly.

  “Yes, she’s right here,” Theresa replied with a happy sigh. “But I’ll have to tell you all about it once I get home, okay?”

  “Sure, honey. I’ll be counting the days.”

  As they drove south that afternoon and on into the evening, the three adults told each other all about what had happened over the past few months, sharing their different experiences. Maggie admitted tearfully that James had convinced her they’d become a couple. Now she knew that, too, had been nothing but a lie.

  “I honestly don’t know what to do now, to tell the truth,” she sighed. “I’d like to keep on nursing, but I know they’re not gonna take me back at the hospice.”

  “What about infant care?” Theresa asked sympathetically. “You’ve done a great job of caring for Annie.”

  “I don’t know,” she shrugged. “It’s gonna be tough, saying goodbye to such a wonderful baby.”

  “Maybe you won’t have to,” Theresa said with a smile. “Not for a while, anyway.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Your home and mine are just a stone’s throw away, from what I understand,” Theresa explained. “We’re going to need a sitter anyway, right, Adam? I mean, neither one of us wants to quit working. I could just have you come to watch her at my place.”

  “Unless, of course, she’s at mine,” Adam added.

  “Well, yeah, that’s true,” Theresa agreed, feeling a little uncomfortable about his tone. He seemed like he was bothered by something, yet he’d told her their daughter would stay with her, so she couldn’t imagine what his objection might be. Maybe he just didn’t want her to be at her house every single day. That made sense. She decided to forget about the issue until they had time to work everything out.

  They finally pulled in at the little motel around eight. Adam got a room for Maggie, and they decided that, since the baby was used to her and because their own room was so full of papers there was nowhere to put her anyway, they would allow the baby to sleep with her that night. Maggie gratefully brought Annie with her, and Adam and Theresa went back to their stacks from earlier in the day.

  “I can’t believe all that’s happened today,” Theresa sighed as she looked around at the mess they’d made.

  “And I can’t believe you think that nothing has changed,” Adam said with a grumpy frown.

  “What do you mean?” she asked him with a confused frown.

  “I mean, if we’re going to be a couple, I thought
you’d be with me at my place,” he complained. “Most couples do that sort of thing. I’m not saying I expect it to happen right away or anything, but I thought it would have crossed your mind at the very least.”

  “God, Adam, the speed at which your mind works never ceases to amaze me,” she told him with a shake of her head. “Naturally, since we originally discussed keeping the baby at my place and we hadn’t discussed a different plan, the one we already have in place was the one that popped into my head. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

  “I know that,” he sighed, pulling her into his arms. “I guess I’m just feeling emotional.”

  “I think we all are,” she said. “And it sure doesn’t help that we haven’t gotten much sleep, either. I think the best thing for everyone will be to rest up, pack all this stuff into the trunk sometime tomorrow, and head for home. We can figure out the rest of it later. I mean, we still have to do all the paperwork, you know. I mean, the other paperwork. Not this stuff.”

  “Yeah, right,” he smiled.

  “It sure is going to feel weird having to adopt our own kid,” she added with a shake of her head.

  “Come on, let’s go to bed,” Adam said as he tugged her into his arms on the bed. “In a few hours we can check in on Maggie and make sure everything's alright.”

  “You don’t think she’ll try to run off with Annie, right?”

  “Why should she?” he pointed out, then reminded her, “You already told her she can still be in her life.”

  “That’s true,” Theresa sighed, seeming relieved. “Don’t you think it was only right?”

  “After everything they’ve been through together, yeah,” he agreed. “But you know something? That just confirms for me that you have a really big heart. You were willing to forgive me and to forget what happened to you in favor of giving our child all the love she deserves, and I think that’s the thing I like about you most of all.”

  “Oh, you like things about me?” she chuckled. “You want to move in together and become a couple just because you like me, huh?”

  “I mean, are we ready for the ‘L’ word just yet?” he asked. “I wasn’t sure.”

  “What happened to Mr. Confident guy from this morning?” she teased.

  “Well, you know… maybe I just need another infusion,” he said, waggling his eyebrows.

  “Yeah? Well maybe you don’t have another condom in your wallet.”

  “There’s always the vending machine,” he chuckled. “Could just stop by on my way for ice. Pretty convenient, huh?”

  “Yeah, you know what? I think so,” Theresa laughed. “Only what happened to getting some rest, though?”

  “Hey, there’s always tomorrow,” he winked.

  ***

  Despite his teasing, the pair cuddled a bit and then dozed for a couple of hours before Adam finally made good on his plans. He got two buckets of ice and brought one in for Maggie, who thanked him profusely.

  “Yeah, well, you may be thanking me right now, but unless you’re a heavy sleeper, you won’t be much longer,” he joked.

  She chuckled at this. “Now I know why you let me have Annie in here. I see how it is.”

  “You know it,” he said with a smirk.

  When he returned to his room, Theresa was in the bathroom. He set the ice on the table, snuck the bottle of non-alcoholic champagne he’d picked up at the convenience store across from their motel into it, then set out the two plastic flutes all within the two minutes before she came out again… wearing a white satin negligee.

  “Wow, I’m not the only one who found time to be full of surprises,” he grinned as he took her into his arms.

  “I went shopping while you were asleep yesterday,” she confessed.

  “What? I don’t remember that,” he said, racking his brain.

  “Of course you don’t, silly. You were asleep.”

  “Well, I’m sure not asleep right now, gorgeous girl,” he told her appreciatively.

  “So I can see,” she smiled, glancing down at the bulge growing in his pants. “And did you visit anyplace besides the ice machine?”

  “I did, actually,” he replied. “I brought some of that ice to Maggie.”

  She frowned at him. “That was not what I was asking.”

  “I may have,” he said as he deftly untied the bow that held her nightie closed.

  “Naughty boy,” she grinned mischievously.

  “Well, let’s see if these things hold up any better, shall we?”

  Adam picked Theresa up and gently deposited her on the bed. She smiled up at him as he climbed up her body, inch by inch, leaving little kisses along the way. When he reached her mouth, he fit his body snugly to hers. Theresa sighed contentedly and her hands began to roam. Neither of them seemed to want much foreplay; they were too ready to have each other again. This time, Theresa rolled Adam’s condom on, then pressed him down on the bed and mounted him.

  She liked it up there, where she could watch his eyes glaze over with desire and have her way with him in any way that she pleased. She’d always been a somewhat reserved lover before this, typically allowing the guy take control, but she realized she could get used to being in the driver’s seat at least once in awhile.

  It was clear by the way Adam moved under her that he really liked it, too. His moans became a bit louder than they had the night before, to the point where she was amazed poor Maggie didn’t bang on the wall.

  When they heard Annie begin to cry, Adam decided to tone things down by flipping them over again. That meant, however, that it was now Theresa’s turn to make noise. When they were done, and they realized what their baby must have heard, the pair started giggling and blushing as they laid side by side.

  “God, we’ve scarred our child for life,” Adam joked, grinning.

  “She’s not going to remember,” Theresa laughed with a scoff.

  “Maybe not this time, but if I have my way this will be going on for a very, very long time,” Adam replied with a playful wink.

  “Hmm… really?” Theresa asked sweetly.

  “You bet,” he told her. “But I’d say that’s enough for tonight. I really am beat.”

  “Me, too,” she had to agree.

  And with that, the contented couple drifted off to sleep.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  They got up fairly early and the three adults spent over an hour loading the car with all of the documents before they finally managed to get on the road. Maggie and Theresa took turns sitting in the back with the baby, while Adam complained the whole way that his car really wasn’t all that bad.

  “That’s it,” he said finally. “We’re stopping for dinner and I’m going to cuddle my child the whole time.”

  The women giggled about this as let him have her. Neither one attempted to remind him that Annie was in need of a fresh diaper until he figured it out himself. Adam didn’t even bat an eye about it, which spoiled all their fun.

  However, Los Angeles wasn’t far away, and they all knew that once they got there, they were going to have to confront John with the truth about what James had done. The reality of that had Adam worried during the last stretch of road.

  “I don’t think Dad’s going to be awake at three in the morning,” Adam commented dryly. “What do you two think of resting up at my place for a few hours before dealing with all that?”

  “I have no problem with that,” Maggie answered eagerly. “I don’t even want to know what my living room looks like right now, with all the things I’ve been sending to myself.”

  Theresa giggled. “Yeah, and he’s been doing the same thing to my house, too.”

  “Well, I can guarantee that my foyer should be blessedly free of any deliveries,” Adam noted with a chuckle. “And even if it had them, there’s still plenty of rooms that are package-free.”

  “You have a big house?” Maggie asked, genuinely curious.

  “It’s my one extravagance,” he admitted unapologetically.

  Adam was a li
ttle nervous as he pulled into his driveway. He wanted Theresa to like the place, but he didn’t want her to know that he wanted her to. After he’d brought up the idea of her moving in and she hadn’t seemed to immediately warm to the idea, he’d decided it would be a good idea not to bring it up again for a while. Still, if she got a look at what she was missing? Well, who knew…

  As they stepped through the front door, with Maggie carrying in the baby while Adam and Theresa each brought in the groceries they’d picked up after reaching town, he and Theresa exchanged a smile that told him she knew what he was thinking about, and that she didn’t mind. He blushed slightly as he led her to the kitchen so they could set their bags down.

  Theresa had seemed slightly impressed with the foyer, and she’d seemed to like the furnishings, but it wasn’t until she caught sight of the kitchen that she really lit up.

  “Wow! Maggie, you’ve got to see this!”

  “What?” Maggie asked, rushing in with a curious look. “Oh, yes, I could so live in this kitchen!”

  “Double ovens in stainless steel, with all the fanciest appliances to match!” Theresa enthused. “My God, Adam, this place makes me want to cook for you!”

  “Hell, I’m wide open to that idea,” he chuckled. Theresa gave him a playful punch in the arm. “Ouch! Baby daddy abuse! Now you’re going to have to make it up to me. When we wake up, I’ll be expecting eggs, and bacon, and toast, too. Since my kitchen seems to appeal to you…”

  “Hmph,” she snorted. “It’ll do. But I’m waiting until I see the bedroom before I tell you this place is nice.”

  “Women,” he grumbled, rolling his eyes. “Say, Maggie, you want to try putting Annie in a cradle tonight?”

  “Why would you have a cradle?” Theresa asked curiously.

  “It’s the one my mother used for me and James,” he shared with a fond smile. “When I moved out, my dad gave it to me. Said he didn’t want the thing cluttering up his attic. His way of saying he’d miss me.”

  Theresa and Maggie both rolled their eyes.