Finders Keepers (Syndicate Book 1) Page 12

I loved Jensen, more than anything. But I was an adult. I could make that choice for myself. A child couldn’t. And if Jensen’s enemies were willing to use me in order to get to him, which, so far, they have proven they would, who’s to say that they wouldn’t also use an innocent baby? What about what happened to Rosario’s son, Luis? Could I raise a child with a man who values money more than a child’s life? On top of all of that, I felt conflicted about falling in love with a man who had proven himself to be devoted to me at the same time seemingly callous to others. Was he really who I thought he was. If he was who I thought he was, was I just being a bitch for doubting him?

  I felt like pulling my hair out. I was going ‘round and ‘round in circles, and I still had no answers. Before I could make any sort of plan or decisions, I need to know for sure. First order of business was to somehow get my hands on a pregnancy test without Jensen finding out. Sneaking out of the house might prove difficult. But I was a thief procurer of antiquities. If anyone could be stealthy, it was me.

  Plan A: hide in plain sight. I headed downstairs, and as I got to the front door, I casually yelled out, “I’m going to the store!” As I opened the door, Jensen’s head popped out of his office.

  “Don’t you dare walk out that door without an armed guard!” he yelled back.

  Uh, no. “I don’t need an armed guard! I’m just running to the store. I’ll be back in twenty minutes.”

  “You’re not going anywhere by yourself, pixie, and that is non-negotiable,” he declared.

  “Fine. I’ll take Sarah with me,” I replied.

  “You can take Sarah AND an armed guard,” he retorted.

  I was just about to bail on Plan A when I heard Sarah say, “That’s a good idea, Mr. Holm. We will take a guard.”

  I gave Sarah a look that essentially said, ‘Have you lost your ever-loving mind? I can’t have one of his men see me buying a pregnancy test!’ But she gave me a look back that said, ‘Don’t worry, I got this. Just play along.’ So, I did. Sarah managed to wrangle Jason into being our armed escort, which was really a genius move on her part, whether it was intentional or not, because I could do what I needed to do while Jason was distracted making goo-goo eyes at Sarah. At least, that’s what I hoped for, anyway.

  Jason insisted on driving, so I directed him to go to the nearest drug store. He’s under the impression that I’m in need of tampons, so he won’t ask too many questions. Grabbing a basket and heading directly for the feminine hygiene products, I glance over my shoulder to make sure Jason isn’t watching me. He was busy casing the store for potential threats, because he takes his job way too seriously, but I’m able to take advantage of that by sliding a pregnancy test two-pack into my basket and throwing an economy size box of tampons on top of it. Once I was at the register, I noticed Jason watching me, so I shot a look to Sarah and hoped she takes the hint. And, boy, does she ever. Just as the cashier was about to ring up the pregnancy tests, Sarah threw herself at Jason and planted a huge kiss on him. By the time they pulled apart, I was halfway to the SUV with my bag and a giant smile on my face.

  Chapter 25

  Charlotte

  Phase one was complete, and it was official. Pregnant. I waited for the panic to set in, but all I felt was calm confidence, which was not what I was expecting. I had it all planned. I was going to see that plus sign and I was going to proceed to freak the fuck out. Now, all I can think about is how I’m excited to tell Jensen that he’s going to be a father. Chace is going to be an uncle. Oh, sweet Jesus, I’m going to be a mother. Who thought that was a good plan?! Okay, minor freak out. It’s okay. I’m okay.

  “Charlotte,” Sarah called softly with a light rap on the door. “Are you okay, chica?”

  I cleared my throat. “Um, yeah, I think so.” Moving from the edge of the tub, where I’d been sitting, I moved to the door to let Sarah in. She took one look at my face, and she knew.

  “Oh, chica,” she said as she wrapped me in a firm hug. “I am happy for you. This is great news!”

  I wasn’t entirely sure about that, so I didn’t say anything. Just kept my eyes on the floor.

  Somehow sensing what I was thinking, in that creepy sixth sense way that she always does, Sarah said, “You have to tell Mr. Holm. Talk to him,” she said sternly, but also gently.

  “I know,” I said. I would tell him about the baby, but not until I got some answers of my own.

  I found Jensen in his office, where he always was these days. I watched him from the doorway, and noted his scruffy jaw and bloodshot eyes. He obviously wasn’t sleeping well. I’m sure he must have been eating, but I rarely saw him do it. I watched him put his head in his hands and scrub his face in frustration over something. He was haggard, and here I was about to make it worse. I knocked on the door jamb.

  “Hey, baby, you got a minute?” I asked.

  He looked up, and his eyes sparked when he saw me. “For you, pixie, of course. Come here,” he gestured to his lap.

  I went, but when I got within touching distance, I hesitated. I needed distance for this. Jensen didn’t appreciate my hesitation or my distance. He grabbed my hand and tugged me onto his lap, wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close.

  “What’s on your mind, pixie?”

  “I, um,” I cleared my throat, “I need you to tell me about Rosario’s son,” I spit out, refusing to make eye contact. Instead, I stared down at my wringing hands.

  His body stiffened. “What about him? And why won’t you look at me?”

  I glanced up at him, but only briefly. I wasn’t sure that I could do this if I had to face him. “Is it your fault he died?” I asked quietly.

  His arms suddenly loosened from around me, and he urged me to stand up. “Yes.” He turned back to his desk and started shuffling papers, seemingly trying to dismiss me.

  “Tell me what happened, Jensen. I need to know,” I pleaded.

  “Why?” he asked, looking at me again. “You want to hear proof of what a monster I am? You want to hear about how a young boy lost his life because of my unethical business practices? Are you looking for a reason to hate me, Charlotte?”

  “Don’t!” I cried. “Don’t call me Charlotte,” I begged.

  He looked at me, confused.

  “Trust me, Jensen, it’s extremely important that I hear your side of the story. Especially now,” I finished softly.

  “Why do you say that?” he asked, head cocked to one side as he looked me over.

  “Just please tell me!”

  He worked his jaw and then nodded once. “You already know that I charge a protection fee to those I help get into the country. Rosario struggled to pay that fee. Her son got sick, and instead of using what little money she had to get him to a doctor, she used it to pay me. The boy died.”

  “There’s more, isn’t there?” I asked, knowing he wasn’t giving me the full story.

  He took a deep breath before elaborating. “She never told me he was sick. I don’t know why. Maybe she was too scared of me. Maybe she thought I wouldn’t give a damn as long as I got my money.” He looked me in the eye. “You know that’s not me. I’m not a good man. Never claimed to be. But I wouldn’t have let a young boy die knowing I could have done something to stop it. Rosario paid her fee and never said a word about young Luis.”

  I studied his face, the pain and shame there, and something clicked in my brain.

  “You hired Rosario out of guilt, didn’t you?”

  He nodded. “It was the least I could do. Put a roof over her head, pay her a healthy wage. Make sure she wouldn’t ever have to go without. I knew it would never come close to making up for the loss of her boy, but it was all I had control over at the time.”

  By the time he finished speaking, I had rushed back at him to plant myself in his lap again. “I’m so sorry, Jensen,” I said, wrapping my arms around his neck. “It wasn’t your fault, you know. Not really. Rosario, as a mother, should have taken responsibility for her boy’s welfare. She should have spoken up. If i
t had been me and my baby, I would have begged, borrowed, and stolen to make sure he had the care that he needed. Whatever it took. Anything. That’s what parents do.”

  He shook his head as though he were about to disagree with me.

  “No, Jensen, I mean it. It wasn’t your fault. And it wasn’t your fault she came after me, either, so don’t even go there,” I admonished.

  “You’re very bossy today, pixie. Do you need the sass fucked out of you?” he asked as his hands slid down to grab my ass.

  “Don’t distract me, mister. We’re not done talking.”

  He heaved a sigh and sat back in his chair. “Alright, sweetheart, what else is there?”

  I panicked.

  “What’s wrong?” Jensen was suddenly on high alert.

  “Nothing. Nothing’s wrong, I just…”

  Cradling my face in his hands, he implored, “Whatever it is, sweetheart, you can tell me.”

  “I’m pregnant,” I blurted. Yep. Just threw it out there. No preamble, no warm up.

  Jensen looked at me in shock for a long moment and then the biggest shit-eating grin I have ever seen in my life spread across his face. Holy shit, he was happy! I hadn’t even realized just how much I was worried about what his reaction would be. I was so wrapped up in all the other stuff like what happened to Rosario’s son and the threats against us, I never really considered the possibility that Jensen might not want this baby. A weight I didn’t realize I was carrying was lifted.

  “You’re having my baby?” he asked softly. “My pixie’s having my baby,” he said with wonder.

  I nodded, getting all misty eyed. He kissed me thoroughly before ordering me to stand up. Shoving my pants down, he turned me away from him, bent me over the desk and fucked me silly.

  Chapter 26

  Jensen

  I was on cloud fucking nine. My woman was having my baby. I had never considered having children of my own. I didn’t think I had much to offer. My own parents weren’t exactly ideal role models. I want to beat my chest with the primordial pride I felt at getting my woman knocked up. Shit, I never knew it could feel this good. It altered my perspective. There were things I needed to do now. My priorities weren’t necessarily changing. Charlotte was still first. But I needed to reevaluate everything else in my life.

  I still had threats that needed to be eliminated. I had businesses that needed to either be restructured or sold off. There were connections with other powerful players that needed to be made. So many things to do. But I was going to start with calling Chace.

  Charlotte

  Jensen accompanied me to my first prenatal appointment. I was between four and five weeks along, but not far enough along that the doctor could tell us anything other than it looked to be a healthy pregnancy so far. So far. I had a feeling I was going to be an anxious wreck until the baby was here and in my arms.

  Once we were back home, Sarah commandeered me. Ever since the big pregnancy reveal, she’s been on me like a mother hen. Making sure I eat, making sure I rest, giving me all sorts of advice that she’s apparently getting from pregnancy and parenting magazines. She’s a force, and I wouldn’t dare defy her.

  Today’s kick appears to be breastfeeding versus bottle feeding. She also wants to talk about decorating the nursery.

  “Sarah, we can’t decorate the nursery until we know the gender,” I said.

  “You want to find out the gender? Don’t you want to be surprised?”

  “I think I’ve had enough surprises, thank you very much,” I muttered.

  She smirked. “Fair enough, chica.”

  Later that evening, in our bedroom, I stood in front of the window gazing out over the property. I could barely make out the shadowed men who patrolled the property moving back and forth along the perimeter. Jensen moved in behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist so his palms splayed across my belly.

  “You know,” he paused to plant a quick kiss on the top of my head, “I’ve always been known as the man who collected rare and beautiful things. I have an entire collection of rare artifacts, precious jewels, and priceless art.” He gently turned me around in his arms, so we were facing each other. “I haven’t even stepped foot in that library, not once, since you came crashing into my life that night. You, pixie, are the most valuable thing in my life. The most rare, the most precious, and the most priceless.”

  Tears welled in my eyes at his heartfelt words, and I reached up to stroke his jaw. “I love you so much, Jensen Holm. You are my everything.”

  His hand suddenly appeared in front of my face, and it was holding the most exquisite Art Deco style diamond ring. A large, round cut center stone surrounded by smaller emeralds set in platinum. I couldn’t help the tiny gasp that escaped me .

  “Marry me,” he demanded. Not asked. Demanded.

  I smiled because that was so very typical of him. “If you insist,” was my sassy reply.

  “Actually, I do.

  If I thought Sarah was becoming a holy terror with the baby planning, throwing wedding planning into the mix sent her right over the edge. It had been about a month since Jensen decided we were getting married, and Sarah and I had dived right into planning because, while I had wanted to wait until after the baby was born, Jensen was adamant that I legally be his as soon as possible.

  Jensen had also wanted to hire a wedding planner in order to take some of the pressure off me, but Sarah nearly cried at the suggestion, so I nipped it in the bud. We had decided to keep it small for a couple of reasons. One, I didn’t have a whole lot of people I would have invited, anyway. My parents and Chace essentially made up my guest list. And two, Jensen was still concerned about potential threats, and the bigger the event, the more of a security risk it became. So, we decided to keep it rather intimate.

  Being reminded of Chace sent a stab of pain straight to my heart. He still hadn’t returned from whatever job Jensen had him on. He didn’t know he was going to become an uncle or gain a brother-in-law. The only thing keeping me from completely losing my mind over it was that Jensen seemed to be in regular contact with him and assured me daily that everything was fine and that Chace, wherever he was, was safe.

  At the end of next week, in the garden of the estate, I would become Mrs. Jensen Holm. My parents were going to be here, and Jensen promised me he’d have Chace back home by then. Sarah was going to stand up with me, and I was going to be wearing a fabulous designer gown and holding a bouquet of pale pink peonies. We would promise to love and cherish each other and our baby in front of the people who mattered most. It was going to be perfect.

  Chapter 27

  Charlotte

  I was right; it was perfect. The afternoon ceremony went off without a hitch thanks to Sarah’s obsessive planning. Jensen held me in his arms as we gently swayed to the sounds of The Righteous Brothers’ “Unchained Melody,” and I began to replay the day in my mind.

  Jensen woke me up early this morning by granting me with some five o’clock shadow burn on my inner thighs. Pretty sure he does shit like that intentionally as just another way to mark me, but I really don’t mind. He could wake me up that way every morning for the next fifty years, and I’m pretty sure it would never get old. Sarah prepared a huge breakfast feast for us, including my parents and Chace, who had made it home the night before.

  During breakfast, my parents and Jensen got to know each other a little better. It’s safe to say my parents were intimidated by Jensen at first, based on his reputation, but he was warm and welcoming toward them, and it went a long way toward making them feel comfortable. Plus, my parents weren’t stupid. They knew that this new connection to Jensen would afford them some extra protection in the family business. I couldn’t fault them for wanting to take advantage of that. It was a dangerous world out there.

  When we had a private moment, I tried to cajole Chace into spilling the beans about this mysterious job Jensen had him on, but he wouldn’t tell me anything other than it wasn’t dangerous and it was mostly recon.
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br />   “Recon? So, he’s got you casing a place?”

  “Not exactly,” was Chace’s incredibly uninformative reply.

  While the caterers and musicians were setting up, Sarah and I headed upstairs for hair and makeup, and I gave Sarah her Maid of Honor gift, a week in Barcelona. Okay, so Jensen paid for it, but it was totally my idea, and I was taking all the credit. I also gifted her with an emerald pendant and matching diamond and emerald tennis bracelet to match her kelly green bridesmaid dress.

  My own dress was a v-neck ivory sheath style with a lace overlay on champagne silk. In addition to my engagement ring, I wore modestly-sized diamond and emerald studs, fashioned in the same Art Deco design as my engagement ring, in my ears. Much to Sarah’s dismay, I opted to go barefoot. My hair was in it’s usual pixie-cut style, and my makeup was light.