Kimber

He knows. When we went back to bed last night he thought I wouldn’t notice that it was my phone missing from the nightstand and not his. I probably wouldn’t have except I turned mine off. Both phones were on and charging when I came back from feeding Grayson.

He never let on. We slept in each other’s arms until six o’clock this morning when he got up and went to work and I went to make sure Grayson was breathing. He’s never slept that long at night without waking up.

My pulse pounded in my ears when I crept up to his crib to check on him. I found him lying on his back with his hands splayed out above his head on the mattress, sleeping… well, sleeping like a baby. That must be why it’s such a perfect expression, nobody sleeps better than a baby, when they sleep that is.

Worrying about Grayson and going through our morning ritual meant no time with Julián before he left for work. He kissed my cheek and then Grayson’s and left.

My phone alarm goes off at seven o’clock, as if I need an alarm with a six-week-old baby. I unplug it from the charger. My text message with Caleb is still pulled up on the screen but I notice there are a few more entries than I remember. I shut it off but that didn’t stop Caleb from sending texts.

I groan and read through them. Oh God, Julián read these. It wasn’t bad enough that he read the ones I knew about but these… What the hell is wrong with Caleb? How can he even mention that it’s probably too late? There’s no probably about it, our marriage is ancient history.

If I hadn’t met Julián, I might have been weak enough to fall for this shit but not now. I know what real love feels like and I would never go back to the superficial shallow kind of love that my marriage to Caleb was made of.

At least he knows I’m not meeting with him today. That should provide him with some reassurance. But we are going to have to talk about it tonight. We can’t go on keeping secrets to save the other’s feelings. That’s a death sentence for any relationship.

I check on Grayson in his crib and take the video monitor downstairs to the kitchen to make myself something to eat. I think I’ll call Tiana this morning and see if she wants to go running with me. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen her heading out early to run a couple times and it would be nice to have somebody to talk to.

I push down the toaster lever lowering a piece of wheat toast into the slots when the doorbell rings. I freeze with my hands on the counter. I’m not expecting a package or company today. Who’s ringing my bell at this hour?

Shit, I hope it’s not Caleb. I told him I wasn’t meeting with him today but he’s a persistent bastard, it wouldn’t surprise me if he showed up as soon as Julián left.

At least I’m dressed and wearing a lot more than I was yesterday. I never felt so exposed in a linen blouse, short shorts and flip-flops as I did in the grocery store with Caleb yesterday. The baggy denim overalls and cotton T-shirt I have on today are a safer choice.

The bell rings again when my toast pops up. I toss it on a plate and pad through the house to the front door. Our door is solid wood with a peephole instead of the glass paned doors I usually put on homes that I renovate. I have had my eye on one at a local hardware store but with the baby I haven’t gotten around to buying it.

When I look through the peephole I’m glad I can see out and the men on the other side of the door can’t see in.

There are two of them. Both appear to be around my age, both handsome in very different ways and dressed in expensive clothes. Not fancy clothes but good brands that I recognize right away.

The thing that makes me nervous is that I have never seen them before, although, one does look familiar. I’m a woman at home with a baby, it’s seven thirty in the morning and I have two intimidating men on my porch.

One of them, the one who looks familiar is swaying back and forth with his hands in his pockets nervously. The other is staring off to the side toward the street looking bored.

The nervous one reaches to ring the bell again for the third time and I know there is no ignoring them. I either have to answer the door or say something through it.

“Hello?” I say cringing with my cheek pressed against the door. I do not want to talk to these guys. Please God, let them be vacuum salesmen or something so I can tell them no thanks and go back to my toast.

“Kimber?”

Shit, they know my name.

“Who’s there?”

“We’re Julián’s brothers. We were in town, heard you two were getting hitched and that you had a baby. We wanted to stop by and congratulate ya’ll.”

Julian’s brothers, what the hell? I knew he had siblings but that’s about it. He has always been oddly vague about his family. He says they don’t get along and he doesn’t speak to them, or at least I didn’t think so. But somehow they know about the wedding and our baby.

I don’t even know his parent’s names. He told me when we met that he doesn’t have anything in common with anyone in his family. He says their morals clash. I never pressed him because Julián’s morals are pretty amazing and I figured if his were so different from theirs they must not be good people.

I don’t want these men to know I’m alone. I got a bad vibe after one glance through a peephole and I’m pretty good at reading people, I trust my gut.

I also don’t want to let on that I have no idea who they are. They know a lot more about me than I know about them. I don’t like being at such a disadvantage.

“Well, hey there, guys, it’s nice to finally meet you. It’s a little early, though, I’m busy with the baby maybe you could come by later on this afternoon?” I say in my best friendly girl-next-door voice.

I peer though the hole to see how they react. The talker looks at the other man with raised eyebrows. A shiver runs up my spine and I wonder if the back door is locked, and also the windows. Shit, why didn’t I listen to Julián?

“We’re flying out in a couple of hours, sis. We won’t have time to come back. Sure would like to meet you before we go, though.”

The one doing all the talking looks at the quiet one and he nods his head with approval. He likes that excuse.

I tiptoe as fast as I can back down the hall into the kitchen and make sure the back door is locked, it is. On the way back, I check the windows and lock two of the four.

It only takes me a few seconds but my lack of response doesn’t go unnoticed.

“Kimber? You’re not gonna ignore your new family now, are ya?

I’m panting when I arrive back at the front door. “No, of course not. Let me put the baby down and I’ll be right back.”

They shrug at the same time and one rolls his eyes and takes a seat on the wooden park bench on the porch.

I race upstairs and look in on Grayson. He’s sleeping, good. He’s so tiny and vulnerable, how can I keep him safe if those guys decide to break into the house?

The gun sitting in the safe downstairs flashes through my mind. I don’t even know how to shoot it but they don’t know that. It’s better than nothing.

I slide my phone out of my pocket and text Julián.

7:45 a.m. Me -- Your brothers are here, they’re at the front door and want to meet the baby and me.

Immediately the bubbles under my message begin to ripple as he types his response. He’s just getting to the base, twenty minutes away if he didn’t make any stops.

7:45 a.m. Julián – Do not answer the door. Tell them you’re busy.

7:46 a.m. Me – I did! They said they have to catch a flight this afternoon and can’t wait. I don’t like them. I’m scared.

7:46 a.m. Julián – I’m on my way, just turned around, don’t let them in.

He didn’t reassure me and that makes me very nervous. I wanted him to say go ahead and let them in, they’re harmless, but he didn’t. He told me not to let them in instead and that says a lot.

7:47 a.m. Me – I’ve stalled as long as I can. Grayson is sleeping in his room. I’m getting the gun out of the safe.

7:48 a.m. Julian – Just don’t open the door. I’ll be there soon.

The bell rings again. I snap my head up from the phone and make sure Grayson is still asleep. I can’t let them keep ringing the doorbell, they’re going to wake the baby and I can’t tend to him and ward off his creepy uncles at the same time.

I close the door to the nursery and hurry down the stairs to the coat closet. “Coming, just a second,” I call out while I squat down and punch in the combination.

The gun is lying in the center of the safe between several folders and a stack of money. I didn’t know Julián kept that in here.

I pick up the gun and feel the weight of it in my hand. It’s intimidating, I hate guns they scare the shit out of me but I’m a mother and it’s my job to protect my baby.

There’s a clip of ammunition next to the gun. I’ve never loaded it but I’ve seen Julián do it many times. The doorknob on the front door wiggles and that’s all it takes. I snatch the clip, jam it into the grip of the gun, and tuck it into the baggy pocket of my overalls.

I’ll be lucky not to accidently shoot my toes off but at least that would be a diversion.

I smooth my hair out of my face and try to calm my breathing before I open the door and smile at my future brother in laws.

They take a step back, surprised when open the door.

“I’m so sorry, babies… they have their own schedules, ya know? I’m Kimber,” I say thrusting my hand out to greet them. “Nice to finally meet you both.”

They glance at each other and the quiet familiar one takes my hand first lifting it to his lips and placing a kiss on my knuckles. Inwardly I cringe at the bold inappropriate gesture but I plaster a smile on my face and giggle like a schoolgirl.

“Oh my, Julián never mentioned how charming you boys were.” Mr. Kissy Pants releases my hand and Mouthpiece takes a turn shaking it politely. “So, you’re going to have to tell me your names, there are quite a few of you Garcia’s, aren’t there?”

One thing Julián did tell me, the only thing, was that he was one of six siblings.

“I’m Sebastian,” says the talker. “And this here is Diego.”

Sebastian looks over my shoulder into the living room, “Baby G’s not home?” he asks and I’m not sure if he’s referring to Julián or Grayson.

I choose to play like its Grayson. “Oh, he just went down for a nap, we’ve been up for a little while.”

He laughs and Diego follows awkwardly like he does whatever Sebastian does.

“No, no. I guess I’ll have to start calling him Big Baby G now, huh, Diego? I mean your man, Julián.”

I fiddle with my earring with one hand and press my wrist against the gun in my pocket with the other for reassurance. “Oh, that’s funny. I’ve never heard anyone call him that before. You just missed him, he left for work a few minutes ago,” I lie in hopes that they will leave if they think he is close by.

“Did he now? Well that’s too bad, we were looking forward to telling him goodbye. We saw him a couple days ago and he said he would invite us over but I guess he forgot.” He tilts his head to the side and shrugs and Diego looks away.

“He didn’t mention that but we have both been pretty sleep deprived with the baby and all, it must have slipped his mind.” I smile sweetly but they don’t smile back.

“Why don’t we just cut the shit, Kimber? He never told you we were in town because he didn’t want us to meet you.” His voice is cold and menacing, opposite of the do you want a piece of candy, little girl tone he’s been using with me since I said hello through the door.

“Oh, I’m sure that’s not it, we have been so stressed lately, really he…”

“Stop making excuses for him, it’s weak and pathetic,” Diego says with a sneer. It’s the first time I’ve heard his voice and when I do I realize why he seems familiar. Not only does he look like my fiancé, he sounds exactly like him, too.

Diego is an asshole, though, and Julián is not. I can see why he doesn’t associate with these people. I frown at Diego and wrap my arm around my waist and hold it by the elbow with the other.

“I’ll just get to the point,” Sebastian says.

“Yes, why don’t you do that,” I say with enough sass in my tone that he knows I don’t appreciate being insulted on my own porch.

“We thought you should know what kind of family you’re marrying into. I’ll bet Baby G never told you his parents are on the FBI’s Most Wanted list, did he? Yep, your good ole Semper Fi Marine is the son of the infamous Manuel Jesus Garcia, the leader of the biggest drug distributing and money laundering family in the country.”

I feel all of the blood drain out of my face. I grab ahold of the doorframe and swallow back bile. My fiancé is related to Manuel Garcia? There is something in the news every single night about that family, murders, smuggling drugs across the border inside dead bodies in coffins, human trafficking. The list goes on and on. They are despicable, dangerous horrible people and my husband-to-be is one of them.

“Why are you telling me this?”

“We’re nice guys, Kimber. We thought you should know so you can make a run for it before you’re associated with a dangerous crime family. We have a lot of enemies, ya know? You never know when somebody might use you as bait or decide to kill you and your cute baby for revenge.” Sebastian says and Diego smiles.

“That’s all we wanted, you can thank us later, or not, if you decide to go into hiding.” He laughs so loud I take a step back and Diego jumps forward jerking his hands up when he says, “Boo!”

I jump and my hand slides into my pocket to grip the gun. I don’t take it out but I have it ready if they keep pulling shit like that.

“I think it’s time for you to leave.”

Sebastian stares hard into my eyes before lowering them to my pocket. “Ahh, Diego, little Mama G is packin, isn’t that cute? Maybe she did know about us. You’re gonna fit right in, honey. Tell my brother to bring his new family to Texas for Christmas. Oh, and bring your piece,” he says laughing. They turn and stroll down the driveway to their fancy car and wave when they get in like we are long lost buddies.

I close the door and lock it before they start the engine. I press my back against the wood sliding down to the floor trembling and remove the gun from my pocket and lay it on the floor next to me pointing away just in case.

My fiancé is the son of a crime boss. My sweet, playful, kind Julián is a selfish liar. Grayson and I have been in danger for almost a year. We could have been killed by crazy drug dealing murders.

I can’t catch my breath, my heart is pounding against my ribs and giant tears stream down my cheeks. I squeeze my eyes shut and cry hard and silent, the gut-wrenching kind of cry that comes out as a whisper between gasps for breath. How could he do this to me, to Grayson, to us?

We have to leave. I can’t live with a man who would keep such a secret from me, let alone marry him. My heart feels like a million shards of glass when I drag myself from the floor and climb the stairs to pack.