Chapter Thirty-one
Chewing her lip in concentration, Gabby reread the article she’d just found and then glanced down at her notes. Strange as this seemed, this could be it. Bizarre yes, but what about her family wasn’t?
She looked up when Jonah opened the front door. “I think I may be on to something.”
Jonah headed over to the table where Gabby was working. They’d gotten into a surprisingly domesticated routine over the last few days. He would cook breakfast, and she would clean up. He would work outside chopping wood or doing the odd yardwork, while she dug into more of the mysterious relationship between Luis and Rudolph Bianchi.
They would spend time together in the afternoon, either playing with Chamo or taking walks around the lake. She found herself telling Jonah more and more of her hopes and dreams. She still didn’t know if her future included a baby. Each morning, she took a pregnancy test, and so far, all had been negative. She was hopeful they would remain that way.
Considering the reason she was here, from whom she was hiding, and the uncertainty of her future, it was an oddly peaceful time for her. She knew she was living in a bubble and that it could burst at any moment, but she was learning to enjoy each day she was given.
Standing beside her, Jonah peered down at the screen. “What’d you find?”
“Luis and Rudolph and their strange connection to one another.”
“Connection?” He sat down beside her. “Like what?”
She gave him a little background information first. “When I first started hosting Luis’s parties, Mr. Bianchi…Rudolph…would attend on occasion. Rudy was the only one who ever came with him. His daughter had died under mysterious circumstances years before. I think Rudy was ten at the time.”
“Mysterious how?”
“The official death announcement said she fell down the stairs and broke her neck, but I remember on the rare times her name was mentioned, there was an uncomfortable silence. After what Rudy did to me, I suspected he had something to do with her death. Maybe pushed her down the stairs.”
“Sounds plausible. His thirst to kill might’ve started at an early age.”
She shivered at the thought. When she had been locked in her bedroom with him, she had thought him to be only a revolting creep. Years later, when she learned he was responsible for the rape and murder of six teenage girls, she realized how very fortunate she’d been. If she hadn’t jumped off the balcony, would he have done the same to her?
“You okay?”
“Yes. Sorry. Just realizing how lucky I was to get away from the monster.”
“Not too many people would see a skull fracture and multiple broken bones as lucky.”
“Compared to being raped and murdered? I survived, and they didn’t.”
Even though she had been sexually assaulted, she still recognized it could have been so much worse.
“After Rudy went to prison, I stopped worrying about him. Didn’t do any research on him or his grandfather. I thought that part of my past was behind me. Luis never mentioned him again.” Her smile was bitter as she added, “Stupid me assumed any future association was out of the question.”
His hand covered hers and squeezed gently. Jonah might not be one for flowery words, but his actions spoke volumes.
Sending him a grateful smile, she continued. “Anyway, I always detected a coldness between Luis and Mr. Bianchi but never knew why.”
She nodded toward her notes. “I think I’ve figured it out. My grandmother, Flora Rossi, was Italian. I don’t know very much about her. She died when I was just a child, and no one spoke of her. But it turns out, she was once engaged to Rudolph Bianchi.”
“But she married your grandfather instead.”
“Yes. Theirs was apparently a whirlwind romance. Within a couple weeks of meeting, Luis and Flora eloped. The Bianchi family was completely humiliated. Even her own family disowned her.”
“I would’ve thought a scandal between prominent families like that would be public knowledge. How did you not know?”
“The things I know about my family are the things I uncovered for myself. I’ve only been told what Luis wanted me to know. Plus, it appears that both families tried to downplay the whole thing. I guess to lessen the embarrassment.
“Anyway, I found an article from a gossip column from years ago. The references are vague, but I’m familiar enough with the people involved to recognize who they’re talking about. The wedding between Rudolph Bianchi and Flora Rossi was supposed to be the event of the season. It was to be held in Altura, the little corner of Italy where the Bianchis summered. The day before the wedding, Luis absconded with my grandmother.”
“That would definitely cause harsh feelings.”
“But then it gets even worse. My father was expected to marry Rudolph Bianchi’s daughter. No formal announcement had been made, but the arrangement was apparently understood. I don’t know how my father felt about that, but when he was in the United States on a business trip, he fell in love with my mother. Another whirlwind romance developed, followed by another elopement.”
“So that was strike two for the Bianchis. The last hope for a union was for you and Rudy to marry.”
“Yes. I don’t know why they didn’t try to force a marriage earlier, before Rudy went to prison. Whatever the reason, I’m grateful. And since Rudy was behind bars, they chose another route.”
Nausea surged up her throat, but she fought it back. She woke each morning with the knowledge that this could be the day she found out she was pregnant. She was late with her monthly flow, but her menstrual period was never reliable. She had been late many times before. Considering the stress she was under, not being late would have been a miracle.
The hand on hers squeezed again. Jonah’s strength and compassion were comforts she had come to rely on. She knew they couldn’t last forever. But she was grateful for them right now. She wasn’t sure she would have gotten through this without him.
“Okay. I get the connection, but why would it be so important for you to bear Bianchi’s great-grandchild?”
“That’s something I still don’t know. Maybe it’s just something Rudolph can hold over Luis. Prick at his pride. But my question is, what’s in it for Luis? I know him well. He wouldn’t have agreed to this unless it benefitted him in some way.”
“I agree. There’s got to be more.” He nodded at the laptop. “Does knowing this much help at all?”
“The more I know, the better-equipped I am. It also helps me to appreciate my mother and father even more. They were trying to take me away from him, and that’s why he killed them. Luis already had plans for me. So yes, knowing this does help. But does it help me understand Luis better? Absolutely not. There’s no way I can understand his sick, twisted thinking.
“I am finding, though, that with each new thing I learn, my hatred grows. I didn’t think I could despise him more than I already did. I was wrong.”
He lifted his hand and trailed his fingers over her face in a soft caress. “You’ve escaped. That’s what you need to focus on.”
She leaned into his hand. For the past couple of days, they had gotten more comfortable touching, being close with each other. She’d had a few more nightmares, and Jonah somehow always knew that. She’d woken several times to find him holding her.
He hadn’t kissed her again. She wanted him to. Wanted him to do more than that…and in a way, that was incredibly freeing, too. She trusted him more than any man she had ever known. Even as hard and physically strong as he was, she knew to her soul that he would never hurt her physically.
He pulled his hand away and stood. “It’s getting late. I’d better get going.”
The moment was lost. She knew exactly what he was going into town for. She had used her last pregnancy kit this morning. She watched as he grabbed his jacket from the peg beside the door.
“You need me to pick up anything else?”
Pretending things were normal was impossible. Acting as if she had nothing more on her mind than starting a new life could not happen yet. A tiny new life could be growing inside her. That she could be pregnant was scary enough. Starting a new life with a newborn was mind-blowingly terrifying. She barely knew how to take care of herself. How was she going to care for an infant, too? She didn’t know the answer. But no matter what happened, she would protect her child.
Some might find her attitude beyond strange, even insane. Opinions of others were not her concern. She had to do what felt right to her. It had taken her years to be comfortable with herself. Her choices were her own. She would do what she had to do, no matter what.
The information she’d been given said it could take up to seventeen days after the procedure before a pregnancy might show. She was already on day twenty-four. Excessive maybe, but she had to be absolutely sure. She had decided she would take the test five more days before she was completely positive she was home free.
“Hey, you okay?”
The concern in his voice reminded her she’d just been staring at him. “I’m fine. And no, I can’t think of anything else. The freezer and fridge are still full.”
“What about more books, movies, puzzles? More chocolate?”
“Yes!”
He smiled at her enthusiasm. “Any special requests?”
“Surprise me.”
“Will do.” The lighthearted moment over, he gave her a hard look. “Don’t go out while I’m gone. Lock the doors. Stay away from the windows. Chamo can sense if anyone’s close by, but keep your gun with you at all times. Anyone, other than me, tries to come through that door, you know what to do.”
“I’ll be fine.”
Apparently satisfied, he backed out the door. “I’ll be back in an hour, maybe less.”
“Drive safely.”
He gave her one more look, and this time, it gave her shivers. There was attraction there, and heat. Before she could do anything more than just stare at him, he turned away. She finally allowed herself to breathe when she heard the door close.
How had Jonah become so important to her? It wasn’t as if he tried to charm her. He was blunt, often to the point of rudeness. Rarely smiled. And if she didn’t engage him in a conversation, she got the feeling he could go days without speaking a word.
But he had been incredibly supportive. Listening when she needed to talk and not giving any kind of opinion on what he thought she should do. Having been surrounded by men all her life who believed their word was law and only their opinions mattered, Jonah Slater was a refreshing change.
It was more than that, though. She knew without a doubt that he would fight to the death to protect her. Not because it was his job, but because Jonah Slater was a born protector.
The kiss they’d shared was still there...the heat still simmering, waiting to be rekindled. With each day, the temperature seemed to rise. Jonah hadn’t made a move to do more. She knew he wanted her. The few times they’d been in bed together, while he was holding her, she had felt his response. The hardness wasn’t something he could hide. He was physically attracted to her, desired her. But he had yet to do anything about that desire.
And she, sadly lacking in experience herself, feared they were at a stalemate. Two people who wanted each other, but until one of them made a move, nothing would happen.
There were a million and one reasons not to get involved with him. It couldn’t last. She knew that. She would soon be gone, with a new name, a new life. One that he couldn’t be part of.
She still didn’t know where she would be living or what she would be doing once she left here. She and Grey had talked over the phone and online about her future. She had some definite ideas about what she wanted, several he had disagreed with, which, oddly enough, was another freeing experience. Being able to disagree with a man and not have it turn into a bitter argument or dire threats was a new and exciting thing to her. Both Grey and Jonah treated her as if they valued her input.
She returned to her favorite place in the house. A padded window box, complete with a fluffy pillow she could lean against and a view of a lovely little birdfeeder Jonah told her he’d built with his own hands. She had spent hours watching a variety of birds and the occasional squirrel enjoy the birdseed Jonah filled it with each day.
Chamo had become her constant companion. It was as if he sensed her uncertainty and wanted to make sure she knew he was there. For as long as she could remember, she had wanted a pet. She had never asked for one, though. Her grandfather and likely her brother, too, would have used it against her. Putting an innocent animal in that kind of position would have been unfair. But now she was free and on to a new life. Chamo was her first pet, but he wouldn’t be her last. As soon as she was settled, she’d see about that.
She glanced down at the notebook in her hand. When she wasn’t researching the Bianchis and Mendozas, drawing, or gazing out the window, daydreaming, she continued to write down plans for the future. And though those would definitely change if she was pregnant, she continued to fill the pages with wishes, dreams, and hopes.
No one could take those away from her. No one.