Chapter 11
Avidya
“What in God’s name were you thinking? Eloping? Secretly?” Julia hissed out angrily. The invisible steam could be seen escaping her ears like water. I had assumed correctly that she wouldn’t be the least bit happy about what Zachariah and I had done. Her anger was only directed at my husband, her hand crossed over her chest. “I can’t believe you’d do such a thing, Zachariah!”
“I can,” Carlos spoke calmly as ever.
“Don’t you dare start!” Julia seethed, shooting a heat filled gaze towards the man. “Your parents will not approve of such a thing!”
“I am not my parents,” Carlos gritted his teeth. “And we won’t make a big deal out it. Both of these two people are adults. They are capable of making their own choices.” His voice was calm, not at all surprised by his wife’s hot fire that was thrown his way.
“I’ll deal with you later,” Julia stated, pointing one lone finger at her husband.
Carlos simply raised an eyebrow at his wife, daring her to do just that.
“Don’t give me that look,” Julia huffed out in one breath.
“Do you two have to do this now?” Zachariah said with a mix of amusement and disgust at the same time. Carlos only smirked, but otherwise didn’t move. His eyes then wandered to the boy, who stood in the doorway between the living room and kitchen. He kept his head down, but shook as rivers of fear washed over him.
Poor guy, I thought.
Before my brain could catch up, my feet took me towards him in mere seconds. My steps were light and non-threatening. Not there was anything to fear from little ol’ me.
Bending down to his level when I was right in front of him. “Hi there, honey,” I spoke quietly.
His eyes glanced to my own, but for only a second before dropping once more. I could only guess what all he had possibly gone through. Zachariah hadn’t said much of anything about why this boy was in our house, and right now wasn’t the time to draw the answers out.
“Are you hungry?” I asked. When had he had a good meal last? But more importantly, what had happened to him?
He nodded one quick nod before shuffling his feet where he stood.
“Well, then, it’s a good thing that Zachariah took over the cooking,” I smiled. “Because he always makes too much for just me to eat. I need help to eat all the toast and scrambled eggs. Do you think you can do that?”
This close to him, I could see the fading bruise on his tan-colored cheek and the dark rings around his eyes. My heart hurt just thinking of what he’d been through; what he’d suffered at the hands of who knows who.
“I like toast,” he whispered, his voice soft.
“Great!” I said, my voice soft, but still cheerful.
I had experience with working with children of all ages, therefore I knew how to handle skittish children. Given, I hadn’t worked with children for a number of months now.
Cody was certainly trying to control my life one step at a time, and I hadn’t even realized before it was too late. Good thing he had no say any longer about anything. Not when it came to how I wanted to live my life now.
Even Zachariah, in his more domineering nature, wasn’t controlling. My husband only wanted me to show him respect, and I was doing that, and more.
I stood up, holding out my hand. With a small, shaking one, Toby laid his small hand in my own. I gave him a beaming smile in approval.
“What do you plan to do with him?” I heard Julia whisper towards to the two men as I led Toby towards the island where Zachariah placed a plate of food and a cup of milk for him.
“Find out what happened, first,” Carlos said. “Then return him to his parents.”
“They’re dead,” Toby muttered, shoving his emotions down. I could see that he fought to keep a tight hold on his sadness, his hurt.
“Eat. Then you can answer their questions, okay?” I said, motioning to the food in front of him.
“You won’t take it away?” he asked, cocking his head to the side.
“Nope,” I said with a shake of my head. “No one here will do that.”
Toby glanced at both men before slowly taking the fork and beginning to eat. It was clear as day that he didn’t trust Carlos or Zachariah, and if I was in his shoes, I wouldn’t either. I had been there to some extent.
I took my own plate from my husband as he handed it to me, a small smile on his face. I knew him well enough to know that he was thinking. Thinking about something that he wouldn’t willingly share with me.
“Are you pregnant? Is that why you two eloped?” Julia asked, causing me to nearly choke on the bite of eggs I had just put into my mouth.
“No,” Zachariah answered, his look dark at just the thought of it. His eyes slitted, his voice low. The kind of voice that told anyone that feared this man to drop the subject. Right then and there.
But Julia was his mother, and apparently didn’t fear a man that could kill anyone in an instant.
“You sure?” Julia asked, still pressing. “You two have been living together for long enough for it to happen.”
“Julia,” Carlos warned.
Of course, I blushed a deep red. Just because we lived together and slept in the same bed, didn’t mean that Zachariah and I had had sex. We hadn’t until the day of our wedding. I may have been a virgin, but I knew damn well that Zachariah was not.
And surprisingly, I wasn’t upset at that fact. I was okay with it, knowing he had been with other women before me. I didn’t fancy wanting to know how many, or even how, for that matter. Some things were truly better left unknown.
“I know he’s not a virgin,” Julia huffed out with an eye roll. She must be able to read my mind as easily as my reactions.
“Honey, the world knows that,” Carlos said. “Now I’d advise you to drop the subject.”
“Fine,” Julia said. She must have seen something in his look that made her shut her mouth.
Looking to meet Zachariah’s eyes, I saw his look. A look that said he’d explain later, and that I may not want to know at the same time. Now, I was curious.
Toby must have been starving, as his plate was completely empty and almost sparkling clean when I looked at him once more.
“When was the last time you ate?” Carlos asked the boy.
Toby shrugged, keeping his eyes anywhere but on the men.
“Can you tell me?” I asked him.
“I can’t remember,” he whispered with a tear-filled voice.
I gave him a forced smile before asking Zachariah for another piece of toast.
“Just don’t eat too fast, okay? Don’t want you to get sick,” I said, setting the plate back down in front of him.
“Thank you,” he said, his brown eyes meeting mine. Behind the depths of them, I could see the pain and fear.
“I have a few questions for you, Toby. Do you think you could answer them for me?” Carlos asked after the boy finished off the second piece of toast.
Toby jumped at Carlos addressing him, but he only glanced up at me as I still sat beside him.
“Avidya can stay with you,” Carlos was quick to say.
“Okay,” Toby whispered, his shoulders slumping inward.
“What all do you need? Information-wise?” I asked. Would he even tell me?
“Just basic info,” Zachariah answered. “Nothing too stressing. It’ll help us track down where he came from, at least.”
I was afraid to ask about what would become of this young boy. He didn’t deserve to be in this type of life.
“How about we go sit in the living room?” Julia asked Toby.
Toby nodded his head, hopping down from the seat. At least he seemed to be healthy, for the most part. Zachariah came around the counter, cupping my face in his hands. He stared at my eyes, looking deep into my soul.
“Nothing bad will happen to him. It’s part of our way of life to help children who are just like Toby,” he stated sincerely. “We don’t approve of child trafficking as a means of income, no matter the reasons. We’ll make sure he gets a nice home after we get our answers. We have to figure out how Toby got pulled into all this.”
“But taking women is perfectly fine?” I asked, my voice barely audible. Where the heck did that thought come from?
“You know why you got brought in,” Zachariah stated without a blink. “All of those women that work for me in that place had nowhere else to go; you know that.” He then moved his face inward, his lips brushing mine. His voice came out soft and promising. “Let’s get this over with so I can get you back in bed, naked.”
Of course, just the way he spoke went straight to my core and I forgot about what he did. Almost.
He was Zachariah, a mobster. A man I was desperately in love with.