Because I didn’t have one hundred thousand dollars yet.
“Have you thought about our little chat?” Ben asked.
“I have. But I’m not sure I can trust your word,” I said.
“I don’t really think you have a choice,” he said.
“There’s always a choice. How do I know you’ll go away if I pay you the money you tell me you’re owed?”
“I guess it simply depends on how much the health of your family means to you.”
What did that even mean? The health of my family? Holy shit, was Anna in trouble? Had Bryan somehow gotten into the middle of this? He couldn’t possibly mean my parents back in Phoenix, could he?
Was he tracking me that deeply?
“All I want is what my family is owed,” Ben said. “We’ve gone through a great deal of loss and heartache over the money you owe us.”
“You mean the money she owed you,” I said.
“And now, it’s the money you owe us,” he said.
“I don’t have your money for you yet.”
“Well, at least you’ve decided to pay us. That’s a smart move. Wouldn’t want anyone else ending up hurt because of your poor choices.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
I watched his eyes glance over at a picture of John, and my stomach rolled. I bent over and vomited into the trash can at my feet, feeling my lunch choke me half to death. I panted and moaned as involuntary tears ricocheted down my cheeks. I spat out chunks into the trash can before I wiped my mouth on the back of my arm.
But when I rose up to find the man in my gallery again, he was right in my face.
“Holy shit!”
“I’ll be back on the third of July, and you better have my money. If not, someone will have to get hurt. I think you think I’m playing around, and I won’t have that kind of reputation looming over this decision,” Ben said.
My jaw was trembling as more tears crested my eyes.
“I would hate to see you become a single mother so soon in your life,” Ben said. “But I would also hate for you to be a mother that doesn’t wake up with your child.”
“If you lay a fucking finger on my child, I swear to the hea-”
“Shh,” Ben said. “No need for such strong language. One hundred thousand dollars is all it takes to clear up this little misunderstanding.”
He smiled at me with his rotting teeth, and his breath almost knocked me over. He pushed himself off my register counter and backtracked for the door, keeping his eyes trained on me. Tears were streaming down my face as my hands shook. I could feel my legs giving out from under me as I searched for my stool. My vision was blurring, and I could feel my face growing paler by the second. Ben started laughing as he finally exited my art gallery, leaving me an emotional mess as his threat loomed over my head.
He was going to hurt us if I didn’t get him his money. And something in the pit of my gut knew he wouldn’t stop at just Bryan or myself.
It wasn’t like I had that kind of money lying around. At least, not that kind of money that Bryan wouldn’t notice was gone. My stomach was still heaving even though there was nothing to bring back up. I put my face in my hands and sobbed, trying to figure out how in the world I was going to come up with that kind of money so quickly. I couldn’t drain any of the accounts because Bryan would know, but if I tapped into any of our investments, the surcharge alone for withdrawing that money would raise red flags with Bryan as well. I leaned back against the wall as my child rolled around in my stomach, using my bladder as a punching bag as I took deep breaths.
But then an idea came charging into my mind, an idea that broke a part of me that had always stood strong. There was only one way I could get that money without throwing immediate flags. There was only one way I could get that kind of money so soon without dragging Bryan into all this drama.
Holy hell, that man had been through enough.
I reached for my purse and dug out my cell phone. I toggled through my contacts as I wiped at my face. I cleared my throat as I dialed Ramon’s number, hoping he would pick up when he saw it was me calling.
But my nausea didn’t fade when he picked up the phone.
“Mrs. Hailey McBride. I was wondering when I would hear from you. How are you, darling?”
His smooth accent rolled over my ears, and I grimaced at what I was about to do.
“Hey there, Ramon,” I said.
“Hailey? You sound sick. Is something wrong?” he asked.
“Nothing’s wrong. Just some fun morning sickness that apparently hasn’t died down yet. Listen, I have a proposition for you.”
“Please tell me you have decided to do another art tour,” he said.
“Maybe after I can give birth and raise my child a bit,” I said. “I was actually calling about John’s twin paintings.”
“Oh? What about them?” he asked.
I felt tears rise to my eyes as I swallowed the bile rising up my throat.
“Are you still interested in purchasing them?”
Chapter 15
Bryan
As I drove myself out to the house, my mind ventured back to Hailey. The sun was shining bright, and I knew things were almost ready for the furniture I was going to purchase, but something wasn’t right. Hailey had been working unusually late. She would lock herself away in her art studio at the house, and she would only emerge if she was hungry or needed some more paint. If I entered a room, she would exit a few minutes later, and I found that she didn’t return. I knew she had a great deal going on, what with hiring someone to help run the gallery and the looming idea of childbirth, but I felt like there was something else going on.
And I was tired of sitting in a home with her and still feeling alone.
I drove out to the house and saw Foreman Jack standing outside. Birds were chirping, and I could smell the ocean as it fluttered over the trees. Everyone was piling out of the house to greet me as I hopped out of my truck, and Jack came over to personally shake my hand.
“Let me show you around,” Jack said.
“Is it finished?”
“Just let me give you the grand tour,” he said.
He ushered me into the house, and I could smell the freshly dried paint on the walls. The hardwood floor underneath my feet was pristine, and it accented the walls perfectly. The house was so open and full of life. Sunlight filtered through the windows, illuminating every corner of the house. There wasn’t an area downstairs that wasn’t somehow bathed in sunlight, and as Jack showed me around, I had to choke back tears.
Our new family home was done.
My surprise for Hailey was almost finished.
“The staircase is what separates the living room from the dining room. It has storage underneath and the kitchen looks out into the backyard. There are french double doors you can throw open to the patio, but the upstairs is my favorite,” Jack said.
We walked up the stairs, and the carpet was plush underneath my feet. My toes sank into the soft warmth of the light blue carpet as the staircase morphed into a hallway. One hallway went straight while two smaller hallways shot off to the left and the right, and I smiled as Jack began throwing open doors. Each bedroom had its own bathroom along with its own walk-in closet. He led me down the main hallway upstairs and kept throwing open doors, showing me the master bedroom and the fully-stocked bathroom they had installed.
I was in awe of how the house had turned out.
“But this is where I think Hailey will be spending most of her time,” Jack said.
He led me all the way down the hallway to a door at the very end. He threw it open, and I allowed the scent of the fresh coat of paint to hit my nostrils before I allowed my eyes to take in the sight of the room.
It was Hailey’s art studio, and it was perfect.
There were windows on every wall, so she had a view no matter where she went. It spanned the width of the house and had multiple built-in storage units with doors and shelves. There were two french double doors that opened up to a small balcony, and the view overlooked the forest that sat on three sides of the house.
“It’s the best view in the house. Just like you asked,” Jack said.
I was speechless, and I knew Hailey would be too. Everything about this place was perfect. I threw my arm around Jack and started laughing and then clapped him on the back with my palms. Even though I had designed it, laid it out, and drew up the plans, it was still better than I could’ve ever imagined.
“Thank you, my friend. Thank you so much,” I said.
“I’m glad you like it,” Jack said. “There’s a catch, though.”
“What’s that?” I asked.
“We just laid the hardwood floors late last night, so they’ll need another day or so to set. Don’t bring Hailey and start running around on the floors yet. And if you’ve got any furniture deliveries coming, try to postpone them.”
“I haven’t scheduled any deliveries yet. Don’t worry. I’m not going to ruin this wonderful work of yours,” I said.
“That’s all I ask,” he said, grinning.
“Holy shit, this place looks phenomenal.”
“You ready for that little one?” he asked.
Just the mention of the baby sank my heart a little bit. I was ready, but talking about the baby reminded me of Hailey, which reminded me of her current disposition. Which reminded me that I had an entire pile of bullshit to wade through when I got home.