“Hey, do you mind if we stop somewhere before you drop me off? I promise I won’t be long,” I ask Morgan as I climb onto the passenger seat after leaving her doctor’s appointment.
I’m glad I got to tag along and see those two little shrimps inside her belly. It filled me with a strange feeling that wasn’t necessarily unwelcome. Don’t get me wrong, I’m nowhere close to wanting or being ready for kids just yet, but I now understand the desire for it a little more. It’s a feeling you just can’t experience any other way.
“Not at all, Clay won’t be home for another hour, so I have some free time on my hands.”
She pulls out of the parking lot, and I notice a black sedan backing out of adifferent parking spot seconds later. The same one that was parked across the street from the little café near the penthouse.That must be Marcos and Ricky.
When they go to exit the lot, a grey SUV slows down in front of them, and the driver nods at the black sedan before coming up behind us.And that must be the guy following Morgan.They’re following much closer than I expected them to, but maybe that’s the point, to act natural. I just hope none of the girls picked up on it.
“Where did you want to go?” Morgan asks, pulling me out of my thoughts.
“Um, to the graveyard. I know we were just there yesterday, but I feel like I could really use a little chat with Trinity right now.”
During Morgan’s appointment, I tried to call Noah three times and texted him a handful of messages, but he never answered any. I even called Gabe to see if he got any news from him, and he told me he hadn’t but that he’d try again.
“Of course, sweetie.” Morg smiles before driving us to our next destination.
Twenty minutes later, we arrive at the cemetery, and Morgan parks the car as close to Trinity’s gravesite as possible. “Take all the time you need.” She smiles and squeezes my hand before I open the door and step out.
As I walk over to where Trinity rests, I spot the black sedan once more in the distance, parking right at the entrance of the cemetery. While the grey SUV goes all the way around and parks facing Morgan but farther back to not draw any suspicions. The man even gets out of his car and walks up to a grave, pretending to pay their loved ones a visit.
I focus back on where I’m going and finally reach Trinity’s burial spot where the ground is still fresh from yesterday. But what has me frowning slightly is the single blue flower resting at the foot of the headstone.Could Noah have been here earlier and left it behind?
I kneel down beside the fresh dirt, not caring that it’s most likely getting my thigh-high socks dirty, and pick up the flower. “Hey, Trinny. I know we saw each other just yesterday, but I could really use your advice.” I sigh, delicately gliding the tip of my finger over the soft blue petals. “I’m scared of how quickly Noah is derailing. I’m scared that I won’t know how to truly help him when he finally lets me back in. All he’s been doing for the past ten days is drinking, and now he’s disappeared on us all day.”
I wipe the single tear that falls and set the flower down, then look behind me as the sense of someone watching me makes my body erupt with shivers. But it’s just Julian’s men; no one else is here. I bring my attention back to the beautiful girl who left too soon, trying to ignore the anxiety coursing through my body at the thought that Victor could be somewhere out there right now watching me.
“I’m so worried about him, Trinity, and it’s even worse now that Victor’s popping up again…” I cover my face with my hands when the tears begin to flow freely. “Fuck… I’m so tired of being scared… of having to look over my shoulder everywhere I go… I hate it…” I pass my fingers through my hair, taking a few deep breaths.
“I feel like this fear inside of me is even stronger now than it was before because it’s no longer just about me… and I’m terrified of what he’ll do to my boys if he ever gets to them…” I cry quietly with my head bowed, hating that I once again feel like the weak little girl I tried so hard to break free from. “I’ll never survive it if something happens to either of them…”
I give myself a few more minutes of silence to collect myself before getting to my feet and heading back to Morgan’s car. When I climb in, she immediately reaches for me and takes me in her arms. “Everything’s going to be all right. Just breathe through it and stay strong,” Morg whispers in my ear before pulling back and smiling at me with her hands still on my arms. “You’re our bad B-I-T-C-H. You’ve got this.”
We both giggle at the fact that she spelled out the word rather than say it, but Morgan’s been intense with the no cursing, even when there aren’t any children around. She’s going to be a phenomenal mother to these babies with how much she’s always thinking ahead of everything.
“Thanks, I think I needed that reminder.” I smile at her.
“Anytime, sweetie.”
One hour later, I’m sitting outside on the patio, gazing at the cute little birds chirping away as they jump around their birdhouse and peck the seeds, when Gabe arrives home. He leans against the open patio doors, that dazzling grin over his lips as he watches me apply the last coat of nail polish on my toenails.
“You’re finally home.” I can’t help my smile from growing at the sight of him.
“Hi, baby.” He walks over as I close the bottle and kiss him. “Missed me?”
“I always miss you when you’re gone,” I admit while he takes a seat next to me on the couch and places my feet over his thigh.
“Pretty,” he whispers, looking down at my rainbow toes that match my hair, then begins blowing softly on them.
“Have you heard anything?” I swallow, already knowing the answer.
Gabe shakes his head. “I’m sure he’s fine, he probably just needed a day to himself,” he says, but even I can tell he doesn’t believe his own words.
“Do you think we should call Julian? Didn’t he say he had someone on all of us? Maybe he knows where he is.”
He cups my cheek, forcing a smile for me. “I already did, and he assured me someone was watching over Noah, but he refused to tell me where he was out of respect for his privacy.” My face falls instantly. “I know it sucks and it’s not the answer you wanted, but we need to give him time.”There goes that famous advice again.
“I know…”
