Daddy’s Law by K.C. Crowne

Chapter 31

Ava

It was hard to keep track of time in the safe house. I knew we were approaching the Fourth of July because Wilson made a passing comment to Miles at shift change about his plans to buy a bunch of fireworks for the night of the celebration.

Wilson and Miles were nice enough. Professional. Kept to themselves, mostly, but I wasn’t complaining. I wanted to be alone right now, and they respected my privacy. Regardless, they were interesting characters, and since there was next to nothing to do to pass the time in this place, I made it a little game to figure out facts about them.

Wilson liked to barbecue. Maybe a bit too much, according to Miles, but the barbecue he had in his backyard had been a gift from his grandmother and he fully intended to use it throughout the summer. Wilson also hated brussels sprouts and had never been able to keep any of his pet fish alive for more than two weeks.

Miles was more of a mystery, mostly because he worked nights and I was usually asleep. All I knew was that he functioned surprisingly well without the assistance of coffee and had a particular fondness for reading American Classics. He was currently working his way through Of Mice and Men.

They weren’t the only ones assigned to me. There were a handful of other bodyguards who worked mostly outside, working surveillance and patrol. I rarely crossed paths with them, preferring to give them the space they needed to do their jobs. I already knew what sort of trouble I could get into when I got too close.

But the real objective of the game was to learn something —anything— about Theo. I ached to know what he was up to. How was Cory doing? Was the new art teacher going over the basics of Rembrandt lighting?

I was restless. The safe house had a TV, but the channels were limited, and I rarely watched to begin with. Wilson came back on my second day with a bag full of art supplies, and I wondered how he knew where to go to get these particular high-end brands. There was really only one explanation, and my heart raced knowing that Theo was likely the one who told him.

I’d only been here for about a week, but it was already starting to feel more like a prison than a sanctuary. True to Theo’s earlier instructions, I wasn’t allowed to go anywhere near the windows. It wasn’t like I could see anything to start with because the curtains always remained closed. And when I was permitted to go for a walk, Wilson had to come with me, and I was only allowed around the block.

I was a dog on a very tight leash, but it was the only taste of freedom I was going to get for God knew how long.

On one such walk, I felt it again. That creeping sensation. I turned and looked about my surroundings, spotting nothing but green lawns, white picket fences, and minivans parked in driveways.

“Something wrong, Miss Cruise?” Wilson asked. He always walked a pace or two behind me, dressed in a pair of basketball shorts and a white tank. The suits probably would have given them away.

I swallowed. “I’m not sure. I just feel like we’re being watched.”

Wilson looked around, too. He was trained for this sort of thing, so when he didn’t see anything out of place, I assumed I was being paranoid yet again. “I don’t see anything suspicious, ma’am.”

I shivered. “Sorry. Maybe I’m coming down with something.”

“Should we head inside?”

My stomach gurgled. I really wasn’t feeling well. “Y-yeah. Let’s do that.”

And it was a good thing we did because a massive wave of nausea hit me the second we got back. I rushed to the bathroom, locking the door behind me. I hurled into the toilet, the bitter taste of bile filling my mouth.

“Miss Cruise?” Wilson called, knocking. “Miss Cruise, can I get you anything?”

“Uh, just give me a minute.”

“Alright. I’ll go fetch some water.”

“Thank—” I wretched into the toilet bowl.

I sat on the bathroom floor, thinking long and hard about everything I’d eaten that day. “Rotisserie chicken sandwich,” I recounted aloud, “chocolate ice cream, some potato chips…” Maybe something in the fridge had gone bad. It certainly wasn’t out of the realm of possibility.

Once I was certain the worst of it was over, I stood up and rinsed my mouth at the sink. I stared long and hard at my reflection. I didn’t look like I’d caught the plague. A little clammy, sure, but it wasn’t like I could come in contact with anybody who could give me the flu.

Now that I thought about it, I was fairly sure I was a few days late.

No way.

I shook my head. It couldn’t be possible. Theo and I always used protection. The chance that I was pregnant was highly unlikely. But there was no other explanation. And there was really only one way to be sure.

I opened the door and found Wilson waiting out in the hall patiently. “Can you do me a favor?”

“That depends, but I’ll do my best.”

“I need you to get me a pregnancy test.”

Wilson blanched, eyes widening. It was almost funny getting to see this big, tall ex-military man perturbed by something so small. “Oh, uh… Are you sure?”

“No, I’m not sure. That’s why I need the test.”

“Yeah, okay. I’ll message Miles and have him bring it when we switch—”

“I’d really appreciate it if you could do it now. The sooner the better. It’s really important, you know?”

Wilson nodded. “Alright. I’m sure I can radio one of the other guys.”

I breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”

I didn’t have to wait very long, and I had to give credit where credit was due. Wilson and the team that Jesse put together to watch over me were incredibly effective. The test was delivered to me in a discreet brown paper bag. Wilson held it by the corner like it was somehow the grossest thing in the world, but I ignored him. I had bigger issues to deal with than a man too wrapped up in his own masculinity.

I took the test and waited for the result, not at all sure how I was going to react one way or the other.