Breaking Conviction by Greer Rivers
Chapter Twenty-Five
“This is Naomi,” she answered the phone after it rang for the zillionth time. The stairwell had spotty service, so she’d waited until she’d gotten to the second floor to answer. Thea’s school had never called before and Naomi’s stomach clenched tighter with every step.
“Hi, sweets.”
Naomi stopped dead in her tracks as Dean’s rough voice replied over the phone. She hadn’t heard it in weeks, thanks to Wes changing her number.
“D-Dean… wh-why are you callin’ me from Thea’s school? I-I thought you were at work.” He’d never picked Thea up without being asked, not even when he’d threatened Naomi with the possibility.
“Got off early so I could surprise my little girl. I told you that, remember? I tried to get a hold of you, but for some reason, my phone hasn’t been able to get through. Thankfully, Thea’s nice teachers said I could call your new number from their line.” Rancid charm oozed off his manipulative tongue, making her feel even more nauseous.
“There’s a reason you don’t have this number, Dean. I told you—”
“Granted, you’ve been forgetting a lot lately, haven’t you?” His voice was light with an undercurrent of fury that only she would be able to detect. “Like the way you forgot to tell me that you were taking Thea on vacation? Her—again, very nice—teachers informed me of that when I called a couple of weeks ago to make sure you hadn’t forgotten to send her to school without her coat. Good thing I decided to keep tabs on my girl after that.”
“Keeping tabs? What? Oh my god, Dean, just… please. Let’s keep everyone else out of this.”
“Of course, I had to make sure my little girl is safe and sound after her vacation. It was easy enough to have one of my guys help out with surveillance. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know you don’t have to come pick Thea up. I took care of it, so I’ll see you at home.”
Her pulse stuttered to a stop. “Dean? You can’t take her. If you wanna talk, let’s talk. L-leave Thea at school and we’ll work things out.”
“Oh, nah, sweets. I think that particular ship has sailed. Excuse me for a moment, I’ll just be right in the hall.” His words were muffled while he presumably spoke with Thea’s teacher. A brief second later, he was back to his true, harsh voice, scratching her insides raw. “Listen up, Naomi. I’ve got Thea and I’ve also got a promise. Come home, and it’ll be different. We’ll be together, just like the family you always wanted.”
Naomi growled. “I think that particular ship has sailed, sweets. You made sure of that the last time you hurt me.”
“Thought you might say that, so here’s the other plan. Come home… or you’ll never see Thea again.”
The air in Naomi’s lungs stilled, making her feel like she was suffocating. “What?”
“I think you heard me, but I’ll elaborate. I’ve hidden away pretty sizable sums in various private bank accounts over the years and I’m about to get an even bigger one. One that’ll set us up for life. Us bein’ me and Thea, or… all three of us. It’s your call. But if you’re not in the picture, I’m gone, sweets, and you’ll never be able to find us. Not even with your fancy new friends.”
“What friends?”
He chuckled. “Sure… Like I don’t know you’ve been whorin’ yourself out, suckin’ on BlackStone cock in exchange for free room and board. I told you I knew you, Naomi,” he tsked. “It’s disappointin’ really. Not a good example for our baby girl, and certainly not if you ever tried to bring the law into it. My friends on the force would back me up and the judge might not be so accommodatin’ with custody rights after he finds out you kidnapped our baby to be with your new boyfriends.”
Trapped. Trapped. Trapped. She felt fucking trapped. What could she do? Her mind tried to see other avenues, but he’d just placed a roadblock at all of her possible excuses and explanations.
“That’s what I thought. See you at home, sweets. Don’t think about gettin’ those BlackStone fuckers involved. I’ve got resources you wouldn’t believe, baby. You think you know who you’ve fucked over, but you have no clue. And believe me, if you resort to them, I’ll know. They’re not as good at keeping secrets as they think.”
What the hell did that mean?
“Ah, yes, thank you… her bear too? Can’t leave without Angus, right, Thea?” His saccharine sweet voice was back. “Alright, see you later, bye! Come on Thea, we’re goin’ home.”
“But what about Mommy and Wes?”
“Wes…” The dark tone he took with Thea made Naomi’s skin crawl. “I wanna hear more ‘bout this Wes. Maybe you can tell me in the car. Mommy’s gonna be on her way home soon. Wontcha sweets? I can’t wait to discuss your new friend.”
Naomi closed her eyes.
Trapped.
The echo in her mind made her feel like she was falling.
“Naomi,” Dean prompted her, making her jump.
She swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry and raspy as she answered.
“See you at… home.”
