Page 81 of Rum & Coke

He sighed. “No can do.”

I looked up at him. “But my son.”

He thought for a moment then stepped back, barking orders. “Mateo, get the car. You two,” he pointed at two guys, “clean this shit up.”

“Where are you going?” Tony asked.

Sebastian looked at me and smiled. “To get Tessa’s son.”

“No!” I shrieked.

He brushed my hair behind my shoulder, and I tried to shrug him off. “Don’t worry. You’re going too. Mi casa es tu casa.”

“What?” I whispered.

“My house is your house.”

“I know what you said, but I don’t understand.”

“I can’t let you go, so that means we’re getting your son and you’re moving in here.”

I stared up at him. “For how long?”

“Indefinitely.”

“No.” I started to sob harder.

“Don’t worry, Tessa Baby. I’m going to take good care of you.”

One hour turned into two.

Then two became three, and by the fourth hour, I still hadn’t heard from Tessa. I’d texted her a few times with no text back. No call. Nothing. I didn’t have Melony’s number, didn’t have Sophia’s either. But knowing that Tessa had a stalker made me worry. Did something happen to her and Melony on their way home? Tessa had said she’d text me when they were leaving her boss’s house. Were they still there? I never thought I would be driving to my girlfriend’s place at midnight to see if she was home, worried she was kidnapped, or hell, just blowing me off.

When I got to Tessa’s, I noticed the living room light that usually shined through the window by the front door was off. I knocked. There was no answer. I knocked again. Nothing. I tried calling Tessa’s phone again, hoping to at least hear her phone inside so that I’d know she was okay and probably passed out drunk, but I didn’t hear anything. I knocked again, this time harder. Still nothing.

“Vinny!” I heard my name, looking over to see Melony rushing out of her apartment.

“Hey,” I replied. “Where’s Tessa?” As Melony ran to me, I noticed that she’d been crying. “What’s wrong?”

“Tessa—”

“Where is she?” I asked, placing my hands on Melony’s shoulders and looking down into her tear-stained eyes.

“I don’t know,” she whispered.

“What do you mean you don’t know?”

“Sebastian’s bodyguard—”

“Who’s Sebastian?”

“Our boss.”

“Right. I saw his bodyguard the night of the fight.”

Melony nodded. “Yeah, and he made me leave. Made me leave without Tessa.”

“Why?”