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THIRTY-NINE

Dante

I tried to do something close to the right thing and let the legal system take care of Carlos, but like most things, I must take matters into my own hands. Carlos thinks he’s going to stalk and kill me, but I’m going to put an end to all of this for once and for all. I would have preferred him to find another calling or acceptance of the past like I have. I’d prefer for him to be in love and retired, rather than buried, but I’m not going to lose any sleep over ending his days above ground.

Hating me is one thing, but trying to bring my wife and child into it is too far. I even had the courtesy to leave River and Delaney out of it when I thought I’d have to kill Andrea and Theodore for snooping in Father’s affairs. Yes, I demonstrated that I could get to them, but they were never in danger. A person needs limits; Father and Carlos don’t have any. He needs to be put down swiftly.

Inaya snuggles up under me as she sleeps, bringing me out of my thoughts. I feel one of my rare smiles tug at my lips as I kiss her forehead and hold her close. She says being under me makes her feel safe. I can tell she means it because she’s sleeping soundly.

I refused to allow him to mess up this trip for Inaya, besides I’m always armed. The remoteness of our bungalow makes it a great place to act as bait, although I’d prefer to be alone in this. The thunderstorm that started brewing shortly after Andrea called me is now raging outside. It reminds me of the one that hit us on the island; the one that pushed our relationship in a completely different direction.

The night is damn hard to regret, especially since I can feel our baby moving against my side. This moment makes me do something I rarely do; look forward to the future.

Inaya’s whimper sounds pained, making me believe she’s having a nightmare, but when I look down, our eyes meet.

“What’s wrong?” I ask as I sit up.

“It hurts,” she breathes out while closing her eyes in pain. It subsides after a moment, and she seems fine.

“Are you having contractions?”

“I’m not sure. It’s only happened once. We’ll have to wait and see.”

Things seem to calm a bit, but she’s clutching my hand about ten minutes later while she frowns in pain.

According to my reading and research, it’s early labor. Knowing that my child is trying to make its way into this world makes me anxious, but I’m not worried about Inaya’s current condition. I’ve dismantled enough bodies to not fear the possibility of delivering my child.

I just want them to be healthy. “I’ll get some water in case you become thirsty.”

I check outside before grabbing the water to confirm my suspicions. It isn’t possible to get her to a hospital. While I’m aware that this situation would stress out a normal man, I remain calm because I’m not normal.

My wife still looks around with wild eyes, as if she’s waiting for the pain to return. She looks like she’s about to freak out, so I get ahead of her thoughts.

“Yes, we’re rained in, but no need to worry. It could be early labor or Braxton Hicks, only time will tell. I’ll be here with you the entire time.

Joining her in bed, I sit up with my back against the headboard and cradle her with my body. My lips rest on her temple as I rub her belly in soothing circles.

Inaya’s giggle is out of place and therefore surprising. “What’s funny?”

“It's just cute how comforting you ar-” Her words are cut off from the next round of pain.

I whisper soothing words until the pain passes. Now that she’s calm again, I respond to her observation.

“You managed to make me care about you. I’ll care about you forever. I don’t want to see you in pain.”

“I love you,” she whispers as I run my fingers through her hair and collect it into a bun atop of her head, then secure it with one of her hair ties.

“I didn’t know you could do that,” she says, her amusement increasing.

“Practicing in case it’s a girl.”

She tilts her head back and kisses my chin as the little bit of light we were using goes out.

“Looks like we lost power,” I explain as I reach for my cell. “And cell service.”

“Dante…” Inaya whispers, sounding scared about the situation.

The bad feeling that overcomes me has nothing to do with Inaya’s fear. My instincts are pinging on high alert and they’re never wrong.

“Baby, I’m stepping outside.”

Inaya’s eyes grow, but she takes a deep breath and nods. I want to be with her through the pains, but I hope to resolve it all quickly. I open the door again, ignoring that removing the barrier makes the rain louder. I need to access my surroundings. Bungalows farther in the distance all have power.

The first cautious step takes me onto the porch. I don’t want to use the flashlight on my phone because it’s practically a beacon that’ll announce my whereabouts. I stay close to the bungalow so no one can get behind me.

As much as I want to get back to my wife, I have to push her out of my mind to focus on finding the person who cut our power. I push my wet hair out of my face as I look both ways as I inch further out toward the end of the wall so I can look around the corner.

A figure moves forward, going around the back side. I pick up the pace, staying low and close to the wall. If it’s Carlos, he’s done me a favor. I’ll take him out before my baby enters the world.

Someone swings once I make it around the corner. I dodge it while hearing the sound of the arm cutting through the rain as it misses me. I quickly retaliate, landing my own blows. The downpour makes it hard to see the features of the person I’m fighting. A punch lands in my side, pulling a grunt out of me. Angry, I deliver a blow that knocks the guy out.

Dropping onto his chest, I pull off his hood to see if it’s Carlos. It’s not. I won’t kill the guy because I don’t recognize him. There isn’t any identification on him either, so I opt to tie him up and question him later. Pulling him out of the rain, I tie him up and get back to my family. Just as I secure the last knot, my heart drops at the sound of three gunshots from inside of the cabin.