Beautifully Broken (The Broken Series Book 2) (29 page)

“Has
Rafael met with Mickey yet?” I inquired anxiously.

Jean
pulled the bedroom door closed.

Michael
glanced at his cell phone. “It’s too early with the time difference,
mon coeur
.
We should know something by this evening. Why don’t you try to rest?” He slid
next to me on the bed and pulled me into his arms.

I
fell asleep within minutes, still tucked inside his arms.

Michael
woke me three hours later. He handed me a glass of water and a tiny white pill.
After I took a few sips and swallowed the pill, he eased me back onto the
pillows. “That should help reduce the vomiting. Feeling any better,
ma chérie
?”

I
propped myself up a little higher on the pillows and offered him a reassuring
smile. “I’m still tired and a little bit nauseous, but I’m not feeling dizzy
anymore.”

“
Très bien
.” A warm smile
spread across Michael’s face as he perched on the edge of the bed. He reached
toward his feet and retrieved an adorable mohair teddy bear with a giant pink
ribbon tied around her neck. “Perhaps this will cheer you up a bit.”

“A
teddy bear?” I exclaimed. “Thanks, Michael. That’s very sweet.”

His
smile widened. “I’m glad you like it,
mon amour
, although, it is not
exactly for you.”

My
eyebrows knit together as I studied Michael’s face. I’d never seen him with
such a goofy looking smile.

“The
teddy bear is for our
bébé,
”
he explained.

My
stomach fell somewhere in the vicinity of my toes. “Michael, are you saying…”

He
nodded. “
Oui, mon coeur,
the doctor has confirmed you are pregnant. He
estimates you are eight weeks along. This is why you have been so sick and averse
to certain foods.”

My
hand trembled as I covered my mouth. I spoke through my fingers. “But that
would mean we got pregnant that first week we made love.”

Michael
kissed my hand as he peeled it from my mouth. “
Oui.
Why do you look so
surprised?”   

My
hand flitted to my stomach. “Michael, my doctors didn’t think I’d be able to conceive.
How can I be pregnant?”

Michael
looked stunned. “I don’t know why your physicians would think such a thing, but
that would make this an even bigger miracle. This
bébé
is
a gift from God... a blessing to be sure. I’m very happy,
mon coeur.
Are
you?”

I
wasn’t sure how I felt. I should have picked up on the fact that I was
pregnant. I knew it was a risk when we started having unprotected sex. I just
didn’t believe it was possible. So I wrote off the nausea, the exhaustion, and
the food aversions.
Jeesh. Talk about denial.
I stared at my still-flat
stomach in wonder. Then I looked at Michael, who was anxiously awaiting my
response. “I’m surprised… and scared… but, yes, this makes me happy.”

All
of the air rushed from my lungs as Michael crushed me to his chest. He scattered
kisses all over my face before easing me back against the pillows. He grinned sheepishly
as he lifted my camisole and gently kissed my stomach.

My
eyes widened with panic. “What about the wedding? I’ll be four months along!”

Michael
drew a heart on my stomach with his fingers before tugging my camisole back
into place. “We can move the wedding up if you would like, although I don’t
think you will be showing much at four months. Whatever you prefer,
ma chérie,
just as long as we are married before the
bébé
arrives.”

I
smiled, suddenly giddy with the news. “A baby,” I gasped in awe. “Are we really
having a baby?”

Michael
laughed. “Yes, Kristine, we really are.”

Kadyn
sat on Kri’s couch, shaking his head in disbelief as he reread the letter that
Mason had brought him.

Dear Kadyn,

Please forgive this
letter, and please know that no matter what happens, I will always love you and
thank God for your presence in my life. I want you to know that the only reason
I went with Michael last June was because he led me to believe that you would
be killed if I didn’t. I couldn’t live with myself if I caused you, Cenia, all
our friends, and thousands of other people to die. So, I went with Michael,
fully believing that he had planted the bombs at the Pentagon. I truly felt it
was the right decision considering what you have done for me, what you and all
the people who work at the Pentagon sacrifice for our country every day.
Yesterday, Michael finally confessed to me that he had nothing to do with the
car bombs and that he has never knowingly worked with terrorists. He was in DC
when the car bombs were planted, heard the story on the news, and came to my
apartment so that he could take advantage of the situation and manipulate me
into leaving with him. As wrong as that was, I understand now why Michael did
it, and I have forgiven him.

 I promise you that
Michael hasn’t hurt me, not once. He has shown me nothing but kindness and
love. He asked for six months to prove his love for me. I had refused him that opportunity
when we were first dating in Montana. It has been just over four months, and I
can’t explain how or why it happened, but I have fallen in love with Michael
and have now agreed to marry him. Please know that this was not at all how I
expected this time with Michael to turn out. I thought if I stopped resisting
his efforts to win my heart, he would eventually tire of me and let me go. Now
I find that I’m the one who doesn’t want to let him go. This is difficult, even
for me, to understand.

 I love you, Kadyn. I
dreamed of a future with you and half of my heart still longs for that and for
you. But the other half of my heart is in love with Michael and refuses to walk
away. Please forgive me for hurting you and for not returning home. I will
always love you, and I will never forget the love and kindness you have shown
me, how you saved me from Justin, and how you helped me heal from my abusive
marriage. You are the most amazing man I know, and you deserve someone equally
amazing, someone far better than me to share your life with.

I
will love and cherish you always,

Kri

He
was reading through the letter a third time when his cell phone rang. He glanced
at the screen, accepted the call, then switched it over to speaker phone. He
didn’t bother to speak.

“Kadyn?
It’s Cenia. Are you there?”

“Yes.”

“I
received a letter from Kri.”

“Oh?”

“She
said she’s safe and she’ll be calling soon to explain everything. What do you
think is going on? Do you want me to bring the letter over so you can take a
look at it?” Cenia blurted anxiously.

“No.”

“Okay…”
Cenia replied, dragging each syllable out. Then it dawned on her. “Kadyn, did
you get a letter?”

“Yes,”
Kadyn growled.

“Did
it say the same thing?” Cenia persisted. “Did she say when she would call?”

“She
said she isn’t coming home. She claims she’s in love with Garcia and plans to
marry him,” Kadyn responded numbly.

“You
can’t be serious!” Cenia exclaimed. “Do you think he forced her to write that?”
she asked when he didn’t respond.

“I
don’t know what to think anymore. Look, I need some time to process this. I’ll
call you later.” Kadyn disconnected the call.

He
was still reading the letter when the call came in from the special agent
handling Kri’s case. “Kadyn Rand,” he answered in a clipped tone.

“Officer
Rand. This is Special Agent Vargas. There have been some developments in the
kidnapping investigation that we need to discuss. Are you available to meet
tomorrow morning?”

Kadyn’s
hand fisted around the letter. “I would prefer you told me now.”

“Look,
I don’t think we should discuss this by phone. Why don’t you come by my office first
thing in the morning?”

Kadyn’s
jaw clenched. “Fine. I’ll be there at oh-seven-hundred hours.”

“Thank
you, Officer Rand. I’ll see you then,” Agent Vargas replied before
disconnecting the call.

Kadyn
rose from the couch. He watched as the crumpled letter fell to the floor. He stepped
over the letter as he strode to the door. The walls shook when he slammed the
door closed. The letter still lie crumpled on the floor, along with every last
hope he had of bringing Kri home.

* * * * * *

Kadyn
refused to sit when Agent Vargas waved him toward a chair.

Special
Agent Vargas abandoned his chair so he could close the door behind Kadyn. He sat
on the edge of his desk. “Thank you for coming, Officer Rand. I’ll try to make
this as quick as possible so you can get over to the Pentagon.”

Kadyn
nodded. Once.

“We
have received a signed affidavit from Ms. Stone, swearing that she is willingly
residing in Paris with Mr. Garcia. In the affidavit, she also waived any
allegations of wrong doing against Mr. Garcia for the actions he took to get her
to France. I have confirmed with French Customs that she is in France legally.”
Agent Vargas handed Kadyn a copy of the affidavit. “We have a similar affidavit
from Mickey Montrel.” Again the agent handed Kadyn a copy.

Kadyn
examined the papers. “You do realize these statements could have been coerced?”

Agent
Vargas nodded. “Staff from the U.S. embassy in Paris will be meeting with Ms.
Stone today to ensure her statements were made voluntarily.” The special agent paused.
He appeared to be choosing his words carefully. “Off the record, I’m under pressure
from someone near the top of my chain of command to make this investigation
disappear. I am not at liberty to discuss the reasons why.”

Kadyn
was furious. “Off the record? This is bull shit. These statements were coerced.
Either that or Kri made this statement under emotional distress. I don’t know
what the hell has gotten into Mickey, but I fully intend to find out. As far as
the pressure you’re under, I cannot believe your agency is allowing Garcia to
buy his way out of this.”

Agent
Vargas shook his head. “He’s not buying his way out. I cannot discuss the specifics,
but it would appear our government and others are in his debt.”

Kadyn’s
fists clenched and unclenched. “What are your intentions then?”

Agent
Vargas stood and walked behind his desk. He gathered some documents that had
been scattered across his desk and shuffled them in his hands. “As soon as we
receive embassy corroboration, the case will be closed.”

Kadyn
forced himself to turn and walk away.

* * * * * *

Kadyn
was leaning against his motorcycle in the front parking lot when Mickey closed
the lease office for the day. “I take it you heard about the affidavit?” she
asked as she walked toward the bike.

Kadyn
didn’t say a word. He stood, arms crossed, staring at Mickey.

Mickey
fidgeted with her keys. “Look, Kadyn. I’m sorry. But I’m not willing to push
for criminal charges. If it gets out that I let a man into a tenant’s apartment
so he could kidnap her, I’d lose my job, and I’m not likely to find another one…
not in this economy. I can’t afford to lose my job.”

Kadyn
tried to feel some empathy for Mickey, but he couldn’t. He spoke slowly,
purposely articulating each word. “He bound your wrists, your ankles, and your
mouth with duct tape and left you in that apartment all day. He threatened to
kill thousands of people if you didn’t cooperate. I seriously doubt you would
lose your job under those circumstances, Mickey.”

Mickey
shook her head. “Still, it’s not a risk I can afford to take. I’m sorry, Kadyn.
I’m sorry I helped him get to her, but it sounds like everything worked out in
the end. He’s in love with her. They’ve worked out their differences. Kri is
safe, and she’s happy. She’s planning to marry him, and she’s not pressing
charges. Why should I press charges when she isn’t… especially when neither of
us was hurt, and it could end up costing me my job?”

Kadyn’s
jaw clenched. “Maybe he didn’t
physically
harm you, but that doesn’t
mean you haven’t been hurt. He threatened and manipulated you and Kri. I don’t
believe he has Kri’s best interest in mind, and God damn it, Mickey, what about
me? I love her. I’ve been through hell and back for this woman, and you have
now made it impossible for me to get her back. What the hell were you thinking when
you signed that affidavit?”

Mickey
backed away from Kadyn. “I’m sorry, Kadyn. I don’t expect you to understand. I
know you love her. I’m so sorry.” She burst into tears as she turned and ran
toward her car.

Kadyn
watched Mickey drive away. He raked his hand over his smoothly shaven head and sighed.
He was already regretting how hard he’d been on Mickey. He slid his helmet on,
swung his leg over the bike, and turned the engine over. He gave the bike some
gas and pulled away from the curb, determined to gain some distance from this
place where everything reminded him of Kri.