Authors: Nancy C. Weeks

In the Shadow of Vengeance (29 page)

Damn it, she should apologize. In fact, she never should have opened her mouth in the first place. But one glance at Mac's expression and the words clogged in her throat.

A tap on the door sounded. Without breaking his hard glare, Mac opened the door. A man Lexie never met before stood at her threshold.

“Is this the Trevena residence?”

Mac positioned his body to block the entrance. “How can we help you?”

“I'm Lexie Trevena.” She rose and took a step toward them.

It took an instant to notice the infant carrier the man held in his left hand. The tiny newborn baby slept on as the adults in the room stared at one another. Lexie wiped the tears from her cheeks with the back of her hand. “I don't believe we've met. How can I help you?”

He held out a business card. “I'm Brad Winston with Winston, Botts, and Flores, a law firm headquartered in Dallas. I'm looking for Rico Trevena.”

Mac moved around the man, his eyes on the carrier. “And what's your business withâ”

“Mac,” she said quietly. “I'm Rico's wife.” She took the business card he still held out and gave it a brief glance. “Mr. Winston. I buried my husband today. How can I help you?”

“Rico Trevena's dead?” He shook his head and the arrogance in his demeanor seemed to drain out of him. “I'm sorry for your loss. Had I knownâ”

“What business did you have with Rico? He had a lawyer.”

“I don't represent Mr. Trevena. Would you mind if I place the infant on your sofa?”

“Of course.” Lexie moved out of his way and said nothing as Winston gently settled the carrier on the center cushion. Mac moved behind Lexie. The tension radiating off him made her jumpy as hell.

The lawyer cleared his throat. “I represent the mother of this baby.” He brushed aside Lexie's textbooks, cleared a spot on the table, and flipped open the latches on the case. “I don't know how to say this so I'm just going to spit it out. Rico and my client â¦ well, they â¦ that's Rico's child, a little boy. His name is Gabriel Trevena and he is two days old.”

Rico's child?
The two words stabbed through Lexie's heart. “That's not possible.”

Mac stalked across the room until he was nose to nose with the lawyer. The man's eyes never blinked.

“Look, Winston. I don't know who the hell you are, but you can't come in here and tarnish a good man's name and hurt his wife like this. She's just returned from his funeral, for God's sake.”

Reaching into the folder, the attorney handed Mac a sheet of paper. He scanned it, and drawing in a deep breath, he shot a stare at Lexie.

“I have the paternity test,” Winston said. “Your friend here will confirm that Gabriel was fathered by your husband. I'm so sorry to have to do this to you, butâ”

“What do you want from me?” Lexie choked out.

Mac's face was easy to read as he looked at the paper. He believed it. She couldn't catch her breath. The innocent child was living proof that her Rico broke every vow he made to her.

Mac's arm came around her waist and she jerked away. Her mind screamed
get out, everyone get the hell out of my house
, but this time, the words wouldn't come.

“Mrs. Trevena, I don't mean to hurt you.”

“Then why the hell are you here?”

How Lexie got the question out of her clogged throat was a mystery. At least her words seemed to have some effect. Color drained from the man's cheeks and his eyes darted toward the door.

“My client is from a very powerful political family. They're not likely to accept Gabriel because Rico wasâ”

“Half native Indian and half black? Why, that self-righteous bitch. My husband was good enough to sleep with, butâ”

“Mrs. Trevena, my client never wanted children and said her relationship with your husband was a twenty-minute drunken mistake. Rico convinced her to take the pregnancy to term. He was going to raise the child.” He paused and leaned his hip against the table. “I'm sorry to put you through this, especially today. I really had no idea of Rico's passing, but nothing has changed. If Rico had refused the child, I have instructions to place him with a private state-licensed adoption agency. There are parents on the waiting list for infants.” He replaced the folder and shut the lid of his briefcase.

The room grew still, with only the hum of the refrigerator a few feet away filling the void. Lexie approached the sofa and eased the blanket away from the baby's face. The lawyer reached for the carrier handle. Before he could lift it, she shoved his hand away. “Wait. Just wait a second.”

The baby had Rico's nose and full lips, even the slant to his eyes. Every muscle in her body began to shake. Her heart hammered inside her head, and she couldn't take enough air to fill her lungs. This panic attack was going to be a doozy if she didn't gain some measure of control. She stood there like a moron, staring at Rico's son while she mentally put herself through the exercises she had learned years ago to calm her breathing.

“I need â¦ space,” she gasped. The lawyer took a couple of steps away from her. Again she shut her eyes, focusing on taking in a deep cleansing breath, then letting it out to the count of ten.

Rico, how could you do this to me?

Her eyes popped open and her heart dropped to her stomach. Rico was gone, his coffin covered with six feet of dirt by now. This child was supposed to be theirs. They'd been waiting until Lexie finished her degree. At twenty-two, she thought she had all the time in the world for children.

She couldn't explain the need, but her arms ached to hold Rico's son. She reached out her arms but dropped them back to her side. Warmth closed in on her, and she could almost hear what Rico would say to her if he were there.

Take him. Love him.

The four words whispered around her. As quickly as the warmth appeared, it disappeared, leaving her chilled to the bone.

Why didn't Rico tell her about the baby? He had to have known for months. As soon as that thought sank in, another one slammed into her. She turned and studied Mac. “Did you know about Rico and this woman â¦ and the baby?”

“No, Lexie, I didn't know about the baby. I never would have allowed you to be blindsided like this.” He stood completely still as if he were choosing his next words very carefully. “I knew Rico. You knew him, too. He flirted with anything in a skirt. And we both know how much he could put awayâbeer, hard liquor, it didn't matter. That was a part of him neither of us could change, but it didn't define the man. He didn't want this to happen like this.”

“Mrs. Trevena, your name is on the custody papers that Rico and my client drew up.”

“What?” Mac and Lexie said simultaneously.

“I know this is all a huge shock and quite unfair, but if you are at all interested in raising your husband's child, I have the paperwork with me.”

She didn't know from where the strength came, but she took another step forward and lifted Gabriel to cradle his tiny body close to her heart.

This was crazy, damn ass crazy. But was it a mistake? She couldn't let Rico's child be placed with some stranger. She had spent enough years living with people who pretended to love children. There was no way she could stand by and chance that Rico's son got one of the good ones. She touched her lips to Gabriel's soft, baby-scented cheek.
Dear God, could she do this?

“Lexie, think for a moment,” Mac said at her side.

“I don't want just custody. If I take Rico's son, I'll adopt him. His mother doesn't get to take him back.”

Mr. Winston opened the briefcase again. “The paperwork is already drawn up. All I need is your signature.”

Panic sliced through Lexie. “Don't you need to clear this with his mother? Doesn't she need toâ?”

“Mrs. Trevena, like I said, everything has been decided. After you sign the papers, I'll file them with the courts. There is also a bank account set up for Gabriel's needs, and yours, of course.”

“You are not paying me for this child.”

“Of course not. But my client is a wealthy woman. She may not be able to raise Gabriel, but she will provide for his needs.” He headed for the doorway, lifted a large plastic bag, and set it on the kitchen table. “I have a few things you'll need until you get to the store.” He then laid the folder next to the bag and pulled out a stack of papers all stapled together.

Lexie's heart went out to the baby in her arms as the words
take him, love him
pierced through her heart. They were Rico's words. She didn't doubt it for a moment, even though the very idea pitched her emotions into a whole new plane. Before reason set in, she blurted out, “Where do I sign?”

The lawyer pointed to several places in the contract. Lexie reached for the pen.

Mac placed his hand on her elbow. “Lexie, wait. You can't sign those damn papers without having someone look them over.”

“Look at him, Mac. Gabriel looks just like Rico. This is Rico's son. If I don't raise him, love him, then who will?”

Before she lost her nerve, Lexie signed the adoption contract on each line Mr. Winston indicated while Gabriel slept peacefully in her arms. He placed the contract back into his briefcase and headed toward the door. “My client leaves for Japan and will be out of the country for the next several years. If you decide you can't do this, call the number on the card.”

Just as Mr. Winston reached the door, she called out, “Wait. Could your client just be experiencing postpartum depression?”

“No, Mrs. Trevena. Gabriel's mother never would have raised her son. I couldn't even get her to hold him.” A slight smile appeared at the corners of his mouth and warmth entered his eyes. “I truly am sorry for the timing, but I must say I'm content with the arrangements. I think Gabriel is a lucky little boy to have you.”

“Do you want me to send you pictures, updates â¦?”

“Please don't. Gabriel is your son now. You're his mother.” With a nod, he walked out the door.

Lexie stood listening to his shoes clicking on the hardwood flooring of the hallway. Mac stood inches from her with a look of shock on his face. He straightened his stance as if every muscle in his shoulders and back tightened.

“I can't believe what you just did, Lexie. That was the most reckless, ridiculous â¦”

“Mac McNeil, go. I don't have the strength to fight with you. I did what I had to do.”

“You have to think this through. Raising a child is for life.”

Lexie cuddled Gabriel against her chest. With her free hand, she opened the door wide. “Please, Mac. Gabriel and I will be fine.” Her knees began to tremble, and she leaned against the door for support.

He took a card from his pocket, scribbled something on the back, and set it on the table. “I don't know what the hell just happened, but if you need me for anything, call.”

“I won't call.”

He leaned down and kissed the top of Gabriel's head. “Rico was one of my best friends. I may not agree with what you just did, but I'm not the enemy, Lexie,” he whispered, his attention focused entirely on the baby. When he raised his head, their eyes held. “I'm here whenever you need me.”

He eased past her and walked out the door. As if on autopilot, Lexie closed the door quietly behind him, setting the lock in place. Her knees finally gave, and she slid against the door onto the floor. With Gabriel securely asleep in her arms, she tucked her head into his blanket and sobbed.

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For more books by Nancy C. Weeks, check out:

In the Shadow of Greed

In the Shadow of Evil

In the Shadow of Malice