“I could have gotten my own damn attorney,” I growled.
“Yeah, well, with his money being pushed into your business and into your pockets, he had to take precautions. I’m sure you understand that.”
“Where is he now?” I hoped he wasn’t here.
“I have no idea where he is. He doesn’t update anyone on his whereabouts; he just shows up. I heard he’s on the way to Georgia, though, and you’ll have a lot of explaining to do. Hopefully this whole mess will be cleared up before he arrives.”
I stabbed the butt of my cigarette on the brick wall behind me. “If I were him, I wouldn’t come to Georgia right now, especially anywhere near me.”
“Oh, trust me, I’m almost one hundred percent certain that word has already traveled to him. He’s not coming anywhere near you just yet…but he will come.”
I rolled my shoulders and then gritted my teeth. “Can you drop me off at the hospital?”
“Sure.” He walked toward the parking lot, and I followed after him. During the ride, all Mario could talk about was all the ways shit could go wrong if Kelly said the wrong things.
I wasn’t too worried about Kelly right now. I was more worried about what Jefe would do if Kelly dragged my business under. Would he strip me of everything I’d worked so hard for? Would he threaten me and the people I loved? Would he torture them? It was always up in the air with him. You never knew what he would do or what kind of mood he was in and how he wanted to carry things out. It’s what I disliked most about him.
Mario pulled up to the hospital, and I pushed out of the car. “Thanks,” I mumbled when I climbed out.
He nodded. “No problem. Just…watch your back, all right? Be careful. If you need anything, let me know. I’ll do my best to help.”
“Yeah. Sure.” I closed the door and watched him drive away. When I could no longer see the taillights of his BMW, I turned and marched into the hospital, putting all my worries aside, ready to see my Kandy.
Chapter Three
KANDY
The questions the detective had asked me were insane, but what was even more outrageous was how he was trying to get me to say something—anything—negative about Cane just to try and catch a case or make him appear guilty. Even though I had repeatedly told them Kelly attacked and stabbed me, he asked if I had any suspicion that Cane had an ulterior motive to get rid of me, but maybe Kelly took it too far. And when the detective found out I was pregnant and lost the baby due to the stabbing, all hell broke loose. He assumed the worst of Cane, but Cane wasn’t like that. He didn’t even know I was pregnant—hell, I had no idea until a few hours ago.
“She’s had a rough night, and she’s tired,” my dad finally said when Detective Jakes scribbled the final notes on his notepad. “Let her rest, and you can pick up on the questions tomorrow.”
He bobbed his head. “Yeah. Of course. It’s late.” When Detective Jakes walked into the room, it was clear he was very familiar with my father. Shook his hand before introductions and everything. I had a feeling my father had dumped a few accusations on Jakes’s lap to try to create more trouble for Cane. Detective Jakes walked to the door. “See you later, Derek, Mrs. Jennings.”
“Night,” Dad called, and he was gone.
I let out a heavy sigh, and Mom pushed out of the recliner. “If you don’t want to talk to them tomorrow, you don’t have to. They can wait until you’re feeling better.”
“I don’t want to, but they haven’t caught her, Mom.”
“I know.” She looked down. “But they will.”
I looked at Dad, who was checking his cellphone. “Cane was released about thirty minutes ago.”
I perked up a little, sitting up just a bit. It hurt, but I avoided a wince. “Really? He’s not in trouble?”
“I’m sure he’s still listed as a suspect, probably can’t leave the city until they find Kelly.” Dad took a step forward. “Kandy, are you sure Cane didn’t know about the baby?”
“I’m positive, Dad. I literally just found out. He couldn’t have known before I did.”
He released a breath, lowering his gaze briefly before looking sideways at me. He then cleared his throat and sighed.
“What?” I asked.
“Nothing,” he mumbled, stepping away.
“No, Dad. What is it? You cleared your throat. You clearly have something you want to say.”
His brown eyes flickered over to Mom’s, who was frowning at him, waiting for him to say whatever he had on his mind. “What is it now, Derek?”
“I just…well, when I used to meet up with Cane, I remember telling him all about Kandy and how becoming a father was the best thing to ever happen to me.” I swallowed hard, pushing up on my hands, wincing just a bit when I felt the sting below my stomach. Mom rubbed my hand. “I remember asking him if he wanted kids, and he told me ‘hell no.’”