Steele Promises

Seek and Ye Shall Find

Chapter 15

 

November 5, 2011 Baltimore, MD

 

Antonio felt better in the gym. All the stress and worries of his business, his enemies and problems poured out of him with the sweat. He loved to push himself, to feel his muscles tearing and his arms burning. He held up his fist high in a boxing stance, training as he does every day. The punching bag was old and worn but it did the job. He pounded it with a series of jabs and hooks jumping back and forth keeping light on his feet.

“Boss,” Rome had to talk loud over the sound of Antonio beating the punching bag.

“What?” He replied grunting with every strike.

“I know you don’t like being interrupted when you’re working out…”

“And yet here you are.” He said obviously annoyed.

Rome watched his boss perfectly strike the bag and he often wondered if it ever came down to it who would win in a fight between the two of them. Antonio could have been a world class boxer growing up where they did. But Rome often entertained the thought that if it ever came down to it Antonio would lose. The boss stopped and faced him, staring him down as if he knew what he was thinking.

“I found her” Rome said quickly. He didn’t give the details about how he’d found her using her social security number. He left out that she’d changed her last name and was living with a man. It would only upset Antonio more.

Antonio’s face softened slightly at the thought of Chey coming back to him. Finally one less thing to take out on the punching bag, he turned his back to Rome and continued his training.

“Bring her to me” He said sternly in between jabs. Rome turned to leave giving one final glance as he stepped through the door. Antonio was slowly loosing it and he knew it. Should he ever try and betray him Rome would be ready.

 

November 5, 2011 Annapolis, MD

 

Jaxon sat in the rocking chair looking around the empty nursery. The house was so quiet lately and he missed the sounds of Chey moving around in other rooms. He missed holding her through the night and he missed talking to her. He just missed her and he wondered if the baby had a name yet. He’d screwed up and overreacted when he saw the child. He should have calmly asked about it. He shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions and most of all he shouldn’t have said those things to her.

He had no reason to believe she’d betray him in anyway and everything she’d said had been right. He’d pushed until she moved in with him and hadn’t even told her he was paying her medical bills until she’d found out on her own. Then he’d insisted that she not pay him back. He’d done all of this and now he hadn’t a clue where she was staying.

He got up and went into the bathroom. He couldn’t bring himself to go back into the room he’d shared with Chey. He looked in the mirror and cringed at what he saw. He looked terrible, his eyes blood shot and a full blown beard had grown in the past few days. He hadn’t showered or changed his clothes since leaving the hospital the day the baby was born. He’d expected her to come home after she was released from the hospital; he depended on having her as a captive audience. She had nowhere else to go, well he’d thought. He wondered where she was and if she’d chosen a name for kid.

He shaved and showered telling himself it was time to go get what was his. He couldn’t just let her go because he’d put his foot in his mouth. He had to go make things right and it wouldn’t hurt if he looked good while he did it.