Steele Promises

Changes

Chapter 18

Jaxon watched as Chey left with Rome and felt his heart break and an almost crippling fear for her. Not for himself even though he’d seen the almost unnoticeable signal Rome had given his men. He knew that Rome had ordered he and Burt be killed. The men stood there with a smirk on their face and their pistols pointed directly at the marines’ heads.

“The gun if you don’t mind.” The man on the left asked while holding out his hand. Jaxon took his gun from the back of his jeans and held it above his head making no attempt to use it. He couldn’t risk Burt being shot by the man on the right.

“Drop it and kick it over here.” Jaxon slowly lowered the gun at his feet and stood straight up again. “Kick it over here!” The man screamed getting antsy and impatient. He knew his assailant was getting sloppy so he kicked the gun hard and it hit the man in the knee. The gun man took his eye off Jaxon for just a second and that was all the time he needed. Jaxon charged the gun man, gripped him by the arms and spun him around. Just in time as his partner turned and fired only to shoot his friend in the back. Burt didn’t waste time either; he tackled the second gun man to the ground and drove his elbow across his face knocking him out cold.

“Get the team on the phone Burt,” Jaxon said running toward the door. “We’re going to need all the help we can get if this Antonio is a bad as I think he is.”

“Good thing my gift to Mack is going to help us out. She has a little bracelet on her right arm; it has a tracker in it.” Jaxon looked at his friend. “What? Kids go missing every day.” Jaxon just shook his head in wonder.

November 5, 2011 East Baltimore, MD

“Boss,” Rome said holding the car seat in one hand and a gun in the other. “I think you’ll want to see this.” Chey walked in behind him and looked at Antonio. He hadn’t changed much, his black hair was a bit shaggier than it had been before she’d run. His green eyes were just as bright, but she noticed that his arms were bandaged almost up to his elbow.

“Cheyenne,” he said almost as though he didn’t believe she was real. “You came back.” He said standing up and walking toward her. He reached out his hand and cupped her cheek gently. He could tell she was scared and he liked to see that fear in her eyes. Maybe if she had been more afraid of him she wouldn’t have run away in the first place. “You’ve led us on a merry chase. What do you have to say for yourself?”

“I…I was scared Antonio.” She whispered. “You scared me and you threatened to kill me.”

“I said I’d kill you if you told anyone. Did you tell anyone?” he asked grabbing her hair and forcefully pulling her closer.

“No,” she said. “I didn’t tell anyone.”

“Then I won’t have to kill you. See that’s all you needed to do,” he said changing his grip on her hair to a caress. “I’ve missed you,” he said wrapping his arms around her. As her body pressed against his he noticed that she seemed different, her breast seemed bigger. For a moment he was almost angry that she would dare change her appearance, but then he heard a quiet mewing from Rome’s direction. He looked over and noticed what Rome held in his hand and his heart leapt. Could it be? He looked back down at her and saw the moment she realized he knew. Her body started to shake and she didn’t even try to hide her fear. “You were trying to keep my child from me?” he asked angrily. Before he could think his hand was around her neck.

“No…I…I…” she tried to speak. “Tried…to…tell…you…night…scared…” he released her and smacked her sending her falling to the floor. She lay there gasping for air as he walked over to Rome and took the car seat from his hand. He walked over to his desk and sat it on top. Then he removed the blanket covering his child. She was as beautiful as he’d imagined his child with Chey would have been. Her dark hair looked soft as silk and her skin was a beautiful exotic toffee color. His breath caught as she opened her eyes to look up at him, green as grass the exact same color as his. “I swear to you Antonio I came to tell you that night, but I was frightened and I thought you would kill me and her…”

“You know I would never hurt my child.” He said looking offended. She realized he never said he wouldn’t hurt her.

“I didn’t think you would hurt anyone and then I came in saw…all that blood…You didn’t even look like yourself…I was…afraid of you.” He stopped mid-motion and looked back over his shoulder at her. She hadn’t moved from the floor as though waiting for his permission to get up. He liked that.

“Come here,” he said she stood up shakily and walked over to stand next to him. He reached out and took her hand pulling her closer to him. “Rome what has she been up to while she was gone?” he asked without taking his eyes from her face.

“She married a Marine,” Rome said with a grin. He was hoping that after learning all the facts Antonio would kill Chey and be done with it. “After he died she moved in with another Marine.”

“Did you have sex with them?” he asked her. She knew if she told the truth he’d be pissed, but if she lied he wouldn’t believe her anyway.

“I did what I had to in order to find a safe place to bring my daughter…our daughter into the world.” She hedged he crushed her body against his.

“That’s not what I asked you,” she looked away from him as tears started streaming down her face.

“I couldn’t risk…”

“Answer the question Cheyenne.” He demanded.

“Yes,” she said.

“Both of them?” again she nodded. His arms got painfully tight around her. “No other man is ever to touch you again do you understand me? If I even think a man has held your hand I will kill him and make you watch. Is that understood? You belong to me and any children you have will come from me. If you ever run again I’ll just let Rome have you. Do you want that?” she shook her head knowing that Rome had always hated her for some reason. “Rome, have the staff run a bath for her, I can still smell them all over you. Also have someone go and buy things for the baby. I want a functioning nursery by tomorrow morning is that understood?” Rome ground his teeth, but turned to go and give the orders. “What did you name my daughter?”

“Mackenzie Alana,” she answered. The moment the words were clear of her lips his crashed into hers claiming her as his own once again.

“You will wash every inch of your body and dress in the clothes that my staff provides for you.”

“She’s going to want to be fed soon,” Chey said in a small voice. She needed to stall; Antonio had never acted this way before. He’d always been the picture of the loving and caring boyfriend. The man who held her in his arms now wasn’t the man who’d wooed her. This man would hurt her, this man was a murderer.