15.

TABBY

"Come with me," Dino said as he took me by the elbow and directed me toward an elevator inside the parking garage. There was a man I didn't recognize standing inside, holding the doors. He nodded at me as he stepped out of the way to stay in the parking garage once we were inside. "You need to concentrate on your breathing." I didn't say anything, just cut my eyes at him as I took a deep breath through my nose. "Your heart rate is through the roof, and your respirations are erratic. That's not good for you or the babies."

"Call and see if they have her yet," I told him.

"Can't do that," Dino said as the car came to a smooth stop.

"I need to know," I told him as a fresh round of tears started. "Please just . . ."

"If he is . . . busy . . . that will take his focus away from what he's doing. He'll call when he can."

Dino had a good point, but that didn't help relieve my worry. My daughter was in danger, and I put her there with my stupidity. Pushing him to call Luca would just be another dumb move in a series of many that I'd made in the last few months, so I was able to resist.

Dino put his arm in front of me to hold me back before he stepped out into the hallway and looked around. He nodded at someone and then waved me out of the car. I followed him into a stylishly-decorated foyer and saw two burly men stationed on either side of the elevator just as Dino's phone rang. He answered the call and then smiled as he handed me the phone.

My heart raced even faster when I spotted Ember with tears on her face. "Are you okay, baby? Is she okay? Is she hurt?"

"She's fine, Lou," Luca answered. "I'll bring her home to you right now."

"Hurry, please."

Dino took the phone and said, "Let's get you settled in Luca's apartment. He'll have her here in no time."

"This is where he lives?" I asked as Dino used his thumb on the scanner panel beside the door. I heard the lock click, and then he pushed the door open and held it for me to go ahead of him. I walked into a well-appointed entryway and looked around.

"This is the foyer that the brothers share. Matteo's apartment is through that door, and Luca's is this way," Dino said as he walked toward the door on the left. He scanned his thumb again and then pushed the door open. "Make yourself at home, and if you need me, I'll be out in the hall."

"But . . ."

"I need to make some phone calls, signora," Dino said with a tight smile.

"Of course," I told him with a nod, not quite understanding what must be going on but terrified all the same. Suddenly, I was struck with a horrible thought and gasped, "Simon! What about . . ."

"I will check and let you know," Dino assured me.

"Thank you," I whispered. Dino nodded and pulled the door closed. I turned around and saw that his "apartment" was more like a lavish mansion. I couldn't help the "Holy shit!" that flew out of my mouth.

I was standing in a massive entryway with a wide hall ahead and two smaller halls branching off to the left and right. I wasn't sure where to go first but knew I needed to find a bathroom as soon as possible. I opened the first door and found an office, but I didn't go inside because it felt like an invasion of privacy.

I walked the other direction to another closed door and found a bathroom. As I relieved myself, thanking God I'd made it in time - which was getting harder and harder to do lately - I looked around the room and realized that it was almost the size of my bedroom at Simon's apartment.

I washed my hands as I stared at my reflection in the mirror and then leaned forward with my hands on the edge of the sink as the reality of today's situation hit me. My daughter had been kidnapped, Simon hadn't called to let me know what happened and wasn't answering his phone now, dangerous people were willing to kidnap and kill to get their hands on the babies I was carrying, and I was married to a man who ran in the same circles . . . and who I really didn't know, so I wasn't absolutely positive he was any better than they were.

My life was a runaway train. I just wanted it to slow down so I could take a deep breath and get my bearings - which would be a lot easier to do once I had my daughter by my side and had heard from Simon. I was going to ignore the thought that I'd see Brett again soon, which was both exhilarating and terrifying since I wasn't quite sure what her reaction to me might be after our last encounter. Luca insisted that she wanted to find me, but I wasn't sure I believed him. Brett wasn't nearly as forgiving as most people - or as naive as I was, apparently, considering the situation I'd found myself in since agreeing to this surrogacy.

One of the babies shifted and rolled, and it struck me again that the boys wouldn't be mine to cherish. The thought made me want to weep. I should have known I'd get too attached, especially after how much I'd enjoyed my pregnancy with Ember and loved being her mom. I hoped that Luca was right when he said I could be part of the boys' lives. Somehow, I believed him when he told me everything was going to work out for all of us, which made sense because we'd already established that I was horribly naive.

I pushed off the sink and walked out of the bathroom so I could find somewhere to sit down and wait for Ember. I knew that I needed to rest and calm down because since Luca had received that phone call, I'd felt dizzy and on the verge of passing out. I turned to the right where I could see some lounge chairs in the corner next to the window and felt my mouth fall open involuntarily when I came to the end of the wall at my right and saw that the entire exterior of the space was floor-to-ceiling windows.

I turned into the kitchen area which contained a long island with eight chairs on one side and a sink and plenty of storage on the other. On the wall to my right were more cabinets, the cooktop, and various appliances that let me know Luca's adventure cooking in my kitchen must have felt rustic at best.

I trailed my hand along the marble island until I came to a door and walked in to find a pantry that was at least as big as my childhood bedroom. It held an upright freezer, a stacked washer and dryer, and floor-to-ceiling shelves on both sides along with bins and cubbies that held a myriad of tools and supplies.

I left the pantry and walked toward the dining table, noticing there was a spiral staircase in the corner that led to the second floor. To my right, was a large seating area that faced the wall of windows that looked out over Central Park with another staircase in the next corner. I finally came to the mouth of the hall, and when I looked to my right, I saw the door that Dino had let me in through, so I had my bearings but felt even more shocked when I realized I was only halfway through the first floor.

A black piano with the top propped open was next to the second staircase, and then I turned the corner and found a wide doorway that led toward more couches. Inside that room was the biggest television I'd ever seen surrounded by shelves full of books and collectibles. I saw there was also a marble table with a chess set and two chairs next to the window. I walked through the library/media room and found myself back in the hall where I'd come across the office.

"Holy shit," I whispered when I realized that I'd just completed a circle of the entire apartment and only found the living area which meant that the second floor held the bedrooms and God only knew what else. "Ember's going to love this place."

My eyes welled with tears when I thought of my daughter and how terrified she must have been. I wondered how I'd ever be able to let her out of my sight again. As if I'd willed her here, I heard her voice just as the door in front of me opened.

"Questa è la tua casa adesso, principessa," Luca said before he explained, "This is your home now."

"Where's my mommy?" Ember asked just before she heard me whimper. Her gaze snapped over to mine, and she smiled brightly before she yelled, "Mommy! I went on an adventure and got to play on a slide, and there was a bad man, and I found a boyfriend who looks just like our Luca!"

"An adventure?" I croaked before I sniffed and swiped at the tears on my cheeks. I hurried toward her and put my arms out, but Ember didn't come to me.

Instead, she looked down at my belly and asked, "Do you feel okay?"

Over the last few weeks, it had gotten harder and harder for me to pick Ember up, and when I did, it wasn't comfortable for either of us for me to hold her for any length of time. It broke my heart that she didn't want to come to me, but it made me feel much better knowing that she wasn't going to melt into a puddle of tears like I was trying so hard not to do.

Luca must have sensed my distress because he pulled me into his arms and held Ember and I together as he murmured Italian that I didn't have the brain power to try and translate with this much emotion coursing through me. Finally, I was able to pull myself together and lean my head back to look up at him.

"Thank you for rescuing her, Luca."

"Actually, my brother got to her before I did."

"He looks like mad Luca, but he's gonna be my boyfriend like Luca is your boyfriend."

"He's going to be your zio, principessa. You can't have a boyfriend until I've got gray hair."

"When's that gonna be?"

"A very, very long time from now."

"He looks like Luca?" I asked.

"Did you look around the house?" Luca asked. "There are pictures of us together in the media room and . . ."

"I was just wandering, really. My mind was . . ."

"Ah. I get it. I'll give you a tour after you feel better about loosening your grip on Ember," Luca said with a grin as Ember tried to wiggle out of my hold. "She's okay, Tabby. She just had an adventure."

I let out a sob, and Luca pulled me against his chest again, murmuring Italian. I felt Ember's hand patting me on the back of the head and laughed through my tears, finally able to see that my daughter was just fine and didn't seem at all traumatized about what had happened today.

"Simon?" I asked.

"Luca's friend hit him in the head, Mama," Ember said seriously. When I looked at her, she said, "He went right to sleep. Then the man from the hallway dragged him into the other place and left him there."

I looked at Luca in shock, and he said, "My brother is bringing him here, and we'll have my uncle or one of his associates take a look at him."

"The other place?"

"The building owner's apartment."

"He was . . . How did . . ."

"His name was Genovese Bovino."

"Was?" I asked in a whisper. Luca nodded, and I took a deep breath before I nodded in response. "So, he won't be bothering you again?"

"His brother Frank is going to be a problem, but that's something to worry about another day. Right now, I need to get you two settled somewhere so I can make a few phone calls, and then we'll make arrangements for you to reconnect with Brett." Luca smiled at Ember and asked, "Do you want to look around your new home, principessa?"

"Sì, grazie!"

Luca set Ember on her feet and then gave me a kiss. "I'll be back soon, Tabby. Make yourself at home, okay?"

"But . . ."

"I'll be back as soon as I can, tesoro. I just have to take care of a little business problem and then I'll show you around. I'll even make dinner," Luca promised.

After one more quick kiss, he turned and walked out the door, and it suddenly struck me where he was going. I wasn't nearly as upset about the thought of him "taking care" of the men who had kidnapped my daughter as I probably should be, but I did want to find out about Simon, so I pulled my phone out and dialed his number.

"Hello?" a man's voice said after a few rings.

"Where is Simon?"

"He's being checked out by the doc, but I'll send him up as soon as he's finished," the man promised.

"Who is this?"

"This is Matteo, cognata," he answered.

When she heard his voice over the speaker, Ember squealed and said, "It's my boyfriend, Mama! That's grumpy Luca!"

"Grumpy Luca," the man chuckled. "Ciao, nipote."

"Ciao, Zio Matteo!" Ember answered.

"Tell her I'm fine," I heard Simon say in the background. "She's a worrier."

"You're gonna have to get past that," Matteo chided.

"Probably not going to happen," I warned him sarcastically.

"We'll be there soon," Matteo promised. "Relax, cognata."

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"Sister-in-law."

"Oh."

"Your secret's out, by the way."

"It wasn't that big of a secret," I hedged.

"Yes, it was. The first my brother has ever kept from me, at least."

"Oh."

Matteo chuckled, "There's always a first time for everything, cognata. I'll see you soon."

Matteo hung up before I could say anything else, and I looked around and realized that Ember had disappeared. When I called her name, I heard her giggle before she yelled, "You're it, Mama! Come find me!"

As much as it was a relief that she didn't seem to be affected by the chaos of the day, the last thing I wanted to do was play hide and seek in this monstrous apartment. However, I knew that was the only way I'd be able to get my hands on her again, so I rolled with it.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are!"