Chapter Fourteen

~ Janos ~

"Sir, another letter arrived."

I frowned at Lester as I took the envelope he held out to me. I quickly slit the envelope open with my letter opener and pulled the paper out from inside.

My jaw clenched as I started reading what was written.

By now, you should know the child is yours. Babies are expensive. If you want this one to live to see its first day, I want ten million dollars in small unmarked bills. Failure to get the money and I'll get an abortion. I'll contact you in one week with drop-off information.

I gripped the paper with my hand until the edges crumbled. Rage ripped through me until I trembled with it. This monster was threatening me with an abortion? Threatening my child?

I was going to kill them when I got my hands on them.

"Have you had any luck tracking who is sending these letters?"

"No, sir," Lester replied. "Whoever wrote the letters printed them out on a printer. Until we have a suspect, we can't test against any printers. There were no fingerprints on the letter and all the fingerprints on the envelope have been ruled out."

I glanced up. "Ruled out? Why?"

"They are fingerprints of people who have handled the envelope. My fingerprints, yours, one of the mailroom clerks, and like that."

Damn.

I vaguely remember asking Lester to get the video footage from the hotel. Maybe that could give us a clue? "What about the video surveillance from the hotel? Were you able to get it?"

"The only thing that they show is you getting off the elevator and starting down the hallway. Unfortunately, none of the cameras were pointed in the direction of your hotel room. Just in front of the elevators."

Double damn.

I took a picture of the letter with my camera and then folded it up and put it back into the envelope before holding it out to Lester. "Have our people go over this."

Maybe we'd get lucky and there would be something on it.

"Yes, sir."

I briefly closed my eyes, my anger and fear warring with each other. I was enraged that someone was threatening me with my child's life, but I also feared for that life.

Even if I gave this idiot the money, there was no guarantee that she wouldn't go through with her threat or even give me the child after it was born. There was a very real possibility that she would just ask for more money.

Still...

"Lester, arrange for ten million dollars to be set aside in a separate account by the bank. I may need to withdraw it at the end of the week."

Lester's eyebrows lifted to his hairline. "Ten million dollars, sir?"

"This bitch is threatening to abort the baby if I don't give her ten million dollars in small unmarked bills."

"But, sir—"

I held up my hand to stop Lester. "I don't like it anymore than you do, but I won't let my kid be killed by this maniac."

Lester's eyebrows shot up. "You think she's going to kill the child?"

I pointed to the envelope in Lester's hand. "That's what she threatened to do." I clenched my hands, my anger renewing itself when I thought about those words written in that envelope. "I want this woman found, and I want her found now. Use whatever resources you need to, but find her."

"Yes, sir."

I sank back down in my chair as Lester hurried out of my office, burying my head in my hands. I couldn't believe it had come to this. What sane person blackmails another using an abortion as a threat to get money?

I knew in my soul that this wasn't Gianni. He had wanted the baby too much. But did that mean the baby he was carrying wasn't mine? That my baby belonged to someone else? Someone threatening to kill my baby?

I dropped my hands and glanced at my phone when it dinged. As soon as I saw who the message was from I reached for it, fumbling in my haste. The moment I had a good grip on it, I brought up the message.

It was from the testing lab. The text message stated that they would be sending me the official documents, but they had texted me the results since I had been in such a rush to get them.

I quickly opened the attached document and then scrolled through until I got to the important part. I sucked in a shaky breath as my world screeched to a halt.

Gianni's baby was mine.

I chuckled, letting go of the breath I had sucked in. Gianni's baby was mine. It wasn't some random stranger's baby. The joy that news brought to me was almost as good as what I had experienced with him a few days ago when he let me make love to him.

Close second.

I flipped through my phone until I got to the contact list and found Gianni's number, quickly dialing it before holding the phone to my ear.

"Hey," he said as soon as he answered. "What are you up to today?"

"Where are you?"

I needed to see him.

"I'm at the lab," Gianni replied. "Why?"

"I have news," I stated. "Can you take some time off? We need to talk."

"I'm not sure I like the way that sounds."

"It's good news and bad news, but I don't want to talk about it over the phone. I'll be there in thirty minutes." I hung up before he could argue with me.

I grabbed my blazer and pulled it on, made sure my cell phone was in my pocket, and then headed out the door. "I'll be gone for the rest of the day, Mabel. Clear my schedule."

"Yes, Mr. Kostas," my secretary replied. "Should I inform Mr. Douglas?"

I shook my head. "I'll call him if I need him." I usually took Lester wherever I went, but this conversation needed to be in private and it was only between me and Gianni.

I decided not to take any of my regular bodyguards with me today. My driver would be enough. Besides being an excellent driver, he was trained to defend me if need be.

When I reached the parking garage and my car, I gave him the address of where we were headed and then sat back in my seat. As I waited to get there, I pulled out my phone and went back to the message from the lab.

It really was my baby.

I had never really given much thought to being a parent simply because I didn't have anyone in my life to build a family with. It was amazing to me how just a few short months could change my whole perspective.

Now, I was looking forward to the future. I wanted to build that family and I wanted to build it with Gianni, which worked out perfectly since he was carrying my child.

I couldn't be happier about that prospect.

I was, however, enraged that someone was trying to fuck with the perfect future I envisioned. I didn't know who was doing this—and no, I did not think it was Gianni—but once I found them I was going to wrap my hands around their neck and squeeze until their head popped off.

When we pulled up in front of the lab, all of the bravado I felt before seemed to escape me. I rubbed my hands on my slacks to get rid of my nervousness.

Despite the test results and the night we had spent together, Gianni hadn't said he wanted to spend a lifetime with me. He hadn't even said whether or not he'd allow me to be in my child's life.

I was pretty sure he would, but I wasn't positive.

"Stay with the car," I told my driver. "I shouldn't be more than a few minutes."

I really wanted to grab Gianni, get in my car, and drive back to the penthouse where we could talk in private. The lab facility or even the cafe he liked so much wasn't private enough for what we had to talk about.

I was a little reluctant as I climbed out of the car and then shut the door. I wasn't sure what Gianni's reaction to my news was going to be. He could easily tell me to get lost or never contact him again. I don't think a day at Coney Island—no matter how much fun we'd had—would change his mind simply because I was the biological father.

My mind was fogged with questions and possibilities as I entered the lab facility. I didn't realize Gianni was waiting for me until I plowed right into him. I grabbed him quickly to keep him from falling, yanking him against my chest.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Gianni replied, his eyebrows knit together. "But are you? I called out to you three times and you didn't answer me. Is everything okay?"

Not really.

"We need to talk. Will you come back to the penthouse with me?"

Gianni swallowed tightly. "You're not breaking up with me, are you?"

"No!" I realized I had shouted when Gianni winced and several people in the lobby stopped and turned to look at us. I lowered my voice and said, "Never."

That thought hadn't even crossed my mind.

"I got the—" I snapped my lips together when I realized we were standing in the middle of the lobby. I reached down and grabbed Gianni's hand, giving it a little tug. "Come home with me so we can talk."

Gianni was giving me a weird look as if he thought I was five seconds from crazy. "Okay."

I led him outside to the car, pulling the door open and letting him get in before I did. Once the doors were closed, I directed my driver to take us back to the penthouse.

I refused to let go of Gianni's hand.

"Can you tell me what this is all about?" Gianni asked. "You're making me nervous."

My eyes went to the front of the vehicle. I trusted my driver to a point, but, except for close family, I never trusted anyone fully. "We'll talk about it when we get home," I told Gianni when I looked back to him. I spoke in a whisper as I said, "This needs to be a me and you conversation."

Gianni's eyes darted to the driver for a moment before he nodded. He obviously understood what I was getting at. Coming from the family that he did, I assumed he would.

This was another downside to being rich. We never knew who we could fully trust. Sometimes, not even our own family members were safe. I'd been lucky in the fact that I hadn't experienced that hell yet, but my understanding was that one of Gianni's brothers had.

I wouldn't wish that on anyone.

The ride to my penthouse was relatively quiet, not because I didn't have anything to say, but because I had plenty to say. I just didn't want to do it with other people around and I knew once I started I wouldn't be able to stop until everything came out.

Gianni was the first to get out of the car when we reached my building. I climbed out on my side and then walked around the vehicle to join him. I grabbed his hand with mine before leading him into the building.

It was a short ride in the elevator. Still, by the time we reached the top floor and walked into the penthouse, I was ready for a stiff drink. My nerves were stung tighter than a violin.

In the next ten minutes, the whole coarse of my would change. Whether for the good or for the bad remained to be seen.

"Okay, we're here," Gianni said as he crossed his arms. "Now, what's going on? Why do you need to talk to me in private?"

"You want the good news or the bad news first?"

Gianni huffed. "Give me the bad news first. That way I'll have something to make me happy when this is all over with."

I hoped he thought of it as happy.

"I received another letter today from the person that says they are pregnant with my child."

Gianni's eyes rounded and he instantly held up his hands. "It's not me."

"I never thought it was. I trust you, Gianni." Strangely, I did. "They said that if I didn't give them ten million dollars by the end of the week, they would abort the baby."

Gianni's mouth dropped. "They plan to kill your baby?"

"That's where the good news part comes in." I held up my phone showing the lab results. "Turns out you are the one carrying my baby."

Gianni stumbled back a couple of steps before collapsing down onto the couch. His hand pressed over his abdomen. "I'm carrying your baby?" he whispered.

I walked over and knelt down in front of him, letting him see all the joy I felt at the news I had just shared. I smiled as I pressed my hand over the top of his.

"The test results of the Non-Invasive Prenatal Paternity Test just came in. I rushed over to see you just as soon as I had them."

"Your baby. It's your baby. That means you're the man I slept with."

I nodded, not sure where he was going with this or even what he was thinking. His face was a bit pale and his eyes were as round as saucers. That gave me no clue as to how he was taking the news.

"Gianni?"

"It's your baby?"

I nodded. "It is."

Gianni's dark eyebrows snapped together as he frowned menacingly. "Then who in the hell is threatening to kill our baby?"

I had no idea.