ESTELLE
“What the hell is going on?” I barely sat my foot on the ground when I saw Linden and Lynx approaching us.
“Baby. Thank God.” Linden sprinted in my direction and hugged me tight as if I just dunked a dead trap. “God, woman, you’re the death of me.” He cupped my face, kissed me on the lips and forehead, and hugged me again.
“I think you’re crushing my chest, Gabriel.” I chuckled but was still in the dark about what was happening. When he tore from me, I asked him, “What do you mean by what you said earlier? And you sounded so terrified.”
“Let’s talk inside.”
“So you and Sax are okay? Is this his house?”
“Not sure, but yes. This is his house.” He didn’t let go of my hand.
“Nice. Homey. He should find a woman to live with him. And here I thought he’s more of an apartment kind of guy,” I said as I followed Linden. I instantly saw Sax. I went to him to hug him.
“I missed you too, baby mommy.” He hugged me, too.
“Please be okay now with Gabriel.”
“He hasn’t apologized,” he whispered to me.
I smiled. “He will.” Then I realized he had a guest.
“That’s Boyd.” Linden just dropped it on me.
I stared at him, feeling my feet rooted to the ground. “The Boyd—” I swallowed.
“Yeah, but there’s been development.”
“Why is he here?” Unblinking, I asked. My voice was shaky. “What development?”
“I’m still trying to put pieces together, but Sax knows the whole story.” Linden let me sit next to him.
“I’m confused.”
“Me too, baby.” He gestured to Jake to sit down. “Can you tell us what happened?”
“She started following you on social media. I’m sure you didn’t even notice. She started collecting clippings, videos, and pictures of you, checking updates of you online. Our relationship began falling apart. From a good mother, she neglected Everette.”
“Who’s Everette?”
Linden gave me a document.
“Is this Emery’s?” I looked at Jake.
He nodded. “Don’t get me wrong. I loved her, and it hurt that she was obsessed with another man. Maybe it was Karma for breaking you two up. But the worst part was she never tried hiding her obsession from me. We fought a lot about you. When she said she never loved me, and she still loved you, that was it. I’m done. I went out and got drunk. When I went home.” He averted his gaze toward the window. Guilt was plastered all over his face.
I felt this man’s pain through and through.
He blew a breath before he continued, “Everette fell down the stairs. He’d been crying there, broke his arm.”
A gasp escaped from my lips. My hand flew to my mouth, and I just cried. I could imagine Emery or Everette lying on the floor with broken arms, helpless. I rubbed the goosebumps off my arms.
“Oh, my God.” I’d never been a mother and was about to be one. I knew it would be a tough job requiring a lot of patience, but I couldn’t breathe just thinking of my child getting hurt.
“Hey. It’s okay,” Linden whispered as he placed his hand on top of mine.
“I picked up my boy from the floor, almost—” He struggled to talk. “His mother was just in the room with her headset listening to music.”
“Jesus Christ.” That was all Linden said, but I felt his muscles straining, trying his best to control himself.
“Why would she make that story, Gabriel?”
“She wants my attention, and she got it. I believed her. She used my relationship with her as my Achilles heel. And she knew I have a soft spot for women who have a lot of struggles and trauma. I introduced her to my family. I let her into my life. Again. I asked my wife to be nice to her because I thought—” My husband began blaming himself. “I thought she was the victim. How could I not see this? I should have let Kye check her name on the database.”
“I did not file a complaint. The doctor didn’t believe me. I mean, I served the country. People looked at me as the tough guy, and I just ended up being stabbed by a woman with a bread knife. I still have self-preservation. Then, when I brought my boy to the hospital, she told everyone that I had come home drunk, and my boy fell. She blamed me. So, everyone turned their backs on me and thought I had PTSD. She stole my kid from me, Linden. They’ve been hiding for years, and I’ve been searching for them since then. I know it’s only a matter of time before she comes to you. I don’t know what took her long enough when she’s been obsessed with you for years.”
“Well, he’s just recently made himself famous,” Sax said.
“I’ve been right all along,” Linden confessed and shook his head in dismay. “I know that day we bumped into each other. It wasn’t a coincidence, but I still fell for her lies.”
“I want my son back,” Jake pointed it out.
Linden turned to Qamar. “Do you think she’s spooked?”
“I don’t think so, boss.” Qamar shook his head.
“She’s paranoid. She said she’s scared Jake might find her place.” I suddenly remembered how she acted that day and how she grabbed Everette today at the park. “Oh, my God.”
“What is it?”
“She’s been acting the whole time, but we just fell to her manipulation. She’s good. Damn it.”
“Couldn’t agree more.” Sax shifted in his seat. “I fell for her sandwich and smiled. Jesus.”
“When she came to my office, she was surprised I was married. I didn’t make any announcement, but I saw something in her eyes. I thought maybe she was guilty of what she did, or maybe she still has feelings for me.”
“Yeah, she’s that woman.” Jake fisted his hands, his knuckles turning white. “I hired a private investigator, but that piece of shit is greedy. I fired him.”
“Maybe that’s why she never allowed Everette to hold a phone,” I told him.
“Yeah. The boy. Your son is in good health, but I think he’s afraid of his mother. I can see that now how he talked to us,” Linden admitted.
“Where is she?” Jake stood up.
“She’s using an alias,” Sax said.
“What the fuck? How did you know?” my husband asked.
“Kye couldn’t connect the dots. She uses her alias on her credit card and at her work as Jenna Brand, but to us, she’s Skyla.”
“We will take your son, Jake. You will have him soon. How can I know you’re not also a bad guy?”
Good question.