The Love Triangle(72)

“Frank, please, Frank, tell me what you want.”



“There’s my girl. I’ve had a lot of time to think about it, Ciara, and I don’t think I want the kid after all. He cries too damn much, probably not even my kid. No, I think what I want is you… and money.”



“Fine, I’ll give you whatever you want, just bring him home.”



“Oh no, baby, you’re going to come to me. Meet me, alone with 500Gs or so help me, I’ll kill him, Ciara, I know you know I mean it.”



“Fine, when?”



“Take the phone off speaker, Ciara, I’m not stupid.” She looked around and Derek was shaking his head no. She knew she had no choice and she took it off speaker.



“Where, Frank, yes, fine, when?” She paused. “Let me hear him, Frank, just let me talk to him for a second.” She paused longer.



“Antoine, baby, it’s Mommy, I know you’re scared, baby, I’m going to come get you real soon, okay?” She let the tears fall down her face. “Yes, I understand.” She closed the phone.



The officers and Derek both walked over to her at once. “We need to know the details, ma’am, if you want us to get your son back.”



“Ciara, please tell them.”



She lifted her head up to look at him. “I can’t tell you, I have to go alone or he will kill him.”



Derek moved to sit by her. “Ciara, you can’t go alone, he will just kill you too. You have to know that.”



She touched her hand to his face. “I don’t have a choice, Derek.” He stood and angrily walked out of the apartment. He stopped by the officer outside the door.



“I’ll go get the money. She wants to do this herself, don’t let her leave or he will kill her. I need some air.”



Ciara cried to herself for a moment longer and then wiped at the tears that had stopped. She had heard his voice. Somehow that made her stronger and she knew what she had to do. Derek had been angry with her, she knew that but she also knew he was worried about Antoine. She suddenly remembered Adele in the corner. She walked over to her.



“I’m not usually so unhospitable, Mrs. Baker. I’m sorry.”



She gave her a look. “Honey, I’m not here for tea and cookies, I’m here to be some kind of support for you as you try to get your son back. Come sit with me. Derek is off getting the money and working off that temper of his.”



Ciara slid into the chair near hers. At the least it was nice to know someone else who knew how frustrating Derek can be.



“He means well, and I know why he is angry. I just don’t have a choice.”



“That’s because he is a man and they think they have all the answers. He is also scared of losing you.”



Ciara blushed. “I doubt that’s it, we have… dated but it never seems to work out. We are much better as friends.”



Adele chuckled. “You kids are just adorable. You’re both too stubborn to see what’s right in front of you. I’ll tell you a story, when I was your age I met a guy who came into my mother’s shop and declared that he was going to marry me.



I was so angry at him for that, telling people I was his property or something. I made it hard on him too, I refused to date him anymore and I even dated someone else for a while. We both were in school, both had an idea of what we wanted to do. Then when the time came for me to move away, he showed up at the shop again. No matter what, we were always meant to be together.”



“What happened when he came to the shop?”



“He grabbed my hand and walked me to the car. I left with him. A year later, Derek was born.”



“So you just gave in to him?”



“I gave in to him a year earlier, I just wanted him to fight for me. I was in love with him from the beginning, but I couldn’t get out of my own way to see it. It took me a long time to not throw away what was in my face before I lost it for good. You see, the second time he said it I knew I had better just go this time… he may not ask me a third time.”



“I see.”



“Life isn’t a guarantee, and it certainly doesn’t fit perfectly with anyone. Everything takes work, but as long as you love each other, it usually works out. I’d give anything in the world to see him one more time. I imagine one day he will be waiting on me again and I’ll gladly hop in with him then too.” She patted Ciara’s leg. “Derek is a good man, he has his demons but he is working through them.”



“What demons does Derek have? He always seems so confident, so sure of himself.”



Adele looked at her. “He hasn’t told you then, about sleeping? Well it’s not my place to tell you.”



“I know he doesn’t sleep, if he does it’s very little. We went away one weekend, months ago and he was always awake.”



Adele sighed, “He has dreams, bad dreams about his time in the military. They haunt him and keep him awake. Somehow they are connected to you, he said he only relaxes with you around. He will probably kill me for telling you that.”



“Thank you, Mrs. Baker, that helps me to understand him so much more.”



“Please, call me Adele.”



Ciara gave her a small smile. She glanced at the clock on the wall.



“You understand don’t you… why I have to go to the pier alone?”



“Yes, I do. I hate it, but as a mother I know I would do the same thing. The problem is as women and mothers, we tend to rush out and don’t even consider the other possibilities. It’s a hard line to walk.”



The women heard Derek’s booming voice in the hall.



“Do they not talk to each other when there is a shift change?” He dropped a bag on the table. “There is the money, but don’t think for a second you’re going alone, Ciara, I forbid it.”



“Oh for heaven’s sake, Derek,” Adele piped up.



He sighed when he noticed Ciara’s stance was stronger and her hands on her hips. “Fine, please don’t do that, Ciara.”



She relaxed and spun around to walk towards the window. “I don’t have a choice, Derek, I just don’t.”



“When do you have to meet him?”



“In the morning, after 9.” She bit her lip with the lie that slipped so easily off her tongue.



“Well, we all need to get some rest. There is a plan in motion now.” Adele shared her thoughts on the situation.



“You’re right, Adele, you can sleep in the spare room. Let me show you.” She walked down the long hall and opened up the door. “This used to be my father’s room so it’s not very feminine, I’m afraid.” She welcomed her into the room.



“It’s just fine, dear, I’m going to get some sleep. Keep me posted…and talk to him.”



She closed the door and Ciara made her way into the living room where Derek sat, his head hung low. She watched him for a moment, his dark head down as if he was thinking long and hard about something. He had gotten the money, he had come to help her once more. Finally he looked up and she saw his face. He looked as if he was in pain.



“You keep saving me, Derek, we seem to be in some kind of pattern. Thank you for everything you’ve done.”



“Really, Ciara, you’re going to thank me? It’s not like I’m some guy who is just here to save you, you know. I care, Ciara, I love you.”



She took a step back.



“Is it so bad, to hear me say that to you? You even took a step back, Ciara. It’s okay, I got your point.”



“We are both worried about Tony that’s all, Derek. I think there is a lot of emotion flowing around right now, that’s all.”



“Yeah you’re probably right, Ciara, you are awfully quick to get upset when I tell you what to do but yet, you have no problem telling me what I am feeling.” He took the two long strides to the couch.



“Derek, I didn’t mean…”



“It’s okay, Ciara, you’re right, there is a lot of emotion right now. I’m going to sit here and wait until 9 am so I can follow you to find this bastard.”



She swallowed hard. “Ok Derek.” She took steps towards her room and crawled into her bed, letting the tears fall.



It hadn’t been a couple of hours when she snuck into the living room. True to his word, he was wide awake watching television. She waited until he went to the bathroom and took the chance to grab the bag and slip out the door and down the hall. She ran into one guard and she told him she needed to run to the store. She made her way to her car. It started and she pushed through the fear she had and left into the night to find the meeting spot.





Chapter Nineteen – Derek





He felt like a fool. He had done as his mother advised. He had told her he loved her and she had taken a step back. He worried he would have to move back home for good in order to let her go. He wanted to go in her room right then and force her to admit she loved him too, but he was still trying to hold on to what little pride he had left.



He flipped through the channels, searching out something, anything. He was consumed with worry about Antoine. He was a good kid and if one hair on his head was out of place, he would kill the son of a bitch himself.