Page 77 of Captive Vows
And that had to be what he’d come here to talk about with me. Not that fact that my dad was trying to figure out a new, illegitimate deal that would allow the Rivera Mafia to have me, but the fact that I was pregnant.
“Explain yourself.” He lifted his chin, glowering at me.
Just like that, sensing the height of his anger, my stubborn streak lit me up and took over. I crossed my arms. “Explain what?” I replied. Before he could show me more of how mad he was, I continued. “Why my dad would try to sell me to someone else? I have no fucking clue. He’s a pathetic piece of shit who’s only looking out for himself.”
“The other part,” he growled. “Explain why you thought it would be a smart choice to hide your pregnancy from me.”
Well, that settled that. It wasn’t a matter of him trying to figure outifI really was pregnant. He knew. One way or another, he did know now.
“Because.”
He stepped forward as he pulled one hand out of his pocket. Pairing his menacing and thunderous expression with the lift of his arm, as though he wanted to grab me, he shook his head and muttered curses that sounded like Russian gibberish that I couldn’t decipher.
“Try again,” he warned in a serious growl.
“Because,” I repeated, digging in to stand my ground despite how scared I was. My child would never have a weakling for a mother. Iwouldsurvive this storm. “Because I figured you’d confront me just like this. Because I worried that you’d go berserk about this news, one way or another.” Tightening my arms around me, I tried to use my defensive stance as a shield to hide behind before he’d lose his temper.
“I wouldn’t be confronting you about this at all if you’d just told the fucking truth to begin with.”
“You never asked me if I was pregnant,” I retorted, regretting it the second I spoke. It sounded so childish, so stupid.
“You’ve lied by omission,” he yelled. “You have been dishonest to hide such a huge thing from me at all!”
“And I would do it all over again.” Hiding this pregnancy was only something I could’ve tried to pull off for so long. Sooner or later, I’d start showing and it would be obvious. Until then, I’d hoped to determine if it would be safer to do this parenthood thing solo or with him.
With how mad he was, I had my answer.
He wasnotpleased about this news. In the back of my mind, I had to consider that he might just be furious about how I’d kept it a secret, not that he was mad about my having his child. Time would tell, but I wasn’t backing down now.
He could be miffed about my hiding it, but couldn’t he also respect that I was limited in power here? That I’d be afraid and act accordingly?
“You would lie to me again?”
“I would keep this information to myself until I could know whether I could trust you with it.”
“Trustme?” He ground his teeth, glaring at me with a seething fury. “How can you claim that you can’t trust me? After all I’ve fucking done for you. After?—”
“After you kidnapped me?” I screamed back, letting my anger cover my fear. I wouldn’t retreat like a docile whore. “You took me. Remember? I had no say, no power, no control in my life. And now that I will be bringing a new life into this world, I’ll be damned if you can assume you’ll just take him or her too!”
“Don’t even suggest getting rid of?—”
“I wouldn’t!” At least he could appease my concerns about that.
“And get it out of your head that you’ll have any authority over my child.”
I growled, fisting my hands and hating him with every fiber of my being. He was wrong. He was so goddamn wrong. He could tell me that he owned me, but he would not own my baby.
“I do,” I bit out once I felt like I could speak, not screech. “I do have every fucking right to this baby. You will not beat submission into me with this. Iwillbe in charge of my life to the extent that I will raise this baby. Me. Not your army.”
“I’d like to see you try.” He chuckled darkly, shaking his head. “Go on. See how far you can run if you try to be a moron and escape.”
His goading me like this was so uncalled for. It was cruel of him to taunt me at all. No matter what he said, I would not be intimidated to give up this fight. “I’ll be damned if my baby is used.”
Lifting my chin high, I let him see that while I wouldn’t argue with him point by point and be so cocky as to say I could escape if I really wanted to, I wouldn’t back down at all.
“I won’t stand for my baby to be sold. Like all you criminals want to barter withmylife.” I stabbed my finger at my chest.
He shook his head, looking angrier yet. “There is no bartering. The discussion with the Riveras isn’t even a real concern. Your father gave you to me as a payment for his debt. And it is nonnegotiable for anyone to even think about taking you or calling the shots.”
