CHAPTER 3
1326 Words
Chapter 3
Dante's Point of View
I drove away from Elara's building, but I didn't go home. Instead, I park two blocks away and call Trent.
"Do you know what time it is?" My best friend sounds sleepy and angry.
"I need you to dig into something for me."
"Right now?"
"Right now." I look back toward Elara's apartment. Her light is still on. "I need everything you can find about DNA testing labs in the city. Specifically, who's been running tests using my genetic material."
Trent goes quiet. "Dante, what the hell is going on?"
"Someone stole my DNA. Used it to fake paternity results."
"That's impossible. Your DNA is locked up tighter than Fort Knox after that stalker incident last year."
I think about Abigail's strange behavior lately. The way she's been asking about my plans. The way she smiles when she thinks I'm not looking.
"Check the lab that handles our company's executive physicals. And Trent? Check who has access to my medical records."
"You think someone is inside."
"Just do it. I'll explain later."
I hang up and stare at Elara's window. The light goes off. She's probably crying herself to sleep, wondering if her father really knew about her. Wondering if I'm telling the truth.
I should tell her everything right now. About the promise I made to her father. About how I've been watching over her from a distance for months. About how seeing her tonight made something inside my chest feel tight and strange.
But if I tell her the truth, she'll run. And I can't let that happen. Not when she's carrying what might be my child. Not when she has nowhere else to go.
My phone buzzes. A text from an unknown number.
*She's pretty when she cries. Such a shame what happened to her father.*
My blood turns cold. Someone is watching Elara. Someone who knows about her father's death.
I called the number. It goes straight to voicemail.
I drive back to her building and park where I can see her apartment. If someone is watching her, they'll have to get through me first.
The next morning, I'm still in my car when she comes outside. She looks terrible. Her eyes are red and puffy. She moves slowly, like everything hurts.
She sees my car and stops walking. For a second, I think she might run back inside. But then she walks over and knocks on my window.
I roll it down.
"Did you sleep in your car?" she asks.
"I don't sleep much."
She looks around the parking lot. "Are you watching me?"
"I'm protecting you."
"From what?"
I showed her the text from last night. Her face goes white.
"Someone is watching you, Elara. Someone who doesn't want you to be safe."
She steps back from the car. "This is because of you. Because of whatever game you and your sister are playing."
"My sister and I aren't playing any games." I get out of the car. "And after tonight, we won't be family anymore."
"What does that mean?"
"It means I know who's been messing with your life. And I'm going to stop it."
She wraps her arms around her belly. The baby must be kicking. "I can't do this. I can't handle all this crazy stuff. I just want to have my baby and live a normal life."
"Normal doesn't exist for you anymore." I hate saying it, but it's true. "The moment that DNA test came back positive, your life changed forever. You can either let me help you, or you can try to handle this alone. But either way, someone out there sees you as a problem that needs to be solved."
Tears start falling down her face. "I didn't ask for any of this."
"I know." Without thinking, I reach out and wipe a tear off her cheek. Her skin is soft and warm. She doesn't pull away. "But we're in this together now, whether we like it or not."
"Why should I trust you?"
"Because I'm the only one telling you the truth."
She's quiet for a long time. Then she says, "Tell me about my father."
"Not here. Too many people watching." I open the car door. "Come with me. I'll tell you everything."
This time, she gets in without arguing.
I drive to my office building. It's Saturday, so the place is empty. We take the elevator to the top floor. My office has big windows that look out over the whole city.
Elara stands at the window, staring down at the street. "This is where you work?"
"This is where I live most of the time."
"It's so high up. Don't you get scared?"
"Heights don't scare me. People do."
She turns around. "Tell me about my father."
I sit behind my desk and pull out a file. "His name was Robert Hayes. He built a shipping company from nothing. Made millions, then lost it all when someone betrayed him."
"What happened to him?"
"Cancer. He spent his last year trying to find you. He hired me to locate you and make sure you were safe."
"Why didn't he come see me himself?"
This is the hard part. "Because he was ashamed. He gave you up when your mother died because he thought you'd be better off without him. He spent twenty-three years regretting that choice."
Elara sits down hard in the chair across from me. "He could have found me anytime. Why wait until he was dying?"
"Because he was a coward." I don't try to make Robert sound better than he was. "And because he was proud. Two things that don't mix well."
"What did he tell you about me?"
"He said you were strong. He said you'd fight for what was right, even if it cost you everything." I look at her across the desk. "He was right."
"Did he know about the baby?"
"No. He died before..." I stop. Something doesn't add up. "When did you find out you were pregnant?"
"Three months ago."
"Robert died four months ago."
We stare at each other. The timing is wrong. If Robert died before Elara knew she was pregnant, how did whoever took my DNA know to target her?
My phone rings. Trent's name appears on the screen.
"What did you find?" I answer.
"You're not going to like this." Trent sounds serious. "The DNA test was real. But the sample they used wasn't taken recently."
"What do you mean?"
"Someone's been saving your genetic material for over a year. And I found out who."
"Who?"
"Your sister, Dante. Abigail has been stockpiling your DNA since that stalker case. She's been planning this for a long time."
I look at Elara. She's watching me with big, scared eyes.
"There's more," Trent says. "I checked the security footage from the bar where Elara says she met the father. Guess who paid the bartender five thousand dollars to drug her drink that night?"
My blood turns to ice. "Abigail."
"And guess who was with her? The man Elara slept with. He's one of Abigail's employees. She planned the whole thing, Dante. She arranged for Elara to get pregnant with your baby."
The phone falls out of my hand. Elara is staring at me like I'm a monster.
"What's wrong?" she whispers.
How do I tell her that my sister orchestrated her r**e? How do I tell her that the baby she's carrying was created through the most evil plan I've ever heard?
Before I can answer, the elevator dings. Someone is coming up to my floor. On a Saturday. When the building should be empty.
I grab Elara's hand. "We have to go. Now."
"Why? What's happening?"
The elevator doors open. Abigail steps out, and she's not alone. Three men in dark suits follow her.
She smiles when she sees us. "Hello, brother. I think it's time we all had a family meeting.”
- Writer
