Listen, Pitch (There's No Crying in Baseball 3)

It had cost an arm and a leg, and I’d pulled every single favor that I had saved.

The babies were fighters, and they were going to make it.

But one thing was for certain—the suddenness of our second surrogate’s labor wasn’t due to anything natural.

It was due to Marsala’s sudden awareness that her life—according to her—wasn’t worth putting at risk for someone else’s children.

My guess was that she’d gotten wind somehow that her secret was no longer secret anymore.

I was in the middle of watching Joker interrogate Michael, Pablo’s right-hand man, when I got the news that the nurse—who also happened to be a highly trained individual that was also there as added muscle if the need ever arose—had stopped the attempted suicide mission that would either rid her of my children, or kill them all—including Marsala.

Unfortunately for her, she didn’t realize that every single person in that safe house with her was not only fully capable of saving her life, but also saving the lives of my children.

Also unlucky for her, the phone call she was able to place would send the man she’d been hoping would save her somewhere hundreds of miles away from where she was actually being held.

***

Henley

The last month had been god awful.

I’d done nothing but worry about Rhys and the other surrogate that was holding our children safe within her body.

I’d lost weight, had constant nightmares, and honestly done nothing but pace my cell—I mean safe house.

But, I’d realized a few things rather quickly after the suddenness of Pablo’s attack. One, I’d do anything if it made Rhys happy.

Two, if I had to stay in this place and raise our children for the rest of my life, knowing that Rhys wanted me to do it would make it all right.

And three, Rhys would fix this. I had complete and utter faith in him.

Which was why, when I’d received the phone call from our second surrogate, Marsala, that she was in labor, I hadn’t hesitated. Why? Because Marsala had given me the safe word. The one that Rhys had told me and had said that he’d only ever give to anyone else if he wanted me there and I was safe to do so.

I hadn’t even hesitated.Chapter 32What’s being a parent of infants like? Read the side effects of the closest medication you can find…it’s kind of like that.

-Rhys to a teammate

Rhys

The monitors showed that Pablo was there, and I wasn’t surprised.

The last-minute information that Marsala had been able to get out had sent her their location, which inevitably signaled Pablo exactly where he needed to go—kind of. At least, Pablo was under the impression that he was going to the correct place.

He wasn’t. But I’d tell him that later.

I rounded the final corner that would lead me to the second NICU we’d set up in the small safe house and found myself face to face with Pablo, who was pointing his gun against what he thought was a baby’s head.

The baby wasn’t moving. Wasn’t breathing. Wasn’t doing anything—which made my heart stutter.

It was made to look so fuckin’ real that it gave me the creeps.

“Why?” I asked, sounding just as angry as I felt.

Pablo didn’t pretend to misunderstand my question.

“It’s either I take the baby, or you give me the money. I don’t hurt girls…but this one? He’s gonna grow up to be just like you. And I can’t have that. I can’t have someone else stealing what’s mine.”

It was a good call dressing the baby in all blue, and covering the baby doll with a soft blue blanket. Joker had a few good ideas, that was for sure.

“What about the other surrogate? The one carrying my little girl?” I asked. “If you don’t hurt women—females—what were they?” I hissed.

I knew the answer.

Michael.

I just wanted to see if Pablo had known that his right-hand man had gone rogue.

“I had nothing to do with that death.” Pablo snorted. “It was sad and unfortunate.”

It was.

Very much so.

“You may not have had anything to do with it, but someone under your employ did…what’s wrong, Pablo? You can no longer control your people?” I pushed. “Sorry, correct me if I’m wrong but...isn’t that what you got so mad at my father for? Not controlling someone he was supposed to have the upper hand with?”

Pablo bared his teeth. “No such thing…”

I pulled up my phone, queued up the video I’d taken of Michael’s confession, then hit play with it at max volume.

The denial on Pablo’s lips died.

“I’ll kill him,” Pablo breathed, aiming the gun at the cradle. “After I kill your legacy.”

“I think that’s quite enough,” Joker, the broker, said as he entered the room. “Plus, I already took care of him for you. That is my job, yes? To clean up messes before too many people get involved?”

Pablo’s eyes narrowed on the broker, and then he turned his eyes to me, as if I’d betrayed him.