Hotshot (The Bennett Brothers 1)

This time she’s gone too far and fucked with the wrong man. Her manipulation is over; she has no more control over me. And she’d better stay the hell away from Bizzy.

Chapter 32

Bizzy

I look around the condo and notice the door to the balcony open. That’s where I find Shaw sitting, with a half-empty bottle in one hand and a full tumbler in the other. He stares at the dark sky, still dressed in his suit pants and dress shirt from this morning. I’ve had a nagging feeling all day that something was wrong, knowing he had another appointment with Sasha.

In the five weeks since he left her house, she has changed her attitude, no longer including Shaw in anything. Her calls and texts have stopped. There are no updates, and she refuses to answer his requests. He had to bring Caldwell back in the mix in order to get an update. Even then, it was a six-word email.

The baby is fine. Progressing nicely.

She’s switched her appointments without notifying him prior. She canceled all classes and rescinded his and his mother’s invitation to her baby showers. Basically, all ties are cut. Part of me wants to rejoice in celebration, but it’s hurting Shaw to miss so much at this point.

“Hey, sweetheart.” I go to him quickly.

He moves his arms, allowing room for me to sit. I wrap my arms around his neck and lean in to kiss him.

“Babe,” is his only response.

“What happened? Did she change her appointment again without telling you?”

“Not this time. This time, she went straight for the jugular, hit me where she knew it would hurt. She asked for me to be removed from the room, claiming that my fiancée worked with cancer patients, and she was fearful of the possibility of me bringing germs into the room. She put on a good show for the nurse and sonographer, even shedding a few tears.

“When I questioned the nurses about getting an update on the baby’s progress, I learned she still didn’t sign the form allowing me access. I tried to explain it was my money paying for all these extra ultrasounds and added tests Sasha’s requesting, but nothing worked.”

“I’m so sorry.” My gut twists and tightens at the anguish in his voice. Guilt turns in my stomach. She’s using my career as a crutch to keep him away.

“It’s not your fault. I called Caldwell, and he’s working on getting me an update on the baby’s progress, and an appointment with the doctor to hopefully see the most recent ultrasound pictures. I’d like to know what they’ve discussed for the birthing plan. He’s almost thirty-three weeks. It’s time to talk about options.”

“Caldwell will make it happen,” I try to reassure him.

“I know.” He drops his forehead to mine and takes a deep breath. “I just hope it happens before we leave on Wednesday. He’s going to contact a friend that’s a judge and request a petition, demanding Sasha give me access to the information pertaining to the baby only.”

“That’s positive news.”

“That’s about the only positive news. Caldwell finally had a break and discovered exactly what Sasha was up to, and it’s not pretty.”

My heart stammers in my chest. We’ve been waiting for this information since the night Shaw walked in the door after his confrontation with her. Once he explained what she said, we both knew she had been planning something.

“Tell me,” I urge him to continue.

“Caldwell has a relationship with an investigator. This guy discovered that Sasha hired a Private Investigator shortly after I told her about us. She wanted to know everything, digging up your life and mine. When you left for Charlotte, she saw an opportunity and took it. It pushed her over the top when I followed you a few weeks later. That’s when she put her plan in place. According to records that may or may not have been legally obtained, Sasha actually knew the sex of the baby for weeks before we supposedly found out together. There’s a way to look at the genes and discover the gender through the blood tests with genetic testing. She knew the whole time. All of it was a giant game to her, watching to see how far I’d bend to her will. It must have pissed her off that I wasn’t back in Miami, so she made this elaborate story to lure me home. Needless to say, it worked.”

“Wow, talk about manipulative. This is cunning, even for her.”

“I’m an idiot for falling for it. Why didn’t I catch on?”

“Let’s not go there, Shaw. You did what you thought was right.”

“Yes, but the whole time, she continued to work behind the scenes. You received the job offer in Charlotte because her father offered a handsome donation to the hospital if they’d keep you.”

“W-w-what?” I stammer, not believing what he’s said.

“Yep. Good ole Claude Crane wanted his daughter happy, so somehow, he was able to influence them to offer you a position—one he never thought you’d reject.”

“So they didn’t really want me?” I feel like I can’t breathe as it dawns on me. Even though I didn’t want to stay in Charlotte, it was nice to think they believed in me.

“No, baby, they did want you. But Evie threatened her counterpart if she tried to steal you.” He kisses my shoulder, tightening the arm around my waist. “But the administrator made the offer based on the promise of a hefty endowment.”