Midnight Call (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (19 page)

* * * *

Nadia opened her eyes and groaned in pain then groaned again as fire shot up her raw throat. Everything hurt. Her head was pounding, her teeth ached, her throat was on fire, and her face throbbed. It hurt to even breathe. She decided it was all worth it when she saw each of her guys in the room with her. Jackson was curled up on the empty bed with Addison. Greg and Steve were each in a chair.

She knew she was in the hospital. The smell of antiseptic and the annoying beep of the machines gave that away. What Nadia didn’t know was how she’d gotten there. The last thing she remembered was calling Greg and telling him where she and the baby were. After that, she remembered nothing until right now. Looking over, Nadia smiled when she saw Steve had woken up and was watching her.

“Hey, honey,” he whispered as he walked over to the bed. “You scared us to death. How are you feeling? Are you hurting?”

It took a few tries before Nadia could get her throat to work. “Is Addison okay?” she asked in a hoarse whisper.

“Not a scratch thanks to you,” Steve said.

Nadia thought of what could have happened to Addison if she hadn’t been able to get the baby away in time and sighed in relief that she was safe.

“Can I hold her?” It was crazy, but she needed to hold the baby in her arms to prove to herself she was safe. “Please,” she said when it looked like Steve was going to deny her.

Steve watched her for a moment and then nodded. He went over and lifted the baby from Jackson’s arms. Nadia frowned when Jackson didn’t wake up. She took a closer look and had to wonder how long she had been in the hospital because all three of her men looked as rough as though they hadn’t shaved or showered in a few days. They all looked worn out, which would explain why Jackson didn’t even stir. Nadia wanted to ask Steve but knew it would be nearly impossible with her sore throat. All her concerns were forgotten when he placed Addison in her arms. The sweet familiar smell of baby powder went a long way in soothing Nadia’s nerves. Addison was safe, and Nadia felt herself relaxing and drifting back to sleep as she cradled the baby.

The next time Nadia woke up, she panicked when she realized her arms were empty. “Addison,” she managed to croak out, sending herself into a coughing fit.

“Shh, it’s okay. You and the baby are safe now,” Jackson said as he helped her sit up in the bed.

Nadia was grateful when he held a straw to her mouth and nearly moaned when the cold water soothed her throat. She took a few more sips and then lay back. She noticed that Jackson was the only one in the room this time.

“Where is everyone?”

“The guys took Addison home to get some sleep. She was getting a little cranky,” Jackson said as he sat on the side of her bed.

“How long have I been here?”

“You have been here almost four days. Steve says you woke up a little yesterday and held Addison.”

Nadia nodded. She remembered insisting she hold the baby, but that seemed like only hours before. She shivered in fear that, deep down, she knew was irrational. She had to force herself not to insist Addison be kept in her sight at all times.

“Nadia honey, the police are outside waiting. They need to ask you a few questions so they can find whoever did this to you. Do you think you can tell them what happened?”

“What do you mean find whoever did this? I killed him already,” Nadia whispered as memories of her struggle to escape flashed in her head.

Jackson frowned as he went over to the door and let the officers in. Nadia told them everything that had happened up until she passed out in the car. Once she was done, she answered all of the officers’ questions and told them everything that she knew about her kidnapper. She was shocked to find out that somehow Robert was gone from the warehouse when they went in to search. All they found was what looked like a trail of blood where something had been dragged across the floor. She was upset he hadn’t been caught yet, but in a way, she was relieved she hadn’t killed the man. There was no way she wanted to explain to Addison when she was older that she’d killed the child’s father.

Nadia felt bad for Addison and the fact that she would eventually learn what her biological father had tried to do to her, but she was lucky she was going to have her uncles by her side. With them, she would know love and be truly cared for. Nadia just hoped she was around in the future to see it.

When the police left, Nadia lay back in the bed and tried to relax. Her mind seemed as if it was running a marathon with all the thoughts in her head. Where was Robert? Was he going to come after her or Addison again?

“Have the doctors said when I can go home?” Nadia tried to keep the panic out of her voice as she sat up. She needed to get home so she could watch over Addison.

“The doc said that, since you’ve woken up and seem to be fine, you can go home in the morning.” Jackson gently pushed her back onto the bed.

“I still don’t even know what is wrong with me,” she grumbled, sitting up again. The morning was too far away. She wanted to go home now.

“For starters,” he said as he eased her back down again, “you need to stop trying to get up. Just rest. There is nothing wrong with you other than you sporting a rainbow of colors over most of your body. Your neck looks like someone tried to paint it black. The main concerns were that you hadn’t woken up from your concussion and that you seemed to be struggling to breathe when they brought you in. The doctors were able to control the swelling in your throat to help with the breathing, and, now that you are up and aware of your surroundings, you can go home as soon as we get the all-clear from the doc.”

Nadia had to admit she still hurt all over, but that didn’t mean she had to like it. She lowered the head of the bed and turned over on her side. If she had to be here, she might as well get some rest. Jackson seemed to be satisfied she was following his orders and returned to his chair. He crossed his ankle over his knee and began reading the newspaper. Nadia watched him flip a few pages as she felt herself getting sleepy. Just as her eyes drifted shut, she saw a familiar face staring back at her.

“Oh my God, that’s him,” she sat up, trying to get out of the bed.

Jackson threw down the newspaper and was at her side in an instant. “Honey, what’s wrong? What do you need?”

“The paper. That was him. I saw him in the paper.”

When Jackson grabbed the paper and handed it to her, Nadia quickly flipped until she found the picture that she’d seen. “That’s him,” she said, pointing to the picture. “That’s the man who kidnapped us. Addison’s father.”

Jackson took the paper and read the article out loud. “The mutilated body found late Tuesday night has been identified as Robert Hale. Although authorities still aren’t sure of the circumstances surrounding Mr. Hale’s death, they have determined it was a homicide. Extensive damage showed Mr. Hale seemed to have been tortured over a period of time until his body was dumped sometime in the early hours of Tuesday night. As of now, police have no suspects or motives and are urging anyone with information to call or come down to the station.”

“Wow. He told me this was going to happen to him.” Nadia shivered. She knew she’d come close to death. If she had met the man that did this to Robert that night, she had no doubt he would never have let her walk out of there alive.

“Do you know who did this?” Jackson asked.

Nadia heard the fear in his voice and knew he realized exactly how close to death she’d come as well. “No, he never told me who was after him. He just told me he owed a really bad man a lot of money, and if he didn’t pay, he was dead. He was going to sell Addison so he could get the money. I could tell his deadline was getting close because he kept getting more and more agitated.”

“Okay, honey, it’s over now,” Jackson said as he folded the newspaper up. “You lie down and get some rest, and I’m going to step in the hall, call the officers, and let them know this new information. I will be right back.”

Nadia curled back up and closed her eyes. She felt Jackson kiss her forehead and heard the door shut as he left the room. It was bad to say, but all she felt was relief that Robert was dead. She didn’t have any sympathy for a man willing to sell his own child to cover his debts. She was glad the whole ordeal was over and had to admit that knowing Robert was not out there waiting to take Addison went a long way in helping her relax. As she drifted off to sleep, Nadia made plans on how to tell her men she loved them and wanted to spend the rest of her life with them.

Nadia arrived home from her doctor’s appointment with a clean bill of health. She was a little upset none of the guys had been able to go with her, but she understood they all had something to do. That was why she was shocked to see all three guys standing there when she walked through the front door.

“What’s wrong? Where is Addison? Is she okay?” She knew she sounded crazy, but ever since her kidnapping, she had been really protective of the baby.

“Honey, it’s okay. Calm down. Addy is fine.” Jackson put an arm around her.

“Then why are you guys just standing here? What’s going on?” she asked, still not convinced everything was fine.

“My mom took the baby for the night, and we have a surprise for you,” Steve said, smiling.

A surprise?
Nadia had no clue what was going on, but she had to admit they definitely had her attention. Ever since she’d come home from the hospital a few days before, the guys had been very attentive to all of her needs but one. They refused to touch her, and Nadia was about to go crazy. She was curious what they had planned, so when Jackson started leading her to the living room, she didn’t resist. She hoped that whatever they did ended with them all in a naked pile by the end of the night.

“Oh my.” She gasped when they led her around the corner. “How did you manage to get all of this done in the few hours I have been gone?”

The living room had been turned into some kind of tropical oasis. There were large green plants that resembled palm trees in every corner. The furniture had been removed, and the floor was covered in huge fluffy pillows. The finishing touches were the lit candles covering every surface of the room.

“Wow, guys. I don’t know what to say.” Nadia was trying to hold back tears. She was shocked at the transformation and what the guys had done just for her.

“Come on and have a seat. We ordered Chinese for dinner, and then we are going to have some fun,” Greg said, winking at her.

She hoped his idea of fun was the same as hers and could be described as hot, sweaty, and naked. Following Greg, she sat on one of the fluffy pillows and waited to see what was coming next. She didn’t have to wait long until she was handed a plate filled with all her favorites. Nadia happily ate as she listened to the guys joke and kid each other. She was glad to see they were finally getting past her kidnapping ordeal and getting back to normal as well. Each of them had been so sweet and attentive to her during her recovery, treating her as though she were made of glass. Now she wanted to yell at them that she was just a little bruised and battered, not dying.

When she had enough to eat, Steve took her plate away, and Nadia cleared her throat. This was it. When she’d been kidnapped and scared that she would never see any of these men again, she’d made a vow that, if she got a second chance with them, she wouldn’t waste it. She would tell them every day how much she loved them and Addison.

“Guys, I have something to tell you.”

“Hold that thought,” Greg interrupted, giving her a quick peck on the lips. “We have something to give you.”

Jackson smiled as he handed Nadia an envelope. “Open it.”

“What is it?” Nadia asked as she opened it with trembling fingers. When she had the envelope open, she pulled out the piece of paper, read it, and gasped. The paper slipped from her trembling fingers as she looked up into Jackson’s smiling face.

“There is nothing I could ever do to repay you for what you did to keep Addison safe. Because of you, she is still here with us. I figured, and the guys agreed with me, there is no one better qualified than you to be her mother. All you have to do is sign the papers and you will be Addison’s legal guardian along with me. Later on we can start the adoption process if you want,” Jackson said as he pressed an ink pen in her hand.

“Are you serious?” Nadia was able to ask through tears.

“Yes, baby,” Greg answered. “We love you. It’s stupid that it took almost losing you for us to grow some balls and tell you that, but there it is. We love you, and we want to spend the rest of our lives with you.”

Nadia looked over at Steve and Jackson to see that they were both nodding as well.

“I love you, honey,” Steve said.

“I love you, too,” Jackson agreed.

Nadia was at a loss for words. She’d expected to come home from the doctor and have to convince the guys they belonged together. Now they were giving her everything she wanted without her even having to ask for it.

“I love you guys so much. Answering that ad for a nanny was the best thing I have ever done. It brought me a family, and that is all I could ever ask for.” She wiped tears from her face.

Nadia climbed onto Jackson’s lap, cutting off any other chance he had of finishing the conversation. In her opinion, they had said all they needed to say at the moment. Now she wanted them. She sealed Jackson’s lips with hers and moaned when he immediately responded and slipped his tongue into her mouth. He tasted of the sweet wine he had drunk with his dinner, and Nadia eagerly sucked on his tongue.