Acquisition (2 page)

She was late. That was the first thought that popped into Abby’s mind as soon as she woke up the next morning. She glanced briefly beside her, seeing a faint indent in the pillow, but able to judge from the temperature of the bedding that Luka had left a while ago. That didn’t surprise her, since he often had early mornings, and she liked to sleep later. In fact, she never scheduled college classes earlier than ten a.m.

A quick glance at the clock told her the alarm hadn’t even gone off yet, so she wasn’t in any danger of being late just yet. It was a strange thought to wake up to, but she shrugged her shoulders as she got out of bed and walked into the bathroom, assuming she had been dreaming about being late. It was only after she’d adjusted the water of the multi-head shower and climbed into the soothing warmth that she realized exactly where her brain had led her.

She was late.

Not late for class, but late for her period. For just a second, panic squeezed her chest in a vise, and she let out a small whimper. It took a couple of deep breaths to calm down, and the reminder that she had recently started taking birth control, so that was probably making her cycle erratic. She would just pop by the Student Health Center after class to make sure, but she doubted there was any real reason to worry.

The rationale should have been reassuring, but she was still on tenterhooks while she dressed for the day and made her way to the university. A rational explanation didn’t quiet the voice of doubt and panic inside her. She and Luka had never discussed having children. They were nowhere near that point in their relationship, and it would be terrible timing. If she was accidentally pregnant, would he think she had done it on purpose?

She shook her head, discarding the thought almost as soon as she had it. Luka had seen her take her birth control pills more than one time—in fact, just about every night, he was there when she took the pill before bed. She knew she hadn’t missed any, and she was certain he would believe her when she told him that.

More than likely, she was freaking herself out for nothing, but deciding impulsively at the last minute that she needed to know right then, she turned away from the building housing her Econ class and headed toward the Student Health Center instead. Since she didn’t have an appointment, she joined the walk-in line and signed in, and then sat down in the uncomfortably rigid plastic chairs that passed for a waiting room, opening one of her textbooks for her next class.

Studying proved impossible while thoughts exploded in her head. Bad thoughts, and scary thoughts. Thoughts of a future that was bereft of Luka. The idea of being a single mother terrified her, especially since she was only twenty-one.

Her own mother had raised her and Haley singlehandedly, having gotten pregnant with Haley at sixteen, and they had all survived the experience, but it had been hard. It had been especially hard until Muriel had managed to claw her way through night school to become a nurse and stop cleaning other people’s houses. Haley had already been in junior high at that point, but Abby had still been a grade-schooler, and while their financial life had improved, she’d still seen not enough of her mother and too much of her bossy older sister.

If she was pregnant, and Luka didn’t want it or her any longer, she wouldn’t even have another child for any kind of support. That was actually a good thing, and she realized even in her panicked state that it was better to be the single mother of one child instead of two, but she was having a difficult time calming down to think rationally.

The words on the page blurred before her, and she hadn’t read anything about biopsychology by the time the harried-looking nurse’s assistant called her name a half-hour later. She shoved her textbook back in her backpack and stood up to follow the woman who didn’t look much older than her down the narrow hallway and into a small exam room.

Clearly, the university hadn’t earmarked much in the way of funding for the Student Health Center. She’d never been there before, having gone to a fancy gynecologist downtown when she had told Luka she wanted to go on birth control pills. He’d arranged the visit for her, or had his assistant do so anyway, so this was her first experience with the less-than-stellar Student Health Center.

The name tag identified the nurse’s assistant as Wanda, and the young woman pushed back a handful of braids before she started making notes on a paper chart. It was a stark contrast to the gynecologist’s office, where the nurse and doctor had both used tablets to enter data.

“When was your last period?” asked Wanda.

Abby rattled off the date before tacking on, “I did start birth control pills for the first time last month though, on the Sunday after the first day of my period. I figure that’s why I’m late. It probably messed up my cycles.”

Wanda didn’t seem interested in her opinion, though she did say, “Birth control pills are more likely to regulate your cycle, not screw it up. Did you miss any pills?”

Abby shook her head. “Not a one, and I took them all at the same time every night too.” She’d been scrupulous about doing so, determined to avoid an unplanned pregnancy, especially until Luka was ready to embrace how he felt about her and admit it to both of them.

“Okay then.” Wanda opened the cabinet door in front of her and took out a cup with a lid. “Pee in the cup, and then leave the sample out here on the counter. I’ll be back to run the test in a little bit.”

The nurse’s assistant left, closing the door behind her, and Abby went to the small cubicle that passed for a bathroom attached to the room to do the test as requested. She returned and placed it on the counter, her fingers trembling as she did so.

After what seemed like an hour wait that was probably closer to ten minutes, Wanda returned with a small foil packet. She ripped it open and pulled out a square and a dropper. She was quick and methodical with the steps involved, and Abby watched apprehensively. They were the longest few minutes of her life as she waited.

“It’s positive.” Wanda delivered the verdict impassively.

Her stomach dipped into her toes, and a wave of nausea rolled over her. Wanda must have been through this before, because she thrust the trash can under Abby’s chin. Abby considered it a small personal victory when she managed not to barf up the excellent breakfast prepared by Luka’s housekeeper earlier that morning.

After returning the trashcan to its spot on the floor, Wanda washed her hands and reached into another cabinet above her head. She pulled out a plastic bag filled with papers and passed it to Abby. “Here’s some literature. This will answer all your questions, and there’s a list of doctors in the area, along with their specialties. If you decide to terminate, you’ll want to schedule an appointment soon, because it often takes time to get in to the clinic, thanks to the politicians and onerous burdens placed on the clinics to restrict access to women’s healthcare.”

Abby took the package of paperwork, holding it in her shaking hand as she stared into Wanda’s dark eyes. She wanted to ask what she was supposed to do now, but she didn’t bother. For one thing, Wanda clearly didn’t care, and for another, the other woman certainly didn’t have the answers she sought anyway.

She slipped off the table and made her way out of the exam room just behind Wanda, pausing at the front desk to pay the ten-dollar co-pay before making her way out of the clinic and across the Commons, where she dropped onto the nearest bench. She stared down at the paperwork bundled together in the plastic packet, but couldn’t bring herself to open it or sort through any of the brochures inside.

She managed to see the titles of a couple and gathered the packet included information on prenatal care alongside abortion providers. It was a thorough packet, but a disconcerting sight to see the two disparate paths available grouped so casually together into one tiny little packet.

The situation was anything but tidy, though she wished she could just randomly reach into the packet and pull out the right answer. It wasn’t her decision to make alone, but she was dreading the conversation with Luka. Though earlier she had been certain he wouldn’t think she’d tricked him, now she was filled with fear and reminded of how many times he had circled away from discussing their future or any deeper emotions between them besides sex.

He seemed to want her with him, but he didn’t seem prepared to make the final commitment that would keep her there. It was bound to cross his mind that she had deliberately gotten pregnant in an attempt to force him to make a decision, though she knew that wasn’t true. He might not even utter the words, but she was certain he would be thinking them, even if just briefly. The idea of him suspecting such a thing felt like a betrayal, though she knew he would probably feel equally betrayed when she told him about the baby.

She let out a small sob, bending over long enough to shove the paperwork back in her backpack before shouldering it and walking away from the university. She was in no state to attend class today, and though she felt a twinge of guilt at having skipped out on both of her classes for the day, she had bigger problems than ruining her perfect attendance—not that her professors cared about such things. The only time they cared about attendance was when you came too infrequently, not when you showed up to every class. That was simply a built-in expectation for college students.

She wandered aimlessly when she could have caught a bus, hailed a cab, or even called the driving service Luka kept on retainer if she wanted. Instead, she just let herself walk, her brain worrying at the situation as her feet led her inexorably back to the apartment she shared with Luka.

For how long? As she approached the block housing the exclusive complex, she couldn’t help turning that question over and over in her mind. She knew Haley would tell her she was better off without him if he didn’t want to claim his responsibility, and her sister had been not-so-subtly hinting for weeks that she should either press for a commitment or move on, but she hadn’t been able to even consider such an action. The idea of leaving Luka was just as incomprehensible as it would be to reach into her chest and rip out her own heart.

The current situation placed her in the untenable position of perhaps not having a choice in how long she stayed. She was certain if she gave him enough time, he would open up to her and admit he loved her. She was sure she’d seen it in his eyes when they made love, or as they cuddled together, or even just doing myriad daily tasks. She was certain he would soon realize and admit his feelings, but only if she didn’t push him.

Now, she had to push. It wasn’t so much a push as a gigantic shove across an invisible line she hadn’t even tiptoed up to before. It was a daunting prospect, and she was so consumed with fear of the coming confrontation that it took a moment to realize someone was calling her name. She didn’t connect the sound until someone also touched her shoulder, making her jump as she spun to look at the person. “What?”

“Abby Collins?” asked a man in a dark suit. He had close-cropped hair smoothed close to his scalp and gray eyes that lacked any hint of emotion.

She nodded apprehensively. “Who are you?”

He quickly opened his jacket and withdrew a bifold leather case. He flipped it open to reveal a badge. “I’m Sean Armstrong, with the FBI. I need you to come with me.”

She furrowed her brow, staring at him uncertainly. Her first instinct was to obey, because that’s what you did when the FBI approached you. However, she hovered, put off by something about the man himself. He scared her. “No, thank you.” She said the words perfectly politely even as she edged closer to the street housing Luka’s apartment. She was only fifteen yards or so from it, and she might be able to reach the security gate before the man could catch up with her if she broke into a run.

“I’m afraid I must insist.”

She shook her head. “Do you have a warrant?”

The other man let out a harsh laugh. “I see Rinaldi has trained you well.”

She frowned at him. “What do you mean? What’re you talking about?”

“Rinaldi told you all the things to say if the FBI approached, didn’t he?”

She shook her head, totally baffled. “I don’t know what you mean. Are you talking about Luka Rinaldi?”

Armstrong’s face twisted into an expression of annoyance. “Of course I’m talking about Luka Rinaldi, though he’s just one of the triad of scum plaguing this town.”

The urge to run increased at his harsh words and look of disgust. “I really don’t know what you want with me, but I’m not going anywhere with you without a warrant.”

He stared at her from half a second, his expression serious. Abruptly, a grating laugh escaped him. “You really don’t know, do you?”

“Know what?”

“Who your boyfriend is? You don’t know that he’s one-third of the mafia family that runs this town? Can you really be that naïve?”

She stiffened in shock, shaking her head in automatic dismissal of his words. “That’s crazy.”

He seemed to enjoy enlightening her with his version of the “truth.” “Dominic Rinaldi is the boss of the
Cosa Nostra
in this city. Luka Rinaldi is his consigliore, and their identical triplet brother Roman is the underboss. I’m on a task force assigned to bring them down, and I need your cooperation.”

He put a hand on her shoulder, and she automatically shrugged him off. “I’m not helping you with anything. I don’t believe a word you’re saying.”