Chapter 2 - THE MAN WHO CAME BACK
Mason walked toward us quickly.
His earlier arrogance was gone.
"What did you give her?"
Luka folded the document once.
"Something that belongs to her."
Mason stopped several feet away.
"You need to leave."
Luka smiled without humor.
"Interesting."
"What?"
"You left your wife and newborn twenty minutes ago."
"But a piece of paper brought you back."
Mason's eyes flicked toward me.
"Avery, you don't understand what's happening."
"Then explain it."
"This man is dangerous."
Luka said nothing.
Mason pointed toward Luka's tattooed hands.
"You don't know who he is."
I almost laughed.
"I didn't know who you were either."
That hit him.
Good.
One administrator stepped forward.
Her badge identified her as Dr. Elaine Porter, chief medical officer.
"Mrs. Bennett, perhaps we should move this discussion somewhere private."
"No."
Mason stared at me.
"Avery."
"No."
My daughter shifted against me.
Every protective instinct inside me had awakened.
"I've had people deciding what I should know for long enough."
Dr. Porter's expression tightened.
Luka handed me the document.
Mason moved.
"Don't."
Luka stepped between us.
He didn't touch Mason.
He didn't threaten him.
He simply stood there.
Mason stopped.
Luka was taller by several inches.
But it wasn't his size that changed the room.
It was his stillness.
"Her paper."
Luka's voice was quiet.
"Her decision."
Mason looked around as if searching for someone to rescue him from consequences.
Nobody moved.
I opened the document.
Most of the medical language meant nothing to me.
Then I reached a section near the bottom.
PATIENT: AVERY BENNETT.
PROCEDURE DATE: FEBRUARY 16.
SPECIMEN AUTHORIZATION: RESTRICTED.
SOURCE CODE: M-17.
I remembered February 16.
Mason had driven me to the clinic.
He had kissed my forehead in the parking garage.
He had told me everything would finally be okay.
I had believed him.
My hands began shaking.
"You knew."
Mason's face hardened.
"No."
"Your face says you knew."
"You've just given birth."
His voice changed into that soft, condescending tone he used whenever he wanted to make me doubt myself.
"You're exhausted."
"Don't do that."
"Do what?"
"Make me sound unstable because you're scared."
His jaw flexed.
Luka watched him carefully.
Dr. Porter whispered something to the second administrator.
Then Luka spoke.
"Ask him about the consent form."
Mason's head snapped toward him.
I looked down.
"What consent form?"
Luka pointed to a reference number near the bottom.
"There should be a signed authorization linked to that procedure."
I turned toward Dr. Porter.
"Show me."
She hesitated.
That hesitation answered everything.
"Show me."
Her voice dropped.
"We can't locate the original."
Mason moved closer.
"Avery, listen to me."
I backed away.
"No."
"We did what we had to do."
Every person in the hallway went silent.
I stared at him.
"What did you just say?"
Mason realized too late.
His eyes changed.
I felt something inside me break.
Not loudly.
Not dramatically.
Just permanently.
"We did what we had to do."
I repeated his words.
"For what?"
He didn't answer.
Luka did.
"To give the Bennett family an heir."
Mason turned on him.
"Shut your mouth."
And that was when the elevator doors opened.
A woman stepped out carrying a sealed evidence bag.
I recognized her immediately.
Selena Cross.
Mason's mistress.
Except she wasn't wearing the red dress she'd worn when she left with him.
She was wearing hospital scrubs.
May you like
And clipped to her chest was an identification badge.
ST. CATHERINE FERTILITY LAB.
