Chapter 130

Tyler POV

Three days had passed since Rachel started spotting blood in the middle of the surgical waiting room at Our Blessed Goddess Medical Center.

Her obstetrician had confirmed she would need to remain on bedrest for the duration of her pregnancy. We were told it was possible she'd only carry as far as thirty-six weeks which meant we would be looking at another eighteen to nineteen weeks confined to a stationary location.

Rachel had gotten good at delegating us to get everything she needed, but she still had to be watched because her natural instinct was to leap up to do for herself rather than calling out for help.

"Rachel! Do you need more ice? Magda, would you mind?" I asked of the elderly housekeeper who'd agreed to move in to help with my mate's pregnancy. She gave me a short nod before taking a carafe of ice water to Rachel in the living room.

I'd placed her on the sofa for the daytime hours. She would be allowed to transfer to the piano bench as soon as I got the confirmation from our specialist the hard bench would be as acceptable as a soft surface such as a sofa or bed.

I had my doubts which was why Rachel was still on the sofa. She was humoring me to a certain degree---but I wasn't above handcuffing her in place if need be.

We were both devoted to our unborn daughter; her safety had to be important than either of our wishes.

I didn't want to keep Rachel trapped in a bed or on a sofa any more than she wanted to remain confined in place either.

Every time I thought of the blood -the copper smell at clung to Rachel for a full day after she'd started spotting in the surgical wing- I imagined our helpless baby being torn from the womb before she even had a chance to grow.

My phone rang before I finished taking care of the emails I was trying to deal with on my tablet. My assistant had forwarded all my calls; I was feeling the pressure of being away from my job for the first time in my adult life.

Moonrise Entertainment was not accustomed to running without Tyler Wright firmly at the helm.

I wasn't overestimating my value either: the company really did run around me and my dealings.

Answering quickly, I said, "Wright."

"Sir, I am so very sorry, but the clients from the Tantamount Studios deal are insisting they meet you today. They won't agree to a video conference. They want an in-person sit-down. A face-to-face. I'm afraid we'll lose the account if we can't accommodate them. Is there any way you could come in for this one meeting?"

Tantamount Studios was a huge account it had taken me two years to land. Their productions made up more than thirty percent of the summer blockbuster business; I needed to secure their contract before they went with another representative.

I knew they wouldn't remain outside a contract for long and I couldn't remember how long they'd been without representation to save my life.

"Tyler?" Rachel called, "Can you bring me some more grapes?"

"Yes! Grapes!" I called back.

"Excuse me, sir? Grapes?"

Shaking my head, I snorted, knowing Lonnah couldn't see me, "I'm sorry, Lonnah. I'm going to get some grapes for my mate. She's on bedrest as you know. I'll be there in an hour. We can arrange a sit-down this afternoon, but I can't give you longer than five o'clock. Pass that along to them: five in the evening."

Rachel would be fine with Magda and I could call Lindy to come over. She wouldn't mind sitting with Rachel either.

Lindy had avoided all contact with her father after her first attempt to explain to Richard Campbell she wouldn't be returning to Moonglow Pack territory until she'd arranged her mating with Nathan Lewis to both their satisfaction.

None of us wanted to explain to her Nathan Lewis was uninterested in a mating with her. His obsession with my mate was obscuring his appreciation for his own.

I knew the situation would correct itself in time though.

Fated mates always found their way to one another in the end. Our species existed and persisted based on our bonds to one another as directed by our Moon Goddess.

Lewis was just being stubborn. He'd get over it.

Rinsing a bowl of grapes, I drained the water off then carried it to Rachel, saying, "I'm going to have to go into Moonrise today. We have to do an in-person meet with a big account. They're big enough they've never had to deal with anyone else. I can't trust them to a subordinate. It would be---offensive to say the least."

Rachel nodded as she reached for the bowl, more interested in her cold fruit than my hot meeting.

"Are you going to be okay here with Magda? I'll call Lindy, too."

"That's fine. I'm sure we'll get along without a problem for a few hours. You'll be back tonight, right?"

Her expression grew troubled as she looked away from the grapes to search my face for my answer. I wondered when Rachel had begun to rely on me enough to care if I was with her for an afternoon or not. Our mating had started out miserable, but we were doing well now.

I didn't want to leave her any more than she wanted me to leave.

"I'll be back tonight. I told Lonnah I'm not staying later than five o'clock. We'll have Chinese for dinner if you want. I can have Adam drive me through to get takeout from the place you love downtown?"

"Absolutely! I want crab rangoons! Ooh and sesame chicken with white rice, not fried."

"I can do that," I agreed, making a mental note as I leaned over to kiss her before hurrying to the bedroom to get ready to go.

I showered and shaved in record time; Adam drove as if we were being chased by demons all the way to Moonrise Entertainment headquarters. I had a feeling he was enjoying the opportunity to drive me around since I'd been confined to the house myself since Rachel was placed on bedrest.

Adam had never been one comfortable sitting around idle.

I would have to come up with errands to run so he wouldn't lose his mind completely. At least one of us needed to be sane, right?

~*~

Time moved in fast-forward through my meeting with Tantamount. They were easily wooed into signing their contract with my company; I knew they were going to take the bait before I'd even shown up to spring the trap myself.

We had put in months of work before approaching them for a contract. I knew they were impressed with my company from the get-go.

Every allowance I gave them was already budgeted for on our end. I considered the entire experience a success before the ink was even dry on the papers.

Charlotte agreed to take their executives out for a celebratory dinner which gave them the personal attention they were craving; I made sure Adam called in my order to the Chinese Lotus before leaving headquarters.

Cold Chinese wasn't on my list of favorites anymore than it was for Rachel.

I'd only been gone a few hours, but I found myself aching to be back with her all the same. Every minute I spent with her made me feel closer to her, more attached.

I had gotten to the point I couldn't imagine leaving her overnight. How did Lewis stand to let his fated mate remain unmarked and unmated in a separate apartment?

Lindy was still occupying Rachel's room at Bella's apartment. She spent a lot of her time crying if her red-rimmed eyes weren't telling lies.

Come to that, I honestly wasn't sure Lindy was capable of lies.

Patrick Flores had proven more than a little capable of secrets and lies himself. Windsor had learned Flores knew more about Rachel's mother than he let on. He'd found out Elena Campbell was not dead---but she wasn't anywhere to be found either.

Patrick was a better liar than he had any right to be.

I wanted to confront him, corner him, force him to talk, but Windsor pointed out the Alpha Council couldn't act without solid proof Patrick Flores had caused foul play to Elena Campbell.

The Council didn't consider Windsor's little mind-reading gift to be 'solid proof' either.

Calling Rachel, I waited on the phone to pick up only for it to go to voicemail. Unusual, but not completely unprecedented as Rachel was still allowed to take herself to the bathroom and back.

She could also be on the phone herself. Her agent was spending a lot of time trying to convince her to get back to doing studio work for her record. I knew Rachel would prioritize her business over a personal call from me.

"Magda," I said as the main line at the house picked up only for the answering machine to meet my greeting.

That wasn't acceptable.

Rachel could be on the phone or in the bathroom. Magda could be busy. Lindy didn't answer her phone either and I knew something was wrong.

"Forget the food. Get us home. As fast as possible, Adam."

Adam broke every traffic law ever written to get us from my building to my home.

The front door was wide open filling me with a sense of fury I couldn't contain. I stalked inside only to find Lindy unconscious in the living room, Magda tied up on the sofa where Rachel should have been---and Rachel nowhere to be seen.

Removing the gag from Magda's mouth, I asked, "Where's Rachel?"

"She's been taken! They came and take her! They take her away!"

Someone had abducted my pregnant mate!

Someone was going to pay!