Forsaken (The Found Book 2) Read online

  Forsaken

  The Found

  Book Two

  By

  Caitlyn O’Leary

  © Copyright March 2015 Caitlyn O’Leary

  ISBN# 978-1-943090-91-4

  All cover art and logos © Copyright March 2015 by Caitlyn O’Leary

  All rights reserved.

  Cover by Charity Hendry

  Published by Passionately Kind Publishing, Inc.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Epilogue

  Biography

  Books by Caitlyn O’Leary

  Excerpt from Healed, The Found, Book Three

  Excerpt from Forget Me Knot, Crawley Creek Ranch

  Excerpt from Destiny of Three, Love of a Shifter Book 3

  Excerpt from Firestarter, Smokejumpers Book 1

  DEDICATION

  To John. I love you!

  Chapter One

  “Put on your clothes. You disgust me.” Seth was beyond tired, and seeing his wife on his bed, naked and spread for him, made his bile rise.

  “Carson, I need you, remember how it was?” She tried to entice him by playing with her breasts.

  Seeing her gown on the floor, he picked it up and threw it on top of her. “That’s the problem Portia, I don’t remember anything, let alone it ever being any good.”

  “It was the best night of my life. It could be like that again if you’d just try, damn it.”

  “Get out of my room,” his voice deadly. Her eyes widened and she scrambled off the bed.

  “Fine, but don’t think this is the end. You are going to make me pregnant again. Daddy wants a grandchild.”

  “Oh cut the bullshit, there was never a baby in the first place. You dragged my ass to the altar under false pretenses.”

  “Carson, you got me pregnant that night. You believed me before, why don’t you believe me now?”

  The million dollar question. He knew from the moment he had laid eyes on her she was a criminal and likely involved in drug and guns smuggling with her father. He intended to put her behind bars, and instead he had married her to protect his unborn child. A child that had likely never existed.

  “Get the fuck out Portia, before I do something we both regret.” She slung the gown over her shoulder and left his room, uncaring if the servants saw her naked. His wife was quite the piece of work.

  Seth…Carson, or whatever the fuck his name was. Hell, he was beginning to question his own identity. He started yanking at the bowtie of his tuxedo and it knotted tighter instead of coming off easier.

  “Good, maybe I’ll choke and end this.” He was sick of living the double life. Finally he pulled, ripping it apart at the seam. “God damn motherfucker!” He did the same with the cuffs of his shirt, satisfied when the cufflinks flew across the room. They were gold with diamonds. Maybe the maids would steal them. “Good for them.”

  Fuck, he needed to shut the hell up, it was a bad habit to talk out loud. He knew his room was bugged. There was a damn good chance of video surveillance too. Once when Portia was high she said she hoped there was, that it added to the spice.

  Not that he would touch her. He warned her when they started this travesty of a marriage it wouldn’t be consummated, but she hadn’t believed him. Hence the weekly ritual. Sometimes she’d bring in some kind of sex toy, one night he’d found her tied spread eagle to the bed. He didn’t even want to know who had helped her into that position.

  He pulled off the rest of his clothes, hoping they would tear as well, but they didn’t. At least one of his dress shoes left a dent in the wall. They could report he had a temper tantrum for all he cared. It had been an ugly fucking night and Portia was the cherry on top. He needed a long hot shower to erase the stench of the scum he brushed up against.

  God, he hoped it would help his headache. Grabbing three ibuprofen and some Rolaids he chewed them all down, praying it would help his head and his stomach by the time he finished the hot shower.

  He often wondered if they had audio and video in the shower too, it wouldn’t surprise him. Nothing surprised him about these bastards. Had he ever had such a bad headache? It was the woman at the party, she reminded him of his Annie, and then he had to listen to Lobado’s men talk about their new source of income. The pulse of pain in his head was so bad his eyes started to water.

  What the fuck had he gotten himself into?

  ****

  Annie reminded herself to be happy. She’d escaped from the people intent on kidnapping her baby, but all she could focus on was her baby’s father. Somehow she managed to drive Seth away. She took out his letter and went to her desk pulling out the tape. Carefully she taped the seams where it was coming apart because she had unfolded and folded it so often.

  “Annie,

  I won’t be coming home after this assignment. Things have changed. I have changed. I have decided on a new life. I deeply regret the promises I made to you that I will be unable to honor.

  I won’t defile our time together by speaking of it now, only know this, you are loved.

  I am entrusting this letter with my father, so you can tell him if you need anything. I can no longer claim the name Natani, but you will always be cared for by the family of Natani.

  Seth”

  Annie pushed the paper flat against the desk. She didn’t know why she wanted to look at it. The letter had almost killed her when Rafe Natani, Seth’s father, had handed it to her, a little over a year ago.

  ****

  Seth’s parents had found her at her apartment not far from the college in Farmington, New Mexico where she was spending a lot of her time. She was working on her doctoral thesis in Archeology based on the Anasazi, and using the college campus library.

  “Miss Newman, you don’t know us, but we’re Seth’s parents. Would you allow us to come in?” Everything dropped away as Annie looked at the middle aged Native American couple on her porch. Dear God, Seth had died on assignment with the DEA. Annie grabbed her swollen abdomen and fell to her knees, staring up at the caring faces of Seth’s parents.

  “Quick Rafe, let’s help her inside.”

  “Seth, is he? Did he? Did he suffer?”

  “Oh honey, no. He’s not dead. We’re handling this badly. Let us help you. Seth’s not dead. He’s fine.” The Natanis helped Annie into her cooler apartment. They got her settled onto the couch.

  “What can I get you to drink?” the woman asked as she hurried towards the kitchen.

  “I don’t need anything. Where’s Seth? Is he hurt? Is he finally home?”

  “He’s not hurt. He’s not home. My name is Rafe, the woman currently rummaging through your kitchen is my wife Wanda.” Annie looked down at the hand holding hers over the large swell of her tummy. They both looked up at the same time.

  “Am I going to be a grandfather?”

  “I’d prefer to tell Seth he’s going to be a father first.”

  “I brought you some lemonade. I also found some graham crackers, I thought they would suit.” Wanda sat down on the other side of her husband after handing her the glass and setting the plate on the coffee table
. She squeezed her husband’s shoulder. “She’s so young.” She whispered to her husband, but Annie heard her.

  “I’m twenty-four.”

  Seth’s mother gave her a long considering look, Annie was used to it. She knew she had a baby face. “Do you want to see my driver’s license? I’m actually working on my PhD. I’m going to be twenty-five in three months.” She watched as Wanda relaxed.

  “I’m sorry honey, I just worried for you. I hate to see babies raising babies.”

  “So do I, but I’m a grown woman, and I want my baby very much. Please tell me why you’re here, this is killing me.”

  “Are you pregnant with our son’s child?” Mr. Natani persisted. Annie looked him in the eye, and was struck by the lack of family resemblance between Seth and his parents and then remembered the strange circumstances surrounding his adoption into the Natani home.

  “I beg your pardon, but why are you here?” This time Mrs. Natani spoke.

  “Annie, we need you to stay strong,” she looked down at her belly. “Especially now.” She opened up her purse and pulled out a letter and handed it to her husband, who in turn handed it to Annie. “Seth sent us a letter, with this letter enclosed. He said we needed to be here when you opened it.”

  It was the first time she read those words. She didn’t say a word, didn’t cry, and showed no emotion. She was used to rejection. She didn’t know how she had managed to drive him away, but she had. It was the story of her life, she had done something so wrong her mother abandoned her all those years ago. The first foster home she lived in gave her back after two years.

  She took small comfort in the fact he bothered to lie and say he had loved her. She would cope, she always coped, no matter what her age, she coped. Only this hurt eight million times worse. But she wouldn’t give into the hurt, she had her daughter to think about. She stroked her tummy and murmured reassurance to Nell as she kicked in agitation. Her baby felt her Mommy’s upset.

  “It’s okay baby girl,” Annie crooned.

  “We’re having a granddaughter, Rafe!” Wanda cried out ecstatically, and Annie burst into tears.

  “You need…You need to leave.”

  “Miss Newman, we’re not leaving. May I read the letter Seth gave you?” It fell out of her numb fingers and fluttered to the floor as Annie tried to hand it him. Picking it up, he read it and then handed it to his wife. Wanda took longer to read it, and when she finished it she stifled a sob.

  “You’re coming home with us Annie,” the woman said when she stopped crying.

  The rest of the afternoon was a blur. There was no way on God’s green Earth Annie would have thought her apartment in Farmington would be packed in one day and she would have agreed to move to Shiprock with Seth’s parents, but it’s exactly what happened. Wanda Natani was a force of nature. Her husband was the steady wind behind that force, just steadily pushing, ensuring everything moved forward.

  Annie didn’t have to lift a finger. Somehow packers and movers showed up out of thin air within hours of the Natani’s arrival. One of the moving men said he would drive her car to Shiprock, which is when she came out of her stupor.

  “I’m more than capable of driving.”

  “We never said you weren’t,” Rafe smiled easily. Seth had a similar smile, and it always meant the same thing, she was going to lose an argument.

  “Then please give me back my keys.” Annie held out her hand. The whole day was surreal. It was a month before she was due to deliver. Her thesis was a week away from being done, and it felt like her life was over. That kind of thinking was unacceptable. She needed to take control. She had her daughter to consider.

  “Well, Miss Newman, you can drive. But the roads from here to Shiprock are icy. Are your tires studded? We just wanted you to be safe.”

  Damn, he made sense.

  “Annie, you need to call her Annie, Rafe. She’s our daughter now.” Wanda said as she came up and wrapped her arm around Annie’s shoulder.

  “No, I’m not, what are you talking about?”

  “Don’t panic, we’re not kidnapping you, this is totally your decision. But know from this day forward we consider you our daughter. We would have whether you were carrying our granddaughter or not. We don’t understand the choices our son has made, but he has much love for you, and therefore we have much love for you. You are part of our clan, our family, and our hearts.” She studied their faces and read the truth in what she said. For the second time that day Annie started crying.

  “Miss Newman, I mean Annie, please don’t cry.”

  “Hush Rafe, these are good tears. She knows she finally has a home.” Wanda pulled her into the warmest hug she could remember.

  Annie rode in the Natani’s car to Shiprock. When they got to their modest adobe home, the moving truck wasn’t there. Instead an older woman was standing in the doorway, looking very elegant in a long caftan and boots.

  “Mom. What are you doing here?” Rafe called out.

  “A good question, since my son didn’t see fit to tell me he was bringing home my granddaughter and great-granddaughter.” The woman ignored her son and hugged her daughter-in-law before standing in front of Annie.

  “Welcome Annie Newman. My name is Shilah Natani. I am your grandmother.” For the second time Annie was engulfed in a pair of loving female arms. This time Nell kicked out, surprising her and the older woman. Shilah broke away, and rested her hand on Annie’s belly. “And you little one, welcome. What is your name?”

  “Her name is Nell.” Annie smiled, loving the fact Shilah treated Nell as an actual person, because in her eyes, Nell was a person, she just hadn’t come out to meet everyone yet.

  “Welcome Nell, I am your great-grandmother.” Annie felt her baby kick in obvious excitement. It was like when she ate a piece of chocolate, or the few times she had gotten lost in a daydream about Seth. Nell was extremely sensitive, just like her Daddy. Tears formed for the third time but she willed them away. She was not going to ruin the joy her daughter was feeling at that moment.

  “Granddaughter, it is going to be all right. This too shall pass.”

  Annie looked into the eyes of a woman who though not related to Seth by blood, really seemed to be his grandmother. Maybe there actually was hope.

  “There is reason to hope. Trust me.”

  Nell kicked again against this woman’s hand, as if she too was telling her to believe. Annie’s tears dried up.

  “You are right. I am blessed.”

  “You don’t believe it yet, but you will. You are strong my granddaughter. We don’t understand everything, but you need to know my grandson loves you.”

  “I can’t Grandmother. I can’t hold onto that, it will break me. But I can believe in all of you. I can believe in Nell, and I can believe in myself.”

  “That’s enough for now.” Shilah Natani pulled her towards the house, and they sat down while Wanda made hot chocolate. Again Annie felt Nell’s pleasure.

  “I wonder where the moving truck is, I need to call them,” Rafe said as he pulled out his cell phone.

  “It’s at my house,” Shilah stated. “The only room here, is Seth’s old room. Annie wouldn’t want to stay in it. It’s best she stays at my house.”

  “Mom.”

  “Shilah…” Wanda started.

  “Annie, what do you think of that idea?” the older lady asked as she covered Annie’s hand with hers. Why was she so drawn to her? She turned her hand over and grasped it, like she would a lifeline.

  “I would love to stay with you Mrs. Natani.”

  “Please call me Grandmother, or Shilah whatever you are comfortable with.”

  Annie thought it over. Her mother had abandoned her when she was six. She had never had a grandmother. Again, looking into this woman’s eyes was like looking into a part of Seth. Even though he had abandoned her as well, it was like a part of him was still with her.

  “Grandmother. I want to call you Grandmother.” Nell kicked in agreement, and Annie gave a wa
n smile, the first smile since reading the awful letter.

  “You’ll do Annie Newman.”

  ****

  Hearing Nell cry, Annie, folded the repaired letter back up, and placed it back into the book of poems that Seth had given her. She would have thought the pain would be less after all this time, but it still seemed to hit her just as hard. But something had changed, it was almost as if the paper, the ink, the very handwriting itself were imbued with something that allowed her a connection with Seth, something that allowed her to feel his heartbreak as well.

  Chapter Two

  Seth looked around the conference room, his stomach churned as his level of disgust and hatred grew. He’d been undercover for almost two years now and married for almost a year to a woman who he despised. Every day his soul died a little more, but he managed to console himself with the fact he was making a difference. He was stopping drugs and guns from making their way into the United States. He was almost finished, only one or two months away from bringing down his wife’s father and the Labado Organization. One or two months and he would be free. And now this.

  “Beautiful aren’t they?” Labado asked as he leaned in next to him. They sat next to one another in the plush leather seats of the executive conference room. They were watching a stylized PowerPoint presentation given by Labado’s executive assistant, Leslie Gordon. Leslie had been with him since the start of his business and she was his right hand.

  “This is Dawn, she will be celebrating her nineteenth birthday next month. She was acquired two weeks ago in Alabama.” Seth looked at the beautiful Hispanic girl on the screen, she had obviously been threatened in order to come up with such a horrific smile.

  “This next one is a favorite of mine. I don’t think I’m going to auction her off,” Labado whispered.

  “This is Tamara, she just turned twenty-one and she is another one who responded to our ad for an overseas modelling job.”