Redemption

  Tyler’s breathing was suddenly erratic as she stared at my lips. “It…it was nothing. He told me I was beautiful and wanted to know if he could take me to dinner.”

  I suddenly growled. I didn’t know where it came from, but I was ready to fucking punch a wall. “And he asked you this knowing you had a kid? He asked you this in front of Jeremy?”

  Tyler bit her lip. “Jeremy went to get toppings and he asked me then. He noticed I didn’t have a wedding ring on, but I told him I was still taken.”

  Fuck! “That’s something that needs to be remedied pretty fucking soon.” I looked her up and down. “Where’s the card?”

  Tyler laughed. “Don’t be silly, Dean.”

  “Where’s the fucking card?” I was about ready to pummel the arsehole.

  “Where do you think, Dean? It’s in the bin, of course. As soon as we left, I threw it away. Don’t you trust me?”

  I felt like such a dick, but I couldn’t help it when it came to Tyler. “I do trust you, Tyler. It’s the other fuckers who think they can take you away from me that I have a problem with.”

  Tyler placed a calming hand on my chest and leaned in to kiss me. I felt her warm, inviting lips and almost lost it.

  She suddenly pulled away and the loss of contact was violent. “You will always be it for me, Dean. No matter what anyone else says, I’m yours. I’ve always been yours.”

  I closed my eyes and leaned my head against her forehead. “I’m being such a dick.” I nuzzled my nose with hers. “I’m sorry.”

  Tyler laughed and I opened my eyes to look at her. “You were always so feisty…even when we were kids.” Tyler sighed and stroked my cheek. “I love you, Dean, warts and all.” She laughed again and I couldn’t help the smile that crossed my face.

  “Warts? Last time I checked, I didn’t have any.” How Tyler had this knack of calming me from a hundred to zero in a fraction of a second, I had no idea. A minute ago, I was ready to take on the world. Now, all I wanted to do was make love to my woman. I was putty in her delicate hands.

  “You know what I mean,” she giggled. “Besides, it’s kind of sexy when you get all caveman on me.”

  I raised my eyebrow. “Really? Hair pulling? Chest beating?”

  Tyler grabbed my hand and picked out my middle finger. Opening her mouth, she sucked on it, making a humming sound as she went. Jesus, did she not know what that did to me?

  “Tyler, you better stop; otherwise, your brand new sink’s going to take a bashing.”

  Tyler stopped and pulled my finger from her mouth. I suddenly felt an instant loss and wished I could take back what I said. I craved to be near her in any way possible. She was like a drug to me.

  “Sorry,” she pouted. “I just can’t help myself around you.”

  I shook my head with a smile. “Tyler, you have no fucking idea.”

  Behind us, I heard a throat clearing. “Is it safe to come in now?”

  I rolled my eyes. “Jimmy. Always perfect fucking timing, dickwad.” I turned around and saw him smiling at us.

  “Sorry, douchebag, but Tara made us all something to eat.” He looked over at Tyler. “She figured you’d be hungry after all that shopping.”

  Tyler smiled. “That’s very kind of her, Jimmy. Thank you.” She glared at me and I immediately wanted her all over again. I loved feisty Tyler just as much as she loved feisty Dean.

  We walked into the kitchen, the smell of pasta carbonara filling the room. Tara smiled. “Hey, Tyler. How was your shopping trip?”

  “It was…,” she glanced at me, “eventful. I have to go back tomorrow and pick up Jeremy’s trainers. They didn’t have his size in stock.”

  Jimmy laughed. “No doubt he’ll grow out of those within a couple of weeks. I’ve not been here very long and even I have noticed how much he’s grown.”

  Tyler’s face fell. “I know. It’s quite frightening. Before we realize it, he’ll be growing spots, dating girls, and buggering off to college.”

  Tara’s eyes widened. “Tyler, he’s not even four.” She started laughing.

  She looked down. “I know. It just that he sometimes reminds me of my own mortality, if that makes sense. When he grows up, I’ll feel old. At the moment, he’s so young and it makes me feel young.”

  I reached over and grabbed her hand. I wanted to allay all her fears. “Don’t worry, Tyler. As soon as we’re married, we can get to work on creating more Jeremys.” I winked at her with a smile.

  Her eyes widened. “Just how many Jeremys are you thinking of?”

  Shrugging, I tried to look as cool as a cucumber. “I don’t know. Maybe half a football team?”

  Tyler gasped. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me! Dean, please tell me you’re joking.”

  I started laughing and everyone, apart from Tyler, joined in. “Don’t worry about it, Tyler. Twins run in my family. Maybe we’ll get lucky and have a couple of sets of them. That will help speed things along.” Tyler looked about ready to kill me. God, I wanted her right now.

  She scowled at me. “I’m not a baby-making machine, Dean. Get that out of your head right now.”

  Jimmy laughed. “Hey, that rhymes. It would make a great song title.”

  Tyler frowned. “What? Baby-making machine, Dean?”

  “Hey, I’m not the one making babies.”

  Tyler tugged on my hand. “Oh, so it’s okay that I keep pumping them out for your convenience?” She huffed a little and it made me want to slam her against the wall.

  I shrugged. “I heard it was like shelling peas.”

  Tyler practically squealed. “Shelling peas?! Shelling peas?! Do you know how much pain I was in with Jeremy?”

  My gut twisted. At that moment, I felt any desire I had to wind her up further dwindle. Tyler saw my expression fall, and her own smile faded.

  She gripped my hand. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.”

  I shook my head. “You never have to be sorry, Tyler. I just wish I was there. If we have more children in the future, I want to be there to hold your hand the entire time.”

  Jimmy laughed. “I think you’ll be doing more than holding her hand, Dean.”

  I smiled at Jimmy. “Shut up, fuck face.”

  He nodded, smiling back. “No, shit for brains.”

  “Arsewipe.”

  “Fuckwick.”

  “Bonehead.”

  “Mucous breath.”

  I frowned at him. “What the fuck is—”

  “Okay, boys. That’s enough.” Tyler shook her head at Tara, then faced me. “Carry on like that and I shall make you both sit on the naughty step.” She looked over at Jimmy a moment and he actually hung his head. I would have laughed if it wasn’t for the fact Tyler was being serious. “Do you two really want that?”

  Jimmy shook his head, but I had other ideas. “Can I opt for another punishment?”

  Tyler tried not to smile, but failed miserably. “And what did you have in mind?”

  I was about to tell her when Tara placed her fingers in her ears. “La, la, la, la, la… I don’t want to hear it. Jeremy! Time for lunch!” She looked back at us. “That should shut up your dirty talk.” She nodded triumphantly as we heard the sound of little footsteps coming down the stairs.

  Chapter 18

  Tyler

  The very next day, after a dip in the pool, I decided to go and get Jeremy’s trainers. He came with me because I needed to make sure they fit. By the time we set out, it was two in the afternoon and the sun was high in the sky. At least we had air conditioning in the car.

  Once in the store, Jeremy tried on the trainers he picked out. They were white Spiderman ones, which lit up every time he took a step. Jeremy was in his element as he wandered around the store. Every time he stepped and the light came on, he would giggle so loudly, virtually the whole store was watching and giggling along with him. That was one thing about Jeremy. His giggles were so adorable and infectious, people couldn’t help but join in.

  He didn’
t want to take them off, so I paid for them and put his old ones in a bag they provided. I left with a smile. I was feeling good about my life. I still had a lot to deal with as far as my parents were concerned, but I was sure they would come around in time. For now, I was just so happy that I finally had the family with Dean I always desired.

  On the way to the car, I grabbed Jeremy’s hand and smiled as he fell silent. He was too busy watching his shoes light up as he went. As we walked, Jeremy let go of my hand and started running for the car. “Look, Mommy! My shoes go crazy!”

  Panic rose as he sprinted away from me. “Jeremy, slow down!”

  I tried running after him but, out of nowhere, a van pulled up in front of him. A man, who I instantly recognized, jumped out. He gave me an evil grin, grabbed Jeremy, and jumped back into the van. Jeremy screamed as I ran after them, but it was too late. By the time I got to the van, it had sped off and screeched as it rounded the corner. I tried memorizing the plate, but my brain just didn’t want to engage.

  Bile rose in my throat as I froze for a second before reaching into my bag and fetching my phone. With shaky hands, I tried dialing nine-one-one, but my fingers kept slipping. After screaming a few times, I got through.

  “Nine-one-one. What’s your emergency?”

  “Please, he’s taken my son. I’m in the Finchey’s Mall car park on the first floor. He took my son and sped off in a van.”

  “Do you know who took your son?”

  “No!” I screeched. “He was at the mall yesterday and has obviously been following me.”

  “How old is your son?”

  “He’s only three. Please,” I sobbed. “Please help me.”

  “Can you give me any information on the van…make, color, the license plate?”

  “The van was blue.” I told her how much of the plate I could remember and she thanked me, telling me an officer would be with me shortly.

  As soon as I hung up, I tried dialing my home phone three times before I actually got through. I was shaking so badly, my eyes brimming with tears, that I couldn’t punch in the right numbers.

  Dean answered after two rings. “Dean!” I could hardly breathe, hardly function. I looked around as Dean was shouting my name into the phone. “He’s taken Jeremy. He’s taken our baby!” My knees buckled beneath me as I tried to catch my breath. “I need to find him. I need—”

  “Tyler, who took Jeremy?” I could hear the panic in his voice.

  “The man from yesterday. That Charlie guy. He had a London accent.”

  “Fuck! Tyler, what did he look like?”

  I tried to remember his face. “He was young. I think in his very early twenties, if not younger. He had blonde hair, dark eyes. His smile was so evil, Dean. Who is he, and why has he taken our son?”

  Dean was silent for a moment. In that instant, I knew he knew exactly who it was. “You brought him here with you, didn’t you, Dean?” Tears streamed down my face as my breathing hitched.

  “Tyler, I will never let any harm come to him. I swear. I will get him back, if it’s the last thing I do.”

  “Who is he?” I virtually screeched.

  “Antonio Pinzano, Jr.”

  The name was somehow familiar, but I couldn’t remember where I had heard it. I tried to scramble my brain, but the more I thought, the more that arsehole was getting away with my son. “What does he want, Dean?”

  Dean sighed. “He wants me, Tyler. He thinks I killed his father.”

  “Did you?”

  “Tyler—”

  “Don’t fuck with me, Dean! Did you kill his father?”

  Dean sighed. “Yes. He killed my parents, Tyler. I had no other choice.”

  “No other choice?” I screamed. “You had a choice and now that choice has resulted in our son being in danger. Is that what you wanted? Was it worth it?” I hung up, not wanting to know the answer. I was angry with him and desperately wanted to find Jeremy. The more I stood there waiting, the more time was being wasted.

  In a panic, I looked around and saw a police car in the distance. I raced to it with all the energy I had in me. The police officer driving saw my panic and came to an abrupt halt. I ran around to the passenger side just as his partner was getting out of the car. By now, the tears were streaming down my face. “Please. My son…” I grabbed him and sobbed into his chest before grabbing his collar. “You have to find my son.”

  The officer grabbed my shoulders gently. “Okay, ma’am. You need to take a deep breath and tell me everything that happened.”

  He tried his best to look as calm as possible, but I was far from calm. I thought my head would explode. In an attempt to try and do my level best to remember everything, I took a deep breath and nodded.

  “I was in the mall getting my son some new Spiderman trainers. You know, the ones that light up when you walk?”

  He nodded as he looked over at the other officer, who was writing something on his pad. “That’s good. Can you tell me what happened next?”

  I took another deep breath. “We took the lift down to here. I’m parked just over there.” I pointed to my Land Rover Evoke parked a couple of aisles down. “Once we were out of the lift, Jeremy sprinted off. He wanted to show me how quickly his trainers lit up when he ran.”

  “So he was wearing those Spiderman trainers?”

  I nodded with a sob. I would buy him all the trainers in the world if I could just have him back in my arms again.

  “He got about halfway to the car when this blue van pulled up out of nowhere. A man I met yesterday got out, picked Jeremy up, and jumped back into the van. They sped off and that’s when I called you.”

  The officer nodded with a reassuring smile. “I understand you gave the nine-one-one operator the license plate?” I nodded. “We have people tracing it right now. Can you tell me more about this man who took Jeremy?”

  I flinched a little. I knew I was going to have to bring Dean into it, but I didn’t care. I just wanted my son back. “Apparently, his name is Antonio Pinzano, Jr. Or that’s who I’ve been told he could be. When I met him yesterday, he told me his name was Charlie. He gave me a card and asked me out. He said he was here on business for a few days. His card said he was a stock broker.”

  The officer frowned. “So what makes you think he’s someone else?”

  I sighed, knowing I had to say something. “My partner, Jeremy’s father, believes it is Antonio Pinzano Jr. You see, this man hates Jeremy’s father and that’s why I think he took him.”

  “And who is Jeremy’s father?”

  “His name is Dean Scozzari. He’ll be at my house now, I believe. Look. Shouldn’t we be trying to find him? I can’t stand here all day. I’ll go crazy.”

  The officer held out his hand in a calming gesture. “All in good time, ma’am. First of all, we need more details. I will need your full name, address, Jeremy’s full name, date of birth, and what he was wearing. Do you have an up-to-date picture of him?”

  I fetched my purse from my shopping bag, took out the latest picture from two months ago, and handed it to him. I told him all the details he needed, including my name now, but I just wanted to take off and find out what the hell was going on.

  The officer I spoke with walked over to the other officer, said something to him, then the other officer started talking on his radio.

  “I need to get home,” I said as he walked back to me.

  “Do you need us to take you?”

  I shook my head. “I have my car.”

  He didn’t look convinced. “Are you sure you can drive?”

  I nodded. “I’ll be fine.”

  The officer nodded with a smile. “We’ll follow you home so we can get more details and speak with your partner.”

  I nodded and, with shaky legs, started walking back to the car. I fumbled with my keys, finally getting them into the ignition, started it, and drove out of my space. Ever since that night I had to escape Dean, I had been parking it backwards. That was one thing I could be thankful
for now because I could get out easily. With a nod to the officers, I drove out of the parking lot and made my way home. The whole time, all I could think about was Jeremy and how scared he must be. Every time it popped into my head, I would sob a bit more. I was a wreck. I really shouldn’t have been driving, but I needed the car just in case I had to drive to get Jeremy. I prayed to God it would be soon.

  As I drove into the driveway, Tara emerged, tears streaming down her face, as I got out of the car. “Tyler, I’m here for you, baby.” She stroked my head soothingly and squeezed me tightly to her.

  I looked up and Jimmy was in the doorway, looking haggard. I was about to ask him where Dean was when the two officers following me got out of the car.

  “Are you Dean Scozzari?”

  Jimmy shook his head. “No, I’m a friend of the family. Dean’s not here. He went looking for Jeremy.” He looked over at me for a moment before looking back at the officers.

  “That’s a shame. We really need to speak with him. Is there any way of getting him on the phone?”

  Jimmy shrugged. “Well, he wants to keep the phone line open just in case the guy who took Jeremy calls.”

  The officer stepped forward. “And has he?”

  Jimmy shook his head. “Not to my knowledge. I’m sure Dean will call the minute any calls or demands are made.”

  The officer shook his head. “I don’t think it’s a good idea for Mr. Scozzari to be acting alone in this. Someone could get hurt.”

  Jimmy took a step out of the house. “Jeremy is his son. He’s going to do everything in his power to get him back. You must understand that. Don’t you have kids yourself?”

  The officer nodded. “Yes, I do.”

  Jimmy gave him a little smile. “Wouldn’t you do everything you could to get your kid back? Would you be content sitting at home and waiting?”

  He shook his head. “Of course not, no. I do understand. It’s just not advisable for him to go alone. He needs to leave this up to the police.”

  Jimmy barked out a laugh. “You obviously haven’t met Dean. He’s the most stubborn person I know. He also needs to do this.” Jimmy looked over at me. “He wanted you to know that he promises to do everything he can to get him back.”