CHAPTER 47
The next morning, Adriana packed some clothes for herself and the kids and told her sister they would be spending the weekend with her parents. Last night, she had come up with the plan after speaking with Jason in her room. He told her about the car that's been tailing him and now Evan. In her anger, her sister hadn't remembered to tell her she had being followed. Worried, she agreed to send her sister over, and she would stay with her parents when he insisted she shouldn't be alone. "You can take some clothes, stay with Jason."
"Why? Does it have to do with the weekend getaway I told you last night?"
"No. It's about the car tailing you, which you forgot to tell me."
"I'm sorry, it slipped my mind last night." she dropped the duvet and got out of bed
"How can something that big slip? You didn't want to tell me."
"I was worried about you and with Noah..." She kept quiet when the twins came in. "Morning, you two." They hugged her. They were dressed for school
"Get your clothes." She whispered. Then to the kids, she said, "We are staying at grandmas for the weekend."
"Yaay!" The kids jumped up excitedly.
"We will go from school. I will be back here later in the evening to get some things." She gave her sister the eye, "Don't let me meet you. Go to..." She eyed the twins and let her sister pick up the name. "Kids, we're running late for school. Pick your bags and let's go." They all left Evan's room, "I made breakfast." Adriana said as she left.
Evangeline yawned and got down from the bed. Checking her face in the mirror, she gasped. Her eyes were swollen, and her lips fuller. She stood up to check her stomach. Jason had been right. She was beginning to show. Her face was a sight to behold. If this were the pecks of being pregnant, she certainly wanted to be. Rubbing her stomach, she smiled. "Hello there. Want to go meet daddy?"
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Robert Swiss followed his wife's advice and decided to meet the person. First, they sent some men to the place before he texted the address to the number and the time. When all was set, he waved his wife and went to the location. Getting there, he settled into a corner where he could watch the person come in. Some minutes passed before he did walk in. when he did, Robert stood up. it was Noah Monterey. "It was you all along?"
"Yes." Noah said, standing at the table. "May I sit?"
Robert gave him a distressing look. He didn't hide the displeasure this meeting was for him, "Please yourself."
Noah decided he would be better off sitting than standing while they talked. So, he sat down and apologized instead, "I'm sorry."
"About?" looking around, Robert checked his men out. They were ready and at alert. Though it was a bar, people were seated in twos and threes, chatting and having their petty talks. He had chosen a public place intentionally. At the entrance, two of his men stood in the black outfit, their hands in their pocket, holding their gun, he knew. Somewhere behind him, two others were there too. He watched the man sitting in front of him and asked, "What are you sorry for? Putting my family in danger of ruining my first daughter?"
Sensing he was surrounded too, Noah played safe. "I am sorry for everything. And I came alone." he looked at the door, trying to tell the older man he knew they were his men and that any slip from him would be fatal. "I mean no harm."
He didn't even bother dignifying that with a response. Instead, he stared at the man who had used his daughter to get through to him for revenge. He felt like hitting him.
Noah watched the play of emotion on his face, and he saw how he squeezed his hands in a fist. He knew what that meant. Robert Swiss wanted to hit him, and he could totally understand. Hell, he had strangled any man who toiled with Elizabeth that way. "I'm sorry. I'd want to hit any man who toiled with my daughter that way too."
Flexing his hands, he replied, "Then you don't mind being hit then?"
Noah looked towards the entrance again. "Please tell your men to stand down. I'm feeling really uncomfortable."
"Better get used to it. They won't stand down because I don't trust you."
Sighing, he sat up straighter, "I came here to let you know I'm not the enemy you are looking for." he explained himself, "See, I did come for revenge, as a Monterey. And I did move your money." He quickly added, "which we are not giving back."
"Why the hell not?"
"Because we lost a lot. I lost my parents and uncles and a whole lot."
"And you've killed lots too."
He raised his hands in surrender, "True. We are guilty. But in this war, you started it. Surely, you should expect a comeback and some losses. For one, you should be thankful you didn't lose no one."
Robert stood up angrily. His men started to move closer, "What?"
Sensing the tension in the room, Noah calmed him down. "All I'm saying is if you think about it long and hard, both families and other lost dear people. You didn't"
He signaled to his men to hold off, and they returned to their post but stayed at alert. "I lost fifteen years away from my family."
"I'm sorry."
"You need to stop saying that. Anyway, what do you want?"
"As I said, I'm not the enemy you should be looking for. Someone is making me take the fall" when Robert kept staring at him hard. He added, "I stopped this stupid plan of draining your account years back. I haven't taken a dime in five years."
"But my wife noticed this some weeks ago, and the money has been moving all the while. Your handwriting was all over the place." Then he paused, and something struck him as odd now that he said it out loud, "Which is suspicious."
"Yes, why would I want to be caught when we haven't even gotten to the highlight of the plan yet?"
Robert gave that a thought too. The Monterey or any gang in the suburb of Miami had a code they operate. When they strike your finances, you hardly find the traces. He had handled enough cases to know how the gang operates. Only a few would let themselves be exposed, and by then, the gang would have gotten what they wanted. Unless the Monterey have what they need, which he desperately doubted would be Adriana, they have nothing yet. So, if all evidence pointed at Noah, it meant one thing; someone knew about their history and was using that against him. It was a set-up. He stood up immediately, frightened. "If you're right, something is wrong. I need to go home." picking up his car keys, he asked, "Do you know who?"
Noah shook his head, "Not now. I just wanted you to know you haven't figured it out. And that's a bad thing."
Robert nodded, believing the man. "Thank you. If I may ask, why are you doing this?"
"Because I love your daughter."
Somehow, Robert didn't doubt him. He looked at him, nodded and signaled to his men. They relaxed as he walked out of the bar. The two at the bar followed him while the other two waited until Noah left the premises.
While Robert and his men drove home, he told them to work on extra security, both at home and the office. The men got to work immediately. He dropped some off at the courtroom, and his driver, with an officer, followed him home. Two men were stationed at the law firm while three were to parade his house night and day. The first chance he had, Robert Swiss told his wife, his encounter with Noah. "I believe there's more to this."
"Then it's good it was you who went alone. I would have shot that brat who so brazenly ate all my food and sat down several times in my home looking at my girl with those eyes." She ranted.
"I almost did, too." He admitted to her. "But, then I just wanted to hear what he had to say and be out before I do something I might regret. I think he loves her. It's why he stopped his plan."
"How do we know he isn't lying again? Love my butt." She snickered.
"He's not, and we will have proof soon. I've put my men on it."
"Okay then."
"Is Adriana coming over?"
"Yes." Mrs. Swiss answered, "And Evan is here. Adriana said she should stay with Jason but I don't like that at all."
"Then let's inform Jason to tighten up security. We need to be extra cautious henceforth.
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