Chris Kuzneski - The Plantation

First, the steel industry shifted elsewhere, leaving plenty of land for new businesses, luscious green parks, and state-of-the-art sports stadiums. Then Pittsburgh’s three rivers-the Allegheny, the Monongahela, and the Ohio-were dredged, making them suitable for recreational use and riverfront enterprises. Buildings received face-lifts. Bridges received paint jobs. The air received oxygen. This mutt of a city was given a thorough bath, and a pure pedigree had somehow emerged, one that had been voted “America’s Most Livable City.”

“Hey,” Ariane said the moment Payne knocked on her open office door. “I called you earlier. You get my message?”

“Yep, and since I had nothing else to do, I figured I’d pay my favorite girl a visit.”

“I don’t know where she is right now, so I guess I’ll have to do until she gets back.”

Payne sighed as he moved closer. “Oh well, I guess you’re better than nothing.”

The chestnut-haired executive grinned and gave him a peck on the cheek. “We’ve got to make this quick, Jonathon. With a long weekend coming up, I’ve got a lot of work to do.”

“But you still have tomorrow off, right? Or am I going to have to buy the bank and fire you?”

“Oh, how romantic!” she teased. “No, that won’t be necessary. Once I leave here at five, I’m officially free until Tuesday morning. The next one hundred and eleven hours are all yours.”

“And I’m gonna use every one of them. I swear, woman, I don’t get to see you enough.”

“I feel the same way, man. But one of us has to work, and I know it’s not going to be you.”

Payne grimaced. “It certainly doesn’t look like you’re working too hard. I mean, here you are, a highly paid bank official, and instead of doing something productive, you’re sitting at your desk, undressing me with your eyes.”

Ariane blushed slightly. “Please!”

“And now you’re begging for me. Damn, get a hold of your passion. You’re embarrassing yourself.”

She smacked him on the arm and ordered him to calm down. “What is it that you want?”

“Hey, you called me. Remember?”

“Please don’t remind me of my bold and desperate act.”

“I can’t help it that you’re easy.”

“That’s true,” she joked. “I think I get that from my grandmother. She used to run a brothel, you know.”

“Really?”

“No, not really.” She laughed at the thought. “So, what are we going to do tonight?”

Payne shrugged. “Some of the new holiday movies come out today. I guess we could grab some dinner and catch a flick.”

“Your treat?”

“I don’t know,” he scoffed. “You claim I don’t even have a job. Why should I pay?”

Ariane faked a growl. “That wasn’t a question, Jonathon. That was an order. Your treat!”

He loved it when she called him Jonathon. He really did. For some reason she was the first person he’d ever met that made it sound sexy. With anyone else, the name gave him flashbacks to the days when his parents were alive and he was just a boy. Jonathon was the name his mother used when he was in trouble. Like the time he accidentally ran over the neighbor’s cat with a lawn mower. The cat’s tail healed quickly, but Payne’s ass was sore for weeks.

“Of course it’s my treat!” He laughed. “I pay for all the women I’m currently dating.”

“Well, we can talk about your hookers later. In the meantime, do you have time to take me out to lunch? I think this place could do without me for a little while.”

“It would be my pleasure,” he said, smiling.

Within minutes, they were strolling hand in hand above the city, enjoying the summer sun and each other’s company. In fact, they were so lost in their own little world that neither of them noticed the black van that started following them the moment they left the bank.

CHAPTER 4

Longview Regional Hospital

Longview, Colorado

(109 miles southwest of Denver)

TONYAEdwards sat in the ob-gyn’s office, nervously waiting for her test results. Normally, Tonya was an optimistic person, someone who always looked at the bright side of life, but a first-time pregnancy has a way of changing that. Anxiety and fear often replace calm and joy, and as she waited for her doctor, the tension gnawed away at her very large stomach.

When the exam room door finally opened, Tonya wanted to jump up to greet the doctor, but it was physically impossible. She just wasn’t in the condition to make any quick movements.

“How are you feeling, Tonya?” asked the middle-aged doctor as he pulled a chair next to her. “Any better?”

“Not really, Dr. Williamson. I’m still nauseous, and I have a slight headache.”

“And how’s the little fellow doing today?”

She grinned and patted her belly. “Robert Jr. is doing fine. He’s been kicking up a storm while I’ve been waiting for the results, though.”

“Well, I’ve got good news for both of you. Everything looks perfect. No problems at all.”

Relief flooded Tonya’s face. After taking a deep breath, her lips curled into a bright smile. “That is such good news, doc. You wouldn’t believe how worried I’ve been.”

“Actually,” he said, “I probably would. I’ve been doing this for many years, and I’ve seen this happen many times before. Tension tends to bring on flulike symptoms. First-time mothers have it pretty rough. Especially someone like you. Since you no longer have your own mother to talk to, you really don’t have anyone to help you through this. Sure, Robert is there, but this is all new to him, too. And he certainly has no idea about the physical changes that you’re going through, now does he?”

Tonya smiled as she wiped the moisture from her eyes. “He’s kind of clueless on the physical stuff. In fact, I had to tell him how he got me in this condition to begin with.”

Dr. Williamson let out a loud laugh. “Well, I must admit I expected him to know at least that much.”

“Oh, don’t get me wrong. Robert is a wonderful husband, and he’s going to make a great dad, but you’re right. He’s clueless when it comes to my body and this baby.”

“I’m sure he’s doing the best he can, so take it easy on him.”

When her appointment was over, Tonya waddled down the corridor toward the elevators. After pushing the down button, she leaned against a nearby wall and rested.

“Are you all right?” asked a man in a powder blue nurse’s outfit.

The voice startled her. “What? Ah, yeah, I’m fine. Just tired.”

“How many months are you?”

She laughed as she touched her belly. “Eight down, one to go.”

“I bet you’re excited, huh?”

Tonya nodded her head. “I don’t know what I’m looking forward to the most: having a baby or getting my body back to the way it used to be.”

The black man grinned. “Well, I admire you women. You go through so much in order to bring something so precious into the world. I got to hand it to you.”

“Well, somebody’s got to do it, and it certainly isn’t going to be a man.”

He nodded. He couldn’t agree with her more. “So, what were you doing here?”

“I just had an appointment with Dr. Williamson. He wanted to run a few tests to make sure I’m fine.”