Contract Marriage: I Will Never Love You-Chapter 99: Information

Matthew

I end up going to see Blake alone, as the prison only allows one visitor at a time.

I follow a bored-looking guard through a series of heavy doors. The visiting area is a large room with plastic chairs bolted to the floor and thick plexiglass barriers between inmates and visitors.

I take my assigned seat and wait, my heart pounding. What if Blake doesn’t admit to anything? What if this whole trip was pointless?

The door on the other side buzzes open, and a man shuffles in wearing an orange jumpsuit. He’s tall but hunched, with a scraggly beard and hollow eyes. This is Blake, the man who supposedly kidnapped my wife.

He sits down across from me and picks up the phone receiver. I do the same.

"Who are you?" His voice is gravelly, disinterested.

"My name is Matthew. I’m here about Sarah."

His expression doesn’t change. "Don’t know any Sarah."

"She was six. You and Serena..." I pause, unsure how to phrase it. "You took her."

Blake shifts in his chair. "I don’t talk about that. Not to cops, not to lawyers, not to you."

"I’m her husband."

This gets his attention. He leans forward slightly, studying my face. "Husband? Well, ain’t that something." He laughs a dry, humorless sound. "I forget how old I am sometimes. That girl grew up, huh?"

"Yes, she did and the kidnapping took a toll on her. She still has nightmares about that," I growl.

Rodrigo frowns. "That ain’t my fault."

"How is it not? You kidnapped her," I remind him.

"It was all fake. Her father arranged it I heard," Blake protests. "Look, what do you want from me? I am in fucking prison already."

"I want information," I tell him. "I want to know about Rodrigo’s involvements."

Blake makes a face. "Ah, I remember that asshole. He is a creep and a real piece of shit."

"And yet, you are behind bars and he is not. How are you any different from him?" I ask.

Blake slams his palm against the plexiglass, making me flinch. His face contorts with sudden rage.

"Don’t you fucking dare compare me to that piece of shit!" he hisses, leaning so close to the barrier I can see the yellowing of his teeth. "I may be a lot of things—thief, junkie, kidnapper, but I ain’t no child-touching pervert like Rodrigo."

I lean back, surprised by his vehemence. "What do you mean?"

Blake’s eyes dart around the visiting area before he lowers his voice. "That sick bastard likes em little kids."

My stomach churns. "Did...did he hurt Sarah?"

Blake shrugs. "I don’t know. But he kept trying to leave that girl alone with him. Just for a couple of hours, he kept saying."

I try to remain calm. "And did you let him?"

He shakes his head. "Nah. Serena won’t let him. She told me she didn’t like the way he was looking at the little girl. That bitch is a drunken whore but not heartless or stupid. She wasn’t gonna let no child-loving perv go near a little girl."

I feel relieved by it, just a little.

"So what happened?" I ask.

"I kept asking when we should make a call to her father for ransom. I mean...wasn’t it the point of this whole facade? That Rodrigo kept delaying and said not to call yet. Said, the little girl’s grandpa is paying and we need to let him sweat more or he won’t pay up."

I urge him to keep going as my visiting time is running out.

"On the last day of the kidnapping, I had to leave the house to run some errands. When I got back, I found Rodrigo alone with the girl."

Dread fills me again, but I force myself to keep my face straight.

"She was crying when I walked in," he mutters. "Huddled in the corner. Didn’t look like she was hurt, but her face... it was like she’d been scared out of her skin."

My breath catches in my throat. "Did she say anything?"

"She wouldn’t talk to me," Blake says. "Not a damn word. Just kept crying. Serena started screaming at Rodrigo, calling him a sick bastard. Told him to get the fuck out. That’s when things went to hell."

I grip the receiver so hard my knuckles turn white. "What happened then?"

"Rodrigo got pissed. Real pissed. Said we’d ruined everything. That he had ’permission’ and that we didn’t understand the arrangement. Serena went at him with a frying pan, and I had to pull her off before she killed him. We kicked him out that night. Next day, we dropped the girl off at a motel room, called the cops and bolted. Figured it was the safest place."

My chest is tight. So many emotions are crashing through me. I force my voice to stay even. "Why did you even agree to that setup in the first place?"

Blake scratches at the stubble on his jaw. "Needed the money, what else?"

"Times up," the cop behind Blake announces.

"I ain’t proud of what I did," he says, his voice low. "But if you’re looking for justice, you’re barking up the wrong damn tree. Go see that pervert, Rodrigo."

I hesitate. My mind is spinning, my stomach twisted with anger.

"I will," I say.

I barely remember the drive home from the prison. I was lost in my own thoughts, piecing together what Blake had told me. The idea that Rodrigo had tried to hurt Sarah made my blood boil. I need to confront him, but first, I need to see Sarah.

When I pull into our driveway, the sun is starting to set.

I run into Marishka. "Where is she?" I ask.

"In the garden. She said the weather is too nice to be cooped up inside. You should go join her," she suggests.

I nod and head there.

Sarah is wearing a blue sundress, her hair pulled back in a loose ponytail, wisps escaping around her face.

I stand there watching her for a moment. She hasn’t noticed me yet. The evening light bathes her in a golden glow, and my heart swells at the sight of her.

I push the gate open, and she looks up, startled at first, then smiling when she sees it’s me.

"You are finally home," she says.

I cross the garden and pull her into my arms without saying a word. I hold her tightly, breathing in the scent of lavender shampoo.

"Matthew?" she questions, her voice muffled against my shoulder. "What’s wrong?"

I pull back just enough to look at her face. "Nothing," I say. "Are you feeling better?"

She studies my face. "Did something happen at work?"

I shake my head, not ready to tell her about Blake yet. "No."

She reaches up, brushing her thumb across my cheek. "I missed you."

I catch her hand and press a kiss on her palm. "I missed you too."

She looks at me wide-eyed as if she didn’t expect me to confess this to her. "I have to tell you something," she whispers.

I look at her questioningly.

She gulps. "Rodrigo called me today."