The Mistress: Book Four in The Doll Collector Series

Chapter 20: Kristopher

Maria had fallen asleep with Eloise on her stomach. Pregnant girls stuck together, it seemed. Now that she wasn't awake to twist my mind, it was starting to become clearer. It was my belief that Maria thought that because of my being a man, her words would go right over my head.

It was overwhelming at first, to see Eloise bouncing down the stairs and immediately rubbing up against my leg. The weight of her little body as she passed through my legs and side flopped onto my feet made her presence become more of a reality.

Her fur was as soft as ever in my arms and on my face that was pressed into her stomach. She purred loudly, allowing my fingers to scratch the top of her head.

When Maria stepped down, a cautious expression on her face, it made my mind falter. Perhaps it was my imagination playing tricks on me and Maria was watching me stand there holding air. But her words confirmed it, Eloise was here, a favor she had asked the agents to fulfill.

At the time, it didn't quite register, but now the world was silenced with night and the wheels in my head were turning. Jennifer Wright was Eloise's guardian, meaning the FBI spoke to her and relayed some kind of message for Maria.

It didn't sit well that Maria was not only speaking to the FBI behind my back but reaching out to her best friend. There was no way Jennifer would let them leave without telling her where Maria was.

Something was off here, and that little voice in my mind was telling me Jennifer was here in Tulsa. She wouldn't have sent Eloise by herself, and it was highly unlikely that the FBI would really send out an agent to retrieve a cat. It would be a waste of bureau resources.

Jennifer Wright was in town, and that could only mean that Maria was up to something.

I looked over at her sleeping form.

Deception was written all over her face. She had always been good at manipulating me. Women, they were all the same. All they did was lie.

I reached over to her nightstand and grabbed her phone. Maria was a deep sleeper, so she didn't feel my lifting up of her index finger to press against the home button. The screen lit up as it unlocked.

She had said she had been speaking with the obstetrician. Let's see how truthful she was being. I opened her call app, clicking on her call history. Obstetrician. I tapped the contact, putting the phone to my ear as it rang.

After a few trills, a sleepy male voice answered, "Agent Valentine."

I remained silent, listening to the other line.

"Maria? Is everything okay?"

I ended the call, deleting the call log. The phone immediately vibrated in my hand, so I dropped it back onto the table side and rolled onto my side.

The vibration awakened Maria as she sat up and answered the call.

"Hello?" she answered, equally as sleepily as had Agent Valentine.

"Not that I know of unless I did it by accident." she continued on with a yawn. "But everything is fine... I'm sorry if I woke you... okay, goodnight... Um no, he's still asleep."

The bed shifted slightly as she leaned over to check on me. My lids had remained shut over my eyes. It allowed me to really listen to her conversation.

"No yeah, he's still asleep. He was overjoyed to see Eloise. Thank you again for making this happen. I know Kris and I aren't doing too well, and I hope he sees this as a kind gesture... Thank you, goodnight."

She set her phone down and rolled over to my side, turning me into the little spoon.

Had she really done it to be kind? Was this all this was? A way to make me feel better, to make peace?