So, I'm experiencing some difficulties with Guardian, you know...such as the story disappeared and I can't find on my hard drive! So, in the mean time...NEW STORY TIME! I think this one is going to be a good one, hopefully!
Disclaimer: The characters in this story, save for my own original ones, are not mine, they belong to JE and I'm not profiting form this at all! meh...
Warnings will be posted in each chapter...Warning: None
Enjoy, and please, tell me what you think so far about the story in a review! Cheers!
The Mercenary's Daughter
Chapter 1
Impending Fatherhood
"What are you going to do about this situation?"
Now that's the billion dollar question Carlos Manoso wish he had an answer too. What was he going to do about the wrench that had been tossed into his gears? This wasn't a problem he could fix with money or anything of the like, this problem would affect him for the rest of his life…again.
Carlos turned to his friend and said, with honesty, "I don't know, Tank, what do you think I should do?"
"I don't know, I've never had this problem before, and I hope to god it doesn't happen to me," Tank said, crossing his arms and peering at the problem that rested on the conference table, "Are you sure that-"
"She has no reason to lie to me," Carlos said softly, looking at his problem, "You heard her, Tank, she didn't want to do this, but this is her last resort, I was her last resort and I couldn't say no to her."
Tank sighed and sunk his 6'7 frame into one of the conference chairs. He looked at the problem and then turned to Carlos saying, "Well, you did say you would, but I would call her to see if-"
"I can't," Carlos said softly, closing his eyes, "I got a call from someone important, they found her dead in the bathtub, she killed herself to keep the threat at bay."
"How long do you think it'll be before they put two and two together?" Tank asked, placing his hands on the table.
"A long time, in fact, if they don't snoop around too deep, they'll never know," Carlos said closing his eyes and rubbing at his temple, a rare sign of stress from Carlos, "I'm going to do the right thing, Tank, I'm going to assume responsibility of this issue."
"Good luck, man," Tank said, patting Carlos's back, "you're going to need it, but don' worry, we'll be here to help you, you know that."
"Thanks," Carlos said, as his problem began to make itself known, "It's been a while since I had to this, dios…"
Carlos's problem, which sat on the conference table, strapped into a carrier, was an infant, who was maybe two or three months old. The infant was sleeping, but was slowly waking up, looking for something to fill their belly. The baby was a girl, dressed in a snug pink one piece, with a blanket covering her. She was the color of milk chocolate with thick curly black hair. The baby opened small amber eyes and began to wail, moving small fists and turning her head.
Carlos unbuckled the infant from the carrier and picked her up, making noises and rocking her. Tank got up from the table and over to a pink cloth bag, pulling out a baby bottle and a canister of baby formula. He went over to the service table in the conference room and poured not so hot water into the bottle and then dumped some powdered formula into the bottle, screwed the baby bottle top on and shook it several times, before giving it to Carlos. Carlos thanked Tank, checked to make sure the formula wasn't too hot, and then stuck the bottle into the infant's mouth. The baby cried around the nipple for a bit, but went silent and began to eat, her amber eyes closing and her tiny body stilling.
Carlos leaned back in the chair, with the baby and closed his eyes. In the span of 8 hours, he had become a father. He became the father to a child, who had to be separated from her mother and then lost said mother. Carlos looked down at the tiny body in his arms and said, in a soft voice, "Don't worry, Quedria, I'll take care of you, your mother gave me to you, because she knew that I would watch over you better than anyone, I'll see to it that you're never without, Papi's here now…"
Carlos would be the first to admit, he had no clue in child rearing. He had another child, from a previous marriage that didn't pan out. The marriage was one of obligation and barely lasted three months. When his first child was born, a daughter as well, he gave up rights to the girl and let another man adopt her. He had been in the military by then, going into the Rangers and taking the assignments that were hardcore and were usually life threatening. He couldn't see himself as a father, hell he doubt he would ever become a father again. The tiny bundle in his arms had proved him wrong, he would fulfill her mother's wishes and take care of her.
After the baby drank 3 ounces of formula, she began to reject the nipple, making Carlos pull the nipple out of her mouth. Carlos took a burp rag from the pink bag and placed it on his shoulder. He lay the baby on his shoulder and began to pat her back gently. As he patted her back, he thought back to the conversation he had with her mother. It had been a very intense conversation that was still fresh in Carlos's mind and it all happened in this conference room, the same one he had yet to leave, even though it was going well into the night.
(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)
"Carlos," Tank said, ducking his head into the man's office, "There's a situation down in the lobby of Rangeman."
Carlos, who was knee deep in paperwork, looked up from his work and pulled off his glasses. He leaned back his chair and asked, "What is it?"
"It's a woman, she's looking to talk to you, and uh…she's bought a package along with her," Tank said, earning a blank look from Carlos, "You just need to get down to the lobby, you should have been down there like…10 minutes ago."
Carlos nodded his head and stood up, stretching and cracking his back, before he followed Tank out his office and over to the elevator. It was almost time for the day shift to close up shop and so it was pretty busy on the fifth floor of Rangeman. It also didn't help that it was Friday and many of his men had plans to go out and have a good weekend. The ring leader of the weekend hype, Lester Santos, walked over to Carlos and said, "Carlos, my man, you should go out with us tonight, and find a pretty bird! We'll have a blast and get you laid."
Carlos shook his head and told Lester to start the party off the clock. Lester blew a raspberry at the man in return.
The ride down to the lobby Rangeman, the company Carlos owned, was a quiet one. Tank and Carlos weren't one to have idle conversations and so silence filled the gap. When the elevator doors opened up to the lobby of Rangeman, Carlos stepped out of them and paused, looking at the woman that waited for him, sitting in one of the sleek black chairs reserved for guests. The woman turned her head to Carlos and stood up, walking over to him, holding a carrier in her arms. She gave him a smile and said, in a soft lilt, "Carlos, it's been a while…I would have called you, but…time is of the essence, please, do you have somewhere we could privately talk?"
It had been so long since Carlos had seen the woman in front of him, but when they had first met, it was under different circumstances. She was still a beauty, with milk chocolate skin, soft amber eyes and soft black hair. She was dressed in a winter dress, bundled up against the chill. Carlos did notice dark circles under her eyes and her arms, which held the carrier, were shaking slightly.
"Roxanna," Carlos said, placing a hand on the woman's shoulder, "Come with me, I have a private conference room on the fifth floor, do you mind if my friend sits with us?"
Roxanna shook her head and said, "No, I don't mind, it's better if he's there as well, if only for my sake."
Carlos and Tank led Roxanna over to the elevator and took her up to the fifth floor. They bypassed the busy work floor and entered one of the conference rooms that were rarely used. Moments after they entered, Rangeman's house keeper, Ella, came in with a tray of refreshments and utensils before leaving as quietly as she came. Roxanna set the carrier on the table of the conference room and sat down, placing a hand on the handle of the black carrier.
"I have to give you something precious to me, Carlos, because things are going on that'll put what's precious to me in danger," Roxanna said softly, turning the carrier around so Carlos could see the sleeping infant in it, "Please, Carlos, take my child…our child…"
Tank nearly made a sound but Carlos beat him to it by saying, "Is this because of…"
"Yes," Roxanna said softly, placing a pink cloth bag beside the carrier, "It's because of that, I…didn't want to burden you then and I don't want to now, but I've no place to go, you were the only one I knew to come to, and you are this child's father. All my assets and properties are tucked away for her, should you need money to take care of her."
"Why?" Was all Carlos asked, his eyes still on the sleeping infant.
"I'm in over my head, Carlos, remember?" Roxanna asked with a weak smile, "I don't want our child in this mess, I'll take care of the problem, so she can be safe from all of my baggage, I just want you to watch over her, okay?"
Carlos looked into the woman's tired eyes and said, "What are you going to do?"
" I'm going to take care of the problem I have, don't worry, Carlos," Roxanna said, standing up and holding out a piece of paper, "Please...if you don't want her, call this number, this is a last resort, but I know they'll take my child, no problem."
Carlos took the piece of paper and said, "Roxanna…."
"Heidi, her name is Heidi, after that stupid little book you gave me," Roxanna said, letting out a weak sob, "Carlos, you please take her in, if only for a little while, please…"
Carlos watched as Roxanna turned to the carrier and leaned down to kiss the forehead of the sleeping child saying, "Goodbye, little one, make mommy proud, okay? I love you so much."
"Roxanna," Carlos started but the woman shook her head and then rushed over to the door that led into a small room off the side of the conference room and disappeared into it, slamming the door shut. Tank rushed over to the door and opened it, swearing loudly when he found the room empty. He turned to Carlos and asked, "What in the fuck was that?"
"She had to make a hasty exit," Carlos said softly, turning his head back to the infant, "Fuck, Tank, this wasn't what I expected for my weekend…."
(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)
Carlos felt the infant burp and then cradled her in the crook of his arm before looking over to Tank. Tank rose an eyebrow and asked, "So what now, Carlos?"
"Well, I need to get some baby things, go get Ella, she'll know what to do," Carlos said, protectively holding the infant closer to his chest, "She should be a natural with children, right?"
"That's what you hope," Tank said, getting up and making the call with his cellphone, "But she's a tiny baby, so no worries, right?"
"Heidi," Carlos said, softly, looking down at the sleeping baby, "My daughter's name is Heidi, and yes, she's not going to be a problem…she's mine and Roxanna's child, after all."
TBC….
Oh ho...what do think? Please review!
