This chapter is dedicated to _JessieHazel_ - thanks for all your support and great advice. You totally rock, girl :)

30 – Stolen Moments

Charlotte's POV

On Friday morning, I check myself out of the hospital. Ryan is not expecting me in Chicago until the evening, but Tivon had arranged for an earlier flight to give us the opportunity to spend some time together at the cabin. After packing an overnight bag, I take off for the airport, but decide at the last minute to make a quick stop.

Alex's house is close to the FBI offices, a small Victorian style home in a dead end street. The lawn is trimmed, yet the flowerbeds are empty and the fence in desperate need of repair. She must not care about appearances – as senior agent with the Bureau, she certainly earns enough to hire a yard service.

I check my watch when I walk up the path to the house. It is just after eight and her car is not in the driveway – maybe she left for work already. I peek through the side window before ringing the doorbell with the little sign "A. Mancini".

"Can you get that?" she shouts from somewhere inside the house.

The door opens and I choke on my greeting. "Kade–."

His eyes are the size of saucers. For a moment, we stare at each other before he clears his throat. "Good morning, Charlotte. What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to talk to Alex."

His cheeks flush as I study him with curiosity. From the looks of things, I interrupted them in their morning routine – he is wearing sweatpants and a muscle shirt, his hair still unruly from his sleep. There is no way he just stopped by to bring her bagels.

"Who is it, babe?" Alex's voice booms through the house.

He grins goofily. "Charlotte Parks."

"Oh."

The awkward silence that follows conjures a smile on my face. "If this is a bad time, I can come back."

"No, no." He opens the door a little wider. "Please, come on in. Would you like some coffee?"

His eyes are pleading for me to say "no". I decide to torture him a little. "I'd love to."

Without waiting for a further invitation, I push right past him into the house. Clothes are scattered in the hallway, winding their way up the steps. With a smirk, my attention returns to Kade whose face would make any lobster proud.

"My visit was a surprise," he blurts out. "It was Alex's birthday yesterday."

"Relax Kade." I continue my way toward the kitchen. "Your relationship with Alex is none of my business."

I halt, realizing the gravity of the situation. If Alex told Kade about the kiss – and I am pretty sure she did – Rena probably knows. She is just the type of girl who would let it slip to Ryan just to spite me.

All of a sudden, I have the urge to get out of the house. "On second thought, why don't you tell Alex I'll contact her when I'm back from Chicago?"

He nods. "Sure."

I'm already back at the front door, when he calls me back. "Rena doesn't know, but even if she did, she wouldn't tell your husband. She was abused herself and knows the rules of the game. Maybe you should give her some credit."

I acknowledge his words with a small nod, slamming the door closed behind me. With a shaking hand, I start the car – my mind racing a thousand miles per hour. As soon as I pull out of the driveway, I call Tivon.

"Kade Fallon knows about the affair," I press between tears.

He sucks in a sharp breath. "What! How?"

"He and Alex Mancini are dating. I found him at her house this morning."

There is static on the line and at first, I fear I lost the connection, but then his words drift through the line. "Don't worry, we'll figure something out."

My lip quivers. "I'm so scared, Tivon. What if Ryan finds out?"

There is a moment of silence. "Did they threaten you?"

"No." I pull the car into a parking bay when the tears keep rolling. "But who knows what they'll do? Maybe they'll try to blackmail me just before the hearing."

"I doubt it." He sounds confident. "If they wanted to use this against you, I would've already gotten the call. They aren't fools and know what's at stake." More static temporarily cut off the rest of his words.

"Tivon, what did you say?"

His voice is far away before it drifts back in. "Look, I'm already in the car on my way to the cabin. I'll see you in a few hours and we'll talk about it some more."

"Okay." My hands wipe away a few stray tears. "See you soon."

xxxx

Four hours later, Tivon envelopes me into his arms as soon as the limousine drops me off at the cabin. "I called Hannah. She'll be by later to introduce you to someone who will be providing protection as soon as you file for divorce. Giving the recent developments, I think we should file the paperwork right after the hearing on Monday. That way, we can serve Ryan still in court and you don't even have to go back to him."

I can't believe I am finally going to do this. "I'm still going to be able to keep custody, right?"

He nods. "Rena caught a new charge. Even if the contempt order is lifted, she'll likely have to stay in jail for a while. Her chances to keep custody are almost nil. Hiding Noah was the worst thing she could have possibly done."

The news surprises me. "What new charge?"

"She assaulted some girl, so there is a good chance she gets hammered with a probation violation." He grabs the overnight bag and starts to walk towards the house. "Come on, let's talk about this inside. It's freezing out here."

I follow him with slumped shoulders. Now that Rena's incarceration seems imminent, guilt battles me. She endured a lot by Brent's abuse and doesn't deserve to spent ten years behind bars. In the long run, I have always envisioned us raising Noah together. That way, he would have had the best of both worlds.

Tivon is already in the kitchen, filling up the water heater. "Coffee or tea?"

"Tea." I absentmindedly play with the button of my blouse. "Tivon, do you think you could make Rena's new charge go away?"

His eyebrows arch in surprise. "Why the sudden change of heart?"

"I don't know." My gaze lowers under his searching eyes. "I just don't think it's in Noah's best interest if he never sees his mom. I mean, I never intended to cut her out of his life completely."

"I totally understand." Water is poured on the tea bags and the scent of mint spreads in the kitchen. "You have a good heart, Charlotte. That's why I love you so much."

His words wake up a few flurries in my stomach which I ignore for the moment. "So do you think you can help her?"

He shrugs. "I can try. Maybe Marcus will cut her a break if I ask him. Unfortunately, Hannah can't represent her since she's my partner and it would constitute a conflict of interest." Absentmindedly, he sips from his tea. "And Pam Fallon is also a very good lawyer. Rena is in good hands with her."

I nod, the uneasy feeling still clinking around. Even though I am looking forward to my new life, there will also be many challenges. Any type of help will come in handy.

We sip our tea in silence. Picturing Ryan's look on his face when I serve him with the divorce papers is both satisfying and scary. He will be furious, but his options will be limited in a public courthouse.

Tivon finally breaks the silence. "Hannah won't be here for another few hours." His eyebrows wiggle. "Up for a nap."

I am still a little sore, but have missed him too much to deny him. He is even gentler than usual while leading me to impossible heights, ensuring my needs are placed before his. We move to the rhythm of our moans and heartbeats in perfect harmony. In that moment, there is no one other than us in the world – two lovers combined into one, ready to take on the next chapter of their lives.

xxxx

I am still sound asleep when the doorbell wakes me. My hand automatically reaches next to me to find only warm sheets. I stretch, pricking my ears to pick up the noises from downstairs. I can make out Hannah's voice, but the man who is with her is a stranger.

Tivon appears in the doorframe. "They're here. Come downstairs when you're ready, okay?"

I purse my lips. "Give me a kiss."

With a chuckle, he darts inside and pecks me on the cheek. Then he is gone again. My eyes linger on the spot where he disappeared, longing for more alone time. After our meeting with Hannah, he will be off to Michigan for some family reunion while I have to get to the city to meet my husband. The thought alone chills my bones.

I heave myself out of the bed and slide into my pants and blouse, pulling my hair into a messy bun. I don't want the visitors to wait. My shower can wait until after they are gone.

Tivon stands up when I enter the living room and stretches out his hand. "Here she is."

Hannah brought two guys along, both of them absolutely scary looking. The one guy is pure muscle, well over six feet tall with a bald head and quite a few teeth missing. The other one is a young Hispanic with the coldest eyes I've ever seen. His wardrobe and jewelry must have cost a fortune, but that can't hide that he is nothing more than a common thug. Ryan always says that you can take the boy out of the ghetto, but never the ghetto out of the boy.

"Hello, Charlotte." His voice is surprisingly soft. His eyes scan over me and he smiles. "I'm Silvan Alvarez" – his head points to the other man – "and this is my associate S'mores. He'll be the one who will provide your protection."

"Hi, it's nice to meet you." I gaze at Tivon, uncertain what I am supposed to do.

"Hannah already briefed Silvan on the situation," Tivon jumps in. "S'mores will be at your side at all times. You have nothing to worry about."

S'mores grins at me with impeccable gums.

"And you're positive that you don't just want me to get rid of the pig?" his boss asks.

"No, no more getting rid of people, Silvan." Hannah's voice is firm. "All we want is for Charlotte to be save." Her eyes narrow. "And if I find out you harmed Agent Parks in any way, you'll be in trouble with me. Understood?"

He throws up his hands. "I got it, Ms. Harlan. Sorry."

They glare at each other for a moment before Silvan drops his gaze. If I wouldn't know better, I would say he is scared of her.

"Okay, we're all set then." Tivon strokes my back when I edge closer to him. "Monday morning, S'mores will meet us at the courthouse and we'll take it from there."

Silvan produces a business card and hands it to me. "If there's any trouble over the weekend, gimme a call." He cracks his knuckles. "I'd love to smoke that pig."

Hannah shoots him a dark look and his smile turns into a painful grimace. His mouth closes and he swallows the rest of his words.

I study the card. It reads Alvarez Barber Shops. "You're a hairdresser?"

That gets a chuckle out of him. "It's one of my businesses." His eyes cut into me. "I own a lot of businesses."

Those are probably a front for money laundering or drug trafficking. Even though I just met him, there is no doubt that he is a big fish in the sea. On the one hand, this eases my worries, but on the other hand, I hate having people like him and S'mores in my life. I sure don't want them around Noah and will have to figure out a way to keep my bodyguard at a safe distance.

"Well, we should go." Hannah nods at our guests and we mutter polite goodbyes.

A sigh leaves at my lips as they slide into the car. Especially this guy Silvan gives me the creeps.

"I know they're not perfect, but the best under the circumstances. Hannah believes that Ryan will dig deep down into his box of magic tricks and take advantage of his underground connections to avoid getting his hands dirty. Silvan has his eyes and ears everywhere. If Ryan plans anything, he'll know."

This is good for something.

He checks his watch. "I have to hurry. My parents expect me home by eight and it's Friday. The motorway to the airport is probably packed."

"Can I at least fix you a sandwich?" I pout. "You already skipped lunch."

He pulls me into his arms. "And it was worth it." Nibbling my earlobe, his embrace tightens. "I can't wait to never leave your sight again, though I probably get fat from eating all your good cooking."

"I love you."

His lips brush softly against mine and by the time, we break from our kiss, I'm panting.

"I love you, too, Charlotte. See you Monday and stay save."

With that, he grabs his briefcase and bounces down the steps. I stand in the doorway of the cabin, my eyes following the car until it turns the corner. There is so much love I have for this man that my heart hurts to see him go. After Monday, I am not intending to ever spend another night without him.

So, Kade got himself a girlfriend, Charlotte had enough and Silvan made a brief reappearance. You might have picked up that things are about to go down. 

I hope you enjoyed this chapter and don't forget to vote if you felt is deserving. Seven more chapters to go, and we will know who Noah will go home with and if Rena is heading back to jail for good. Thanks for reading and hopefully, see you next week :)