MR. MORENO'S SURROGATE ✔️

14 - Elijah

It's been about weeks. I'm in Samuel's area, I'm just hiding out. In a hotel room at that. But I've been keeping tabs on him. He's been using a credit card on baby clothes so I'm guessing he's either a new dad or he's expecting. Doesn't matter though. He should've thought about his kid before he fucked with me. This is taking way longer than I thought it would, but I have some connections with some people here along with some friends who'll help me out.

"You take care of it?" I ask.

"Yeah." Reiner pulls out his phone and shows me a picture of a man with his brains blown out and his body slumped against a brick wall. With a smile, I pull out a bill and I hold it out to him. "You know I'm not taking that," Reiner says, grabbing it and tucking it in my sweatpant pocket.

"Fine by me," I say back, plopping onto my bed. "You find anything today?" I ask, picking up my phone to text Cayson.

"Nope. Today was boring." He sits in a chair at the table in the room.

"We just have to stay here a little longer. He still doesn't know we're here so we need to keep it that way."

"I don't know how we've come this far without him figuring anything out."

"I've got people on his streets. People who don't really give a fuck about him enough to care about anything he says or what happens to them."

"Do you have people like that in your area?"

"Oh, plenty."

"And what do you do with them? He should take a trick from your book." he says, laughing as he puts his feet up on the table.

"I just wait. Eventually they'll meet with me and speak their piece. Then because i've been disrespected, I kill them. This guy's an idiot if he hasn't found them yet."

"He probably wantsto be found."

"Maybe. Guys like Sam are the ones who think they can get away with anything because of the power they have over people. Sam's a dumb fucking idiot who didn't make it past kindergarten, obviously, because everyone knows you don't make room to leave evidence, especially if you're raiding someone's warehouse for drugs and weaponry. It's common fucking knowledge."

I've been leaving updates with Cayson. I should probably call him. I dial Cayson's number and when he answers, I can hear Leilah laughing in the background.

"What's up, man?" Cayson answers.

"Nothing much. We haven't really gotten an update on Samuel."

I can hear him moving, then he brings voice down to a mumble. "Leilah's gonna kill you for this."

"One week. That's all."

"The ultrasound is in two days. It seems really important to her."

"I know, okay? I know. I hate that I have to miss it, but she'll have more. Plus I said I'd make it up to her," I say.

"Oh yeah? How?" she challenges.

"I'll... take her on a date," I say, shrugging.

"A date? With who?" Reiner says, laughing already.

"Shut up," I say through my teeth.

He closes his mouth and smiles a goofy smile at me.

"You really think a date is going to make up for you missing that?" Cayson says.

"Look, I don't know. I need to get back to work, so I'll call back later, Cays."

He sighs and I hang up, groaning and throwing my head back onto the headboard. I pick up my phone and I slowly dial Leilah's number, remembering that I have to check in. When she picks up, she doesn't say anything.

"Leilah?" I say.

"What?" she says angrily.

"I was just calling to check on everything."

"I'm fine," she says quickly.

We go silent for a moment. Then I speak.

"Okay," I say.

Then she hangs up. My eyebrows meet, a confused look plastered on my face. So I call back. Then she picks up.

"What, Elijah." she snaps.

"Is there something wrong? 'Cause I feel like there is." I say honestly.

I walk outside onto the balcony to talk to her.

"I'm fine, Elijah." she says with an annoyed tone.

"Okay, you're clearly lying right now."

"I said I'm fine. What more do you want?"

"For you to tell me what the fuck is up with you." I say, my rage building. "You're upset with me for no reason and it's fucking me up, Leilah. We've been good since I've been gone. Don't mess it up."

"I'm not messing it up, you are!" she yells into the phone.

"What the fuck is your problem? We already discussed that I wouldn't be coming to the ultrasound, why the hell are you mad at me about it?" I yell back.

"I know I'm not even really supposed to care, but I expected that as the father of the kid I'm carrying for you, you'd at least try to be there... This is really important to me and you're not making a fucking effort!"

"Who said I wasn't making an effort?!"

"You don't have to fucking say it, Elijah!"

"I'm trying to prot-" I stop mid sentence and I start to try and calm myself before speaking again. Believe it or not, I've been researching, and I think these are just the hormones. Hopefully anyway. "Leilah, I already apologized for having to miss the appointment the night I left. I don't know how much more you want from me when I'm states away right now," I say as calmly as I can. "As far as this dad shit goes, I'm not very good at that because I've never had it. No one ever taught me how to be a father, so this is a little hard for me. I'm learning. On my own." She stays silent on the other line as I pause, trying to process my next words. "I know that that's no excuse for this, and I know how important this is to you, but... I'm trying. And I need that to be enough for you."

I guess that's my mother in me 'cause I have no idea where that came from.

"It is," she finally says after a moment of silence. "I'm sorry I made you feel like it wasn't."

"I'm really trying to be there. In the meantime I need to take care of this... situation," I say, my authoritative tone returning. "Goodnight."

I hang up and I put my phone in my pocket. I steady myself, putting my hands on the rail in front of me as the breeze pushes my hair back. I take a deep breath in and I breathe out, throwing my head back and trying to relax as I steady my breathing. I stand up straight and I sigh before walking back into the room and closing the door behind myself. Two more weeks and I'll be home.

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sorry it took so long for this you guys, i've been really busy and i've been really tired. just bare with me!

lovely reading!