Chapter 112

Chapter 36 It didn't take that long for Ryder to get used to Grayson going away at work. He only made his I want my daddy cry the second time Grayson want back to work for about ten minutes before calming down. And the next time, he only cried for Grayson for a minute before he stopped. And now, at eight weeks, he didn't even cry when Grayson went off to work. He even smiled at me a few times and that was one of the best feelings ever. I had to admit, I was a bit jealous when Ryder only wanted and smiled at Grayson, but he started smiling at me now. Ryder was laying on a playmat on the floor, babbling incoherently. It was so cute the way he babbled. I looked at the clock by the TV, frowning when I saw the time. It was five-thirty. Grayson should have been home by now as his shift ended at five and he always came home right away. And when he had to do something, he made sure to text me, whether he went to the grocery store or if he was staying longer. I ignored the bad feeling I had as I put the book down I was reading and turned on the TV. However, I couldn't concentrate. So, I picked up my phone and texted Grayson, asking where he was and if everything was okay. Then I got a text back from him and when I read it, my heart dropped. He told me he didn't want anything to do with me anymore, but I knew right away that it was a lie, especially because of the way he texted. He was a lazy texter and the text was in full sentences. I knew something was wrong, even more so when I saw what the beginning letter of each sentence spelled out. I've done that before when I was in trouble. Now he was doing it. D-E-D-R-I-C-K. Dedrick. Dedrick had Grayson right now. I quickly texted him back, using the same thing to tell him I got the message, but going along with what he told me at the same time because I knew Dedrick would look at the message. As soon as I sent the message, I called Devon. He answered after a few rings. "Hello?" "He has Grayson," I said. "Dedrick. I-I got a message from Grayson and... Dedrick has him." "Are you serious?" Devon asked. "I wouldn't joke about this," I said. "I need your help, please." "Alright, I'll come over and we'll figure this out," Devon said. He hung up. Even though it took him less than a minute for him to come, it felt like hours had passed before I heard someone knock on the door. I was too busy worrying about Grayson. Sure, Grayson was tough but compared to Dedrick? I got up from the couch and opened the door. Devon brought Belle along and even though I was still mad at her, I let the both of them in. There was something more important going on than my fight with Belle. "What was the message you got from Grayson?" Devon asked. I handed him my phone and watched as he read it. "So you think because he's saying he wants nothing to do with you that Dedrick has him?" "Look at what the first letter of each sentence reads," I said. Devon looked at my phone again. "D-E-D-R-I-C... K. Holy crap." "Remember when I was kidnapped two years ago and Grayson found me?" I asked and Devon nodded. "That's how I told him I was in trouble; using the first letter of each sentence to spell out a message." Devon let out a long sigh. "I can't believe Dedrick's actually going through with getting his revenge. I thought he would give it up by now but..." He shook his head. "Okay, he's what will happen. I have a feeling I know where Dedrick took Grayson so I'll go there..." "No," I interrupted. "I'm going to." "Poppy, you know how dangerous Dedrick is," Devon said. "I'm not going to let you risk your life just to save Grayson." I crossed my arms over my chest. "I don't care what you think. I'm coming with you." "You're not going to take no for an answer, are you?" Devon asked. "Fine, you can come." I then looked at Belle. "Do you think you can watch Ryder for me?" "Yeah, of course," Belle said. "Thanks," I said. "He might cry for a bit because he won't see either me or Grayson, but he might stop crying if you rock him or play with him or something. And I just fed him recently so you won't have to worry about him being hungry." "Got it," Belle said. "Let's go, Poppy," Devon said. The two of us left my apartment and went to the underground parking to Devon's car. My heart was beating fast the whole time. I was so worried about Grayson. Devon was right; Dedrick was dangerous and even Grayson might not be able to handle it. When Devon was driving to wherever he though they might be, I decided to ask something. "Why is Dedrick that way that he is?" I asked. "I mean, usually something traumatic happened for someone to turn out the way he is." Devon sighed. "Dedrick... He was abandoned by his parents when he was a baby and was raised by our grandparents. His parents completely took off and nobody has seen them. Ever since, he hates the idea of anyone being left by their parents or their parents taken away." "Then what does Grayson have to do with any of this?" I asked. "Well, it isn't just having parents taken away that bothers Dedrick," Devon said. "The thought of losing anybody kills him and he almost lost me because of that car crash. And even though I'm fine, he still thinks Grayson tried taking me away from Dedrick and he completely lost it." "And that's why he went after me," I said. "Because it would mean taking someone away from Grayson." "Exactly," Devon said. "I don't know if he'll still go after you or try to finish things off with Grayson, though it seems like the latter. Don't worry, we'll get there soon. Just a few more minutes away." Once again, those minutes felt like hours, but Devon finally pulled into the driveway of an abandoned house. It was really old and dilapidated, and it looked like someone hasn't live there in over a decade. "This is where he is?" I asked, feeling a chill run up my spin. It was creepy, to say the least. Devon nodded and we got out of the car. I had no idea what we were going to do, but Devon did. He slowly opened the front door, wincing as it creaked. I followed him into the house, shivering at the sight of cobwebs everywhere. Devon led me down the hallway and as soon as we got to what looked like the living room, I gulped. Dedrick was there and he must have heard us, because he was facing us, holding a knife up to Grayson's throat. Grayson looked extremely beat up, blood staining his face and clothes. It killed me to see him like this and it only made my heart beat faster. "Take another step, I dare you," Dedrick hissed. Devon and I stopped in our tracks with him standing a bit in front if me. "Dedrick, this has gotten too far," Devon said calmly. "I think you got your revenge already." Dedrick laughed. "Oh, you think? He almost took someone from me and you know it." "So what? You want to take him from everyone else?" Devon asked. "His girlfriend? His siblings? His parents? His friends?" "Yeah, I do," Dedrick said. "That way, everyone ever associated with him knows how I feel." There had to be something I could do. Maybe appealing to Dedrick's vulnerable side... I got it. "Dedrick, please don't do this," I said. His eyes snapped over to me and immediately narrowed. "I know why you feel this way. You were abandoned by your parents, and no, I don't know how you feel, but you can't take Grayson away from me. From his son." "Poppy, don't," Grayson said, his voice twisted in pain. "Dedrick, Grayson and I have a son, alright?" I said. "Do you really want to take away a little boy's father away from him? Do you really want someone to feel the way you do? Our son just got used to Grayson going off the work. He needs his dad." Dedrick didn't reply, but I was pretty sure his glare softened. "You couldn't stop your parents from leaving," I continued. "You couldn't stop losing both your parents. But you can stop a little boy from losing his dad. Please." "Prove it," Dedrick said, his voice still cold. I took my cell phone out of my pocket and handed it to Devon. Devon walked over, showing the picture that was set as my lock screen. It was of Grayson laying on the couch with Ryder sleeping on top, which happened a lot. I didn't know if it was proof enough, but I didn't know how to prove it. Devon handed my cell phone back to me as Dedrick looked at Grayson, still holding the knife up to his throat. "What's his name?" Dedrick asked. "Ryder," Grayson said, still having his voice twisted in pain. "He's eight weeks." Dedrick then did something I was hoping he did. He dropped the knife and released Grayson, who stumbled to the floor. I hurried over to him. "Are you okay?" I asked softly. "Get out of here," Dedrick said. "Now. Before I change my mind." I helped Grayson stand up because he was in a lot of pain. I wrapped his arm around my shoulder and gently wrapped my arm around his waist. I helped him walk out of the abandon house and to Devon's car. I got in the backseat of the car with Grayson so I could look over his injuries, though I didn't know much about injuries. Devon got into the driver's seat and started driving back to the apartment. "Where does it hurt?" I asked Grayson. "E-everywhere," Grayson said. "My... my s-stomach the most." "Should I take you to the hospital?" Devon asked. "N-no," Grayson said. "I'm... I'm fine." "You're in a lot of pain," I said. "We should get you checked out." "I'm fine," Grayson repeated. "I just need... to rest." "Are you sure?" Devon asked. "Because the hospital is on the way to the apartment." "Yes," Grayson said. I still had little doubt, though. He was wincing a lot and trying his best to take deep breaths. So Devon did go to the apartment, as much as we both wanted Grayson to go to the hospital instead. If I had my license and I was driving, I would have went to the hospital instead, no matter what Grayson said. I helped Grayson get to our floor of the apartment and got Devon to unlock the door for me. I led Grayson over to the couch and laid him down. "What happened?" Belle asked. "Is he okay?" "I'm fine," Grayson said once again as I went to the kitchen. I got an ice pack from the freezer and wrapped a tea-towel around it, as well as running a cloth under cold water before going back to Grayson. I knelt down beside him. "Take off your shirt," I said. I thought he would have said something snarky like, Oh, I know you want to see me shirtless, but he didn't. Instead, he pulled his shirt off over his head and threw it on the ground. I felt a bit sick looking at his torso. There were bruises all over his stomach and they looked really bad. I quickly covered it up by placing the ice pack on his stomach. "We should take you to the doctor," I said quietly. "Flower," Grayson said, just as quiet. "I'm fine. I'm hurt, but I'm fine." I sighed, knowing there would be no way he would agree to going to the hospital. So, instead of trying to convince him, I used the wet cloth to wipe the dried blood off of his face and his chest. While doing so, I caught sight of the new tattoo he told me about. I didn't really see it before, even though he went shirtless all the time for bed. Seeing it now made me smile faintly. Right above the poppy tattoo was our son's name in cursive writing. It looked absolutely beautiful. "You like it?" Grayson asked. I nodded. "I love it." "Well," Devon spoke up. "Belle and I should be heading home. Besides, I kind of need to call Dedrick to see if he is okay. I know he's ruthless, but he still has a heart." I agreed. Once Dedrick found out that Grayson had a son, he let him go. He didn't want to take a father away from a baby. Belle, who was holding Ryder, stood up from the couch she was on and gently placed him back on his playmat. "Thanks for watching him," I said. "No problem," Belle said. "He's a cutie. I guess I'll see you around." She and Devon left, closing the door behind them. I looked at Grayson again and finished cleaning off the dried blood. "I'm glad you're okay," I said softly. "I'm glad you get my message," he said. I chuckled. "Well, I've done that kind of message before. Did Dedrick tell you to break up with me?" Grayson nodded. "Yeah, but I decided to put in a message of my own. You know I would never break up with you." "I know," I said before leaning down and pressing my lips on his. I was glad he was okay and we didn't have to worry about Dedrick anymore.