4.Chapter 4 She’s Not Your Mother
“Hiss—” Bradley winced in pain, his gaze turning sharp as a knife. “You little brat, is this how she’s been teaching you?”
Curtis glared at him, fists clenched in fury. “You’re not my dad! Let go of me!”
Bradley’s voice hardened, low and threatening. “Listen up, Milton Moore. I’m your real father. That woman? She’s not your mother!”
The words hit Curtis like a punch to the gut. He completely lost it, thrashing wildly, kicking and screaming. “Liar! She is my mom! Let go of me, you bastard!”
‘How could she not be my mother?’ Curtis’s panic surged, his cries becoming even louder, more desperate.
Bradley, completely losing his patience, gripped the bloodstained spot on his neck and pulled Curtis in even tighter.
Outside, a luxury car stood parked in the driveway. The noise upstairs was enough to draw a crowd, and soon, the yard was full of nosy neighbors, whispering and gossiping.
Curtis was shoved into one car, while Melissa was taken to another.
An elderly woman, watching the chaos unfold, finally gathered the courage to speak. “Who the hell are you people? You can’t just steal people like this… it’s illegal!”
Bradley remained unfazed, casually pulling out a handkerchief to wipe the blood from his neck. “I’m working a case. Mind your own business.”
The crowd quickly pieced it together, and whispers spread like wildfire.
“No wonder no one ever visits them. They must be hiding out because they’re running from the law.”
“Oh my God, my kid’s always hanging out with that troublemaker. I hope he doesn’t get dragged into something bad.”
The crowd muttered, pointing at Melissa, who was banging on the car window, fighting to break free.
The car tore off, kicking up dust as it sped away.
After what felt like forever, Melissa, exhausted from crying, realized there was no way out. She stopped, her sobs turning into quiet sniffles.
Her red, swollen eyes narrowed at Bradley. “Pretending to be a cop? That’s a crime.”
Bradley Moore turned to her with a smirk, his tone teasing. “When did I say I was a cop?”
Melissa shot back, biting with anger. “You said you were working a case!”
Bradley chuckled darkly. “What, a private investigator can’t investigate a case?”
Melissa was left speechless, caught off guard.
Bradley pulled out an iPad, swiping it to pull up her information. “Melissa Bush. Graduated from Chassis University. You were supposed to marry your boyfriend, but canceled the wedding the day before.”
He gave her a mocking smile. “The media even covered it for a couple of days.”
Melissa looked at the screen, her nerves suddenly shot to hell.
It was obvious that Bradley hadn’t dug deep enough into her past. If he had, he would’ve known the one thing that kept her up at night: the murder of her stepfather.
That secret was enough to bring her to her knees.
Melissa took a deep breath, her voice tight. “What the hell do you want from me?”
Bradley’s eyes were as cold as ice. “Can’t you figure it out? I want you to bring my son back and, while you’re at it, I need you to tell me what the hell you’ve been doing all this time.”
Melissa fought to keep her composure. “Are you seriously Curtis’s real father?”
“He’s Milton Moore!” Bradley snapped, his tone sharp.
Melissa raised an eyebrow. “And why the hell should I believe you?”
Bradley’s voice dropped to a chilling, flat tone. “We’ll do a DNA test. You can take one too, if it makes you feel better.”
Melissa’s heart skipped a beat. She knew well she wasn’t related to Curtis by blood, and there was no way she was going near a DNA test.
She could feel her hands trembling, but she still wasn’t fully buying his story. “Then why the hell did you ditch him? Do you even know how close he came to dying?”
Bradley’s eyes darkened, and for a second, his expression turned dangerous. “Milton was taken from me.”
“You think I stole him?” Melissa shot back, incredulous.
“I’ll get to the bottom of it. But until I do, you better not even think about running, or you’re dragging everyone into it,” Bradley warned, his voice low and menacing.
Melissa wasn’t backing down. “I don’t buy your version of this. You’re loaded, so you must have a ton of people watching your kid. Who the hell could have taken him?”
Bradley’s patience was wearing thin. “I’m done with this conversation. But just so you know, if you’re even remotely involved in this, I’ll make sure you end up in prison. And before that, I’ll make you regret ever crossing me.”
Melissa realized this guy was no joke. “Who the hell are you, anyway?”
“Bradley Moore,” he replied, deadpan.
Melissa’s mind raced. She remembered hearing that name from Hugh Wallaker. There was a powerful Moore family in Chassis. ‘Could he be one of them?’ she wondered.
She knew she was outmatched here and arguing would get her nowhere. What mattered most now was keeping Curtis calm.
“I need to call Curtis. He’s freaking out,” she said.
Seeing her finally calm down, Bradley didn’t argue. He pulled out his phone and dialed, putting it on speaker.
On the other end, Curtis’s voice cracked from crying. “Mom… I want Mom… Curtis wants Mom…”
That sound, so raw and desperate, almost broke Melissa’s resolve. She snatched the phone away from Bradley. “Curtis, don’t be scared. Mommy’s here, okay? Mommy’s right here…”
When Curtis heard her, his sobs quieted just a bit. “Mom, where are you?”
Melissa’s heart nearly shattered. “Mommy’s in the car ahead. Don’t worry, baby, I’m safe. We’ll be together soon. These gentlemen are Mommy’s friends, okay? Can you listen to them for me?”
To calm Curtis, she lied through her teeth, painting Bradley as the good guy.
Curtis, as always, listened to his mom. His sobs slowly quieted down. “Mom, I want to see you really soon…”
Melissa gripped the seat tight, trying to hold it together. “It won’t be long now, baby. You just be good, okay?”
Bradley impatiently ended the call.
Melissa quickly wiped away the tears on her sleeve. “Stop the car. I need to be with Curtis. He’s scared out of his mind!”
Bradley frowned. “A boy crying like that? That’s pretty pathetic.”
Melissa snapped, “I said stop the damn car!”
“This is a highway!” Bradley shot back, annoyed.
Melissa gritted her teeth, her voice ice-cold. “He’s been with me for three years, and he listens to me. If you don’t want him to hate you, stop the car. I’ll go back with you, but only if I’m in the same car with him.”
For three years, she and Curtis had been all each other had. She wasn’t about to let him go.
But if they were really father and son, and Curtis had been stolen all those years ago, then Bradley—no matter how scary—was probably the better choice for him.
With her, Curtis didn’t have a stable life. He couldn’t get a decent education, and even basic things like school registration was a nightmare. She didn’t even have adoption papers.
She loved her son more than anything, but if it meant a better future for him, she was willing to let him go.
It worked. Bradley, clearly not wanting to drag this out any longer, dialed again, barking orders to the car behind him. “Stop at the service area up ahead.”
When he got a response, Melissa let out a breath of relief, leaning back against the seat, exhausted.
Twenty minutes later, their car reached the service area, but the car behind them still wasn’t there. Impatient, Melissa pushed, “What the hell’s taking them so long?”
Before Bradley could answer, his body tensed. His face drained of color. “Where’s the kid? Is he okay?!”
He hung up, his usual calm shattered, and immediately dialed again.
Melissa felt a cold dread take over and grabbed his arm. “What’s going on? Is Curtis okay?”
Bradley’s voice dropped to a low, deadly whisper. “Their car got rear-ended by a damn truck.”
