Chapter 39
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Legs
I hum a little tune as I dust the shelves, wincing when I receive a kick to the ribs. As my little girl gets bigger, there’s less space for her to twirl, much to her annoyance. I’m pretty sure by the time she comes out, my ribs will be black and blue.
“I’m going to make a run to the sandwich place. You want your usual?” Midas asks, stepping up behind me. His hands cupping my stomach, of course, make my kiddo kick out once more.
“Wow, missy, you getting feisty with your mom again?”
He drops down into a crouch and lifts the hem of my T-shirt, exposing my belly before pressing his lips to my bump.
“You’ve got to be good to your mom. She loves you a whole lot, and she can’t wait to meet you. And I’ll let you in on a little secret, sweet pea. I can’t wait to meet you either.”
I freaking love the nickname sweet pea that he’s been calling the baby since we found out she’s a girl. I swear I melt every time he uses it.
He kisses my lips lightly before grinning when he gets to his feet. “So, food?”
“I want the usual, but I also want some cake pops and a peach iced tea.”
“You’ve got it. Powers is on the phone in the office. Tell him I’ll grab his usual when he comes out.”
“I will. I can’t believe how busy it has been today. I swear people are acting like we’re closing down or something. It’s so weird.”
“Yeah, weird.” He snorts before heading out, and the bell above the door gives a little jingle when he closes it.
I get back to my humming and dusting. Five minutes later, the jingle starts again. I look over and see Kiki trying to maneuver the door with a large cardboard box in her hands.
“Ooh, let me help. Midas said you were coming.”
“Thanks.” She grins at me as I move to take the box from her. She frowns when I get a look inside.
“What the heck is all this stuff?”
Before she can answer, the box slips as she tries to pass it to me, and we both fumble for it. I reach to catch it and when she slaps something into my palm, my fingers automatically close around it.
“Whatever you do, don’t let go,” she says in a sing-song tone.
“Huh?” I ask, confused when she pulls the box away. I stare down at my hand, trying to understand what I’m seeing. When it finally sinks in, my eyes snap to hers to find her grinning maliciously at me. “Please tell me this is a joke.” My voice breaks as I stare back down at the grenade in my hand.
“The only joke here is you. You think you can take my man?” she snarls at me. I blink at her, feeling sweat drip from my brow, my fight-and-flight instinct abandoning me and leaving me paralyzed instead.
“I thought once you were gone, everything would be better. But then the rest of the bitches kept sniffing around, trying to make their plays for him. Of course, he never saw them, only me, as it should be. But I didn’t trust them not to try something underhanded like spike his drink or something.”
“You poisoned Tina,” I state, my breath coming out in short pants.
“Of course I did. I knew she was going to sneak into his bed and pretend to be you, and I wasn’t about to let that happen.”
“I don’t understand. You’re the one who trashed my apartment? Did you steal my underwear too? God Kiki, I’d already left him. You’re the reason I’m even back here in the first place.”
“He couldn’t leave you alone. You’ve got some kind of fucking hold over him.
It makes no fucking sense. I mean, you’re carrying another man’s baby, and he still wants you?
No, I’m not buying it. You’re blackmailing him somehow, I know it.
” She’s not making any sense, going backward and forward in her explanation, but all I can focus on is the grenade in my hand and the ringing in my ears.
I hear movement behind me and whimper, expecting it to be Powers.
It’s worse than that.
“They didn’t have any cake pops left so I got you cookies.”
My world falls apart and crumbles at my feet. This can’t be happening. It can’t be real.
“Legs? Oh, Kiki, hey. What’s wrong with Legs?” I feel him get closer. Kiki, for once, looks a little lost because what the fuck is she even going to say?
“There was an accident. She tried to grab the box when it fell…” Her voice trails off as Midas steps up next to me and freezes solid at what’s in my hand.
“Baby?”
I look up at him, tears streaming down my face. “You need to get out of here.”
“No, fuck that. I’m not leaving you.”
“She’s right. It’s not safe. We should leave and call for help,” Kiki adds, just as the bell goes above the door again.
Kiki whirls around in shock. The box in her arms hinders her movements as Del steps in, her eyes widening with shock as they clash with Kiki’s.
Kiki snarls. “You should be fucking dead.”
Midas steps in front of me when Del pulls out a gun and shoots Kiki in the center of her forehead. I swallow down vomit, needing to get my shit together so I can get Midas out of here, but I think I’m going into shock.
“She was the one who attacked me,” Del states numbly before her eyes drift to mine and drop to the grenade. “What the fuck?”
“Del. Find Powers. He’s in the office. He knows bombs. Get him here now.” Del hurries past us as Midas cups my face and kisses me. “I love you. Always have, always will. I’ll never let anything happen to you or our baby. You know that, right?”
I nod as my legs wobble.
“Good girl. I’m going to take this grenade off you, real slowly. We need to keep that lever pinned in place, okay? Then I want you to get far away from here.”
“No. No, Midas. Don’t you make me do this. Don’t you dare.”
“You have to. You gotta be strong for our daughter. She needs you.”
“I need you.”
“Maybe this was my purpose all along. So I could save you both.”
“Midas, no. Please, there has to be another way.”
“Not this time, baby. This time, I get to play the hero instead of the bad guy.”
I sob, shaking my head as his hands gently cover mine. “You were always my hero. Always.” I close my eyes as he moves his hands to the position he wants them in, pressing lightly on the lever to hold it in place.
“Gently ease your hands away, nice and slow, baby.”
I hold my breath and do as he asks, stepping away once I’m free. I want to scream until my ears bleed at the unfairness of it all. “I love you so damn much.”
“I love you too. In this lifetime and the next.”
And I know it’s true. He’s giving his life so our daughter will live.
“I can’t let you do this.” I look over his shoulder and see Del with her gun pointing at my head. I suck in a sharp breath.
“Your guy is out cold. I called Kruger. He’s on his way.” She moves closer.
“Get her out of here, Del,” Midas tells her, not looking away from me.
“Can’t do that, Midas.”
He looks over and freezes when he sees the gun. “No. Don’t you fucking take her from me. I’ll kill you myself.”
I cover my mouth with my hand when I see that he’s crying.
“I need you to give me the grenade, Midas.” She moves closer to him.
“Fuck you,” he snarls like a caged animal.
“You give me the grenade, or I’ll shoot her.”
“You won’t shoot her. You care about her.”
“She’s going to die anyway, so what does it matter?” she snaps. “Now give me the fucking grenade.”
She steps up to him, keeping her gun aimed at me but her focus on Midas as he oh so carefully transfers the grenade to her. Once she has it, he moves over to me, wrapping me up in his arms.
“I guess it’s me who gets to be the hero instead. Maybe I can right some of Snake’s wrongs.” She looks at me with sad eyes. “You make sure you tell her about her cool aunt, okay?”
And I get it then, now that the shock of having her point the gun at me has passed. She wouldn’t let Midas die because she knew I wouldn’t survive without him.
“Delphi,” Midas chokes out, understanding hitting him too.
“You be good to her.”
“Always,” he promises as she makes her way to the door. The gun in her hand shakes as she lowers it before she opens the door and hurries out.
My legs give out, but Midas catches me. He kisses me all over before jumping up and running to the door as Del pulls out in her car. He spins around and comes back to me. “Lock yourself in the office with Powers and call the police. Then call Havoc.”
The door swings open, smashing against the wall as Kruger comes barreling in, gun drawn, stopping when he spots Kiki.
“Go, Legs. Do as I ask.”
I nod, letting him help me to my feet as he gives Kruger the run down.
“We’ve gotta find her man,” Kruger curses. “Where the fuck would she go?”
Midas freezes before turning to look at me, a lightbulb going off above our heads. The grove he took me to. The place Snake proposed to Del. She’s going to end her life where she thought it was all just beginning.