25. Audrina
25
AUDRINA
Hearing West’s voice... I couldn’t believe it was real. I thought it was just my imagination. Then, like magic, he appeared. He shot off the freaking lock to my cell after that psychotic re-tied my hands and gagged me again. I’ve never been so happy and so sad all at the same time. Then seeing Asher. Tears spring to my eyes as West carries me close to his chest. Every now and again, he’ll whisper soothing words in my ear, telling me that he’ll make this better. That he’s sorry. He’ll make them all suffer. Then he kisses me repeatedly on my head. All around us is pitch black, save for the bulbs lighting a path up out of the basement. I don’t know what they had planned for me, but it sure as hell wasn’t going to be pretty.
“Wait,” a female voice says. “Audrina.”
I look up from West’s arms and see Willow standing there, a gun in her hand. My eyes grow wide when I start to wriggle around, and then West says, “She’s an undercover cop.”
“W—what?” I stammer.
“I was about to break you out in a matter of hours. Had to wait for that crazy bitch Jackie to leave, but it seems she had a vendetta against you and the club,” she tells me. “I’m sorry. I had to play along or risk being uncovered, my whole case would’ve been down the toilet, and it would’ve put the entire operation in jeopardy.”
“You’re really a cop?” I whisper.
“Yes, the whole operation was to bring Cut City Boys to its knees before the uprising began. Griffin has a lot of connections, not only in Louisiana but across the south,” she goes on. “So there’s no way you’re gonna be taking him anywhere.”
“Pity he’s dead,” Asher says. I know by the distinct tone in his voice that this isn’t true. I don’t even want to think about what the club is going to do to him if they get him out of here.
“I don’t believe you,” Willow fires back.
“You gonna shoot us all?” Cash says coming up behind us. “Appreciate what you were tryin’ to do here, but time’s tickin’, I can hear the sirens. We’ve gotta move.”
“Wait, you think I’m gonna be able to explain all of this?” Willow snorts. “To my partner? My boss? The rest of the team?”
“I don’t give a fuck,” Cash barks. “Not like you can take all of us down, and in any case, aren’t you and Haze a thing? Seems a little harsh to shoot your man.”
“We’re not a thing!” Willow says indignantly at the same time Haze says. “We’re a thing!”
“We gonna stand here flappin’ our gums? Need to get Audrina to a hospital,” West barks, agitated. I can feel it radiating off him.
“Tilbury?” I whisper as his gaze meets mine. “Is she okay?”
“She’s fine, baby,” West murmurs. “Bella is takin’ good care of her.”
My poor little dog. She must’ve been so scared to see and hear me being dragged off by that madman. I feel a little easier thinking about Bella making Tilbury warm and safe, but I still feel like a bad mom.
“Okay,” I murmur, and we’re moving again.
“Let me know at any time if you’re hurtin’,” West says, but there’s no other place I’d rather be than in his arms. It’s where I belong.
“Asher?” I whisper, a wave of tiredness coming over me. I’ve been so tired since that bastard put me to sleep and took me against my will.
“I’m here, Mom.” I hear my son’s voice, but I’m so exhausted from lack of sleep and no food that I’m losing focus.
I hear the men discussing what course of action is next and where to take me, and then Casey is mentioned, as she always is when the club needs help. It’s decided I’m going to the emergency room. As long as I’m in West’s arms, I don’t care what happens from here.
I’m safe. I’m going to be okay. If I can survive this, I can survive anything.
I drift off, knowing that when I wake up, I won’t have to fight for my life. Calmness washes over me, and for the first time in the last few days, I understand now. All that matters is the ones you love, the ones you could potentially leave behind, and I’ve never been more aware of that than I am right now.
I tell the doctor about my injuries, Casey listening in as I recall the blows I was given by that maniac as well as Jackie. I listed Casey as a family friend, and I’m glad she’s here. I don’t like hospitals at the best of times, but I know I’m in the right place. I also have a suspected cheekbone fracture, and when West heard that, I thought he was going to go postal. I get cleaned up, and when I catch sight of myself in the bathroom, I all but faint. Star and Bella are both there to help me, and I burst into tears as they hold me. I knew I probably looked bad, but I had no idea it was this bad. My face hurts, but now that the pain medication is kicking in, it doesn’t feel so bad. The blood has been cleaned up, but both my eyes are turning purple, and there are several scrapes and cuts across my face and body, not to mention my ribs, which are thankfully okay, but bruised and sore.
I know West is itching to leave to go and do what he has to do at the warehouse, but I don’t want him to go. I don’t know what ended up happening with Willow and Haze and the police, but I’m sure when I’m feeling better somebody will fill me in.
Once I’m over my meltdown, the girls help me into the stall so I can pee in private, but all the while all I can think about is how lucky I am to be out of there. I obviously had no idea Willow was a cop, but it would explain why she never mistreated me. I get that she had a role to play and I was an unexpected surprise, but I just wish she’d gotten me out so the club wasn’t at risk. When I told West that, he laughed, reminding me that the club would go to Hell and back to rescue one of their own, which apparently I am.
Asher has been quiet, and I know he’s worried about me. I know the anger will surface, and that fills me with anxiety because Asher is always happy-go-lucky, except for that one time when Star got shot. I don’t want him to blame himself.
When I’m settled back into bed, West tells everyone I need to get some sleep.
“It’s alright,” I tell Asher. “You should go home and get some rest now, you’ve been here all night.”
“Yeah about that.” He palms the back of his head, then says, “Never mind.”
I blanch. “Asher? What is it?”
He glances at West, and I see my man subtly shake his head. “Nothin’.”
I glance at West, sighing. “I told you both about keeping secrets from me before,” I remind them. “Do I have to chastise you both again?”
I hear Star, Bella, and Priest all chuckle to themselves.
“It’s just...” Asher swallows hard. “We know what the bigger picture was for Griffin’s revenge.”
I blink. “The bigger picture?”
“Plan B,” Priest cuts in.
“Oh, do I actually want to hear this?” I know it’s inevitable, but the idea that he could hurt anyone else makes my heart hurt.
West kisses me on the cheek. “Maybe we need to?—”
“It’s okay.” I stroke his cheek. “I’m a big girl, I need to hear it.”
“When Rock, Jett, and Linc were syphering through the security footage for each of the properties, they saw somethin’ that had red flags wavin’,” Asher says.
I wait with trepidation in my heart, not understanding what he’s about to say, but knowing that it’ll change things forever.
I see Priest move in my periphery, holding Bella in his arms as he cradles Jack.
“What?” I stammer.
“They put a bomb under Priest’s house, as well as ours,” Asher says.
My eyes go wide. “They did what?”
“Not exactly how we wanted to tell you,” West grumbles. “But the bomb squad had to move in once the twins realized what was goin’ on, now we’ve had to get every property in the club checked out, includin’ the businesses.”
“He’s a madman.” I shake my head. “He’s a truly sick individual.”
“Well, the club has him now.” Star smirks. “And I offered to go assist, but apparently I’d be too squeamish, as if they haven’t all met me and know what I’m capable of.” She offers an eye roll as I laugh, then wince because of the pain.
I have no doubt. Star can kick some serious butt, and she should be patched in. She’d make an awesome addition to the club.
“You’re needed more here,” Asher tells her. “Gotta let Cash deal with that shit, until me and West can get over there.”
“Wait.” I panic, clutching onto my son’s wrist. “I don’t want you going over there, please, Asher. I don’t want you in harm’s way, any of you!”
“Mom, it’s gonna be okay. He’s tied up, and when we’re done with him, he won’t be breathin’ the same as us.” He presses a kiss to my forehead. “You don’t need to worry about that shit. It’s club business.”
“Which is exactly why I should be there,” Star huffs. “On behalf of the female’s in the club, solidarity and all of that.”
“No more killing,” I sigh. “Please.”
West squeezes my hand. “No need to go stressin’ about that, baby, okay? The cops will deal with all of that, nothin’ you need to concern yourself with. They’re makin’ arrests as we speak.”
“But what about all those dead bodies? I heard the gunfire,” I press. “Won’t the club be in trouble for all of that?”
“Willow’s gonna spin a story, not that she’s happy about any of it,” Asher tells me. “A rival gang is the easiest scenario. Haze is gonna owe her one, but those two fight like cats n’ dogs.”
“Why would she do that?” Bella hugs herself. “I mean, her entire career was literally up in flames, and now she has to lie to her team. I mean, this could come back to bite the club if she cracks.”
Priest cups one side of her face. “That’s not gonna happen. They’ve made other arrests; one is Griffin’s right-hand man. If the club doesn't deal with this, it’ll send a message that we’re weak and can’t handle our own business. We can’t have that. We don’t do that.”
“I get what you’re saying,” Bella breathes. “But one of them will squeal, then what?”
“We didn’t go in with NOLA Rebels patches,” Priest says. “They’ll of course blame us because they had Audrina, but then admittin’ that they had a prisoner won’t do any of them any favors. Even if they do, they have no proof.”
“We just have to hope and pray that Willow keeps to her word,” Star says. “And that may not happen. From what Nevada told me, she was pretty pissed that her operation was busted wide open.”
“Typical of the cops,” West mutters. “Happy to keep Audrina locked up until they get what they need, it didn't matter she had been in there for almost two days.”
“It’s okay, I can see now that she was on my side,” I try to reassure him. “I have no doubt she would’ve gotten me out, but then that would’ve blown her cover.”
“Bigger conversations need to be had with Willow,” Asher says. “But that won’t be today.”
The doctor appears in the doorway, and West clears everybody out.
“Please get some rest,” I tell them as they leave. I know Asher won’t listen, but there’s only so many hours you can go without sleep. The idea that they had bombs under our house?
I shudder at the idea. I’ve never been one for violence, it makes me cringe, but I totally get an eye for an eye. They were quite okay blowing up Priest, Bella, and baby Jack, as well as my son, Star, and me?
Tears well in my eyes as the doctor sits, and I quickly wipe them away. Casey joins us and smiles at me encouragingly. She’s a born caretaker, and having her around to explain things to me has been a major relief. Sometimes doctors are in and out and leave you a little fried with all the information.
“Well, I’ve got some good news and some... uh, well, let’s just say it could be unexpected news,” he says.
I turn to look at West as he stares at the doctor. “Out with it.”
“Firstly, we found no internal damage or breaks aside from the cheekbone fracture. Your face will swell up and it’ll bruise, but we’ll manage that with pain medication and the ice packs you’ve already been administered,” he says. “The abrasions on your ankles and wrists will heal, the nurse will change the bandages regularly to prevent infection.”
“And the unexpected news?” I blurt. “Was that it?”
He turns to glance at Casey, and my heart drums wildly. “Well, your blood came back all fine aside from one small detail, which — I’m assuming because you didn’t tell us on arrival — you didn’t know about... you’re pregnant, Ms. Childs.”
My eyes widen as a gasp leaves my throat, and West sits stock still. “I’m— what? That can’t be... I... no, I got my period today!”
He looks down at the chart in his hands, then back up to me. “Well, I’ve done thousands of these tests, and I can assure you I’m more than confident with the accuracy. You can’t have had your period, but there could be some light spotting in the early stages of pregnancy.”
“Pregnant?” West mouths the words in three syllables, and he squeezes my hand even tighter. “She’s really pregnant?”
“Yep.” Casey is all smiles. “I’m taking from your shocked expressions it wasn’t planned.”
I shake my head, my emotions turning over. “But I can’t get pregnant, I tried... when I was married... we tried for years, a decade...”
“Clearly you weren’t the issue,” the doctor says. “And while getting pregnant at your age can have its complications, it’s not unheard of these days, plus, we can do some more tests to check the progress when you’re both ready.”
I’m shaking, tears leaking from my eyes. When I turn to West, he’s staring at me. “I’m sorry, West, I had no clue... we weren’t safe... it’s my fault, I should’ve realized...”
His eyes are filled with tears as he cuts me off, pulling me further into his arms as he holds me tight. “Don’t ever be sorry. It’s a miracle, Peaches. A baby of our own? This is fuckin’ incredible, Doc, this is the best goddamn news I’ve ever heard!”
The tears pour out of me, and I sag into his arms. “Are you sure?”
“It’s a little earlier than I had hoped, but I’m not gonna lie, I’ve got strong swimmers, baby.”
I laugh, wrapping my arms around him. “I love you so much.”
“I love you too, baby. I’ll never let you out of my sight ever again, you or our baby.”
Holy crap! I’m freaking pregnant? When West pulls back, he’s crying too, his thumbs catch my tears as he kisses me with all his might. “This is the best news I’ve ever had, aside from gettin’ you back.”
I turn to the doctor. “I was kicked while I was in there, what about that? The baby’s okay?”
“It’s too early for an ultrasound, but the blow to your ribs inevitably protected you,” he says. “A blow to the stomach like the one you had could very well have resulted in a miscarriage, but from what I can see at the moment, everything is looking positive. We’ll be monitoring you closely for the next day or so until you can be released.”
I nod, speechless. “Okay, thanks, Doc.”
After Hustler gives me another kiss, Casey and the doctor leave so we can have a few moments of privacy. “West, this is serious,” I start. “I mean, I’m forty-six! A baby? This is crazy.”
He nuzzles my nose. “Like I said, strong swimmers, baby. Clearly our future had other plans for us, and I’m okay with that.”
“Are you really? You’re not just saying that?”
He shakes his head, his smile wide. “No, I’m not just saying that. I want to marry you and make a life with you and our baby.”
“Our baby,” I repeat. “Marriage? Oh, wow, this went from zero to a hundred fast.”
“No, it couldn’t be more perfect.” He smiles. “Everything is perfect with you in the world.”
I wipe the tears running down his face this time. “We have to wait to tell Asher, I think it’ll be a little too much today. A lot has happened, and I need to get my head around things, especially this.”
“I’m so happy, baby. I’m angry you’re hurt and they did this to you, but I’m happy you’re okay, that we’ve got this little miracle waitin’ for us.” He puts his hand on my belly and I stare down at it. “This is what I’ve waited for my whole life. It happened, we didn’t expect it, but it did, and I couldn’t be happier.”
“This entire time I wasn’t infertile? It was John all along?” I stammer.
“Who gives a fuck? All that matters is us now, Peaches. You and me makin’ our life together. Nevada will be fine about it. Okay, he may be a little shocked, and there’s gonna be a twenty-eight year age gap, but this is meant to be. And Priest will be ecstatic, I know he will.”
The fact that I can give West a baby, something he’s always wanted, makes my heart sing. It’s not something I ever thought could happen, or would even consider, but I also have to take precautions after the beating I received. I know none of this will be easy, but I want it more than anything. My life may have been uncertain the last forty-eight hours, but I’m alive. I have a baby growing inside of me. West’s baby.
I pull him into my arms as we hug, cry, and hug some more. “I love you, West. I love you more than life itself.”
“Not as much as I love you,” he whispers. “This is the news we both needed. I guess all that practice kinda paid off, right?”
I laugh. “Yeah, I guess it did, not that either of us were planning it.”
“Sometimes life throws you a curveball,” he whispers. “And baby? Those are the best kind. There’s nothing I want more than to be with you, and now we can make a life together with our little family.”
I’ve never heard such sweet words. I can’t even form a response, I just cry in his arms as we hold one another.
Out of something so awful has come something so incredible. Life has a funny way of going about things, but I feel the hope bloom in my chest now that I have West back in my arms.
All of this was meant to be, like West said, and I’ll never stop being thankful for all the days that led to this.