Chapter 70
Chapter Seventy
Mal
Maybe, baby
“I hate needles,” I mutter as we sit in the waiting room.
Todd takes my hand. “It’s okay, baby. It won’t take long.”
“I hope it won’t take long,” Shawn says from his seat directly across from me, Jax sitting next to him. “I’m fricking starving.” He yawns, which sets me off, too.
Come to think of it, I am exhausted. Yesterday was a looong day, but I understand Iris’ excitement and know I’ll get used to her exuberant parenting style.
That really is the best word for it.
Considering how I was raised, I’m not complaining. For once, it’s a nice adjustment I have to get used to.
“I did try to wake you up to eat again before midnight,” Jax says with a playful smile. “I think you said something like, ‘Leave me the fuck alone.’ Do I get brownie points for trying?”
Todd laughs. “I promised Mal breakfast when we finish.”
“And coffee,” I remind him.
Todd smiles. “And coffee.”
“Goddess, I hope the doc doesn’t take caffeine off the list for Shawn,” Jax says. “I’ll need a stainless-steel cup.”
“Fuckin’ A, you will,” Shawn grouses. “Especially since I’m—” He shuts up.
“Since you’re what?” Todd asks.
“Pregnant,” Jax says.
I don’t miss that he squeezes Shawn’s hand.
Something just happened, but I don’t know what. If they want us to know, I guess they’ll tell us.
“Want to join us for breakfast?” Todd asks.
“Yes, please,” Shawn says before Jax can weigh in.
“I guess he has spoken,” Jax teases, his tone light. Whatever’s going on between them, it’s likely not…bad? I don’t sense it’s bad.
I hope it’s not. I mean, I know Shawn and Jax wanted pups, but I can’t help feeling guilty about this. They were helping me. Despite them fully consenting to doing it—and orchestrating it—if something bad happens as a result of what they did for me, I’ll never forgive myself.
I’m not used to people doing minor things for me, much less upending their entire lives over me.
We’re the only ones in the waiting room when Dr. Williams walks in to call us back. “Do you want to go one at a time, or together?” she asks. “Just bloodwork today, and vital signs.” She smiles. “Clothes stay on.”
I look at Shawn. “Can we go together? I really hate needles.”
“Sure.”
The four of us traipse behind the doctor to one of the exam rooms. A nurse comes in to help get our info and take what feels like a gallon of blood from the two of us. I sit on the exam table with Todd standing beside me, keeping his arm draped around me, while Shawn and Jax sit in the two chairs.
I don’t faint, but I am a little woozy. It’s one thing to get hurt working, which never bothers me. Blood—mine or other people’s—doesn’t faze me.
But I haaaaate needles and always have.
It’ll take a couple of days for all the test results to come in.
“If there’s anything abnormal, I promise I’ll contact you immediately,” she assures us.
“But if I don’t, I want to see you both back here in four weeks for a check-up.
If everything looks okay, I’ll probably loosen the activity restrictions on you both.
I’ll want fasting bloodwork then, too, so make sure to make the appointment for first thing in the morning. ”
Twenty minutes later, we’re heading to breakfast, following Jax and Shawn.
I decided as woozy as the bloodwork made me—and the doc reminded me part of that might be my blood sugar dipping because of not eating—I didn’t want to ask questions this morning.
She said I could call her day or night, and I think she honestly means it because she gave us her personal cell number.
So I’ll probably send her a text asking for a time to call to have the discussion with her.
Might be better if I’m lying down on my own couch or bed while I have that discussion, just in case I get…woozy.
We grab a corner booth, Shawn and I sitting on the inside.
“Breakfast is on me,” Jax says. “And thanks for not hating me for being an asshole during the hunt.”
Todd snorts. “No apologies needed. I hope we never have to re-enact those circumstances, but I have no complaints about the outcome.” His smile wraps a sweet, warm ribbon of love around my heart. “Guess sometimes the things we don’t expect are the best surprises, huh?”
Wait…am I …happy?
Yep, it would seem I am. It’s hard to identify at first because I am not used to feeling happy.
As nervous as I am about all of this, I agree with Todd. “I wouldn’t trade you or us for anything,” I tell Todd.
Shawn looks at Jax and pokes him in the shoulder and fake sniffs. “You never say romantic shit like that to me anymore.”
Jax laughs and kisses him. “I guess I’d better suck up, huh?”
“Fuckin’ A, you’d better. Overachieving asshole.”
“What?” Todd asks.
The men freeze, staring at each other.
That feeling washes through me again. I suspect they’re silently talking to each other.
Then Jax nods and looks at us. “We need secrecy, please? Not asking you as the pack Alpha, but as your friend.”
We both nod. “Of course,” Todd says. “What’s wrong?”
Shawn barks a laugh. “Alizée says I’m having twins.”
I’m certain my shocked expression mirrors Todd’s. “Twins?” we echo.
“Yup.” Shawn throws a loving glare at Jax. “I guess if something’s worth doing, it’s worth overdoing.”
Jax chuckles. “Hey, you’re the one who drank the extra insurance. I can’t help it if you’re an accidentally genius mixologist.”
“Well, keep this a secret, too,” I say, “But Alizée told us we’re having a girl.”
“Congrats!” Jax says. “Not telling Iris yet?”
“Fuck no,” Todd says. “Are you nuts?”
“According to Alizée,” Jax says, “she’s nearly 100% accurate in predicting genders. So…” He shrugs. “We haven’t decided if we want to know what we’re having yet, although she offered to tell us.”
“I’m still trying to process twins,” Shawn says. “Let that finish sinking in before we break my brain again.”
“No offense,” I say, “but I’m kinda glad that’s not my problem. I’m terrified enough.”
Todd gently nudges me. “Hey,” he says. “Remember what Alizée told us—she’ll be born healthy, and to not stress.”
“What else did she say?” Jax asks. “If you don’t mind telling us.”
I look up at Todd. “Might as well.” I focus on Jax.
“She said my mom will be here for the birth and our wedding. To trust the process. But I have no clue how that’s supposed to work.
Not like I can contact her. And even if she did try to come, my father would figure it out and have her followed, trying to track me through her. ”
“Funny you should mention that,” Jax says, and quickly relates another of his discussions with Alizée yesterday.
I’m…stunned. “I can’t let you risk the pack over that plan.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t do anything to risk the pack,” Jax assures me. “But the more I think about the idea, the better I like it. We can attack and distract your father through unconventional warfare.”
“Through whut?”
“Believe it or not, your father’s inflated opinion of himself and his superiority is his greatest weakness,” Jax says.
“What do you mean?”
“I have a friend in California who works for the federal government. Once I give him the okay, he’ll send your father an anonymous letter ordering him to forget about your very existence or else the whole country will learn he’s covering up he’s a shifter and he will get charged with fraud for not revealing it when he filed to run for office. ”
“I’m not tracking. There’s nothing illegal about him being a shifter and running for office.”
Jax smiles. “Ah, but it is very illegal to lie on FEC forms about facts such as one’s date of birth and social security number. Your father’s 74 and he’s telling everyone he’s in his 50s.”
“The fucker’s younger than me,” Shawn says. “I’m 87. Hell, Pops is twice as old as him.”
“Yep,” Jax says. “And, obviously, it’s illegal to obtain fake identification documents.
It’s also illegal to use those fake documents to fraudulently obtain loans, open bank accounts, and everything else.
Your father never filed amnesty papers or registered properly with his correct birth info to update everything.
Since he’s lied, the IRS will swarm him like flies on horse shit to pry open his books and bank accounts to see what else he’s lying about, guaranteed.
Because they passed a law ten years ago that anyone caught falsifying records after the amnesty period earns an automatic IRS audit of all business entities they’re affiliated with, and all personal accounts.
Failure to comply triggers immediate freezing and sometimes even seizure of all assets until the audits are completed.
Plus, he’d immediately be rendered ineligible to run for office and prosecuted by the FEC for lying on his forms, which is a federal crime. ”
I gasp. “Holy crap!” I didn’t even know all of that because I was a kid who didn’t give a shit about that stuff, because I was too busy avoiding the attention of my dad and brothers.
“Exactly. I’m certain your father never intended to disclose he was a shifter. And never in his wildest dreams did he imagine anyone who knows he’s a shifter would reveal it.”
An evil smile curls Jax’s handsome lips.
“Also, my friend will inform him that if they have to out him, they will also out every single other shifter who’s in office who lied about who they are and who didn’t file amnesty paperwork.
And they will tell them Sterling outed them to save his own ass.
Plus, my friend will out every single shifter in Sterling’s pack that they can locate who hasn’t filed amnesty papers.
If that happens, it will make your father the least popular person among pretty much every shifter in North America who doesn’t already hate his guts. Paint a target on his forehead.”
“That’ll piss him off.”
“It certainly will, but he’ll have no way of tracking the letter or the sender.
They’ll send enough proof with it, and he’ll know they’re not bluffing.
Your father talks a tough game, but he’s far from the biggest fish out there.
He just happens to be a big fish in a tiny pond and is narcissistically blind to how big the other fish and ponds are.
Even some of the smaller fish in the larger ponds are still so much bigger than him that they can swallow him in one gulp.
He’s never been told ‘no’ before in a meaningful way by someone far more powerful than him who has the balls to stand fast against him. ”
“Why can’t we start there? Just out him now and grab Mom while he’s distracted.”
“That’s a nuclear option,” Jax says. “If he goes down, he’ll burn down the world with him. Once we pull that trigger, it will tip over countless dominoes. We’re hoping he’s too narcissistic to let that happen.”
“But how does that get Mom here?”
“Via a multi-pronged approach depending upon many factors, including the plan for retaliation, which we will implement only after the refugees safely arrive.”
A chill washes through me. “Please protect Mom,” I say. “She’s a good person. I’m convinced she’s only with my father because she’s scared of him.”
“I promise to do my best,” Jax says. “Unfortunately, I can’t guarantee her safety. I do promise to try to get her to safety, and to pass word she is off-limits.”
I blink back tears. “I’ll never see her again, will I?”
Todd hugs me. “Baby, if anyone can make it happen, Jax can. Plus, if Alizée is right, then you know it will happen.”
Jax reaches past Todd and squeezes my arm.
“We want to prevent collateral damage. That’s why nothing happens until after the refugees arrive.
I honestly believe if we get your father so riled up that he starts chasing his tail, and dealing with anonymous threats on top of that, it’ll distract him enough that we can grab your mom.
But I need you to be prepared for the possibility that if she refuses to come, we may have to leave her behind or take her to a safe house elsewhere and not bring her here for your safety. ”
I nod. “I understand. I hope Alizée is as good as she claims she is.”
“You’re not the only one,” Jax says.