Chapter 7
It had been two weeks since I had found out I was pregnant, and a baby was growing inside of me. I was still tired and queasy, but Nia had assured me that soon the nausea would pass. She had referred me to an obstetrician at Strathmore General. Initially, I was apprehensive about visiting them, but she promised that Dr. Matthews could be trusted.
Worries and doubts plagued me. There was the typical anxiety of whether the child was healthy. Had I drank too much wine before I knew? What about the stress? Will I be a good parent? Other than the fact that a child would rely on me for their well-being, I was concerned that my affiliation with the underground would put the unnamed baby in danger. Would people try to use the child against me? Attempt to kidnap them?
Hunter comforted me about all my concerns as he stroked my back at night, and Ethan snuck into my room in the evenings when I wasn’t with the other men to hold me. Dominic was on a different level. He had researched prenatal nutrition and created smoothies with ginger every morning. And tea with ginger. And had purchased ginger chews. He had made a list of everything he felt the baby would need. The night before, I had caught him looking at real estate listings online. We’d discussed moving before, but had never made definitive plans. The idea of a child had moved up the timeline mentally for him.
It was a Thursday night, and the music playing vibrated inside my skull, causing a dull ache. The bartender Hunter had hired last week hadn’t shown up for his third shift in a row, so I was positioned behind the bar mixing drinks. My feet ached, and sweat rolled down my back. I only wanted to go home and crawl into bed, but that had to wait—three more hours.
Skye had just taken the stage, and as a remix of “I’m a Slave for You” pounded through the speakers, she twirled around the pole, exciting the crowd. It hadn’t taken long for her to develop a stage presence and routine. The customers seemed to love her.
Three men wearing leather jackets sat at a table across the room, and I had Joey monitoring them. It was unusual for members of Satan’s Sinners to visit Inferno. The motorcycle club had their own bars that they frequented on the outskirts of Strathmore, namely the Steel Serpent. Not that they were forbidden from grabbing a drink or enjoying a night out on my turf, but I wanted to be careful. The last thing I needed was for a fight to break out.
Just as Skye was getting near the end of her routine, she must have noticed the men in leather jackets. Her steps faltered as she sashayed to the edge of the stage, and a look of horror crossed her face. She glanced in my direction, but there was no way of communicating with her across the room. I couldn’t reassure her without drawing attention away from her performance. Why was she scared of them? The men seemed unfazed by her reaction as they kept their eyes on the stage, quietly talking among themselves.
Deciding to make my presence known, I wiped my hands on a towel and laid it on the bar. After murmuring “excuse me” to a waiting customer, I strolled across the room and positioned myself beside their table. “What brings you guys here tonight?” I asked, plastering a smile on my face.
The one with a shaved head completely ignored me. “Did any of you hear something? What about you, Gunner?”
The guy I assumed was Gunner smirked at me. His blond hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail. “Nah, I didn’t hear anything. What about you, Grim?”
Their friend sat back in his seat, staring blankly into space before sipping his drink. “Nothing but the wind. But maybe the bitch staring at me can get me another drink.”
I clenched my jaw before crossing my arms over my chest and nodding to Joey. The three were trying to get under my skin and doing it successfully. If I got into a fight with them, I would never hear the end of it. Ethan might decide to give me a high five.
“Joey, can you escort these gentlemen off the property? Apparently, their hearing isn’t great, and they’ve scared one of my employees. While you’re at it, have them inform Butch that none of the guys are welcome here. Other venues will be more than happy to service them.”
The first guy, whose name I hadn’t picked up yet, stood quickly and grabbed the collar of my shirt before shoving me back. I stumbled two steps as he spoke. “Beer sucks here anyway. We were just here to pick up something that is ours.”
Before he had finished speaking, Joey had pulled a gun out of his waistband and jammed it into his back. The patrons around the room grew silent as they watched the situation unfold around them. “Listen, no one here touches boss lady. You disrespected her in her house. I think it’s time for you to get going. It would be a shame if I were to shoot you in front of everyone.” He pressed the gun further into the guy’s back and lowered his voice. “I also promise if you were to bleed out on the floor, no one else would see a thing.”
Joey tipped his chin up at two of the bouncers standing near the door, and they stalked closer, ready to jump in if they needed to. Gunner and Grim stood, understanding that their time was up. Or at least I thought they did. Gunner shoved me with his shoulder as he walked past, and I lost my balance. I fell back onto the floor, and Joey’s face went red. “Get the fuck out of here and don’t come back. You just made a huge mistake. If Dominic finds out you touched her...” He trailed off, not bothering to finish his sentence.
If Dominic found out, he would kill him and not bother to ask questions.
As they walked out, the crowd at Inferno broke into an inaudible murmur, and Joey offered me his hand. I took it, my cheeks warm with embarrassment. When was the last time someone had taken me off guard? I expected retaliation of some sort, but shoving me felt like something that middle school girls would do. Next, he would have pulled my hair.
“You know I have to tell him,” Joey murmured to me where no one else could hear. I simply sighed at him, knowing he was right.
Skye grabbed my hand and squeezed it as I walked back to the bar. “Are you okay?” she whispered. Her skin was pale, and her eyes were wide.
I gave her a tight smile. Physically, I was fine, but they would be back. If not them, then one of their friends. Butch would declare war for what had just happened. All over some hot-headed guys. Had I mishandled the situation? “It’s no big deal,” I told her. “Just a couple of guys who had one too many drinks.” That was the least accurate thing I had ever told one of my employees, but I didn’t want to worry her.
After all, she had enough on her plate. She was simply working to make as much money as possible to get out of the city—something I understood all too well.
Running from your past never worked. It always came back to visit you when you least expected it.
Later that night, after the patrons were long gone, and I was wiping off tables, I noticed I had missed a call from Nia. It was too late to call her back. Most people with children weren’t still awake at three in the morning. Flipping to my texts, I noticed she had also messaged me earlier in the day.
Nia: Check your email.
My stomach did tiny cartwheels as I glanced at my phone, knowing the results were in.
Dominic had insisted that we find out the paternity of the child I was carrying. His logic was solid. The number of diseases with genetic components was enormous. The guys claimed they would love the baby equally, no matter who the biological father was, but I was still worried about it.
I was both excited and terrified.
When I walked out of Inferno, Dominic was already leaning against my car, staring in my direction. His green eyes pierced through the darkness like he could see through my soul. Joey had already told him.
“Judas,” I hissed, and he chuckled from behind me.
“You already knew I had to. If they found out later, he would have cut off my balls.” In reality, what he would have done was probably worse. Dominic only seemed level-headed. I discovered that when I found out what had happened to Samuel Palmer.
Joey saluted him before getting into his car, leaving only the two of us standing in the parking lot. “Get in, sweetheart,” he said, gesturing to the passenger side of the vehicle. “Let’s get you home. We need to have a talk.”
We did, but I only hoped that it could wait until morning.