Chapter 12
Poker night was the thing of legends within Strathmore’s criminal underground. Typically, Oliver, Paul, and Aldo sat around with whoever they had invited and drank bourbon while smoking cigars. It was also normally frowned upon to discuss business while sitting at the table. But there was a first for everything.
Because of the tiny baby incubating in my body, the typical clouds of aromatic smoke that clung to the air were absent, even while tumblers of liquor sat around the table. If I weren’t pregnant, I’d probably beg for a drink with the way the week was going.
We couldn’t meet at Inferno. The damage from the fire was too heavy, and the repairs would take weeks. In the back of my mind, I was worried about how my employees would make it through the month without pay. I mentally reminded myself to send each of them a bonus check to help them cover their expenses. After all, it wasn’t like I didn’t remember being destitute–one paycheck away from homelessness–and most of them had families they were providing for.
My guys were absent from the meeting. I’d taken Joey with me while the three of them worked. Plus, I’d needed a moment to breathe—space away from their concerned gazes and the worry lining their faces. After this long, I still hadn’t completely adjusted to having people take care of me—not after so many years of living on my own.
Oliver rubbed a hand over his beard, which had grown fuller since retirement. “It can’t go unpunished, firebug. None of it can. If you look weak for even a single moment…”
It was the same thing I’d heard since the beginning. Never show your enemies weakness. If you did, they would get bolder and attempt to encroach on your territory. Satan’s Sinners typically hung out on the edges of Strathmore and hadn’t involved themselves in our business until now. I was lucky to have Rory and Enzo as allies.
I sighed and placed a hand over my stomach. My back ached, and I felt nauseous from the pain. “What course of action can we take that doesn’t cause an escalation of violence? If we burn the entire clubhouse, we’ll take out people that had no involvement in this mess.” My biggest concern was the fact that in all wars, innocents were taken out with the guilty. It wasn’t soldiers who had the largest loss of life in warfare, but the bystanders who were impacted.
Paul took a small sip of amber liquid and sat back in his chair. “What about a meeting? You and the guys show up together. Maybe drag a few others with you. Make demands and see if the president will negotiate.”
It was unlikely he’d be willing to negotiate anything. He hadn’t even bothered to contact me regarding his daughter. I was lucky he hadn’t injured any of my employees. My eyes stung, and I shook my head, trying to clear away the thought. Pregnancy was making me too soft.
Suddenly, my stomach tightened in a way I wasn’t familiar with, taking my breath away. Outwardly, I must have winced because Oliver stood suddenly and was at my side. “Aldo, call Nia.”
“I’m fine,” I said, but my voice was breathy. “Don’t call her. She has the kids. I’m probably just tired.”
“All of this can wait until tomorrow, Rayne,” Aldo said, his rich baritone soothing my soul. “Let Joey take you home.”
“But you promise that if you still feel like this later, you’ll go immediately to the hospital.” Oliver’s tone left no room for argument.
That was fine and a command that, for once, I had no desire to disobey. I was trying not to panic, indecision weighing inside of me. It was true that I was under a lot of stress and tired. It could just be Braxton Hicks. There wasn’t any bleeding, but what if it was preterm labor? I didn’t know what that felt like. It was too early for the baby. Maybe having a doctor check me out would be a good idea. “If you could have someone drop me off at Strathmore General.”
Oliver frowned and nodded back at Aldo. “Call Nia to meet us there. Joey, could you contact the Kings and let them know I’m taking Rayne to the hospital?”
My heart race ratcheted up to at least a hundred, and I wiped my palms on my skirt. My skin was on fire, and I took a slow breath. It’s just panic. Even that thought wasn’t enough to force my body to behave. It was funny how I could kill someone now without flinching or set a building on fire, but the very idea that my baby could be in danger set off alarms in my brain.
***
The monitor beside the bed beeped quietly as the ache in my back slowly eased. Without knocking, Dominic, Ethan, and Hunter walked into the door. Dr. Matthews was typing on a computer next to my bed, and Oliver sat in the chair next to me, holding my hand.
“Gentleman,” Dr. Matthews said, never glancing up from his laptop.
“How is she?” Ethan asked, and my eyes widened.
“I’m right here! I’m awake. You could ask me.” Dominic simply placed a hand on Ethan’s shoulder to silence him. “I’m fine. Apparently, I need to rest.”
Dominic gave me a wry smile. “As if you know what that word even means. Why didn’t you tell us you weren’t feeling well?”
I simply shrugged at him. When was my not feeling well ever a factor in getting things done? Even running Inferno, I slept more than I had when I was a bartender taking college classes.
Dr. Matthews swiveled in his chair. “Rayne and the baby are both fine, but she needs to rest. I know what your lives entail, so I’m going to make a request. She needs to stay out of the action for a while. The last thing I want to do is patch up a bullet wound on a woman in the third trimester.” He gave me a hard stare and mumbled, “That would be a nightmare.”
He had a good point. That scenario would send everyone into a panic. The memory of Oliver lying on the concrete outside of Inferno crossed my mind, and I swallowed roughly, praying that my eyes would stay dry.
After the doctor left, Hunter sighed. “So, how did the meeting go?”
Oliver squeezed my hand one last time. “We cut it short. I think the consensus was that I’m not allowed to burn down their clubhouse yet, especially since the best arsonist in the city is feeling under the weather.”
Dominic let out a small chuckle and put his hands in his pockets. “A meeting it is.”
This was the first meeting since I took over that I would miss. I needed to rest, but handing over responsibility to someone else was hard for me. Letting someone else take care of things was something that I had never done. I had never willingly handed someone else such an important task, especially when so much was on the line.
Even though Skye was safely tucked away in an undisclosed location, her father could find her. And if one of my men misstepped at the meeting, it could mean death.
Hunter stepped to the side of the bed and pressed his lips to my forehead before gently brushing against my eyebrows. “Don’t worry so much, princess. We’ve always taken care of you,” he whispered for only me to hear. Then he placed a hand on my stomach. “We won’t let anything happen to you or the baby.”
I wanted him to add that they would be safe and take care of themselves, but that was probably too big of an ask. Instead, I closed my eyes, waiting to be discharged from the hospital. It was the only thing I could do.