Chapter 9 - Maya
My amaryllis sat by the window, drooping. The last blossom had faded, joining several others to hang limply from its stalk, but I hadn’t removed it; I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d bothered to water it. I just hadn’t been in the mood to care about anything, not with the reality of a little human growing inside my body.
It wouldn’t bloom again.
What was I going to do? My head was stuffed full of thoughts stacked upon each other, unprocessed and unattended—just like my amaryllis.
Somehow, my body had managed to find a way to conceive, despite my precautions. I couldn’t treat it like a miracle; it felt like a curse. I simply had to get over what I was currently experiencing and deal with it objectively.
There’s my logical side. That was a good sign.
My phone rang, pulling me out from my swirling thoughts. I looked at the screen to see Jenna’s cheerful face on the display.
I silently wished it was anyone else; any other call, I wouldn’t have bothered to pick up. Seeing as it was Jenna, I just couldn’t ignore it, considering how much we had gone through together, how she’d been there for me. Even if I was bold enough to ignore her, where could I go to escape her? Jenna knew all the places I frequented, whether to study, eat, or seek quiet and peace of mind.
I answered without much enthusiasm.
“Hello?”
“Hey,” I croaked.
“How are you?”
I noted the concern in her voice and found myself cracking under that care. I tried to compose myself, but I just didn’t know how, so I released the tears I had been holding back.
“I don’t know,” I said shakily. “I really can’t tell. I’m confused. Mostly, I keep wondering how. Like, did I forget to take the pill or something? But I remember taking it—I even remember seeing the packaging in the trash. Yet, somehow, somehow, I’m pregnant, and I just… I don’t know.”
“I keep thinking about it, too. Honestly, it’s making me doubt their effectiveness. You weren’t with anyone before or after Dominik. This… this is some next level shit. For real.”
I knew she was just humoring me; we’d talked it over and over, going in circles. The reality was, no matter how it had happened, it had—and I was going to have to deal with it.
My thoughts wandered to Dominik and the fact that he wanted us to make a life together. Meeting him and this pregnancy—none of it had ever been part of my carefully-calculated plan. I found it shocking that he even wanted to be involved, to be an actual father. It made me wonder where this would lead.
“I guess there’s only one thing to do,” Jenna said quietly.
My breath caught. “What are you suggesting?”
“I really don’t want to say it, but… you know it’s the best course of action.”
I felt my forehead crease. “Huh?”
The line crackled as Jenna cleared her throat. “You really want me to say it?”
“Yes.”
“Fine. Get an abortion.”
My hand moved instinctively to my belly. I don’t know why, but it seemed that, even if my mind had been confused all along, it was clear what my body wanted.
“An abortion…?” I swallowed, then shook my head violently, even though she couldn’t see. “No. No. I can’t do it. I won’t do it, Jenna.”
“You won’t be doing anything,” Jenna replied. “The doctor would be the one doing everything. All you have to do is lie back and let them do their job.”
Jenna’s words fell like lead into my stomach. I clutched my torso, protective of the life inside me, even if there was no visible sign of it yet. I imagined I could feel the child’s faint heartbeat inside me—though, from what a nurse had told me, that wouldn’t be possible for at least another month—and the sudden thought of extinguishing it felt somehow evil.
“Think about it,” Jenna urged. “You have a full life before you, and this would only put your dreams on hold—or end them altogether. You know that.”
I shook my head again. “No. I can’t just get rid of this baby like that.”
Putting aside my motherly instincts for a moment, just thinking of Dominik’s order not to even think about aborting the baby sent a shiver of fear down my spine. I knew, deep down, that he was not a man to test—he’d threatened both my mother and Jenna; my friend had no idea that she was advising me to put her in direct danger.
Speaking of Dominik… I glanced to the kitchen, sighing. The big, scary mob boss had developed a habit of sending me groceries: organic fruits and vegetables, vitamins, anything that he thought would be beneficial for an expectant mother.
I rolled my eyes. He didn’t want his ‘little mouse’ out shopping—or leaving the house at all, for that matter. He always told me that he was a call away, in case I ever needed him.
The things he got for me yesterday, and the day before, and the day before that were still in the fridge—I hadn’t touched them.
In fact, the refrigerator I had now was not the same one I’d had a week ago. All it had taken was Dominik walking into my apartment to see what was lacking, and he set out to make my life ‘comfortable.’ No matter how I tried to fight him, no matter how much I claimed I didn’t need anything from him, he didn’t seem to care.
I knew he was doing it for the baby—and since I really didn’t know what to do about that, I stopped fighting him on it.
He was coming over, but not for a while. Still, I moved to the window, and when I looked down, I saw a black car that looked like the one he usually drove, waiting.
Unaccountably, excitement welled up inside me as I glanced at the clock. Huh. He’s early.
“I’ll have to call you back,” I blurted, ending the call without waiting for Jenna to respond. Oddly, Dominik’s presence seemed about to brighten my day. Or so I felt.
A soft breeze caressed my skin when I stepped outside. It stirred my hair, which moved like a thing alive. I approached the car, like I always did, to greet Dominik. However…
Something took my eyes to the plate number—the first difference I noticed. Then, three men stepped out of the car, all strangers.
A wave of unease washed over me, and my eager stride faltered.
Usually, Dominik called to notify me of even the slightest of changes, so as not to worry or confuse me. Right now, I was worried and confused.
A fourth man stepped out of the car. He wore a black jacket over a red shirt, a benign smile plastered across his too-friendly face.
If the three strangers advancing slowly towards me hadn’t made it clear enough that something was wrong, seeing this man would’ve sealed the deal.
A chill walked its way up my spine, and my eyes darted from side to side, noting the grimness in each man’s eyes. It sent my heart into a gallop. What’s going on?
With every part of me on high alert, I instinctively turned and, with a strength I didn’t know I possessed, ran back inside; I took the stairs two at a time, hearing the thumping of heavy footsteps right behind me.
Reaching my apartment, I slammed the door behind me and threw the deadbolt home, then backed away from the door, watching it.
My heart pounded hard against my sternum, sending blood and adrenaline racing through my veins. I heard the echoes of horror in my head, voices screaming at me: Run—hide!
The pounding footsteps reached the door, then paused. After a moment, I heard a faint metallic click as someone fiddled with the lock.
This was it—but there was nowhere to run. Hide.
I scrambled under the bed, hoping against hope that they wouldn’t think to check there. Looking back, it wasn’t the smartest move, but I really wasn’t thinking; I just didn’t want to be seen.
The door creaked opened, and I saw three large sets of shoes enter. Stifling a whimper, I did my best to calm my breath.
A fourth person entered the room, and without thinking, I knew who it was: the very man who’d confirmed my fears that something was wrong.
“We have a deadline, love,” he called. “Don’t keep us. I know you’re in here. I’m quite certain you couldn’t have made your way out. Just come out and hear us, that’s all I ask—then, we’ll be done.”
I saw the legs of three men surround the bed on all sides—save the head of the bed behind me, which was pressed against the wall—and I knew they had figured out where I was hiding. I stifled a curse as one bent low, then squirmed to the side, only to be caught and dragged out by another.
My hands scrabbled for purchase on the floorboards, and I screamed; still, nothing discouraged the men. Once they had successfully dragged me out and sat me on the bed, the first thing they did was stuff a piece of cloth into my mouth, after which they tied my hands behind my back.
The man in the red shirt sauntered over with his gaze to the floor, still wearing that annoying smile. Finally looking up, he said, “You can call me Mike—Mike Simmons. I am the boss of the Red Jackets. I’m sure you’ve heard of us, unless… Well, Dominik did do his best to get rid of even the memory of us.”
He looked up, examining the stipple blanketing the ceiling of my bedroom. “You see, we used to own all these.” He raised his hands in a sweeping gesture that took in the apartment and, I assumed, the entire building, the smile never leaving his face. “We had an agreement—till he breached that agreement.”
I mumbled around the fabric filling my mouth, and he gestured to one of his men, who removed the rag from between my lips.
I coughed, gasping for air. “What do you want from me?” I finally managed.
Mike shrugged; his smile never wavered, and it was starting to creep me out. “Really, you’re just a pawn in the grand scheme of things, Maya.”
My eyebrows shot up in surprise.
“Maya—that’s your name, right? Because I like to think I did my homework right this time.”
I glared at him. “What ‘grand scheme’?”
Mike lowered his eyes, affecting embarrassment. “This may come as a surprise to you, Maya, but my intention is to use you to lure Dominik out. I’ve watched long enough to know you mean something to him. I mean, he doesn’t care for anyone except his business, which I had been planning to hit—only, they’re so massively well-protected I’d have immediately drawn unwanted attention to myself.”
He tilted his head to the side. “He cares for you, however—which, by the way, I think was his first mistake—so messing with you will get his attention, but this time, I’ll be three steps ahead, and I’ll be choosing the battle ground.”
This guy really liked to hear himself talk. What did I know—or care—about what color his jacket was? And what did he know about my relationship with Dominik?
“What makes you think he’ll come for me?” I asked, hoping to downplay my role in all this. “I mean nothing to him.”
Mike shook his head. “It’s sad to think you don’t even know your worth. You’re the mother of his child.” His grin grew even wider at my swift intake of breath. “Yes, I think you mean the world to him. Every king needs an heir—and you, my dear Maya, happen to be carrying a potential Bratva heir inside you.”
I gulped. He knows. Cold dread swamped me like a murky tide. Immediately, fear for my own safety dissolved into a need to protect the tiny life I was nurturing within me.
“It’s fifty-fifty, really,” Mike went on. “If he doesn’t come for you, he’ll certainly come for his child. At least this way, he’ll be forced to listen to my demands.”
A manic gleam appeared in his eyes, and his creepy smile grew downright frightening. “And if he tries to fuck me over… well, then it’s ‘goodbye Maya’, as I’ll definitely kill you.”
I gulped as he raised a gun, pointing it in my direction. His tone, however, was still genial; the whole thing seemed surreal.
Am I dreaming? I must be dreaming—this is a nightmare, Maya. Wake up!
Mike chuckled, obviously enjoying whatever he read on my face. “You do as I say, help me get his attention and make sure he plays it straight. Honestly, the stage wasn’t yet set for this, but thanks to that”—he jerked his chin towards my belly—“our timeline has accelerated.”
“Please, please,” I begged, not sure what I was asking for.
Mike gestured to his men, and they shoved the rag back in my mouth. Then, he snapped his fingers, and one of them threw me over his shoulders in a fireman’s carry.
This Mike—clearly an old foe of Dominik’s—was unpredictable, obviously unafraid to exploit the most vulnerable of assets for his selfish gains.
And there, my silent battle against the gnawing fear encroaching upon my heart intensified. I knew that I had to be brave—not just for myself, but for the new life growing inside me.
I prayed that Dominik would come for me… if not for my sake, then for that of our unborn child.