38. Bay
THIRTY-EIGHT
bay
Ozzy is scaring the shit out of elementary kids as he stands next to me, tattooed arms crossed over his chest and dressed in his standard all-black attire. Their eyes are wide and fearful as they scurry past the principal’s office to whatever classroom they’re supposed to be in.
I’m at Mae’s school, receiving a call this morning that she was having trouble in class, and I immediately ran over here to see what I could do to help.
I feel awful.
My time has been limited regarding her, and I’ve been failing to ensure I have enough. She isn’t her normal bouncy self as of late, and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out how she’s starting to realize Levi’s gone.
He’s not coming back.
Which makes me feel like a cunt and a half.
“Oz,” I mutter, looking up at him from the chair I’m sitting in. “You wanna sit down?”
He continues to scan the halls, as if some seven-year-old is about to come up and shank one of us.
“Ozzy.”
Still nothing.
“ Husband .” I never thought the word would register, but he steals a glance down at me with his stoic features. “Sit down.”
He glimpses back at the kids before stepping backward and slowly taking a seat.
“I promise you, we’re safe.”
I don’t get an affirmative answer from him. He’s always on his guard and ready for the worst. Something I should be grateful for.
“Miss Astor?”
Looking over my shoulder, a middle-aged woman with a beige pencil skirt and matching top stands in the Principal’s doorway with her hands folded.
“I’m ready…for you.”
A sliver of fear appears over her face, and I immediately blame it all on Ozzy.
Yet, I’d have to hate it before saying something about it.
Rising from my chair, I feel Ozzy following me before I turn to face him. The last thing I need is for this meeting to take twice as long because the woman behind me is too terrified to speak. “I’m okay. I’ll be right out.” His piercing blue eyes fall to mine, and I shudder slightly.
This isn’t the time to notice how perfect they are. How devastatingly beautiful he is.
But the other day, with the whole blood sucking thing…it took everything in me not to feel his lips next.
“Hold the fort down,” I push from my throat. “I hear the third graders are learning how to propel down buildings and stuff. This school is very advanced.”
Ozzy doesn’t catch my teasing, nor does he care to express appreciation for it because he looks over my head at the woman who just came out.
“Oz.” I hold up my palm and receive his attention immediately. “I’ll be right back. I promise. It’s just a teacher.”
After a bated breath, he raises his hand, softly pressing it into mine to let me know he understands. The innocent gesture makes me want to kiss this man already and get it over with. To break off some of the fear in his heart and start pulling out some of the potential I know lies in his chest.
Begrudgingly, I drop my hand and pivot, ambling for the room I’m meeting the principal in, still feeling Ozzy’s gaze on my back.
The woman steps inside, the smell of coffee and floral perfume following after her as I tag along. My fingers find the doorknob to close it behind me, using my heel to push it the rest of the way before a meaty hand suddenly covers my mouth and nose.
My elbow immediately thrusts into my attacker before I hear the soft click of the room’s door close.
Red flags wave violently in my brain as I stomp down on the dude’s foot, to no avail. He doesn’t let up, and the room becomes blurry because my sole concentration is getting free and back out into the hallway with Ozzy.
“Don’t let her hurt herself,” says a voice that dreadfully slithers down my spine and seizes all proper bodily functions. “Only I’m allowed to do that.”
My attention swiftly darts around the space, taking nothing in but the man himself.
The man who set my entire world on its axis.
The one who almost murdered Levi.
Who murdered Judah.
Who I almost was able to take out with Levi’s car.
Stomach dropping, I know I’m fucked.
I also know he is too if Ozzy finds him.
“The Queen of fucking South Shore,” Matteo muses, stepping closer while my mouth is still held hostage. “I knew you’d get it, baby. However…I don’t know if handing it over to Torin Wildes was a good move or a stupid-as-fuck one.”
I raise a hand, flipping him off as I do, and he only smirks.
“Still feisty as ever.”
I mutter for him to go fuck himself against the warm flesh on my lips, but it obviously doesn’t turn into audible syllables.
A sticky substance hits the side of my cheek before the hand over my mouth is quickly removed and the rest of the duct tape keeps me from screaming bloody murder.
I go to reach for it, but my wrist is instantly caught to keep from doing so. However, I’m not a newbie here.
I quickly pivot and swing, hitting some dude in the head who’s not even an image before someone else grabs my other arm. I should’ve assessed the situation I was in before I did anything, but I’m not a fucking special agent.
I reacted.
Shocker.
To my utter dismay and apprehension, my wrists are bound together behind my back with zip ties and ideas of how I’m going to fuck Matteo up this time start to formulate in my head.
I could always go with the whole-drag-him-behind-my-car bit.
I could see what the boys would want to do and how they operate besides pushing people off Peer Pressure Point.
I’m able to beat his ass—well, was. I can’t now. I’m pregnant.
Hands find my shoulders, and I’m twirled around to face my ex, still patiently standing there and waiting for me.
“Chill out, Bay. I won’t take up much of your time.”
Why? Because you know Ozzy is out there?
I clench my teeth together, anger coursing through every inch of my body as I survey the room. The principal who just let me in sits behind her desk, white as a sheet, her expression full of fear at the men in the room.
So, she’s no help.
“Word on the street is that Wallace is dead, but I have yet to see the body.”
Because there isn’t one.
Dead anyway.
“I’d ask you…but you’d bullshit me, since you were always so loyal to him. So I’m going to dig up his grave and see for myself.”
My glower sticks back over to him, but I don’t move a muscle.
No, I have to be careful about this.
What would still grieving Bay do in a situation like this?
Fuck, probably ram his ass.
“If he’s dead, I’m good,” my ex continues, pacing the floor in front of me. “One less fucking problem for me.”
I take one step toward him because he’s the motherfucker who put a full round of bullets in my best friend’s body.
“You got a problem?” He quirks an eyebrow as if I definitely shouldn’t have one because this asshole truly believes he can do whatever he wants and there are zero ramifications for them.
I nod because abso-fucking-lutely I do, but I can’t voice them when he’s got me gagged like a bitch.
“Eh, you would,” he quips dismissively. His dark eyes mirroring mine as if I’ve betrayed him in the worst way for leaving his abusive ass and going back home to Levi. “He was obviously a fucking issue since I couldn’t get you to think fully for yourself without him being near. And since you’re making moves…” He cocks his head to the side. “I guess you’re gonna use them against me.”
I mean…
I did hit him with the front end of Levi’s Malibu. I wouldn’t have stopped there if it wasn’t for the gunfire.
Matteo must remember the same thing because his expression starts to do this thing where it reddens and twists in fury.
Someone is getting pissed.
“What’s the plan, eh, Bay? You think you’re going to prance your ass around like you normally do? Untouchable and immortal?”
I do realize my ex isn’t fucking stupid enough to not realize I’m more than a threat.
I’m his biggest obstacle.
And he could kill me right now without a peep being heard by Ozzy.
I’m also fully aware I am not in the best position right now not to be touched. Matteo is a bitch and because he’s one, he’s going to hit me.
It’s inevitable.
Always is when we’re alone and I’ve done something to upset him.
“I know you can’t answer me,” he says with only a foot of space between us. “But a nod would be good.”
I don’t do anything because one might quicken how he’s going to react over the other, but maybe I’m a fucking idiot because yes would be a hit, a shake of the head would be a smack, and silence would be a punch to the gut.
Which is exactly what he does.
Pain radiates through my stomach as I step back, hitting the chest of whatever asshole is behind me and warning bells start going off in my head.
He hits me again, and I might lose this baby.
Torin or Reeve’s baby.
I don’t want them to go through that. I don’t want me to go through that.
I know I said I might abort it, but that’s my fucking decision, not Matteo’s. Not him taking something away from me again.
Matteo’s fingers wrap tightly around my jaw, and he squeezes— hard . “You simple little bitch. You think because you’re big and fuckin’ bad that you’re going to kill me?”
I want to do so much—all of it—but I’m damned if I do, and damned if I don’t.
However… there are six guys outside called The Nameless. How he’s going to get out of here unscathed and undetected, Matteo isn’t that good.
“I’m going to tell you how this is going to go.” He leans in, smelling of weed and fucking cloves. The latter makes me sick, curling and knotting my stomach just by inhaling it. “You’re going to team up with my fuckin’ ass. You want your own seat, fine. You use that shit against me, I will bury you.”
I can’t help the recoil of trying to pry myself out of his grasp, and of course, he feels it.
“Don’t want me anymore, babe?” He shows his disappointment by slamming his fist into my belly again. I grunt the air that leaves my lungs as tears burn the back of my eyes. “You know I love it when you fight me, Bay. And I’m aimin’ to do anything to make sure that happens. You’re going to be under me and so full of my dick it’s going to be all you feel when you’re walkin’ around. No one will fuck with you when they know you’re mine.”
I’d kill myself first.
I bob my head, giving him something of what he wants, but Matteo knows me.
I’m not the same bitch I was before.
However, the only thing I’m banking on now is he has me semi-cornered and at his mercy.
“Would you like that?” He cups my face with both palms, brushing a thumb down my right cheek. “We can start over, Bay. People do it all the time. And we can rule over this shithole and bank.”
This motherfucker is so damn delusional, I’m surprised that men still follow him.
“Tell me that’s what you need,” he conveys with hope in his eyes, and I swear to God, he looks vulnerable for all but three seconds. “We were always meant to be together.”
I guess my poker face wasn’t as strong as I believed it to be because his nostrils flare, face skewing in irritation as he drops his hold on me.
“You want it the hard way, don’t you, Bay?” He pries his brown eyes off me, peering off at something else in the room. “I don’t understand why you do this to me, but I think it’s because you like to be punished.”
The back of his hand crashes across my face, sending my head snapping to the side before he kicks at my shin and yanks me down to my knees.
“ Stop ,” mutters the woman in the room. “Leave her?—”
“Shut the fuck up, or your brains are going to be scattered on the wall,” Matteo snaps, as I try to breathe through the throbbing ache in my body.
I’m looking at his black Nikes, trying to get through and pull myself together, but again, Matteo is a bitch.
He kicks at my chest, sending me toppling backward and onto my spine, crushing my hands with my own body weight as I suck in the adhesive of the tape over my mouth.
“I’m tired of waiting, Bay.” He shoves his shoe into my ribs, and I’m thankful for that over my stomach.
Through the panging discomfort, I roll onto the side he hasn’t hit to protect my baby.
My baby.
Fuck, it took this to start thinking about wanting to keep it?
“I guess we both can’t fake it,” Matteo says matter-of-factly. “I don’t want you as much as you don’t want me. We both know what this is.”
Matteo kicks my spine, causing my body to bow back at the impact as I wring my hands together to try to obtain some relief.
I start to slam my feet into the hard tiled floors to see if Ozzy can hear me. Any noise or SOS to get him to come in here.
“You thought running me over with that prick’s car was going to save you, bitch?” He kicks at the back of my thigh and out of my peripheryal, I see him continuing his circle around my body.
I curl into a ball, protecting what’s inside me, even though I was just its predator two minutes ago. The protectiveness that just washed over me is the only thing I can think about. The something Reeve, Torin, and I created.
What Torin wanted me to keep.
What Reeve promised he’d never forgive me for if I destroyed it.
“You’re fuckin’ little temper tantrums are over. I’m your fucking king.” He punts at my knees covering my stomach, and I groan in pain all over again.
I can’t get enough air through my lungs.
Everything just hurts.
“I’m going to start a new kingdom.” He stomps my skull, crashing it into the hard tile, and my vision begins to blur.
It’s not about me anymore and his sick obsession.
We’re passed over each other.
He’s going to kill me because he doesn’t need me. He’s going to annihilate my existence because I’m more than the girl who left him behind.
I have power.
Even though I handed Torin the South Shore seat, I’m still his biggest threat.
“I’m going to kill every single one of those motherfuckers and make you watch.”
My body is rocked with nausea over the prospect of that happening.
Of how I might not be able to stop it from happening.
The distinct click of something pierces through the air before a blood-curdling scream emerges right behind it.
It’s a gun.
I don’t have to look up to see what the damn thing is. I’d recognize its characteristics and sound anywhere, in any state or matter of mind.
I wonder if this is how Levi felt.
I wonder if I’ll get as lucky as him if Matteo decides to pump some lead in me.
In the baby.
Tears sting at my eyes. This is exactly why I wasn’t meant to do this. I can’t protect another child. I’m not meant to be a mother.
I’m kicked in the chest, then my knees again before I am dragged to my feet by several hands.
Barely able to stand, I still rip my arms out of the grasps of whoever’s holding me. Lifting my chin, I fall into menacing and murky brown eyes.
I hate Matteo De Leon with every fiber of my being.
The deep red scar that runs down the right side of his cheek is something I’d like to add to.
Something heavy bangs against the door behind me and that’s when my ex smirks. “Looks like your husband is trying to get in the room.”
And he will.
I’m just not sure if I’ll be alive when he does.
“He’s gonna be first, Bay. I hope you—” Three shots crack through Matteo’s words, immediately making me flinch in equal parts, shocked and reliefed because they’re close.
Glimpsing over my shoulder, Matteo delivers a double cheap shot—one to my jaw and the other straight to my belly.
The latter knocks the wind out of me, and I drop to my knees.
Someone collides into me, followed by a male grunt, but I’m able to stay somewhat upright.
A body jumps over mine, revealing black shoes with white soles hitting the floor right next to my damn head.
Pushing back, my gaze ascends black jeans, a black shirt, and tattoos littered all over his arms.
Ozzy.
Someone roars out like a fucking lion in the room and said man turns to his left, immediately getting line backed from a body much wider.
Oz stumbles to the side, forearm locked around his attacker’s head to keep the one up. My husband’s fingers lace through his assailant’s hair, cocking his head back before thrusting a knife right into the man’s throat.
I stare at Ozzy as he abandons the man without a second thought and begins forward.
Movement to his right seizes both our attention, and it’s Dino.
The Nameless are here.
The room is a mess of rumbles and shuffles, but no more gunshots. Chairs get knocked over, and the space is a fucking war zone, with only fists and fuck knows what else.
Something shatters across the tiled floor, retrieving Ozzy’s focus. He’s like a hunter about to create a bad day for his prey, which turns out to be a mistake.
He’s rammed into for the second time, and Oz takes a bit of the brunt of it, stepping back and almost stepping on me before he shoves the person backward.
However, it doesn’t stop fingers lacing through my hair and yanking me up.
Then looking up into Matteo’s face.
“We’re not done here.” His features are skewed in frustration, clearly because nothing went to plan. “I’m going to kill your husband first.”
He releases me with that vow, and as if to make good on that shit, a vehement gunshot rings through the air like a cannon going off next to my ears.
My eyes immediately fly to Ozzy in sheer terror he’s been hit. I can barely contain my relief when he’s too busy throwing hands and not bloody at my feet.
We need to get out, Astor.
Get the fuck up.
On cue, two more gunshots pierce through the air before Ozzy drops down on his knees in front of me in all his beastly, beautiful glory.
Of course, I think he’s shot.
But when his blue eyes show nothing but concern and anger, that idea quickly flees away.
He’s quick to move, slipping his hands beneath my weight and lifting me in the air. I’m only there for a split second before another shot goes off, and Ozzy growls, deep and sinister in his chest.
This time, it got him.
His brows pin, lips still sealed closed, as Ozzy continues out of the room and straight ahead.
In the hallway, it’s havoc.
Kids screaming.
School staff running away.
Doors slamming shut.
A fucking gun just went off in the school, and the classrooms are probably on lockdown.
The police have been called, I’m sure.
And Ozzy…he doesn’t appear like anything’s wrong. Only that he wants us out.
“Black truck,” a male says behind us. “Keys are in the armrest. Don’t take her to the hospital. Medical staff will already be at the address I’m going to text you.”
The voice doesn’t sound familiar, but Ozzy doesn’t stop to acknowledge it.
He keeps moving.
And he doesn’t stop until we’re there.