Chapter 46
Millie
T heir cupboards were bare and what they had in the fridge and freezer was bad. I know their VP is a chef. He must be slammed with work to leave the club kitchen in the state I found it.
“Most of you work out regularly, right?” I ask.
“You mean obsessively?” Jones chuckles.
“Wrath is the same. I understand. I’m going to make a pickup order for the Fresh Market. They have these amazing pre-made burger patties. Eighty-five/fifteen with different things added or stuffed in the middle.
“I want to hit Whole Foods, Albertson’s and a seafood market. I can make online orders for Fresh Market and Albertson’s.”
“The guys will be shocked.”
I chuckle.
Jones and I make our way through Baton Rouge, getting everything we need, and get back to the compound in three hours. After eating the food, we got from the seafood and chicken market, Jones and I got to work on cooking and food prep.
I start the rice. I’m using a variety of wild, brown, purple, red, and black.
“I had no idea rice came in this many varieties.”
“There are even more white, minute, jasmine, arborio. You can make each so many ways. I’m making the red rice two different ways. Mexican and Thai.”
“What are you doing with the black rice?”
“Forbidden and one with corn and cranberries. Speaking of corn. Can you get that big charcoal grill going?”
“Yes ma’am. I’ll get right on that.”
The next two hours, we did meal prep work. Dividing it into individual portions and storing them in the fridge. We were almost done when Wrath sent me a message that said they had a lead. I have no idea where he’s going, but I have a feeling my life will never be the same wherever it is. I do know I trust my husband implicitly. I also know I need to keep busy and not think about the potential danger my husband could be in.
I cook when I’m stressed. Something Wrath has yet to find out since I’ve been in a cast most of our marriage. Then again, I really haven’t been stressed, not even when the twins first came home, and we had to get them on a sleep schedule.
A pang hits me, and I realize how bonded I’ve become to them. They’re my babies in every way. It doesn’t matter that I didn’t give birth to them or that we wanted to wait to have kids. I’m a mom and a wife. It all happened in less than thirty days.
I select a playlist from my phone and turn the music up loud.
?
By the time I heard the rumble of engines Jones and I have a feast prepared. The Baton Rouge club is only about half the size of our club in New Orleans making dinner easier to prepare. Wild rice with citrus and mushrooms, cedar planked salmon, lemon and dill potatoes, penne pasta with broccoli rabe and shrimp, crab cakes, spinach and kale and apple salad with pecans and a honey balsamic vinaigrette and a fresh fruit salad with a lightly sugared lime mint syrup.
I’m pulling fresh loaves of multi-grain bread from the oven when I hear footsteps. As I put the loaves on a cooling rack, I see Wrath come in. The look on his face tells me something is wrong. Bear, Pyro, Preacher, and Triton wear similar looks. I hurry to meet Wrath. He pulls me into his arms and kisses the top of my head.
“It’s over baby.”
I pull back slightly and look up at him.
“What’s wrong? I thought you’d be happy that it’s over. I figure Aaron is a big bully and when someone stood up to him, he folded.”
Wrath shook his head. “That’s not how it went down. They pulled guns.”
I feel myself go pale. I step back and scan my husband from head to toe before doing the same with the others. Wrath shakes his head. “None of us are hurt. Nightingale, let’s go sit down.”
I let him lead me to a table and pull out a chair for me. I sit down and he sits across from me and takes both my hands in his. He’s starting to worry me.
“I don’t know any easy way to say this. Felicity and Aaron are dead.”
I go numb and feel like I’m having an out-of-body experience. I stand up and start getting dishes out of the cabinet.
“I need time to process. Let’s eat.”
I feel hands on my shoulders. I look up to see Wrath looking down at me. Concern written all over his face.
“I’m here, baby. How can I help?”
“Eat before it gets cold.”
I go numbly through the motions of putting food on my plate and sitting at the dining room table. It’s located just outside the kitchen. They had a nice dining area. The previous cafeteria that’s been divided by a folding wall. I wonder if they move it for parties.
I can’t believe my tormentor is dead. It rattles around in my brain while I mindlessly fork food into my mouth. I barely taste it. Aaron’s dead. Gone. He can never hurt me again. Still, I hadn’t wanted him dead. But he had a gun. And he likely shot at Wrath and the other King’s.
Aaron isn’t the only one dead, though. So is Felicity. I wrack my brain for some semblance of feelings. Remorse, regret, sadness. Something. The woman that gave birth to me is dead. Maybe dessert will make it all better. I push back my chair and stand up. Then the world goes black.
Wrath
M y poor Nightingale. She’s in shock. I watch her as she picks at her food. She eats a few bites aimlessly before moving the food around on her plate. After a few minutes, she suddenly stands. I turn to ask if I can help when she collapses. I catch her before she hits the floor.
Trident is out of his seat and beside us in seconds. I know from previous experience he has corpsman training. Though he became a forensic specialist for the Navy.
He checks her pulse first.
“Let’s get her to your room.”
I stand up with her in my arms and carry her upstairs to our room. She’s still out by the time I lay her on the bed.
“Loosen her clothes. I’ll take off her shoes.”
I do as Triton instructs and undo the top two buttons of her shirt. He takes off her shoes. Moments later, her green eyes flutter open. She gasps and tries to sit up. I steady her.
“Woah, baby, lay back. You passed out.”
“I did?”
“You did. Scared the hell out of me.”
“I'm sorry.”
“No need to be sorry. Do we need to get you to immediate care or the hospital?”
She shakes her head. “I don’t think so. I feel fine.”
“Triton has corpsman training. He was with the Navy. Can he check you over?”
“Sure.”
I step back and let Triton take my place. He checks her pulse. There’s a knock on the door. I hurry to open it, finding Jones on the other side. He had a black bag in his hand.
“Triton's med bag,” he says, handing it to me.
“Thanks man.”
“Is she alright?”
“She will be. She just needs time to wrap her head around her brother and mother being dead.”
I see the questions written across his face as they pop up in his head. Finally, he shakes his head.
“Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.”
“I’ll do that, thanks.”
I take the bag to Triton. He pulls out a stethoscope and blood pressure cuff. For the next few minutes, he checks her vitals and reflexes.
“Everything seems okay. I have one last routine question. When was your last period?”
I watch Millie’s face. First, she looks lost in thought, then she gasps and pales.
“I’m late. God, with everything going on. It didn’t even dawn on me.”
Trident shocks me by pulling a pregnancy kit out of his bag.
“Do you always carry a pregnancy test?” I ask.
He shrugs. “We do have sex and the bunnies live here. It’s never a bad idea to have one on hand for emergencies. Millie, do you feel up to taking the test?”
“Yes.”
I can hear the quaver in her voice,
and it kills me. I help her out of bed and follow her to the bathroom.
“Can I come in with you?”
She nods her head and reaches for my hand.
My heart’s beating a million miles an hour as we wait for the test. When the timer on her phone goes off, I look down. Two lines. We’re pregnant. I find myself watching my wife’s face again. A look of shock crosses her face first, then a smile. She turns to me.
“You realize this means we’ll have three or four children under the age of one under our roof by sometime in December?”
“Maybe we should start looking for help now. With the twins needing extra care. It couldn’t hurt, right?”
“That’s true, but I’m afraid the club’s going to have to replace me. I don’t think I can take care of the twins, carry our child, and work full time outside the home.”
“You know when the baby is due?”
“Roughly. We’ll make an appointment with an OB and confirm it. Rough guess sometime between the fifteenth and Christmas day.”
“A Christmas baby. Damn, I’m a blessed man.”
Millie starts laughing, then crying. I gather her in my arms, tucking her head under my chin. I soothe her while she cries. She has had a lot to deal with today.