Chapter 12
Day After Halloween
JOKER
When I wake up the next morning, I feel like I drank a fifth of vodka. My scalp feels two sizes too small for my head, and the lump at the base of my skull is tender and swollen. Even remembering Daisy’s amazing blow job last night doesn’t ease the pain.
I reach for the other side of the bed. The sheets are still warm but empty. Since Daisy entered her last trimester, she’s had boundless energy. Normal and predictable, as she was the same when she was pregnant with Deana.
I check my phone—nine a.m. Shit, I never sleep this late, usually I’m in the garage by seven.
Slowly rolling to the side of the bed, I gently raise my body.
Thankfully, there is no nausea or dizziness as the doctor predicted, just the worst headache ever.
I creep to the bathroom, shake out four more Advils and down them, hoping they do the trick real fuckin’ fast. I take a piss, wash my hands and head for the kitchen for some much-needed coffee.
Daisy’s wiping down the counters when I come up behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist. She startles slightly, then turns in my arms. I pull her as close as possible with her baby bump getting bigger every day.
She cups my face with her palm. “How’re you feeling?”
“Like I got a jackhammer pounding my brain. I took a few Advils, so hopefully they kick in soon.”
“I still can’t believe you fell. It’s usually me who’s the clumsy one.”
I didn’t fall, but I keep that to myself. When I mentioned my theory last night, she looked at me just like Cobra did, but I know what went down, and I plan on sussing it out today. Especially since my dream or alternate universe had a devastating ending.
“How are you feeling?” I caress her bump.
“I’m fine, but I wanted to wait until you were up before I went to the shop.”
“You don’t go in on Sunday.”
Normally, Daisy takes the weekends off to spend with Deana, but today I want her to stay put here at the condo.
“I figured I’ll go in your place since you should rest today.”
I couldn’t shake the forbidding premonition something bad was about to happen. Irrational and totally out of character for me, but I refuse to miss the warning signs like last time.
“I want you to stay home today.”
She pulls back slightly. “Why?”
Because the ghost in my vision last night fatally stabbed you. That explanation would earn me an eye roll, but how else could I explain this without her thinking I’d lost it?
“Last night was a lot of stress on you, and I think you should rest.” Sounds logical—maybe she’ll fall for it.
“You were the one who fell, and if I remember correctly, Doc Henderson said you should rest for the next few days.”
Of course, my girl saw right through me, but I can’t shake the fear of history repeating itself.
That hellish time could be recalled in an instant, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t shake the guilt and absolute fear, especially knowing if I had been paying attention, it could’ve all been avoided.
“So, I guess you’ll be staying home with me too?” She cocks her head in that annoying way, telling me she’s onto me.
“Not exactly.” I move around her and reach for the coffee urn. “I got a lot of jobs at the shop today.”
“And you’ll be taking your Harley?”
I pour coffee into my mug, trying to decipher where she’s going with this question. “Yeah, Cobra said one of the prospects brought it over last night.”
“Even though Doc Henderson said you might have a concussion and probably shouldn’t be riding or working in a noisy garage.”
I can see her trap lying out in front of me, but my throbbing head can’t come up with one of my usual snappy answers, so I just stare at her.
“And yet, you want me to stay home.” She hands me the creamer. “Here’s the deal, I’ll stay home if you stay home.”
“Nah, I gotta go in.”
“I’m sure Gus can handle whatever comes up for one day.”
Of course he could, but me going in has nothing to do with Gus or the shop. I have to dig deeper into this Nomad shit, and the only way to do it is boots on the ground, not lounging in my condo watching TV.
“But if you insist on going in, we can go in together.” She meets my gaze and holds it. “You don’t want me on the back of your bike anymore.” She strokes her belly. “So I guess we’ll have to take the SUV.”
My woman is fuckin’ smart. Not only did she wheedle her way around it, but she managed to keep me off my Harley. Every once in a while, I forget she worked high-profile cons in Miami before we met .
I sip at the hot coffee, making her wait. “You win.”
A huge smile splits her face, then she leans in and pecks my cheek. “I’ll be ready in ten.”
I reach for her and pull her to me, then nuzzle her neck, drinking in her scent and silently promising to keep her safe at all costs.
She leans away from me. “You sure you’re all right?”
“Just thinking how lucky I am. How lucky we both are after all the shit we came through. We’ve got two kids who love us and another one on the way.” I smooth my palm over her belly, and the baby shifts. “Looks like someone’s anxious to get out.”
She covers my hand with hers. “But not yet. I’ve got exactly seven and a half weeks left. The doctor said since it’s my third delivery, I might go sooner, but the closer to my delivery date, the better.”
Back when she was a teen, Daisy had another child who tragically died as a result of the father’s neglect.
The scar and trauma lived deep within her, which only heightened my guilt when she was abducted during Deana’s pregnancy.
Thankfully, Deana was born safely, but Daisy suffered with severe anxiety and depression for months afterward.
Which made me promise to make this pregnancy and birth stress-free and as easy as possible.
“Everything’s going to be perfect this time, I swear.” Saying the words soothes me. Like making an oath and chasing away any bad karma.
“I know what you’re thinking, and I appreciate your concern, but like you told me the last time, we can’t worry about what hasn’t happened, and we can’t foresee the future.”
How do I tell her I’m convinced I did see the future last night or some kind of warning? And now I have to act on it without scaring her.
DAIS Y
“I know he’s worried, and I know he’s got my best interest in mind, but he’s driving me fucking crazy.” I tap my pen on my desk while keeping an eye on Joker in the garage. The last thing I need is him coming into the office hearing me bitching him out to Sheena.
“Especially after what happened when you were pregnant with Deana,” Sheena adds. “I think what you need is a shopping day.”
“Yeah, that would sound great if I thought anything would fit me. I swear I’m even bigger than I was with Deana.”
“And you lost all the baby weight in a month and were back to your usual bangin’ figure.”
“Oh, you must really need a day out.” I laugh around my words. “Because the way I remember it, I slaved doing Pilates every day and cutting out anything with taste.”
“Maybe, but you still got your figure back. And, yes, I am desperate for a shopping day because Cobra is driving me crazy. I’m only two months pregnant, and he’s acting like I’m an invalid. He’s even talking about me quitting the Bellagio because I’m on my feet too long.”
Sheena deals blackjack for the Bellagio. A job she loves, and with her outgoing personality and good looks, a job that supremely fits her.
“Must be some kind of epidemic. Joker suggested I stay home from the garage today.”
“Hmmm, I’m not surprised.”
“What’s that mean?”
“Cobra said Joker was really freaked out last night. Talking about slipping into another timeline from the ‘30s or some shit.”
Interesting. So if he let Cobra in on that, he must really be worried.
“Did he say anything else?” I ask .
“Cobra blamed it on the bump on his head and falling down a flight of concrete stairs.”
“Weird.”
“What?”
“He kind of alluded to the time travel thing with me too. Joker’s as cagey as a cat, so him losing his balance for no reason doesn’t make sense unless . . .”
“Accidents do happen.”
“He also said he heard a loud humming or high-pitched buzzing right before he fell.”
“Oh my God!” Sheena shouts. “Just like Outlander when they pass through the stones.”
Sheena and I both binged-watched Outlander and loved it. Of course, staring at Sam Heughan wasn’t bad either, but Sheena’s words leave me feeling unsettled. Joker’s explanation of what happened before he fell did mirror the experiences of the characters in Outlander .
“Yes, except Outlander is make-believe, and Joker really did fall.”
“I know, but you have to admit?—”
A tingling sensation creeps up my spine. “About that shopping trip. Tomorrow after your shift at the Bellagio?”
“Sounds good.”
We settle on a time and who would pick up whom, then I hang up.
I stare at my computer monitor then give in to my curiosity by Googling time travel, alternate universes and people claiming to experience time travel to other centuries.
Surprisingly, thousands of people have made claims very similar to Joker’s.
After reading way too much on the subject, I clear the screen and go back to the shipping and purchase orders, but I can’t stop the questions.
Could time travel really happen?
Is there a way to be transported to another era?
And did this really happen to Joker?