Chapter 29
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Two months later
Marie
Lore and I are shopping downtown for Wilder’s birthday. He has no idea, but I really want to do something special for him. My long sleeved dress is warm with my fleece lined leggings, and I feel really pretty today.
My long waterproof duster coat is protecting me from the snow, and my boots are comfortable on my feet. Still, Lore has my arm wrapped through his in case I slip.
“Nothing feels right,” I grumble as we walk. “Why is Wilder so difficult to shop for?”
“He’d be perfectly happy with a birthday blow job and a date,” Lore chuckles. “We’re also going on vacation soon.”
“Yes, before I’m too big to move.”
Ransom’s clinical hours are going to pick up more very soon, so we actually decided to take this vacation before that happens.
“Let the record show that you’re beautiful, and I did not say that, Princess,” he chuckles. “Shit. Marie—”
“I see it,” I whisper. A van is slowing and is moving closely next to us. The stretch of road we’re on is suspiciously quiet too. “What do we do?”
“Ru—”
“It’s just me,” Cerenity says, pushing open the door. “Kidnapping isn’t usually my style, but you’re fucking impossible to get a hold of. Lore…what the fuck? I really am missing a lot. I thought you were dead.”
“She never has her phone. I’m also very much alive. Ghosts don’t typically have conversations on Tuesday afternoons,” Lore sighs.
“Why would I when… Nevermind,” I wince.
What I was going to say is that I’m with everyone who would typically call me, which is why I never have the phone.
This is a really awkward and strange conversation.
“Will you get in the car?” Cerenity asks gently.
“For the record, this is ridiculous,” Lore grumbles, helping me into the van. “There’d better fucking be seatbelts in this rust bucket.”
“You’re lecturing me about seatbelts?” Cerenity asks, closing the door behind us.
Thankfully, there are seats. Unfortunately, there are also black pillow cases and zip ties.
“I’m with Lore on this,” I sigh, sitting down and putting on my seatbelt.
“I tried to talk her out of this,” Augustine says, glancing over his shoulder in the driver seat.
“I thought Jasper and my brother were the bat shit crazy ones in your pack. I take it back,” I grumble, crossing my arms as I pout.
“Watch the goddamned turns,” Lore adds, sitting beside me. “Marie is pregnant.”
Cerenity’s eyes grow wide, and she squats beside me as Augustine pulls away from the curb.
“Would you like to run that by me again?” she asks.
“I’m pregnant,” I sigh. “I haven’t told many people. I’m not even sure why.”
“The important people know,” Lore says. “I’m sorry, but they do. Tommy doesn’t come around unless he’s blowing smoke out of his ears. Marie doesn’t need that shit.”
“She doesn’t. That’s why I have Tommy tied up at my club,” she says with a serene smile that doesn’t match her words. “I’m hosting an intervention.”
“I had plans today,” I groan. “I may end up celebrating Wilder’s birthday your way, Lore.”
“I promise he won’t mind,” he grins. “If our pack checks my phone tracker and I’m not where we’re supposed to be, they’ll come with guns blazing.”
“Well, maybe you should tell them where you’ll be,” Cerenity shrugs as we arrive at her club.
“Ugh. I’m missing lunch for this,” I say, letting Lore help me out of the van.
“You’re a grumpy pregnant lady,” she says, following me.
“I’ll order in,” Augustine says, hopping out of the car. “What would you like?”
“Antonia’s fettuccine with chicken and lemon cream sauce,” I say immediately, eyes widening. “Wow. That actually really sounds delicious though.”
“I’ll make it happen,” Augustine promises, unlocking the front door.
“Blue!” Tommy roars, making me roll my eyes.
“Have fun, Marie,” Cerenity says, holding her hands up as she backs away toward her office. “I want to see you more. I hate that no one else knows how you are. Are you still working? I have no fucking idea.”
“I only work a few days out of the month,” I reply, pulling my stun gun baton out of the thigh holster underneath my dress.
“You upgraded,” she says, surprised.
“One of the guys at the club decided I needed some new weapons,” I explain. “Tommy and I are complicated.”
“So fix it,” she says. “Go scream at him. I’ll be in my office. Just try not to shoot too many holes in him, yeah?”
“Ugh. This is such a bad idea,” Augustine breathes, following her.
“Marie?” Tommy asks, completely strapped up a chair. “Why are you so dressed up?”
“Felt like it,” I say.
“You look really nice,” he says, making me sigh.
“I’m pregnant,” I say, waiting for his response.
“Wha— Uh, congratulations,” he says, changing his mind mid word.
“I’m wearing four different weapons and I have a full back tattoo,” I say, my feet moving me closer to him.
Tommy takes a deep breath, though the tips of his ears turn red, telling me he’s holding onto his patience by the skin of his teeth. He never takes his eyes off of me, completely ignoring everything else.
“It’s your life,” he manages to grit out.
“I killed two people a few months ago,” I add, making him flinch.
“What? How? Why aren’t your alphas protecting you?” he growls.
“She had a gun,” Lore says. “That’s protection.”
Tommy finally glances at Lore before paling. “Why are dead men walking?” he asks. “Is there a new epidemic I should be aware of?”
Lore snorts, shaking his head. “If you weren’t such an ornery fucker, you might actually be likeable.”
“This from a biker,” Tommy says. “That’s very cute. She knows how to use a gun because of me.”
I blame the pregnancy hormones for turning on the baton and pressing it up his thigh.
“Argh! Fuck a duck. Marie!”
He shoves back in his chair so hard to get away from me, it topples over. His legs are tied to the chair, as are his arms, which means he’s still just as stuck, now he’s a turtle stuck on his back as well.
“You taught me in the worst fucking way,” I say over his yelling.
“I can’t stand when people yell around me.
I lock up and shut down, even when it’s my own pack talking to other people.
It has fuck all to do with me, but I still can’t handle it.
I don’t want you around my family if you aren’t able to control your temper. ”
“Marie,” he says, blowing out a breath as he looks up at me.
“Look, I’m working on my temper. When I look at you, it’s hard not to see my kid sister.
You have your entire life ahead of you, and I want you to be able to live it.
I was glad when you didn’t date anyone in the mafia, but this new direction feels worse. ”
“You caged Marie,” Lore growls. “You’ll never see your niece or nephew if you don’t pull your head out of your ass.”
“I don’t want that,” Tommy says, no longer struggling against his bonds. “Marie, I fucked up alot with you. Mom’s a shitty parent, and I somehow decided I could do better.”
“I didn’t need a parent, I needed my brother,” I mutter. “I can never call you because all you do is judge me. I’m not a child, Tommy. If I fuck up, then I’ll own it, but I want to have the space to do that.”
“You’ve had months of space,” he sighs.
“And maybe I need more!” I scream, kicking him. “Every time I talk to you, I end up feeling bad about myself, even if I didn’t fucking do anything. Stop doing that!”
I’m breathing hard as I glare at him, and Tommy is shocked into silence for a long moment. It’s so long, I almost decide to leave in frustration.
“You always do the right thing,” he finally says.
I’m so fucking mad, my eyes are tearing up, and I blink them away so Lore won’t break his legs.
There’s only so long he’ll allow this to go on.
I can feel the rumblings of his own anger that’s simmering.
“It doesn’t matter what the scenario, you always just know the right move to make, Marie.
I checked on that doctor who got you fired.
He was fired and arrested for killing two people. ”
I flinch, not having expected him to say that. “What? Oh my god, Tommy.”
“My point is, you were right to stand toe to toe with him and call him out on his shit,” he says. “The man had a lot of power, but not enough in the end. No matter what it cost you, that hospital never deserved you.”
“Thank you,” I whisper. “I hate that someone had to die before anyone took the allegations that he was unfit to practice medicine seriously.”
“Playing by the rules does take longer sometimes,” he admits.
“Yeah it does,” Lore mutters.
“The point is, I’ve always been really fucking proud of you. I just suck at showing it. You’re going to be such a good mom. In fact, you already are because you’re fiercely protective. Good mothers say they’ll kill for their children, and here you already have.”
“I still hate guns,” I say.
“You don’t have to like them if you’re still willing to pull the trigger, Marie.”
Knowing he has a point, I begrudgingly nod in agreement.
“I’m really stubborn, and we all know that. I only shoot my mouth off with you. I force myself to think before I say shit with everyone else, which means I still have a lot of growing to do,” he says. “Please don’t give up on me, Marie, okay?”
His emerald green eyes glimmer with passion and unshed tears, so I do the only thing I can. I shove the baton into his thigh again, holding it until I can stop crying. The tears started falling at some point during our conversation, and refused to stop.
He’s unconscious when I lift my arm, and I sigh heavily.
“I love you too,” I say.
“Feel better?” Lore asks.
Strangely, I do. It all depends on if Tommy is willing to do the work with me. I don’t fucking care if he’s a star citizen to the rest of the world, it doesn’t mean anything if he’s still a dickhead to me.
“Yep,” I say as his phone begins to ring.
“I’ll get us a ride home,” he says, picking up the call as I turn the baton off and put it away.
“Please don’t be full of shit, Tommy,” I whisper, turning away to leave him on the floor.
This isn’t the end of this conversation by a long shot, but even I know that you can’t talk to an unconscious person and expect a stimulating exchange of words.
Blowing out a breath, I walk out of the club with Lore and I don’t look back.