by Linda Kage
"Man." I shook my head and blew out a low whistle. "That's harsh. Sucks to be you right now."
"Yep." Once again, he turned to stare out the side window.
"And you haven't heard from her at all since that went down?"
He sniffed as if trying to hold in some tears. "No. I'm pretty sure she left town. She won't answer her door, and her mail has been piling up."
"You don't think she would hurt herself, do you?"
Noel glanced slowly at me, giving me a hard stare. "Well, I hadn't until now. Jesus, she wouldn't—wait. No. Her car's gone too. If she were in the house, her car would still be there. She's okay."
I wasn't so sure. "Unless—"
"Jesus, Pick," he snapped. "Stop freaking me out. She's okay. She just needs some time."
"Well, if you ever need to get into her place, just to check and make sure, I know how to jimmy a lock."
Gamble shook his head. "God, man. Where'd you learn a handy trick like that? The state pen?"
Wow, let a guy know you'd done a little time and he immediately thought you were some hardcore ex-con. I guess that's what I got for beating the piss out of one of Tristy's tormentors.
"I never went to the pen, ass wipe. It was county lockup for, like, two weeks. And, no, I didn't learn how to break and enter in jail. You meet all kinds of interesting kids when you grow up in the foster care system."
His eyebrows lifted. "I didn't know you grew up in foster care."
"Yep. From birth until I graduated out of it at eighteen." And that was exactly why I never, ever, not even for one night, wanted Julian put into foster care. I knew exactly what kind of shit he could face.
Spotting the address Lowe had given me for his place, I pulled to the curb, my stomach jumping with excitement. "Here we are."
My adrenal glands spiked. I felt so hyped and alive, ready to see her, a person might've thought I was ready to race in an Olympic competition.
I almost forgot about Gamble as I climbed out of my car and strode toward the open bay door of a garage attached to a decent split-level apartment complex.
She was here, somewhere in this building. I couldn't wait to see her again.
But as I approached the opening, I caught sight of some guy standing inside the garage, his back to me and his hands on his hips. It wasn't Mason, that was for damn sure. I was about to call out some kind of greeting to him, make sure he wasn't some creeper lurking around when he said, "Holy shit, you got fat."
That's when I spotted Eva in the garage, trying to pull something out of an open chest freezer. Her ass was pointed out at us, which didn't look fat at all to me. Hell, I couldn't even tell she was pregnant until she popped upright and spun to face the other visitor.
Her face instantly drained of color as she said, "Oh my God. Alec?"
Shit.
I ducked out of the doorway and grabbed onto Noel when he tried to pass me to walk into the garage. Then I yanked him down next to me while I crouched to my knees.
I have no idea why I wanted to hide while she had a talk with Alec, but meeting her baby daddy was not high on my priority list. I wanted to race in there and remove his balls from his nut sac in the most painful way ever, which I doubted Tinker Bell would appreciate.
This was none of my damn business. That was not my woman, and that fucking douche probably meant way more to her than I ever would.
That's what I kept repeating to myself, anyway. I had to hum in my head to give her some privacy and not listen in, though.
When Alec stepped too close to her, I almost lost it. Gamble had to grab my arm because he must've known I was about to go ape-shit.
"Don't," he warned in my ear. "This is their fight, man. They obviously have issues to work out. If you get involved and break your parole, you'll land right back in jail."
Yeah, but if Eva was in trouble, parole was the last thing I'd be worried about.
I watched her face closely. She wasn't putting out any anxious or frightened vibes. She seemed to be used to arguing with him this way. But I hated how he grabbed her and moved in close. If Gamble hadn't yanked me back again, I would've intervened.
Why the hell hadn't I just intervened?
Chapter 12
EVA
I was going to see him again! Any minute now.
I'd been a flurry of anxiety all day. Ever since Reese told me Mason had invited Pick over to look at her new car, I hadn't been able to calm myself down. It was pathetic really. I should've been deciding what I was going to do with my life after Skylar was born, or looking for places to live, or researching parenting tips, or finding a job. Anything. Instead, my mind kept lobbing back to his tattooed arms, the one on his neck, and oh, I'd noticed one on his chest when all those horny women had ripped off his shirt in the bar.
God bless horny women.
Pick Ryan possessed one fine naked chest. Definitely a Jake Gyllenhaal lookalike, with a freaking nipple ring. His muscles had been packed into a set of wide shoulders and a tapered frame that led down to the slimmest waist ever. It had been impossible to contain the drool when he'd playfully scolded the women for undressing him during the auction. His smile, added to those pecs and his Mohawk plus the tattoos, had been too much to take. I'd melted into his arms the moment he'd forced that dance on me.
And his singing voice. Oh, my. The guy could actually carry a tune.
Humming "Baby Love" under my breath, I opened the door to Reese and Mason's garage. Since they lived in a split-level duplex, there were quite a few steps to climb down to reach the cement floor. I'd come out here in the guise of looking for a bag of frozen peas in the chest freezer that was kept in the garage, claiming peas sounded good to make with the meal I was cooking for supper. But in truth, I was watching for him.
He could be here any minute now.
Typical male Mason hadn't set any specific timetable with him. Being guys, they'd only said Saturday night. Well, there was a lot of time to cover during a single Saturday night. I needed to know exactly when he'd make it. I was going crazy without a precise countdown to wait by.
I don't know why I was craving him so much. It wasn't like getting a man was anywhere on my to-do list, plus he was the last kind of person I should choose—if I were on the market. And let's not forget he was married, which I seemed to keep forgetting, damn it. Besides, I had no idea what I'd say to him when he arrived, or . . . damn it, why was he taking so long?
"My baby love. I need you, oh, how I need you," I sang the words under my breath as I pulled up the freezer door. There wasn't much piled inside, so it wasn't hard to spot the peas. But it was impossible to reach them with my baby bump in the way. I tried turning so I could bend down sideways but didn't have any success with that either.
Not ready to give up, I tried the other side and was able to reach in a little farther until the tips of my fingers barely grazed the cold bag. Frozen air wafted up and coated my bare skin. The baby doll top I'd put on had thick straps but no sleeves, so the skin on my arms prickled instantly with goose bumps, which made my breasts bead from the chill.
I'd dressed for Pick. It was stupid, I know. I was seven and half months pregnant, not exactly the most glamorous time of my life. He was married—why I had to keep reminding myself of that was just plain scary. And we came from completely different worlds. My father would've stroked out if he'd ever seen me with a tatted-up, metal-faced guy like Pick.
Okay, so that would've been a plus—anything to kill off the old bastard—but even I hadn't been able to go that far. That type had always intimidated me, as if they were tough enough to chew me up and spit me out without a second glance, as if they saw me as nothing but a spoiled rich bitch.
But Pick had completely smothered my fears and reservation in that regard. He'd never intimidated me. And he'd never treated me as a spoiled, rich anything. He looked right past types, stigmas, and prejudices and made it easy for me to do the same.
He was still forbidden though. Having Reese paint my toenails for
me earlier this evening because I could no longer reach them, just to impress him, was wrong.
Leaning into the freezer a little more this time, I pressed my belly against the opening of the lid, making Skylar jump at the pressure.
"Sorry, kiddo." I patted my belly, hoping I hadn't hurt her. Time to call on Reese for help with pea-from-freezer extraction.
"Holy shit, you got fat."
At the familiar voice, I whirled around and gasped. A chaotic buzzing filled my head as I stared at the sight before me. It didn't seem possible that my ex from Florida, nine hundred miles away, was standing in Mason and Reese's garage. But there he was, gaping in horror at my stomach.
I blinked twice. Then shook my head to deny it. "Oh my God," I finally found the air to gasp. "Alec? What're you doing here?" I looked behind him to make sure my parents or anyone else from home hadn't come with him, but he was alone, thank God. The last words we'd ever shouted at each other had been pretty final. I couldn't think up one more thing he'd need to say to me for closure. "How did you even find me?"
Slipping one hand into a pocket of his pressed khakis, he strolled closer, his lip curling into a mocking sneer as he looked me up and down. "Mason told me you were here."
Next item on my to-do list: murder Reese's interfering boyfriend.
Stopping in front of me, Alec let out a breath and shook his head as if disappointed. In me! "I talked to your parents, Eva—"
"Oh, well, you know what?" I snorted and held up a hand to stop him, knowing he still wanted me to do what he'd been demanding the last time we'd spoken. "I talked to my parents too, and I know exactly what their position is. I wouldn't be here in BFE Illinois, sponging off my cousin, if they hadn't kicked me out because I refused to get an abortion. And since I'm still here, Alec, I guess that means I haven't changed my mind. So, sorry for your wasted trip, but you came for nothing. You can turn around and go right back to Florida."
Alec gritted his teeth, his expression showing all the frustration he was experiencing. I didn't care; he wasn't going to tell me what to do with my baby. He'd given up his right to make a decision the moment he'd called me a cheating whore after I told him I was pregnant.
But then his face went blank.
"You're really going to play this out, aren't you? Fine, I'm willing to play. What do you want, E.?"
When he caught my arm in a hard, vise-like grip, my warning signals shot sky-high. Alec had never been physically abusive before. But something wasn't right about him today.
Men who found themselves on the edge of desperation usually acted out in terrible ways. I'd learned that the hard way from my father. Well, today Alec looked eerily desperate.
Knowing I had to handle this carefully, even though his presence was ticking me off big time, I tried to take his entire reason to feel desperate away from him.
"This isn't a power play for me to get a pretty toy, Alec," I assured. "The only thing I want is my child."
"Bullshit!" He jabbed his finger accusingly in my direction. "What happened to the girl I met who said kids gave her the willies?"
"You knocked her up," I shot back, fury rising inside me. "So I guess I'm just going to have to learn to adjust."
"Jesus Christ," Alec shouted inside the garage, making me narrow my eyes and set my hand on my hip. "Why can't you just take care of this?"
"I am! I'm going to stay here and take care of my baby, like a mother should."
"A mother? Oh my God." He let out a degrading laugh. "Are you even listening to yourself? This is not you. You're not mother material, Eva. You're a fucking spoiled, rich cunt."
Ouch. That one hurt. I was a single, nineteen-year-old child with no job, no home, and I was about to bring an innocent little human into the world and be totally responsible for her. Sudden dizziness made me sway on my feet. Poor Skylar seemed royally screwed and she wasn't even born yet. With a douchebag for a father and a spoiled, rich cunt for a mother, my baby didn't stand a chance.
But I was still determined give her one. No matter what anyone thought, I would love my girl and I'd find a way to be a damn good mother, if it was the last thing I did.
I squared my shoulders. "Just because I didn't plan on this ever happening, doesn't mean I'm going to brush it aside like a minor inconvenience. I'm keeping my child."
Alec sneered as if he knew a secret. "Well, I can't allow you to do that."
I tried to tug my arm away from him. "Why not? I'm not asking you to do anything. In fact, I don't even want you involved."
Alec jerked me closer. "How stupid do you think I am? I know you'll get the law on your side, and you'll fucking bleed everything from me. You could hold this over me for the rest of my life, suck me dry with some bullshit child support, make me pay for all kinds of shit I want nothing to do with. And I refuse to let you get away with it."
"Alec . . . " I gave a long, tired sigh and even rolled my eyes as dramatically as I could, even though my heart was racing. For some irrational reason, I thought letting him see my fear would cause him to pounce. "Believe me." Please, please believe me. "I will not do that to you. I don't want anything from you. Actually, if I never saw you again, I would be overwhelmed with joy. I'll even sign a piece of paper saying so."
"See, now." Alec shook his head and laughed softly. "I'm having trouble believing that. I know you, remember? I know what a conniving, manipulative bitch you are. And I refuse to let you continue this."
"Well, I've changed." I huffed out a sound of aggravation when I tried to tug my arm free of his grip and he wouldn't release me. "People can change, you know. Now let me go."
"Not until you agree to get rid of it."
Was he on crack? It was way too late for an abortion, even if I'd been on board with the idea. I sniffed and lifted my chin. "Never."
"Then you leave me no other choice."
Oh, shit. I realized I'd made a big mistake by standing up to him, and even egging his temper on, a split second before he shoved me against the wall.
As my back cracked against sheetrock and then my head banged into it, fear seized me. He clutched me by the throat until I was screaming and screaming, and just screaming for all I was worth, hoping I was loud enough to get Mason and Reese's attention.
He was going to try to hurt my baby. I didn't feel the pain at first; I was too scared for Skylar and what Alec was trying to do to her. But then he punched me in the stomach.
I think I kept screaming. I'm not sure. The sound echoed through my ears as I tried to curl my arms around myself and protect my daughter. But he held me by the neck, pinning me in place, loose enough that I could continue to scream, yet tight enough I couldn't get away. I could barely breathe, let alone shield my stomach. My legs flailed, but the splitting feeling inside me was so severe it was hard to concentrate on much of anything past each gushing slice.
Just as abruptly as he attacked, Alec stopped. The pressure on my throat vanished, and I crumpled to the floor. I couldn't stop myself, couldn't catch my fall, could barely gasp for air. It was as if I had no control over my own limbs. I landed with a jarring thud, which hurt even more. But at least the assault was over.
I thought maybe Alec had come to his senses and backed off.
But then he said, "What the—" just before an oof and the thud of something cracking against bone echoed throughout the garage. A choked groan followed.
"You just messed with the wrong girl, pal," someone growled, his voice pissed and male.
From inside my shell of agony, muted sounds of fists against flesh followed, along with shouting and threats. I knew someone was defending me, but at the moment I didn't care. I was too busy trying not to die on the floor. Tears spilled down my cheeks as I cradled my stomach.
Skylar wasn't moving. She always wiggled around or jumped when something startled her.
Why wasn't she moving?
"No," I croaked and rested my cheek on the floor, squeezing my eyes tight as my abdomen felt like it was exploding and tearing apart from the in
side.
More shouting filled the garage. I think I finally heard Mason's voice join the melee, but suddenly Reese was with me, her hand on my shoulder and her panicked voice in my ear. "E.? Eva! Can you hear me?"
I tried to nod, or answer, or even blink, but all I could manage was a pained gasp when another round of horror constricted my abdomen.
"E.?" Reese tried again, her voice trembling. "What happened? Are you okay? Oh my God. Mason. She's hurt bad."
The agony-filled wave passed, leaving a low, aching throb. I drew in a breath and tried to talk again. "I think I'm bleeding." My cramped fingers somehow managed to uncurl enough for me to try to look down between my legs, because I could feel a trickle. I wanted to make sure it wasn't blood, but I couldn't see past the baby bump.
Another lightning bolt of pain arched across my belly. I curled in around my baby.
"No! No, no, no." One of the male voices turned hoarse as he crouched down beside me. I thought it was Mason until he croaked, "Tinker Bell?" and then I realized it was Pick.
As warm, tender arms enfolded me, I opened my lashes and looked up into a pair of devastated brown eyes. "Pick?"
He scooped me against his chest. He'd finally made it. Just in time.
He kissed my forehead. "Hey, beautiful. You want to take a ride with me? I got a real fast car, and we can get you taken care of in no time."
For a moment, I was confused. Why was he talking about cars and rides when it felt as if everything inside me was splitting apart and my baby was in trouble? But then I understood what he meant. Hospital.
That's when I knew it was bad. Maybe if he'd sounded as cool and collected as I'd always heard him, I could've stayed calm. But he sounded scared, so I got scared.
What if . . . what if Skylar didn't . . . make it? What if Alec had succeeded in . . . ?
Too horrific.
I sobbed out a moan and buried my face in Pick's shirt, my fingers clutching fistfuls. I was so grateful he was here with me.