Bane (26 page)

Bane cried, “Angel!”

Bang.

Thud.

I peeked my eyes open, checking myself. I was fine. Hampton kicked Sarge and Eric in the head, knocking them out cold. But, Bane wasn’t. Bane laid on the floor in a heap. I died a thousand deaths as the father of my child laid on the floor unmoving.

Please don’t do this to me.

“Bane! No!” I crawled over to Bane. I couldn’t lose him too. Not Bane. Not the father of our child. No!

I rolled his body over. Blood seeped from his shoulder. Banes eyes opened and landed on me. “Are you okay? How’s the baby?”

“We’re okay. You saved us.”

“Finally. I was able to save my family.”
Family. We are a family? Where did we stand?
I searched Bane’s face and only relief was there as he looked over me. His eyes landed on my stomach and he swallowed hard. Oh, how I wanted those words of being a family to be true. But, the memory from this morning in the bathroom flittered unwantedly into my mind and I couldn’t let my guard down.

Bane turned toward Hampton. “Are they secure?”

“Yes.”

“Good. The bullet went through. I need you to cauterize my wound. We need to see what these motherfuckers have on us and how deep it goes.”

Hampton moved to the fireplace where he put the poker in the red hot flames. Was he crazy? I interrupted, “Bane, you need a doctor.”

Bane’s hand came up to my face, “I’ll be fine. We’ll cauterize the wound. After we get what we need, I’ll go to a doctor. I’ve had worse.”

That thought sickened me. Hampton handed Bane some booze and he shook his head. “No, I want to be completely alert when I question them. I can handle it.” Hampton started to protest. “No! I need to be on top of my game. What did they have on you?”

Pouring rubbing alcohol on the wound, Bane didn’t wince. “They’d been using Security Branch on a few jobs and I caught on. Before I had a chance to warn you, they took Felicia. They had her for about a week prior to Discrete Encounters. When I gave you the signal, my guys confirmed they had my wife safe via my pager while I was in the bathroom with Maren. There’ve been several moving pieces to try and limit any casualties.”

My eyes drifted to Frankie’s dead body. Bane watched me as more tears fell. Bane nodded to Hampton. Hampton grabbed a blanket from the couch and covered his body. “Angel …” I looked back to Bane. “I need you to go to the bedroom while Hampton cauterizes the wound.”

“I—”

“I know you want to stay here, but please, the stress can’t be good for you or the baby. I’ll be in there in a second.”

Baby. I was still trying to comprehend we were going to be having a baby. I was pregnant. I hadn’t fully had a chance to comprehend it all. Kissing his forehead, I stood. Bane watched me until I disappeared behind the bedroom door. Sitting on the bed, I rubbed my stomach.

This is happening. All of it.
Later, I’d have time to mourn the death of my brother. It was too much to process right now. Not ever knowing what happened to make him change when I turned eighteen will be hard. I always thought I’d be able to sit and have a serious conversation with him. Time changes things. It’s unpredictable.

I heard grunting from the other room and my teeth ground together. Bane was in pain. Pure pain. Moments later, burnt flesh permeated the air.
The smell.
Oh geez, that awful smell had my stomach roiling. Toilet, I needed the toilet. Barely making it, I expelled the water I’d drank. My throat burned as I stood and brushed my teeth. I finished and looked at my reflection.

Did I look different?

I felt different. My world had been turned upside down in a matter of moments. Nothing would ever be the same. I was going to be the mom of Bane’s child.

The queasiness came over me again as another wave of burnt flesh smell hit me. Hopefully this sickness was from the situation and not the pregnancy.

Quickly, I wet a cloth and put it to my nose for a filter. The door opened and Bane walked in, concern clearly etched on his face when he saw me in the bathroom. “Did you get sick?”

Through the cloth I spoke. “The smell.” He wore a white bandage so I couldn’t see the freshly cooked flesh.
Stop thinking about it, Maren. You’ll make yourself sick.

“I’ll be right back.” Bane left the room.

Going to the bed, I laid down with the cloth still covering my mouth and nose. There was no way a smell so sickening would be gone at this point. No way.

Bane entered with a bottle in one hand and a protein bar in the other. Confusion raced through me as to where we stood and what I thought about everything as he laid the two things on the table. “Try to drink and eat this when you can.” His thumb came up and rubbed my face. “You’re in shock and need the nourishment. I need to go make sure my family will be safe. Stay here. I’ll be in the shed.”

I mumbled, “Be careful.”

“I will.”

With Hampton standing at the door, Bane left the room. I wanted Eric and Sarge dead. They were truly vile people. Villains like them weren’t supposed to be real. They planned to use me and the baby to keep Bane in Black Division. Was there anyone else who knew about the plan? Bane would get to the bottom of it all.

Frankie.
I’d lost my brother today. Turning on my side, I let all the emotion out as I tried to think if there was something different that could have been done to save him. Frankie had been a liability all along. If only he’d walked away from whatever they’d offered him. But then, I wouldn’t have met Bane. I wouldn’t be pregnant.

Baby. Family.

How did I feel about this being forced upon me? I wasn’t sure. But, I would love and cherish this baby forever. There was no going back. I cared for Bane, but as of this morning he was willing to walk away from me forever. Now, because of the baby, he wanted to keep me around.

There was one thing I knew I wanted. To be loved for me and not because I was carrying someone’s baby.

MY EYES FELT heavy.

My limbs couldn’t move.

There was something important I needed to check on.

The fog needed to clear so I could think.

A sweet angelic voice broke through my conscience. “No, he’s still asleep. I’m fine. I’ve been sleeping on the couch. Yes, I promise I’ve been eating. Yes, they haven’t left the door. Okay, I’ll call you if anything happens. Thanks, Hampton. Means a lot. Talk to you soon.”

I cracked open my eyes and caught sight of Maren. “Angel.” My voice was hoarse and my head hurt like a fucking semi drove through it.

“You’re awake!” The loud excited voice was like a hammer bashing me in my head. I pushed further into my pillow. The relief on Maren’s face brought a warmness to me.

Baby. She was pregnant. I remembered that important thing that had been plaguing me only moments ago.

She was at my side in a second. The darkness closed in on me. I needed to know one thing. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, we’re fine.”

We’re. Does she mean the baby?
I had to verify. I had to make sure. “The baby, too?”

“Yes, the baby is fine. The doctor checked me out.” Her voice sounded confident. Maren wouldn’t lie to me.

My eyes closed as I whispered, “Thank, God.”

I fell back into the oblivion.

Opening my eyes, I saw Hampton sitting in the chair Maren had been in before. I scanned the room as dread seeped in with the antiseptic smell. Had she left me? She couldn’t leave me. I’d been such an ass the day Eric found us. Things needed to be set right between us. “Maren?”

There was no answer from her voice. She wasn’t here. Where was she? I tried to sit up and Hampton pushed me back down. “Take it easy. She’s at the hospital. The doctor’s examining her.”

He sidestepped my question. “Why? What’s wrong?”

A firm hand stayed on my chest. I was two seconds away from ripping the damn cords off of me and finding her.

“He’s being cautious with all the stress she’s been under.”

That was closer to the truth, but not all of it. “What the fuck happened, Hampton?”

Running a hand through his white hair, he blew out a breath, only raising my anxiety. “She started spotting. John thought it best to do a thorough examination at a hospital.”

John Willbanks. I remembered telling Hampton to take me to him. He was a doctor who saw people off the books for a price. No questions. Just cash. I was in his home. I recognized the room. Not much changed since the last time I was here five years ago.

I tried to sit up. “Bane, lay your ass back down. I have three of my best guys with her. Do you remember what happened?”

My pulse rocketed under my veins. The heart monitor confirmed it as the beeping increased. All I could think about was Maren. “Let me talk to her and then I’ll think about all that other shit. I need to hear from Maren that she’s okay.”

Of all people, Hampton knew what I had been through. The fear from what happened with Jasmine bulldozed its way to the surface. Happiness wasn’t something I deserved. Something was going to take away my last chance at love … I knew it.

Hampton handed me the phone with the number already dialed. It rang twice before she picked up. “Hampton, I was about to call.”

Her voice instantly soothed me. It sounded normal. If something happened she’d be upset. Wait … was she upset about the baby? We needed to talk. What if she didn’t want the baby? What if she tried to abort it? I took a steadying breath realizing I was overreacting. Maren wouldn’t do that. Through all our time together I knew her as a person.

I swallowed hard. “Angel, it’s me.”

A page with someone’s voice went through the speakers and came through the line. “You’re awake! How are you feeling?” She sounded calm and excited to hear from me. Thank goodness.

There was no hiding how stressed I was. “How are you and the baby?”

“We’re fine. The doctor left and said the amount of bleeding was normal. I’m supposed to take it easy for the next few days. If any more spotting occurs, I should come back.”

I heaved a sigh of relief. “Good. Are you on your way back?”

“Yes. As soon as I get the discharge papers. The doctor estimates I’m almost five weeks along, which means I got pregnant one of the first times we slept together.”

Even if I’d been strong enough to stay away after the first time, chances were Maren would have my child inside her. Some things were meant to be. I’d been drawn to Maren like a moth to a flame. There had never been a chance for me to stay away. It was all clear now looking back.

“Bane?” There was hesitation. Had I responded to what she said? Fuck, I messed this up. When she got back, I’d clear the air—set things straight.

“Yeah, angel?”

“I’ll be back in about twenty minutes.”

“I need to see you.”

“I’ll hurry, Bane.”

I laid back and remembered the questioning of Eric and Sarge. It had been brutal as I pulled their finger nails out one by one, ensuring no one else knew about Maren, Hampton, me, or the pregnancy plan. As I’d assumed, me coming back to Black Division wasn’t the real reason to get Maren pregnant. It had been a way to get me to cooperate based off my history with Jasmine. Playing off my fears to subdue me until they got what they wanted.