by E. C. Land
“What the fuck?” I yell slamming out of my seat.
“Sit down, Rage,” Twister orders.
“Fuck that, this is my goddamn woman were talking about, tell me what the hell was in this message,” I growl pacing in place. Vision turning red, I’m on the edge of flipping hearing this shit.
“Brother, calm down,” Twister orders as Ace knocks on the door right before entering the room and handing the phone over.
“I don't know why you need her phone but she told me to tell you it’s cruel and mean with some other bullshit for interrupting her in the middle of one of the good parts and she is now not going to do as she promised,” Ace smirks looking in my direction, relieving some of the tension filling my body.
“Thanks, man, tell her I’ll get her phone back to her soon, ‘til then, she can rethink that decision to renege on that promise,” I grumble.
“I’ll tell her,” Ace chuckles, closing the door behind him.
Sitting back down, somewhat calmer knowing she didn’t see the message, I look in Gadget’s direction. “What did the message say?”
“One, it has a picture attached to it of you carrying her in your arms,” he states pulling the image up on the big screen. I fuckin’ knew someone had been out there. Motherfucker. “Here’s the message that came with it.” Gadget switches the image on the screen from the picture to the text. My vision narrows as I read what it says. ‘DID YOU ENJOY THE FLOWERS? THEY’RE BEAUTIFUL AREN’T THEY? LEAVE BEFORE I PUT THE NEXT SET ON YOUR GRAVE. YOU DON’T BELONG HERE BITCH.’
“Who the fuckin’ hell is this piece of shit?” Thorn mutters. He’s been quiet for the most part other than agreeing to what needs to be done or not. Thorn’s usually easy going, however, since the shit with Lynsdey then finding out the connection with Hades, he hasn’t been the same. I need to remember to pull him aside later. With all the shit happenin’ with the club, neither of us have had a lot of time to chill preferring to spend our free time with our women. Yeah, we’ve talked at parties and shit but not got to the heavy shit. He still hasn’t told Hades about his connection to Lynsdey.
Shaking my head, I turn my focus back to the issue at hand.
“Gadget, can you trace who sent this?” I ask.
“Not that simple. It would be a lot easier if they called instead of texting, since they didn't, I'll have to work my magic and see if I can track it. I’ll let you know what I find as soon as I do,” he states eyes focused on his screen.
“Rage, Cleo needs to be put on lockdown. I don’t care if she stays here or at y’alls house but until we know who’s behind this, she shouldn’t be left alone,” Twister declares.
“Don’t worry, Prez, Cleo isn’t leaving my side other than when we have church. I’ll let her keep her schedule the way it is and keep a prospect on her. We should put one on each of the women, make it seem like it’s club business, so it doesn’t draw attention to it being only her with protection,” I suggest.
“Agreed. If nothing else for right now, let’s get out of here and I’ll message you all if something comes up between now and the next church meet,” Twister says, banging the gavel down.
Standing up, I move toward my woman needing to put my eyes her. She’s my everything and I’ll be damned if whoever this sick fuck is will get ahold of her.
They’ll have to kill me first.
24
Cleo
I can’t believe Rage told Ace to take my phone from me. I mean seriously, I’d been right in the middle of a good part of the book. The suspense is killing me and I’m sitting here fuming at not being able to finish the chapter. You can say I become violent when someone messes with my books. I remember the first time Rage snatched a book out of my hand causing me to lose my page. I’d been so infuriated with him, I informed him he wouldn’t get any sex from me that day. Did my threat work? No, it didn’t. He ended up teaching me I couldn’t use my body against him. However, Rage knew exactly how to use mine against me.
“He better have a good reason for taking my phone,” I muttered to myself. Since I don’t have my phone now, I might as well figure something else to do. I don’t know how long they’ll be, and I hate sitting around doing nothing.
Guess I could practice my aim on the pool table. No one’s here to make crackpot jokes about me sending the cue ball off the side. As I move toward one of the tables, Ace comes back into the room smirking, “Rage told me to inform you to think on your decision to renege on your promise.” Laughing, the asshole goes back to stocking the bar.
“Asshole,” I mutter under my breath. Damn him if he thinks he’s getting any right now.
Once I have all the balls racked up, I grab a pool stick off the wall, finding one that feels right in my hands. Rage has been helplessly trying to teach me and I admit, I suck ass. Lining the cue ball where I want it, I bend to take my first shot, missing the entire grouping. Damn. Looking up to make sure no one saw just how badly I am, I reach for the cue ball again doing the same thing. Though this time, I make contact, barely, but it’s a start.
By the time I feel hands sliding over my ass, I’m more comfortable with myself having made several shots in a row. Might have been both stripes and solids but, hey, beggars can’t be choosers. Standing up straight, I lean into the solid mass of chest standing directly behind me.
“You took my phone,” I say accusingly.
“Yea, I did. I’ll give it back later. You were doing pretty good over here, how many times you knock the cue ball off the table this time?” he asks with a shit-eating grin on his face. I’m sure my face is redder than a crayon at his question. Once, I knocked the cue ball off the table so hard it hit a clubwhore in the ass. Why did it hit her in the ass? The bitch had been kneeling, sucking Hades’ dick. Talk about ewww. I usually don’t pay attention to what the clubwhores do around here. Long as they leave Rage alone, I don’t have a problem with them. They saw what I’m capable of when I beat Cristy up in front of everyone.
Shaking the memory off, I turn to face Rage. “I may or may not have knocked it off the table a few times but only when I started playing,” I grumble. Still holding the pool stick in my hand, I touch his nose with the tip, leaving a dot of chalk behind.
“Well, you wanna finish this game by yourself or maybe rack ’em and show me what you got?” he asks leaning down and kissing me quickly.
“We could play a game together. I’ve been practicing,” I say smiling at him.
“I can see that.” He grins though it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. I tilt my head, getting a good look at Rage’s expression. I know him well enough to know something is bothering him. Maybe a game of pool will help him relax some.
“We can even have a few beers if you want,” I say while turning to rack the balls up for us.
“Sounds good, baby. How about for dinner tonight we do Chinese or something?” Rage asks moving to get his own pool stick.
“Whatever you want, Travis,” I whisper when I’m standing right in front of him. Lifting a hand, I run it up his chest and curve it around his neck, pulling him down to my lips. “Just know, you’re not off the hook for taking my phone, especially when I was at a really good part.” Nipping at his lip, I pull out of his reach, grinning.
Seeing the heat in his eyes, I smile more.
“Challenge accepted, babe,” Rage growls. Stepping forward, he reaches out and grabs me by my waist with one hand while throwing his pool stick down with the other. “You wanna renege on that promise of getting rid of my blue balls, you’ll be playing with fire. Remember, Lave, I can make you hot and leave you wanting while I jack my dick off, spray it on your stomach, then go to bed later,” he states right before slamming his lips down on mine.
Moaning, I drape both my arms around his neck, pulling myself against his body. Rage cups my ass and lifts me, so I have no choice but to wrap my legs around him.
Ending the kiss, I’m breathless. I put my forehead to his. “Maybe we can go home instead of staying for a game of pool,” I s
igh.
“Damn good idea, I need to be inside you fuckin’ soon.” Giving me a devilish smile, he heads toward the main door, not bothering to put me down— not even when he reaches into his pocket to pull out the truck keys. “Ace, bring my truck to the house later today and don’t fuck with her. I find a scratch anywhere on my paint job, I’ll beat the shit out of you,” he yells tossing the keys to Ace.
“That’s not very nice, Rage,” I say.
“Lave, baby, there’s three things you don’t fuck with when it comes to me. You don’t fuck with my woman ever. My bike is right up there with you, followed closely by my truck.” The serious look Rage gives me makes me want to laugh but I don’t.
“Well then, at least I’m first on that list. How about you take me home and show me exactly how correct that statement is?” Leaning forward, I kiss his neck.
25
Cleo
My hands are shaking as I sit here waiting on test results. Rage sits beside me, running a hand down my back supportively. Over the past three weeks, several things have happened. Some scary and some pretty amazing.
First thing had been Rage informing me I’d have a prospect on me for the time being due to the threat I’m facing. He also informed me of the reason Ace took my phone when he did— then proceeded to lecture me on discussing dick sizes with the girls. I simply told him I didn’t need to compare notes on who has the best dick. Damn Gadget for reading our group chat. Kenny, Izzy, and Lynsdey agree with me that when it’s time to get our revenge on him, it’s gonna be great. We all know him and Dragon have the hots for Dr. Connors.
Next thing to happen is Izzy and the rest of us started putting the final touches on the Letters from Above charity event. They even convinced me to sing on stage with Chaz, the lead singer of Demons Among Us. Chaz refused to let the subject drop having heard me sing on occasion. Talk about wanting to pee my pants thinking of singing in front of hundreds of people. Rage wasn’t too fond of the idea at first, then he’d come to pick me up the other day and heard me singing on the stage while Chaz played his guitar. My eyes locked on his and I sang Jo Dee Messina ‘Bring on the Rain’ right to him. That night when we got home, he rocked both our worlds and said I could sing to my heart's content.
And last, but not least, we made an appointment with a specialist, figuring it’d take weeks to get to see the doctor. However, they ended up having an opening the day we called. After speaking to the doctor, they explained a few tests I’d have to do in order to see if I’d be able to have another baby. They’d also need to do an ultrasound of my uterus to see the damage done to it.
Now, here we are, sitting and waiting impatiently to find out the results from the test we had done.
“Baby, calm down. Whatever Dr. Longsten says, we’ll be okay. Remember, we have options,” Rage says, pulling me out of my head.
“I know, I guess I’m really nervous. Have been since doing these test a week ago. You know how difficult it is to focus on things when something this important hangs out in the air? It’s not easy, that’s for sure,” I ramble on ready to get this over with. I’ve dreaded getting my hopes up for any type of miracle but I’m anxious to see what the doctor has to say.
“It’s gonna be fine, Lavender, just fine,” he states, kissing my forehead.
“Thank you, Travis,” I sigh, taking in his strength.
A knock at the door has me sitting back up straight. “Good morning, Cleo, Rage, how are you two?” Dr. Longsten asks as she walks into the room. I’d been apprehensive about any doctor besides Dr. Connors due to all the shit that’s gone on but Connors recommended her. And I couldn’t be more thankful to have listened. From the moment I first met Dr. Longsten, she has been nothing but supportive, answering every question we have. I guess it comes with practice.
“Hey, Dr. Longsten, we’re both doing good. I guess you could say I’m anxious to see what the results are.”
“Well, let’s get rid of that anxious feeling you’re having now. I’ve got your results right here. Now, I am somewhat concerned about the scarring to your uterus and it may become an issue later in the pregnancy where you’ll have to go on bed rest as to not strain your body. Oops, sorry, I have a habit of jumping right in. Let me rewind really quick. Congratulations, you two are having a baby according to your test results,” she says, smiling.
Words escape me as I take in the news. Stunned, I turn to look at Rage. He has the biggest smile on his face as he stares at me. “We’re gonna have a baby, Lave,” he says, cupping my cheek.
“Yes, now I’d like to do another ultrasound to see if we can get a look at the little nugget. Also due to the scarring, I’ll be classifying your pregnancy as high risk. You will have to come into the office more often in order to make sure you and the baby are both progressing properly.”
“Okay,” I whisper, my mind whirling a mile a minute, thinking back to that dream I had of Reagan. I look down at the inside of my wrist, seeing the precious tattoo I had put there by Burner. Yea that was one other thing Rage and I did during the past few weeks. He’d taken me a couple of days after my dream to have this tattoo done. He’d gotten the same one, though his sits right under his collarbone. Burner free-handed a heartbeat with our baby’s name scrolled through the lines.
“If you have any questions or think of any before your next appointment, please feel free to contact me. Now, let’s get you down the hall to the ultrasound room. I’m gonna personally do the ultrasound today to see where we’re at,” Dr. Longsten says, guiding the two of out of the room.
My mind is having a hard time comprehending the fact I’m pregnant. She must be wrong. There’s no way. The other doctor told me I wouldn’t be able to carry a child.
“Alright, Cleo, I want you to remove your pants and underwear while I step out of the room for a moment. Use this to cover your lower half,” she says, handing me the sheet from the cabinet.
“Okay,” I say again unable to speak otherwise. I can hear my heart racing in my ears.
“Lavender, you okay, baby?” Rage asks, standing in front of me.
“Um, I don’t know,” I tell him honestly.
“Well, let’s get through this next part, maybe then you’ll feel better,” he says, softly placing a kiss to my forehead.
Nodding, I quickly strip out of my jeans, pulling my underwear down with them. Bending over, I pick them up to fold them before placing them on the chair next to the exam table.
Rage quietly lifts me off the floor, placing me on the exam table. The crinkling sound of the paper is the only noises to be heard in the room. Unfolding the sheet, I place it over my lap and wait for Dr. Longsten to come back in. Thankfully, we don’t have to wait for very long. She comes back in smiling sweetly at the both of us.
“Okay, Cleo, I want you to lie back and put your feet in the stirrups. I’m going to be doing a vaginal ultrasound today. The next time, we’ll be doing it over your stomach. However, I don’t believe you’re far enough along to be able to see anything that way.”
I nod my head in agreement, waiting for her to get setup. When she’s ready, she grabs a remote, turning a large TV screen on behind her. Furrowing my brow, I stare at the TV wondering why she turned it on.
I feel her insert the wand inside me, not once taking my eyes off the screen in front of me. Then I see it and my eyes widen. Holy shit, my heart skips a beat, Dr. Longsten wasn’t wrong.
“And there he or she is.” Her words draw me out of my trace. “It looks as if you are seven weeks and three days along,” she says all the while doing measurements.
Turning my head, tears fill my eyes as I find Rage sitting next to me, his eyes on the screen. He looks mesmerized by the small peanut. He must feel me staring at him because he turns his gaze to meet mine and the smile he graces me with sends any lasting worries out of my head.
“I love you, Lavender. I can’t tell you how fuckin’ much I love you but I do,” his voice fills with emotion. Rage stands, moving to stand by my head. Cupping
my cheek with one hand, he places his other on my stomach. Leaning in, he kisses me, right then and there, not caring the doctor is still in the room with us.
“I love you,” I tell him, blushing at the smile on Dr. Longsten’s face. I hadn’t even noticed she’d removed the wand and was now removing the gloves from her hands.
“Alright, Cleo, these are for you.” She hands me the pictures of our little baby. “I want to see you back here in two weeks instead of four. I want you to take it easy. As I stated earlier, you will be classified as a high risk due to the severity of the scars. I will, if I deem it necessary, put you on bed rest at any point I feel that’s what needs to happen. Now, why don’t you get dressed and I’ll leave a packet of information for you at the front desk for you to pick up. Congratulations again. I’m happy to see we weren’t gonna have to go the long way around giving you both this miracle,” she says, moving toward the door.
I slide off the table the moment the door is closed, handing the images to Rage. I quickly get back into my clothes, my mind reeling with excitement. Holding these pictures make everything seem more than real.
This time will be different. This time, I will do anything to protect our child. Even if it means lying in bed twenty-four seven.
“Come on, baby, let’s get out of here, I wanna show you just how happy I am,” Rage says, taking hold of my hand and pulling me into his side as we make our way out of the room.
“Okay, can we get Chinese on the way home?” I ask, smiling.
“You can have whatever the fuck you want, baby,” he murmurs against my forehead.
“Well, in that case, I want to go pick up some lo mein noodles and then binge-watch Criminal Minds on Netflix.” I giggle when he narrows his eyes at the mention of Criminal Minds. I’d recently started watching it and have become obsessed with the different crimes the team profiles. I especially like watching Shemar Moore.
