by T. O. Smith
Tears streamed down Addy’s cheeks. She looked up at me, a small, breathy laugh falling past her lips. The beautiful sound warmed the darkest, coldest parts of my soul. “She’s real.” Addy breathed.
“She?” I asked, not able to stop the smile that spread across my lips.
Addy nodded. “I have a damn good feeling that I’m going to have a girl, and she’s going to have Joey’s eyes and attitude.”
My mood soured at the thought of Joey, but I knew Adelaide needed this. And if it made her happy, then so be it. I would suck it up.
Alyssa smiled and handed Addy three pictures. “You can go through that curtain there,” she said, pointing to a small curtain, “and clean the gel off of your belly.”
Addy handed me the pictures as she got off of the bed, disappearing behind the curtain. “You two are very lucky parents. The baby seems very strong and seems to be developing extremely well. Congratulations on being parents.” She said as Addy came out from behind the curtain.
I looked to Addy, smiling at her warmly, so happy to see a small smile on her face after looking so sad ever since Joey passed. “Thank you. I’m just happy to be having a baby with a woman as incredible as her.” I told Alyssa, though my words were solely for the beautiful woman in front of me. Addy’s smile widened at me as she allowed me to grab her hand and link our fingers together. “Should we just head back to Dr. Howard’s room?” I asked the ultrasound technician.
Alyssa nodded. Once we were back in Dr. Howard’s room, Addy leaned up to kiss me again. Fuck, she was finally loosening up with me, and I was loving every second of it. I needed my Addy baby back. “Did you mean what you said in there?” Addy asked me softly.
I looked down at her and nodded. “Of course, I did. Addy, this baby may not be mine, but the moment I heard that heartbeat, I fell in love with it.” I told her. Her beautiful eyes welled with tears. “I want to be here for you every step of the way – through the mood swings, through the morning sickness, even the labor and delivery. I want to help you raise this baby, Addy.”
Tears slipped down her cheeks at my words. “You’re too damn amazing, Tristan.” She whispered, her voice hoarse.
I reached up and wiped the tears from her cheeks, giving her a warm, soft smile. “Only for you, Addy baby,” I told her, and it was true. For anyone else, I would have booted them to the curb.
For Addy? I would fucking do anything to keep her by my side.
Dr. Howard stepped into the room., breaking our heartfelt moment. “Alright. Well, your baby looks extremely healthy, and it’s developing well, Adelaide.” He handed Addy a thick folder. “This is everything you can expect every week while you’re pregnant – with your body as well as how the baby is developing. I’ve also added in a list of over the counter medications that are safe to take while you’re pregnant, and there’s some information on some prenatal yoga classes, some parenting classes, etc. if you’re interested.”
He looked at me. “If something is happening, and it’s worrying you, you know how to reach me after hours.” He reminded me.
I nodded. I had Dr. Howard’s private number, and if something were happening with Adelaide, he could bet on a phone call. I wouldn’t take any chances – not with her or her baby.
He looked back at Adelaide. “Here’s a prescription for some prenatal vitamins that you need to begin taking tomorrow morning.” He told her as he handed her a prescription paper. She put it in the folder. “You look as if you already exercise – what do you do?” Dr. Howard asked her.
“I normally fight,” Addy told him. I sighed. That was going to have to stop.
He shook his head at her. “I wouldn’t do that anymore if I were you.” Adelaide pursed her lips in distaste. “Some boxing with a punching bag probably won’t hurt, but no more actual fights.” He informed her. “Light walking and jogging are good, but the moment you begin to feel tired, call it quits. You’re pregnant, and you don’t need to overdo yourself.”
She nodded in understanding, though she looked as if the idea of no longer fighting left a sour taste in her mouth. “Three meals a day is extremely important with some light snacks in-between. No more caffeine, and drink plenty of water. I want you to come back in a month for a follow-up appointment.”
“Anything else?” She asked him, looking a bit overwhelmed with all of the information he had just crammed into her brain.
He shook his head and gave her a warm smile. “I’m pretty sure Tristan will make sure you take care of yourself. I look forward to seeing you in a month, Adelaide.” He told her before he left the room.
It was real. My Addy was becoming a mother.
SEVEN
ADELAIDE
I was sprawled out on the couch in the clubhouse bar room with my headphones plugged into my ears, my music turned all the way up as I listened to an old hip-hop song. Tristan was sitting at the bar with Jesup, and the entire club was waiting on Tristan’s North Carolina charter to ride in for a run later in the evening.
The lyrics hit a sad note about someone passing away at a young age. I swallowed hard, realizing how hard the rapper’s words hit home for me. For three years, I’d watched numerous people close to me die.
Numerous people had even died at my own hands.
Joey was only twenty-four.
And I had already lost him – lost one of the closest people to me.
How many more people would I lose before all of this shit was over?
The clubhouse doors opening caught my attention, and I watched as Troy Hilton – the president of North Carolina Sons of Death’s charter – stepped in, his Vice President Kyle following closely on his heels. A few of their other members followed in behind them.
Tristan stood up from his seat at the bar to greet his cousin, Jesup standing up as well. I pulled my headphones out of my ears, watching as Tristan walked up to Troy, both of them shaking hands and pulling each other into a one-armed, manly hug.
“Good to see you, bro,” Tristan said as he stepped back from Troy. “I appreciate you riding out here on such short notice.”
“Not a problem,” Troy assured him as his eyes moved over the room, not taking notice of me yet.
But when he would finally notice me, I would be ready. Troy and I had always butted heads, especially since he was already in the life of an outlaw with Tristan, and I was just the girl that grew up in a trap house, not part of anything in particular.
I had always been considered dangerous – unreliable.
Emma strode over to me. With a sigh, I turned my attention to her. She had been wearing on my damn nerves ever since I had gotten here. “Are you going to help us serve drinks or just sit here like you’re better than the rest of us?” She smarted off, crossing her arms over her chest.
I arched an eyebrow at her. “Emma, why don’t you go fuck off?” I snapped up at her. She knew who the fuck I was to Tristan, and yet, every time that she thought he wasn’t paying attention, she had some snide remark to say, or she sent me a nasty look.
I was getting damn sick of it.
She sneered down her nose at me. “All of us women have been trying to get Tristan’s attention for as long as we’ve been here, so fucking forgive me if we don’t appreciate the special fucking treatment you get from him.” She snarled. I snorted. “You don’t belong here, Adelaide. You’re nothing more than Joey’s whore.”
Wrong timing, bitch.
I stood up, clenching my fists at my sides. The doctor may have told me no more fighting, but I didn’t give a fuck. I was about to knock this bitch right off of her fucking feet and onto her knees in front of me. “You want to fucking repeat that?” I demanded, my voice coming out cold, my warning clear: she had better shut her mouth before I shut it for her.
She laughed. “Oh, you think no one knew?” She asked. “Why don’t you fucking run back to your fucking master, Adelaide? I’m sure Joey fucking misses you. After all, he’s got to be the only man who will ever really want you. He did make you into his
fucking dog, after all.”
That was all it took.
My fist swung out, and I punched her in her nose, sending her crashing back against one of the tables. She shrieked in pain as she hit the floor with a thump. I yanked her up by her throat, my eyes glaring down into hers, ignoring Tristan as he shouted at me to let her go. Her eyes were filled with fear. I smirked down at her, watching as all of the blood drained from her face.
Tristan couldn’t protect her ass every fucking time, and unlike the rest of these bitches around here, I wasn’t afraid of Tristan.
Because she had one thing right. Joey had trained me, and he had trained me well.
“I can’t go back, bitch!” I barked down at her. She flinched. “You want to fucking know why? Because he’s fucking dead!” I screamed down at her. I shook her, not giving a shit that her face was turning blue as she clawed at my hands around her neck. “You inconsiderate fucking bitch!” I snarled.
I managed to land another punch to her face before Tristan grabbed my arms and yanked me up from her, forcing me to release her. I was seething, my chest heaving up and down with my rage as Emma sobbed on the floor, blood trailing from her nose and down her chin.
Just for spite, I spit on her face.
Jesup began to help her up from the floor as Tristan roughly swung me around to face him. I glared up at him, my eyes gleaming with rage. “What the fuck happened?” He demanded to know.
“Why don’t you ask the fucking whore who told me to go back to my fucking master?” I snarled up at him, still absolutely furious. She had no fucking idea what Joey and I had together, and it pissed me the fuck off that she thought she had the fucking right to assume shit about me and the man who had honestly saved my goddamn life.
“What goddamn master?” He asked me, clenching his jaw as anger sparked in his dark eyes – anger on my behalf.
“She doesn’t belong here!” Emma screeched. Tristan tightened his hands on me, keeping me rooted in my place as I made a move to face her again. I was seething. “She’s Joey’s bitch -”
“Shut your fucking mouth!” Tristan roared at her, making her flinch and cower back against Jesup who shot her a dark look for talking shit about me. “I didn’t ask you a goddamn question! Speak only when you’re spoken to!” He looked at Jesup. “Get her the fuck out of my sight. I’ll fucking deal with her later.”
“Tristan -.” Emma began again, but he growled, his eyes flashing dangerously as he turned his gaze on her again, effectively shutting her up.
Jesup steered her down the back hall. Tristan brushed my hair out of my face. “Are you alright?” He asked me gently, his mood doing a complete one-eighty on me.
I nodded, blowing out a soft breath as I flexed my fisted hands, forcing them to relax. “I’m fine,” I grumbled. “She just caught me by surprise.”
Tristan pressed his lips to my forehead, and I closed my eyes, drawing in the comfort that he was offering me. “Have you eaten anything for dinner yet?” He asked me. When I shook my head no, he shot me a disapproving look. I scowled. “You’re not just looking after yourself anymore, Adelaide.” He gently scolded.
I rolled my eyes with a sigh. “I’ll eat when I’m ready to, Tristan,” I told him, placing my hands on my hips.
“She’s a hell of a lot feistier than I remember,” Troy commented as he strode over. “Not the same, sweet Adelaide we all remember, huh?” He asked, looking down at me.
I bristled, putting my guard up against Troy. “You should know the answer to that considering it was your VP that I shot in the shoulder.” I snapped at him.
Kyle scowled down at me, but I only smirked in return. Tristan sighed as he ran a hand down his face. “Thanks for that, by the way.” Kyle snapped at me. My smirk only widened. “It took me three months of physical therapy to be able to properly use my shoulder again.”
“Why did you shoot Kyle in the shoulder in the first place?” Tristan asked me, his eyebrows pulled together, a disturbed look passing over his face before it became practically impassive again.
I shrugged before I crossed my arms over my chest. “I was at a drop, and Troy was there with Kyle and a couple of their men waiting to sabotage the entire exchange and lose the Sons of Hell one of our best clients,” I informed him. “It was a million-dollar deal. I wasn’t letting anyone fucking sabotage it.”
Tristan clenched his jaw and shook his head. “I keep forgetting that Joey had you in the middle of all of that shit.” He snapped. I glared up at him, a silent warning for him to tread carefully. He clenched his jaw, dropping the subject before he turned to Troy. “She’s no longer with the Sons of Hell,” Tristan informed them. Pain sliced at my chest.
Troy shrugged. “Guessed as much by the fact that she’s here with you,” Troy commented. “I heard Joey is currently MIA.”
I swallowed past the sudden lump in my throat, hating the swarm of emotions that warred inside of me at the thought of Joey being dead.
God, I fucking missed him. Hell, I fucking needed him.
Without a word, I turned on my heel and stormed off towards the bar. I could feel Tristan’s gaze on my back, but I ignored him, not even bothering to turn to face him. “Fucking hell; I wish I could have a drink right now,” I muttered as I walked up towards the bar. I looked up at Jhenna as I reached up to rub my temples where they were beginning to throb. “Hey, Darlin’, get me a cold water,” I told her.
She arched an eyebrow at me. “Just a water?” She asked, almost as if she couldn’t believe that I would want water on the night we were having a club party.
I narrowed my eyes at her. She instantly cowered back from me a little. “Did I fucking stutter?” I snapped at her. Her face paled the tiniest bit. “Get me a fucking water,” I ordered.
With a nod, she spun around to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water, handing it to me. I strode away from the bar and towards my room. However, before I could reach my room, my phone began to vibrate in my back pocket. With a disgruntled sigh, I pulled it out.
Time is ticking, gorgeous.
“Fuck!” I yelled, dropping to the floor as the ground beneath my feet shook, and the glass from the windows exploded, raining all around me.
Whoever had exploded this place did it with perfect timing – where I would be separated from everyone.
“Addy!” Tristan roared, his voice filled with panic.
I coughed, the air filling with smoke. It didn’t take long for me to realize that the building was on fire from whatever had exploded outside. I quickly pulled my shirt up to cover my nose and mouth, desperately trying to see through the smoke.
I could feel the heat wrapping around me, and I cursed. I couldn’t see past any of the flames and the smoke. I coughed again, my eyes burning from the smoke and the heat.
Was this really how I was going to go out?
“Adelaide!” Tristan roared. “Baby, if you’re alive, please fucking answer me!”
“Tristan?!” I called out, coughing again.
“Fuck, Addy, where are you?” I heard him yell.
I screamed as a board fell from the roof, and I jumped out of the way just in time before it collapsed on top of me. “I’m trapped!” I told him as I realized it myself, fear gripping my chest.
I placed my hand over my belly as I began coughing so hard that I was gagging, my shirt not doing much to help with the smoke in the air. “Tristan, it’s hard to breathe!” I managed to choke out.
“I’m coming, Addy. Just hang in there, baby.” Tristan told me, panic clear in his voice.
I couldn’t fucking breathe.
I dropped to my hands and knees, clawing at my chest.
Joey, babe, I’m so fucking sorry that I couldn’t protect your kid.
Everything went dark.
■ ■ ■
TRISTAN
She was no longer responding to me. My heart was racing so fast that I was sure I was either going to have a heart attack or a stroke. I had to fucking get to her before it was too la
te. The part of the building that she was trapped in was already burning high and hot.
“I’ll go through the back,” I informed Jesup. “The fire shouldn’t be too bad in there.”
He nodded, still speaking to the 9-1-1 operator on the phone. I rushed around the back of the building, Troy hot on my heels. I was terrified that something had happened to Adelaide. I could barely fucking think straight past the panic in my head.
I looked at Troy as we got to the back of the building. “If I’m not out in two minutes, something happened,” I told him.
Troy nodded. “Be careful, bro.”
I nodded, rushing in. The heat and the smoke were almost unbearable, but I pushed through, desperate to get to Addy. She was the only one who hadn’t been able to get out.
