by Alison Mello
Stone comes into our section and says, “Hey, baby, sorry I couldn’t get away.” He kisses me and takes the seat next to me.
“It’s fine. What time can we roll out?”
“Logan said I can take you home as soon as the club is empty. Are you feeling okay?” he suddenly looks concerned.
“Yeah, I’m just tired.”
“Okay, well, I’ll get us out of here as soon as I can.” He gets up to start clearing the place out. A minute later, Shawna appears with a final round of drinks for the girls as well as my drink and a water for me. We all thank her for taking care of us tonight and then enjoy our final drink of the night.
Chapter 18
Miranda
I pull up to work on Monday morning, and Slade waves goodbye as I walk into the building. Slade or Cole have been following me, and as soon as I’m through the door, they head back to the house to be there in case Stone needs them. I’m still pretty tired from our crazy weekend, but I’m thankful that I’m feeling way better than I have been. I’m finally keeping food down, and it’s so nice that the slightest things no longer turn my stomach. Now my struggle is clothing. Some of my dress pants are already starting to get tight on me.
I need to hurry upstairs because I fell behind from being sick the last few weeks, and I need to see if Higgins has approved the remainder of my plans for the party so I can get to work making all of the reservations he’s going to need for that night. I want to get this done and over with so I can plan the promo part of the event and then hand over the final bill.
When I get upstairs, Tanya is already here, but Katie and Lila aren’t. It’s early, though, so I’m not surprised. “Good morning, Miranda. You’re here early,” Tanya greets me when I walk through the door.
“Yeah, I have a ton to do now that I’m feeling better and can actually function.”
She gives me a warm smile. “I’m glad to hear it. I’ll let you get to it and I’ll see you in our morning meeting.”
“See you soon,” I say over my shoulder as I head to my office.
I take a seat and boot up my laptop. While I wait I pull a tea bag from my drawer and head to the kitchen for some hot water to steep it. Now that I’m pregnant I’ve switched from coffee to tea, so I would be taking in less caffeine. I grab one of the muffins that Tanya brought in and head back to my office. When I get there, my computer is ready to go. When I open my email I find I have at least fifteen emails I need to go through and one of them is from Higgins.
I quickly open it and it says that he agrees with all of my ideas, but he is upset and wants me to call him immediately. I sigh, but pick up the phone to call him. He answers immediately. “Miranda, how are you?”
“I’m okay, what can I do for you?”
“You can explain to me why Club Heat was using my idea of the masks for their Halloween show this weekend?” he complains, and I can tell from his tone that he’s really angry.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about…”
“Don’t play fucking stupid with me,” he yells into the phone. “Your boyfriend stole my idea and he’s going to pay for it.” He’s so mad he’s panting, and I’m willing to bet he even spit when he spoke. This guy is so gross.
“First, my boyfriend is only the head bouncer. He doesn’t make those decisions. Second, I didn’t tell him about the masks, so if they did use them, it wasn’t intentional.” I pause for a second. “Wait, how do you know they used masks?” I question, realizing the only way he would have known is if he or one of his guys was at the club.
“Because I got into the fucking club and was watching his dancers shake their asses. It was quite a show,” he is now sounding amused, laughing into the phone. What a prick this guy is.
“You were banned from the club,” I state matter of factly.
“No, Benny was banned from the club. They had no idea who I was. I even got one of the private rooms for a show, and I used it to not only enjoy the dancers, but to try and convince them to come work for me. The best part is two of them are considering it.”
I sigh into the phone. “So what do you want from me? Do you still want to move forward with the mask idea or do you want to come up with something else?”
“Oh no, you’re going to move forward with the mask idea, and you’re going to make my New Year’s Eve bash the place to be, because if you don’t, your pretty ass is mine.” His voice is low and full of anger. It’s a threat and one he has full intentions of keeping.
“Well, I guess I better get to work then.” I cut the call. I need to get a hold of Stone to let him know what’s going on. I look at my watch, he’s probably still sleeping. I’ll go through some of my emails and call him in a little bit. I push the email aside when I realize I can’t focus. I do some research on elegant masquerade masks, making note of price and location for ordering them. I find them in both silver and purple to stick with the new club colors. I send them off to Higgins and ask him if he’s decided what his girls are wearing yet and if any of these will work. I get an instant response saying he likes them and that he’ll take care of ordering the ones he wants. The ass tells me to get busy reserving everything else for the party.
Well, that was easy. I grab my phone and dial Stone, because I need to go into my meeting soon. “Hey baby,” he grumbles into the phone. His voice sounds tired, like he hasn’t been up long.
“What the hell is up with Logan using masks at Club Heat this weekend?” I practically scream into the phone.
“Baby, calm down. What are you talking about?”
“Higgins called me. He got into the club for the Club Heat Halloween show and said the girls were wearing masks like I’ve been suggesting for his bash. He’s pissed and says you’re going to pay for what you did.” I rub my temples, trying to calm down, but I’m failing. Between Higgins and my hormones, I’m a mess and I’m going to lose it.
“I didn’t know Logan was using masks. I don’t decide that shit, Logan doesn’t even decide that. Clay and Sky decide anything and everything that has to do with the dancers,” he says, trying to calm me down. “My question is how the fuck did he get into my club?”
“He says Benny was banned, not him. He even got a private show and he’s trying to convince some of the dancers to leave and dance for him.”
He sighs. “I have to call Logan. We need to see where in the club he was, and if we can catch him talking to the dancers. I also need to find out who let him in and get his picture out to all the bouncers. Logan is going to fucking flip.”
“Just be careful, he’s gunning for you. He thinks this is your fault and he says you’re going to pay.” I’m really starting to panic.
“Don’t worry, security will be with me if I have to go in to work. You just do what you have to do and I’ll see you for dinner tonight.” He cuts the call and I gather my stuff for my meeting.
When I walk into the conference room, everyone is there and they all stare at me as I take a seat. “What?”
“You were loud on the phone with Stone.” Katie looks at me. I close my eyes, mortified that half the office heard my conversation. “Is everything okay?” Katie asks, concerned. I take a deep breath and fill them in on what happened and how Higgins was allowed into the club only to discover that Logan used his mask idea.
“What a mess this guy is causing.” Tanya runs her hands through her short black hair in frustration.
“It’s almost over. I found masks he likes, so he’s going to order them and whatever else he needs for the girls. He also approved all of my other plans, so I need to reserve the food, order decorations, and figure out the promo part. We need to get the word out to high-class people as well as everyday club goers.”
We start the meeting brainstorming ideas for this guy so we can get this event done and over with. Tanya has sworn we will never represent another club again, and I don’t blame her. By the time we manage to come up with some ideas for the party promo and go through our regular Monday morning business, it’s lunc
h time. I’m starving and Katie has another meeting shortly. We agree to go to lunch near her meeting in separate cars and then I’ll come back to the office to work when we’re done. I let Tanya know that I’ll probably be late getting back from lunch since I’m driving a bit further than normal.
We both pull out of the parking lot and I’m following behind her because I don’t know where the restaurant is that we’re going to. I follow her onto the freeway, and that’s when I notice that the same car is still behind me. Shit, am I being followed? I squint into my rearview mirror and I can see it’s not Slade or Cole. I continue to follow Katie, still keeping an eye on the guy behind me. Suddenly he picks up speed and lines himself up on the left side of my car. Now I’m starting to panic because another car has appeared on the right side of me as well. I’m flashing my lights, trying to get Katie’s attention, but I’m not sure it’s working, and to be honest, I don’t know what she’ll do. All of a sudden I’m being bumped from both sides. I’m trying to stay calm, but I’m seriously freaking out. When the car from the left starts to bump me, I speed forward and swerve around the other car, almost hitting him. They continue to follow me as I take the exit. I need to get off the freeway before these guys kill me. I dig for my phone in my purse so I can call Stone, but it’s no use. I can’t find it and they’re right on me. I’m hit again one more time. This time it’s really hard and I lose control of the car. I end up in some grass, skidding until hitting a pole, leaving me pinned in the car. Fuck, my head hurts and my vision blurs. I close my eyes, praying that someone saw this happen and called nine one one.
***
Stone
“What the fuck do you mean she left the office? She knows she shouldn’t leave without either me or the security with her,” I yell into the phone at Katie.
“We were going to get lunch. We didn’t think it was a big deal, since you were the target. She was going to go right back to the office, but two cars came up alongside her and were hitting her car, smashing her between them. She tried to get away, but when she pulled off the freeway, I was already past the exit, so I had to loop around. By the time I found her, she had hit a pole. I called nine one one and the ambulance is pulling up now.” Katie is sobbing into the phone.
“Listen to me, you have to find out what hospital they’re going to. I’ll meet them there,” I direct her in a calmer voice. I don’t need her to be anymore a mess than she is. I need to get to the hospital. I hear her mumbling to someone, but I can’t hear any of the conversation.
“They’re going to Saint Christopher’s.” She lets out a deep breath. “I’ll meet you there.”
“Katie, you need to calm down before you drive again. Take your time and I’ll see you at the hospital.”
I run my fingers through my hair. I take a deep breath and text both Cole and Slade, telling them to meet me downstairs in five minutes. I call Logan. “Dude, they fucking got to Miranda.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know yet, but they caused her to crash. She’s pretty messed up, Katie said. I’m on my way to Saint Christopher’s.”
“Fuck, I’ll meet you there.”
“Do me a favor. Call Cooper and get him to nail these bastards.”
“I’m on it.” Logan cuts the call.
When I get downstairs, as directed, Cole and Slade are there. I tell them what happened as I jump into my truck. Slade jumps in with me and Cole follows behind us in their SUV. I fly out of my spot and in the direction of the hospital. We live at least thirty-five minutes from Saint Christopher’s. I’m hoping by the time I get there someone can tell me something.
“Stone, I know you’re freaking out and you want to get there quickly, but dude she needs you in one piece.”
“I know. I can’t help it. I need to get there. I need to be there for her, and I need to know that she and the baby are okay. God help that motherfucker, because I’m coming for his ass.”
“We’ll get him, but you still need to chill the fuck out,” Slade growls, holding onto the handle in my truck. I know I’m driving like an asshole, but shit, my girl is on her way to the hospital and she’s carrying our baby. I need to know something.
I finally pull in to the hospital. I jump out of the truck. “Take care of that for me, will ya?” I shout over my shoulder to Slade as I run straight to the desk in search of my girl.
“Stone,”Katie calls over to me. “I haven’t heard anything yet. All I know is they’re checking her out.”
“Tell me everything,” I beg. We take seats and she starts from the beginning, telling me that two black cars each pulled up alongside Miranda. She started to panic because she knew that wasn’t a good sign. “I kept checking my rearview mirror to keep an eye on her, but I didn’t know what to do. I started to speed up, hoping Miranda would take the same opportunity and she did, but they followed after her. I didn’t anticipate her getting off the freeway, and that’s when I lost her. By the time I got back there she’d been pinned in the car by the pole she hit. Her car is totaled.” She looks down at her hands as she nervously plays with her fingers.
I sigh. “I’m sorry I yelled at you. This isn’t your fault. I should have left one of the guys at the office.” She says nothing and we both go into silence. I begin pacing the waiting room. I’m so antsy there’s no sitting still. Cole and Slade are standing across the room keeping us safe while I try to maintain some control. “Where the hell are the damn doctors?” I growl.
“I’m sure they’ll be here soon,” Logan walks in with Shane and Sky. Katie gets up and runs into Shane’s arms, sobbing yet again in fear for her friend. “Cooper will be here any minute to ask Katie everything she saw. He also has LAPD checking the traffic cams to see if they can spot anything.”
Sky takes Katie to sit down. She wraps an arm around her and tries to comfort her. “Have you heard anything yet?” Logan questions, lowering his voice.
“Not a thing. All I know is the girls went for lunch and someone was watching them because two cars pulled up alongside Miranda and started bumping her around the freeway. She was smart enough to get off of it, but still they must have hit her again because Katie said she hit a pole and hard.”
I run my hands through my hair again. “Fuck,” I mutter, taking a deep breath. “Sky, do you have a hair tie?” She smiles and tosses me one from her bag. I throw my hair up, frustrated with it in my face.
The doors fly open and the doctor says, “Stevens?” I step up. “I’m her fiancé.”
“I’m Doctor Malone.” He holds out his hand.
“Ms. Stevens is going to be okay but she’s in rough shape. Right now she’s unconscious, she hit her head against the side window pretty hard. There’s some swelling but we’re confident once it goes down she’ll wake. I don’t believe it’s serious enough for any permanent damage. She also has a few bruised ribs as well. Her arm has a slight break, so we’ve set it, and when the swelling goes down, we’ll determine if she needs surgery, but I don’t believe she will.”
“What about the baby?”
“We’re keeping a close eye on the baby. So far, the baby is fine, but only time will tell. With this much trauma there’s still a chance she could lose it. I’m sorry.”
“When can I see her?”
“We’re moving her to her room now. I’ll come get you when she’s settled.” The doctor walks out of the room. I’m so angry right now I want to throw something. I clench my fists, trying so hard to hold on to my last ounce of control, but so help me god, Higgins will pay for this.
Chapter 19
Stone
The room is cool and silent. Everyone left late last night, and it’s now been over twenty-four hours since she was admitted into this place. I’m exhausted. I dozed off for a short time, but woke back up in a panic. There’s not a chance in hell I’m leaving her side. Her beautiful face is bruised and she has tubes coming out of her as machines beep in a rhythm by her side. The only comforting feeling is knowing the beeps mean she and the baby are stil
l with me. I can’t even seem to look away from her. I’ve been here for hours now and all I can manage to do is watch her sleep. Every minute I’m awake I stare at her, silently praying she’ll wake soon. I’m so focused I hadn’t even noticed anyone entered the room.
“Here.” I look up to see Cooper standing over me handing me a cup of coffee.
“Thanks.” I’m so tired my words are barely a whisper.
“Any news?”
I chuckle. “I was going to ask you the same thing.”
He pulls up a seat next to me and sighs. “We can see the accident take place but the guys have no front plate on the vehicles, and with the angle we have, we can’t see the back plate.” He looks down to the floor. “There were two black cars reported stolen in the same area. We believe they used the stolen vehicles to cause the accident and have probably wiped them clean and ditched them, but we’re still looking, hoping they slipped up somewhere.”
I nod my head. “She still hasn’t woken or moved. The doctor told me it’s going to take some time, but the swelling is going down.” I sigh. “The baby seems to be doing fine, but she’s only about twelve weeks pregnant, so only time will tell.” I swallow past the lump in my throat, struggling to speak. The thought of our baby hurt, or even possibly losing it, makes me sick, and it’s killing me to see my girl lying here like this. I take a sip of my coffee.
“I know this probably doesn’t make you feel too much better, but I promise we will get whoever did this.”
