by London Casey
“We fight for Cormac, kid,” Henry said in his rough, smoker voice. “Always for Cormac.”
There was only one person missing from all this.
Shayna.
What the hell was she doing?
46.
(Shayna)
I was escorted to the bathroom. It was like a freaking hotel room. There were three different kinds of showers, two tubs, marble everywhere. I could have lived in the bathroom it was that big.
I walked to the sink and turned on the water. I cupped my hands and splashed water to my face. It didn’t do anything. It didn’t make me feel any better. I stared at my reflection, water dripping off my chin. The scene kept rushing through my mind. Fiore and Zander standing together. They had been working together. They had known about me. About Sasha. About everything. Chills ran through my body. It was like everything I knew was a lie. From the time I was a kid until now. Losing Sasha to a dark world and then never being able to find her. Just to know for a second, she was okay.
I dried my face and then noticed something on the toilet.
A bag.
With my name on it.
I inched to the right and plucked the piece of paper resting on top.
Shayna -
For you. Hope it’s everything you both want. You will be taken care of the right way. I’m sorry for what’s happened, but you get the greatest reward I could possibly imagine - Finn. If you won’t love him the right way, I will.
- Mara
I put the note down and opened the bag.
I touched my stomach and gasped.
It started to make sense now.
When I got into the SUV, I had been complaining of my pain…
I reached into the bag and took out the pregnancy test.
~
Once again, the three minutes took damn near forever.
I sat on the edge of one of the tubs and cried my eyes out. When Finn opened the door and rushed to me, he dropped to his knees and touched my face.
“What is it? Are you in pain? I’ll call an ambulance.”
“Finn. No.”
“What? What is it?”
And I had to say it. I was able to say it. It would all mean more than anyone would ever know.
“I’m pregnant.”
Finn’s eyes went wide. “For real?”
“Yes. Those pains… the test… I need to see a doctor to be sure. But, yeah, I’m pregnant, Finn. After all this stuff. He got what he wanted, right?”
Finn stroked my cheek. “No, sweetie, he didn’t. I got what I wanted. You.”
A tear ran down my face to his finger. “Finn, this is insane. We have nothing. I don’t have a place. Your cabin… I mean, if you don’t want this… I’m not going to give anything up though. I mean…”
“Shayna,” Finn said. “Shut up for a second. The cabin is going to be rebuilt. Okay? Zander is dead. Fiore has been taken care of by his family. And I just signed a major contract with legal fighting. And my trainer is Henry, Cormac’s trainer.”
“Wait, what?”
“It’s going to be okay.” Finn placed a hand to my stomach. “And you’re the real fighter here, Shayna. Not me. You did all this. You took a crazy, stupid chance and look how it turned out. If you think for a second I would turn my back on you or our baby, you’re the insane one. I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.”
I lost it for good then. I cried like a baby. Finn held me the entire time. It felt so good to be in his arms. He was my ultimate protector. And now… holy shit… he was the father of my baby.
47.
(Finn)
10 months later
I didn’t think the call would ever actually come. But it did. I hadn’t seen or talked to Mara since the night we left Pete’s mansion. Part of me never wanted to hear from her again. I went straight into training and took over the fighting world, as planned. Me and Henry worked together harder than ever before. The old man challenged me, pissed me off, and a few times, I ended up with my hand at his chest, ready to punch him. He was that good and that loyal. I loved him.
I held Shayna’s hand tight as I pulled to the side of the small cafe.
“What are we doing here?” she asked.
“Let’s get a coffee. Just sit and chat.”
“What town is this?”
“It doesn’t matter, sweetie. We’re taking a road trip, right? I have time off until the next fight.”
Shayna reached over and touched my eye. The swelling was gone, the stitches out. There was just a yellow dot there now. The leftovers from my last fight. He had really given it to me. My toughest fight ever. But I pushed through and ended up with a TKO in the final minute of the fight. I wore him down and got the final punch.
“Your eye looks good,” she said. “They’re going to want you to fight again.”
“Come on,” I said.
I got out of the car.
I opened the backdoor and grabbed the carseat. Little Cormac was sleeping, but his eyes popped open when I lifted the carseat. He looked at me and smiled, then moved his hands.
The kid’s going to be a fighter someday.
And, yeah, we named the little guy Cormac. How could we not? The world didn’t need another Finn… but another Cormac? Yeah, that was good.
I held Shayna’s hand and carried the carseat with the other.
We went into the cafe and sat down. I put the carseat on the table. Cormac let out a noise and Shayna rocked the carseat to her. That baby loved Shayna more than I did, which I always thought would be impossible. The connection was like nothing I’d ever seen before. Christ, I’m supposed to be this big, tough fighter, but each time I saw Shayna with Cormac, it choked me up. It was the most beautiful sight in the world.
She had powered through nine long months of pregnancy. It took me four of those months to really convince her I was staying. I understood it though. Our circumstances were completely fucked up from day one. But I wouldn’t have changed a thing. Except Cormac dying. When I thought about that big Irishman holding the baby, it made me smile. He’d be the one who would rub whiskey on the baby’s gums when he teethed. He’d probably call himself Uncle C-mac or something stupid. And you know what? The kid would have grown to love Cormac.
But none of that could happen.
So my son had Cormac’s name. A big legacy to carry, but he’d be tough enough to handle it.
Shayna held Cormac and I waited.
When I spotted her walking toward us, I reached for Shayna’s hand.
“Hey there! Can I get you two…”
The waitress stopped talking. Shayna looked and her lips instantly began to shake.
“Oh… my…”
“Shayna,” the waitress whispered.
I pointed to the waitress’s apron. “Hey there, Sarah.”
Sarah.
The new name for Sasha. Yes, Shayna’s sister.
“We’d like two coffees,” I said. “To go. We can’t stay long, Sarah.”
Sarah looked at me. Then at Shayna. Then at the baby.
“This is Cormac,” Shayna said. “Our baby. We had a baby recently.”
Sarah crouched down. “He’s beautiful.”
From the side I could see the resemblance between Shayna and Sasha. From the front, they were totally different. Fraternal twins.
Sarah touched Cormac’s hand and smiled. “So precious. I’m happy for you.”
“Are you okay?” Shayna asked. “I don’t get it…”
“Let me show you the drinks,” Sarah said and took out a menu. She opened it and leaned in. “I had to run. I’m so sorry I never came back, Shayna. I never wanted you in danger. I’m okay here. You don’t need to worry about me.”
“Okay,” I said. “Just the two coffees, please.”
“I’ll be right back,” Sarah - Sasha - said.
Shayna looked at me. “Finn.”
“We can’t stay,” I said. “They want her. You know that.”
“I know,” Shayna whispered.
“So I’m going to say goodbye for real now.”
My heart twisted a little.
I didn’t respond.
Shayna put Cormac back in his carseat. He started to get fussy and whine.
Sarah came back with two coffees, a carrier, sugar, and cream.
I put a five on the table.
Shayna and Sarah stared at each other. They wanted to hug each other but couldn’t.
I had eyes all around. I could never really know who was who. This was final duty to Mara, Marie, and all that family bullshit.
Then again, blood was thicker than water, right?
“Oh, damn,” I said. “Cormac spit up. Sarah, do you have a napkin?”
Sarah handed me a napkin.
Cormac was fine.
I hurried to grab a pen from Sarah’s apron. Fast hands, fighter hands. I pretended to wipe Cormac’s face. I put the napkin on the table and started to write, all the while keeping my eyes on the cafe. It was sloppy, but the note was quick.
They’re coming. Run like hell. Visit your nephew anytime.
I curled up the napkin and gave it to Sarah. If she was smart, she’d know what just happened.
It was hard to get in the car and drive away. It was easy to grab Shayna’s hand as I pulled over a few minutes later. I explained what I had done.
I looked back to the carseat. We had a mirror on the seat so we could see Cormac’s face.
“That’s why,” I whispered. “For him. For us. She’s smart, she’ll run.”
“And what about the family stuff?” Shayna asked. “If they don’t find her…”
I looked at Shayna. “I told Mara I’m not killing Sasha. I never will. I said I’d check it out and report back. I did. I said she was there. That’s where my job ends.”
“It’s all a game to you,” Shayna said.
“Yes, it is. The greatest game ever, sweetie. It’s you, me, and Cormac. Now and forever.”
“So this was the point of the road trip?”
“Kind of, yeah. Sorry.”
“So where do we go now?” she asked.
I put a hand to her face and leaned in and kissed her. I licked my lips and groaned. “It doesn’t matter, sweetie. I’ve seen hell and I’ve experienced heaven. Everything in between is just space. But as long as you’re next to me, the game never ends.”
I kissed her again. And again. And again.
Our son, resting in the backseat, let out a deep sigh. He mustn’t have liked to see his parents kissing.
Get used to it… I’d never stop loving or kissing Shayna until the game was over.
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Don’t miss the NEXT book in the FIGHT series:
HURT
My first job out of prison is to kill someone… the problem? She’s the mother of my son.
I never got to meet my son. Hell, I never really knew Ashlynn was pregnant when I had to do some time. Now that I’m out, I want my life back. I want to fight, earn money, and live as honest as an outlaw like me can.
The second I see her and see my son – Jude – I know my life is forever changed.
I’m going to keep Ashlynn alive, no matter what. I’m going to love my son, no matter what. The second I try to settle into my new life, shit hits the fan again.
As it turns out – I wasn’t the only one sent to kill Ashlynn.
**
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Bestselling books from Karolyn James:
BACK DOWN DEVIL MC
Read the entire series today!
(Note: all the books are stand alone novels and do not have to be read in order!)
Novels
OUTLAW REVENGE
CRASH & BURN
DARK FALL
SECRET MAYHEM
TWISTED PIECES
STEEL TEMPTATION
SAVAGE LOVE
VIPER’S KISS
RUTHLESS HOLD
MORE COMING!
Novellas
RIDING DARKNESS
WILD BLAZE
EMPTY SECRETS
BROKEN ROAD
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Bestselling books from Ana Fawkes:
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This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
First electronic edition April 2016
Copyright © 2015 by Karolyn James, London Casey, Ana W. Fawkes
All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part of any form.
