Long Shot: A Brewed Moon Novella

by J. Margot Critch

  Mitch narrowed his eyes at Erica’s tone. Steve and Joe stood from the table and headed out the door, as well.

  “Later boss man,” Steve said as both men walked out.

  Alone, Mitch pulled out his phone and called Juliana. She picked up after several rings.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey babe,” Mitch said, frowning at her tone. “Erica was just here. She told me you still weren’t feeling well.”

  “Um, yeah. Everything is fine.”

  “How about I come over?”

  “No don’t,” she spoke too quickly. “I mean, don’t worry, I’m fine. I was just about to go to bed.”

  Mitch knew something was wrong, and every instinct he had told him that he should go to her. But if there was one thing he was learning about Juliana, it was that it never worked to push her. No matter how much he might want to be in control, he had to let Juliana run her own life.

  “Alright,” he said. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Okay great. I love you.”

  Despite the uneasiness and worry, he smiled, never tiring of her saying those words. “I love you, too.” He hung up and sat on the couch. He turned on the TV and tried to focus on baseball game but it proved to be a poor distraction. His thoughts inevitably returned to Juliana and he knew that despite her assurances there was something wrong. He was agitated, and he needed to see her.

  Juliana hung up the phone and put her head in her hands. Pregnant. After the girls had left, she used the other pregnancy test. Same result. She felt a weariness that seemed to reach down into her bones. She’d been pushing herself hard in the last couple of weeks to get everything ready at the café, until now she’d just assumed her fatigue was from the stress of those long hours.

  She padded to the bathroom and ran a hot bath. Perhaps a good soak would ease her stomach and relax her. She pulled out her phone as she knelt beside the tub, and a quick Google search confirmed that pregnancy would explain her recent fatigue, nausea, the hormonal imbalance.

  Shedding her clothes, she dipped a toe hesitantly into the foam of bath. The heat made her briefly recoil but she grit her teeth and gently eased into the water. The warmth that enveloped her was fantastic. It didn’t hold a candle to Mitch’s luxurious soaker tub, but it certainly improved her mood. God. Mitch. What was she going to do about him?

  She leaned back in the water with a sigh. With the reopening of Brewed Moon, she finally felt like she was getting control of her life back, and she wasn’t sure how a baby was going to fit into it now. And Mitch’s control-freak tendencies were just as bad. How could she possibly tell him? Before they’d gotten together, he’d barely been open to a romantic relationship and his job didn’t exactly lend itself to a normal life. She shook her head. She wouldn’t tell him. Not yet. Not until she saw a doctor and was sure how she was going to proceed.

  Juliana stretched her legs out and rested them on the edge of the tub. Her skin was flushed red from the heat of the water. She was proud of her calves, toned from running, and long hours on her feet at the café, though her poor feet suffered for it. What would happen to her when she got pregnant? She pictured her feet swollen and puffy from pregnancy weight, her stomach stretched, her perky breasts sagging with breast milk. Would Mitch still look at her the same way after a pregnancy?

  She had to get her own life in order before she bothered Mitch with the news.

  Her stomach rolled again as she wrapped her hair in a towel, and walked into the kitchen to fill up the kettle. Some mint tea might settle it, and then she would crawl into bed and worry about the future later. There was a knock on the door as she turned on the kettle. She checked the peephole. It was Mitch. She was exhausted, but even though she’d told him not to come, she was still glad to see him.

  “Hey. What’s up?” She moved away from the door, to let him in.

  He walked past her. “I hung up the phone and told myself that I wasn’t going to come over because you told me not to,” he smiled. “But, staying away just because you told me to? That wouldn’t quite be me, now would it?”

  “I should have expected you,” she laughed. “I said you didn’t need to come over. But I’m glad you did.”

  He held up a plastic bag. “I’m here to look after you. And I made a quick stop on the way here. I’ve got ginger ale, crackers, Popsicles, Pepto and Gravol. Anything you might need to feel better.”

  She smiled at him, as he walked to the kitchen to drop the bags on the counter. He couldn’t help but be protective, to look after her, and she knew that Mitch would make a great father. “That was very thoughtful. Thank you. I was just about to get a cup of tea. Would you like anything?” she walked to the kitchen.

  He followed her. “Why don’t you go rest?” He asked, taking the kettle from her. “Let me get it.”

  Juliana almost resisted, but she was still tired, so she nodded, and sat at the table. “I spoke to Declan.”

  She could see Mitch stiffen as he poured the hot water into her mug.

  “Oh really? And what did he say?”

  “He assured me that while he may have some ties to the mob, his interest in Brewed Moon is legitimate.”

  Mitch said nothing as he brought her mug to the table.

  “He also told me to talk to you about your business with him.”

  Mitch paused. “It’s nothing.”

  She shook her head and sipped her tea. “You’re unreal. You try to stop me from having business with the man, but it’s fine for you to go behind my back?”

  “It’s not behind your back when it’s something that shouldn’t concern you.”

  Juliana rolled her eyes, annoyed that Mitch wasn’t being forthright with her when he’d expected her to do everything he asked of her. “What are you hiding from me?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Mitch!”

  “I can’t talk about it,” he insisted, a hard edge to his voice.

  She put down her mug, and looked at him. “So there is something? Mitch, I need you to be honest with me. If you aren’t, none of this is going to work.” Juliana now had to think about her baby. She needed Mitch to be straight and honest with her.

  “Fine,” Mitch blew out a breath, and put his fingers through his hair. “This can’t leave this room,” his piercing eyes met hers and she nodded her assent. He paused before continuing, “but Declan and I made a deal that would result in the Russians going down. After what they did to you, to us, it was the only way to make it happen. And that’s all I can tell you.”

  “But, if Declan is a mob boss…” she said, the realization that Mitch’s involvement with the Irish mob may have gone much deeper than she realized dawned on her.

  “I know. It doesn’t add up,” he said. “Sometimes we all have to do things that we would rather not, but it’s for the greater good.” He turned to her. “That being said, I need you to drop this. I can’t tell you any more than that, and the less you know the safer you are.”

  She sat back, and watched him. He looked at her, his eyes betrayed a conviction that was absolute, but he looked regretful.

  “I didn’t want to involve you in any of my work, especially with what happened with Petrova. But when I found out that Declan was your partner, I knew there was something more to it, that it was possible he was using you to get a reaction from me.”

  “I don’t believe that. He’s been kind, generous, he wants to learn about the business,” she told him, but eyed him, wary. “Mitch, are you in trouble?”

  “No,” he told her. “I’ve got everything under control. Nothing is going to happen to me, or you. I just need you to trust me, and be careful around Declan.”

  Juliana thought about the baby, it needed its parents to be on the same page, in a function, honest, open relationship. But she refused to acknowledge the irony in not telling Mitch she was pregnant. One thing at a time. “And I need you to be honest with me. No matter what.”

  He paused for a frustrating moment. “I will be. I promise. Everyt
hing is fine.”

  Chapter 7

  While Mitch and Peter looked on, and Joe stood in front of the door, Steve waved his phone over various objects in the war room. He then used a second device and repeated the process. Having disposed of two surveillance devices already, there was no such thing as being too careful. Having confirmed the room was clean, Steve motioned for the men to relax.

  “Do you think whoever planted the bugs is going to be suspicious after we got rid of them?” Peter asked.

  Mitch shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. It might scare them into backing off if they know we’re on to them.”

  “Makes sense,” he agreed, as they all took their seats. “What do we have today?”

  Mitch sighed. “Lewis gave us busy work. Apparently, there was a break-in at Clover Greens Golf Course.”

  “Really?” Steve asked. “What does that have to do with us?”

  “Lewis is a member of the club, and he wants us to round-up the dangerous offenders that stole four bottles of Grey Goose from the bar.”

  “What’s he trying to distract us from?”

  “Maybe he’s trying to keep us away from the information that Declan gave us last night.”

  “And what do we make of that? Joe sked. “Think he was telling the truth?”

  “Maybe. We know that there is something going on with him. Lewis has been trying to jam us up since we started tackling the syndicates. It would make sense if he were being paid by the Irish under Dylan and Colin’s reign. I can only assume that he was also helping the Russians when they made their rise to power. If that’s the case, he can’t be too happy about his revenue stream disappearing.” He turned to Steve. “I want you to look into him. See what you can find-”

  He stopped talking when the door opened and Elle walked in. She stopped short, and raised an eyebrow at the group. “So, it feels like I missed something in here. Am I interrupting anything?”

  “Not at all. Just reviewing the latest assignment”

  Elle walked toward the group. “Ugh, yeah, I hear we have to go check out some golf course?” she asked, rolling her eyes.

  Mitch and his men stood, gathering their things. “You got it, we were just getting ready to head out.”

  Elle shrugged. “Sounds like an appropriate use of a specialized team,” she commented, sarcasm dripping from her voice. “But, Captain’s orders, I guess.”

  “It’s not all shoot-outs with mob bosses,” Mitch told her.

  “No, I heard that I missed all that,” she said with a pointed look, as she headed out the door ahead of him.

  Juliana pushed open the door to the café. Azura had opened that morning and even though Alex, a new employee was scheduled to start, Azura had taken over training her. As she walked inside, Juliana met Azura’s eyes and walked quickly to her office without saying a word. She should have known that Azura would follow her in there, and she wasn’t surprised to find her friend standing in her office when she turned around.

  “So?” Azura asked.

  Juliana took a deep breath, and faced her friend. She’d just come from her doctor’s office. Miraculously, her doctor had been able to fit her in that morning. Juliana nodded. “Yup.”

  “You’re pregnant.”

  Juliana nodded again, picking up her apron, and tying it around her waist. “I’m about eight weeks along.”

  “Oh wow. How do you feel about that?” Azura asked.

  She stopped. “I don’t know. It doesn’t feel real yet.”

  “Have you told Mitch?”

  “No, I haven’t. We’re in a bit of a weird place right now.”

  Azura frowned. “Is everything okay?”

  “Yeah, I think so. We’ve just been fighting a little. He hates that I’ve partnered with Declan. Not to mention Erica. But I hate that he’s trying to interfere in my business. And it feels like there are things he isn’t telling me. And then whenever we fight or talk about it, we just end up having sex so we don’t actually solve anything. I don’t know. It’s just something we have to work through. But I’m going to his place for dinner tonight. He’s cooking. It’s supposed to be a romantic date night. I’ll figure out what to do then.”

  “Why don’t you go on home? Alex and I have everything under control here. She’s great.” Azura rounded the desk to put a supportive arm around her shoulders.

  Juliana politely shrugged out of the embrace and continued to get ready to work. “No. If I go home I’ll only drive myself crazy. I need to stay busy.”

  After a beat of silence, Azure spoke again. “So,” she started carefully. “What are you going to do… you know… about the baby?”

  “Are you asking if I’m going to keep it?”

  “Yeah, but I was trying to be delicate about it.”

  Juliana smiled gratefully at her friend. She nodded. “Yeah, I think I am. I’m not getting any younger. What if this is my only chance to have a child?”

  “I didn’t know you wanted one.”

  “I hadn’t ever really thought about it. But I think I’m open to it. But I’m just so confused right now.”

  “I think you’re going to be a great mom,” Azura said, giving her a hug. “I can’t wait to be an aunt. Between me and Erica, we are definitely going to spoil this kid.”

  Chapter 8

  Mitch stood over the simmering pan, stirring. He put the spoon to his lips to taste the deep purple pomegranate sauce. Damn, that's good! He took a sip of wine, and checked on the duck breasts as they cooked in the oven.

  A knock on the door prompted him to remove the sauce from heat, and pour a second glass of wine to greet Juliana. He had to smile at her continued boundaries. He’d given her a key weeks ago, but she had yet to use it without at least knocking first. He put down the wine glasses on a nearby table, and opened the door wide to see her standing there digging through her purse for the key. She still looked a little pale from her recent illness, but her eyes were bright and lively. Without saying hello, he pulled her to him, and even though he’d stayed with her the night before, he kissed her as if he hadn't seen her in years. He wanted to forget the stresses of the past few weeks and simply enjoy a night to themselves. He inhaled, smelling her, the scent of coffee lingered on her skin and mixed with her light perfume; the combination drove him crazy. Oh, how I’ll enjoy her. Suddenly, his hands were everywhere-sliding up and down her back, finding the nape of her neck with one hand, while the other kneaded her firm ass.

  Juliana was the first to pull away, catching her breath. "Easy now, big fella. Food first. I'm starving and I've been looking forward to this all day."

  Mitch relented, kissing her lips briefly, once more. "Okay. The duck is almost ready. We can't have you starving. Sounds like you have your appetite back."

  “Yeah, I’m feeling a lot better. It must have passed.”

  He presented her with the glass of wine as he walked her to the kitchen. “Perhaps you would enjoy an aperitif while you wait for me to work my culinary magic?”

  She accepted the glass and was about to bring it to her lips when she stopped abruptly, and put the glass down. He raised his eyebrows at her in question. “But I’m still not back to one hundred percent,” she explained. “I probably shouldn’t have wine.”

  “You really should be taking it easy,” he told her, as he went to the fridge and took out the salad he’d prepared. “How was your day?”

  “Fine,” she told him taking the bowl from him and setting the table. “This looks great. I can’t wait to eat.”

  Juliana leaned back in her chair and patted her stomach. After being sick for several days, it felt good to have a full stomach of delicious food. Hopefully it would stay down this time. Mitch had really outdone himself with dinner. He cleared their plates and she looked over the dirty dishes piled in the sink. “I’ll wash, you dry?”

  “No way,” Mitch laughed. "The dishes are a problem better faced tomorrow,” he told her, taking her hand and leading her to the couch.

  He raised his a
rm along the back of the couch, and she curled into his side. His strong arm wrapped around her shoulders and she put her palm flat on his chest. She sighed, content in the moment, blissful. It wasn’t often that they were able to have calm, quiet moments. Juliana closed her eyes, inhaling the masculine scent of his leather and vanilla cologne. If there was a moment to tell him about the baby, it was then. She opened her mouth, but then closed it again. She couldn’t find the words.

  With just one sentence, she could drop a bomb on his entire life. Juliana knew she had to tell him eventually. She was already 8 weeks along, the doctor said in another month her baby bump would start to show. Her secret had a best-before date and the longer she waited the worse the shock would be. Better to get it out in the open now she thought, steeling herself, though her courage wilted under a fresh wave of doubts.

  How would Mitch even fit a child into his life? How many times had he put himself in danger with his work? Been called to a crime scene in the middle of the night? And what about his dealings with Declan? Was he a dirty cop? Would he put them in danger? She could look after herself, but she couldn’t put a child through that. Mitch’s life wasn’t set up to raise children.

  Still, she had to put all of the information out there and let him make an informed decision on how she and the baby she was carrying would fit into his life, if at all. She looked up and saw that he was staring down at her.

  “You okay?” he asked. “You tensed up there.”

  “I-” she said, taking a deep breath. Here we go. But she couldn’t find the words. “I’m fine.” Juliana grimaced inwardly at her trepidation.

  He frowned, and disengaged from her grasp. He stood and extended his hand to her. “Come on,” he said.

  She took his hand and allowed him to pull her from the couch. “Where are we going?”

  “To my bedroom. I have an idea.”

  Laughing, Juliana followed him. She would follow that man anywhere. “In your bedroom? I’m sure you do.”

  When she entered his room, he turned on the lamp by his bed. She loved being there. It was warm, comfortable, masculine. His bed, that swallowed her up. His sheets smelled like him. His essence filled the entire room. She closed her eyes, and inhaled deeply, pulling it into her.