by Franca Storm
Quaint. There were what I deemed the “old school” stores, like a butcher, baker, a hearty pub, a wholesome diner, not just a series of megastores and malls. There were even specialty stores, like antique shops, jewelry stores and, fortunately for me, a maternity clothing store. It gave the town a real personality.
Friendly. People actually smiled and waved as you passed them by. The hustle and bustle of city life had robbed most people of basic human decency and manners like that. It was refreshing to experience such warmth. And, a little odd, to be honest. Like a lot of things for me at the moment, it would take some getting used to.
Safe. You’d think a town that’d become the home to a MC would pose a danger or something. But it was most definitely the opposite. Their presence actually quelled criminal activity, the intimidating rep of the club cutting any potential instigators to the quick. The members loved their town and took the protection of its inhabitants very seriously.
It was something even I had begun to feel personally. Ever since Slade had laid out my importance to taking down Nik and the Strikers MC and what I was willing to do to help them make it happen, the Steel Titans attitude toward me had shifted in a monumental way. Obviously, all the distrust and animosity from the past hadn’t automatically evaporated, but they had settled in my presence. They were no longer openly hostile. And they had my back, watching over me. Maybe that protection was also borne from seeing me as an asset in their war, perhaps some of them were even worried I’d change my mind and make a run for it. And, sure, in the past, I would have considered that a viable option.
But everything was different now.
I was finally so close to putting a life of loneliness and fear behind me. I was right on the verge of building something real, and my own family, with the man I’d loved for so long.
I made my way through the downtown area from the maternity store, carrying several bags with purchases I was both happy and relieved with, given that I was starting to show now and most of my clothes had become far too tight and uncomfortable. I spotted Java Joint a few blocks away and my mouth began to water. I’d developed a craving for those apple tarts after trying my first one several days ago. Now I wanted one morning, noon, and night.
Cravings coming out of nowhere was just one of the way too many unsettling things about being pregnant. There just seemed to be so much that I didn’t have any control over. By far, even beyond the whole vomiting thing, was my emotions flipping on a dime. I hated that. With the work I did, I always had to remain levelheaded. Even though I’d agreed with Cole to drop my more illegitimate clients, I still had many clients on the go who were completely above board, so I still needed to be at my best, or at least, seem like I was at my best.
Urgh. I hated the lack of control with it all, with everything at the moment.
I just had to hold on a little longer, though, because once the mission against Nik was over and done with, I could get my life back, and everything would be different. The club would relax and Cole, by extension. I wouldn’t have to look over my shoulder anymore with Nik out of the picture. And I wouldn’t be in the anxiety-inducing situation I was now… basically a prisoner on Steel Titans territory. They called it lockdown, apparently. According to Cole, it wasn’t a hardcore lockdown, because I was allowed out of the clubhouse and around town. But I was still being watched, my movements still restricted. All to protect me, their human asset.
The sound of my phone beeping, alerting me to a text message, pulled me from my unsettling thoughts. Easing my bags down onto the sidewalk, I pulled it from the inside pocket of my suede jacket.
Swiping it open, a rush of adrenaline shot through me when I saw who the sender was.
Nik Stone.
Shit. Slade had been right. He’d told me to sit tight and wait, predicting that Nik would make contact exceedingly quickly. He’d said he wouldn’t be able to leave it knowing the woman he considered his was on the territory of his mortal enemy.
I braced myself and opened the message.
Stop changing your number. It’s pissing me off. Tryin’ to keep an eye on you, protect my woman and you ain’t making it easy with ‘em burners of yours.
The fact that he’d still managed to get my number even with all the precautions I’d taken was as astounding as it was unsettling. I knew Nik had extensive resources and a formidable reach, but this was something else.
Remembering what me and Slade had discussed, I followed the plan and typed back:
It was necessary to keep others off my back.
His response after that was swift: Titans, you mean?
Yes.
You ain’t with that enforcer shit then?
Ancient history.
That ain’t what Ricky was saying.
I had to make it look convincing. You know his temper.
Yeah? Why’d you run that job for me when I threatened him?
I was trying to get Titans off my back. Wasn’t about him, just my survival.
I waited with bated breath to see if he’d buy it. He knew about my survival instinct, he’d seen it up close and personal a couple of times over the years. I’d done absolutely anything that I could to protect myself back then. Although I’d changed now, he had no way of knowing that. I’d busted my ass to keep off his radar for a long time. Unfortunately, as was the case with a lot of things that you tried to bury in the past, it had come right back to bite me in the ass with a vengeance. I knew there was a good chance of him buying it. I was playing into what I knew he’d wanted for a long time. Me finally giving up the fight and becoming his, his fucking property. If he believed what I was saying, there was no way he’d be able to pass it up. It was a weakness, one that Slade and I were prepared to use for all it was worth.
He finally texted back and relief filled me. He was close to buying it, just wanting more reassurance first. He took you then? You ain’t with them of your own free will?
They don’t want you pulling any more shit on them. Taking me out of the picture helps with that in more ways than one.
Another long delay. And then another message came in.
Slade wants to make a trade.
Wow. He’d put that together incredibly fast. Then again, the two of them had once been inseparable and known each other inside out.
He’ll be hearing from me real soon.
There were no further messages after that majorly ominous one.
The whole situation, the proposed mission, everything I’d discussed with Slade… it suddenly became more real than ever. It was coming up fast, too fast. The full force of the insanity, violence and brutality was going to hit me head-on any day now.
The thought of it, the burden of everything suddenly felt far too heavy.
My heart began hammering in my chest.
I couldn’t draw in a full breath.
My hands began trembling.
As I went to return my phone to my jacket pocket, the trembling had me fumbling. I lost my grip and it clattered to the sidewalk.
“Shit,” I grumbled.
I stepped forward to snap it back up, but a sudden wave of lightheadedness took me over.
“Mason!” a voice screamed out.
The awful feeling overpowered me quickly and before I knew it, it had me losing my balance.
I started to topple.
Arms wrapped around me, stopping me from crashing down hard onto the sidewalk.
“Got you,” a rumbling voice spoke to me.
As I was hauled off my feet, I looked up to see Mason Cross carrying me. What on earth? He walked in through an open store door and as we passed on through, I saw Lucy Taylor holding it open.
Mason laid me down on a sofa.
The next thing I knew, Lucy was perching on the arm and holding a bottle of water out to me. “Take slow sips,” she instructed me. “It’s okay, you’re safe here.” She glared at Mason. “Right, baby? She’s perfectly safe here, yes?”
He grunted, then forced out, “Yeah, she’s good here.”
Had I actually hit the ground and passed out? Was this some sort of messed-up dream?
“Drink,” Lucy said, trying to push the bottle into my hand.
“I’m fine,” I said, jerking away and scrambling to sit up.
My sudden, panicked movements brought on another brutal wave of lightheadedness and I was forced back down before I’d even managed to fully lift my head up.
So much for my attempted escape.
As I looked between Mason and Lucy, I realized my failed escape had really ramped up the awkwardness between us. I hadn’t even known that was possible.
Talk about not thinking straight.
“Thanks for the… uh… save,” I stumbled. “Both of you.” I forced myself to focus and started my second attempt to ease myself into a sitting position on the couch. “I should go, though. I need to go.” And now I was rambling aloud.
“Baby,” Lucy said softly, laying her hand on Mason’s bicep.
His intense stare finally left me and he turned to her with soft, lovesick eyes. “Little darlin’?” he questioned.
She ran her fingers back and forth along his bicep and it seemed to act like a sedative, the big, bad SAA of the Steel Titans MC, losing his hard edge and softening for her. Wow. That was a major accomplishment. “Natasha dropped her bags outside when she nearly fell. Can you go get them?” She gave him a pointed look. “No rush, okay?”
He nodded, gave her a kiss on her forehead, then took off out of the shop.
With his overbearing, intimidating presence gone from the place, I was able to breathe a little easier. A little. I was still facing off with Lucy. Her hatred of me was only a little less intense than her boyfriend’s.
Oh well. It was what it was. With Cole and I finally agreeing to be together properly, it was only ever going to be a matter of time before I came into contact with them again. Time to face the music.
As I braced myself, wishing I wasn’t feeling so ill and weak for this inevitable conversation, I was more than a little surprised when Lucy pulled up a chair beside the couch I was on and actually smiled at me.
“Are you okay?”
The genuine kindness in her question was yet another shock.
“I'm fine,” I lied.
“Almost collapsing outside on the sidewalk isn’t fine.”
“A lot has been happening.” I shrugged. “It comes with the territory, the work I do.”
“Word is that you’re no longer doing that work, that you’ve retired your Nightshade alias.”
“The illegitimate aspect is gone, but I’m still in the transporting game. I have a lot of above-board clients.”
She nodded her understanding. “It can’t be easy trying to do all of that from here.”
“It’s fine.”
“You don’t need to be on guard around me. Mason either. Things are different now. We know what really happened back then and why you did what you did.” She rolled her eyes. “Why Mason did what he did.”
I was stumped. Mason had actually finally admitted that he’d been at fault too? That was… unprecedented and a big step in the right direction. Maybe a reconciliation was possible after all. Between all four of us.
“I know what it’s like to be on the run, to live with that kind of awful fear, always having to look over your shoulder. It can make you desperate, having you making decisions that go against the type of person that you are. Most of my childhood was spent like that.” She sat forward on her chair, urgency spilling from her. “I was right the first time about you, before everything got blown out of proportion, before we understood just how bad Nik had been stalking you. You’re a good person. The fact that Cole has been fighting to hold onto you all of this time is proof enough. He’s very cautious with who he allows to get close to him. If you’re up for it, I’d like to try to repair our friendship.”
I took her words in. And then I managed a smile, dropping my guard enough to tell her, “Maybe we can help each other.”
She arched an eyebrow. “I’m listening.”
“I’ll have a word with Cole, tell him to ease off with his suffocating protectiveness over you.” I didn’t want them at odds like they had been since Cole had returned and found she’d hooked up with his best friend. Lucy meant so much to him, that without her in his life, a part of him was missing.
She grinned. “That sounds great. Thank you, Nat.”
“No problem.”
Her eyes dropped to my belly. “Congratulations, by the way.”
I stilled. She knew?
And then it hit me. That was why her and Mason had been so worried about my near-fainting spell outside. Sure I was starting to show, but it wasn’t noticeable with the way I was strategically covering my bump. So, Cole must’ve told them then. Why hadn’t he given me a heads-up about it?
“It’s okay,” she assured me. “Just me and Mason know and we won’t spread it around. We’ll keep it quiet until you’re ready to tell everyone else.” Excitement shone in her eyes. “I’m happy for you. Cole has wanted his own family for a long time. He never thought he’d get the chance.”
“I know.”
She shot a glance over her shoulder at the door, then dropped her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “I know the club wants you to help them take down the Strikers. Clearly the stress of that and moving to a place that you don’t know with people who’d been holding a grudge against you for a long time is taking its toll. Nearly fainting outside wasn’t nothing. No matter what, you need to do what’s best for you and the family you’re creating. The baby comes first. I know there’s a lot of pressure from Slade and the other Steel Titans members, but protect that baby, yourself and Cole. That’s all that matters. If a choice needs to be made, I think it’s more than clear what the right one is. I’ll help you in any way I can. I know what it’s like to be pushed around by domineering, overbearing men with their own agendas.”
Before I could get a word out to respond to her beautiful, heartfelt words, she knelt down in front of me and took my hand. “I’m a veteran at living an isolated existence, always shoved into the corner by the boys. You’re stronger than me, a real warrior. But you’re not alone now either. Cole will fight for you, even against the club. And if you let me, I’ll also help you in any way I can.”
“Lucy, you don’t need to feel guilty about the way things went down all those years ago. We all made mistakes back then. That’s all in the past now.”
The bell over the door chimed and Mason strode back in.
“You good?” he asked Lucy.
“Yes. Thanks, baby.”
He nodded, then stopped by my chair, putting my shopping bags down on the edgy looking vibrant purple rug with a silver zig-zagging design. I finally took in the shop for the first time since I’d been carried in. It was amazing.
Vibrant, edgy colors that reflected the personality of Lucy, herself.
Jewelry was on display in cases, on shelves, on jewelry trees.
Everything was well laid out.
Clearly, a lot of care and detailed planning had gone into every element of the room to create the amazing boutique jewelry store, Bluebell’s.
“Your store is amazing,” I told her.
Her face lit up. “Thanks.”
“It’s been a long time coming,” Mason piped up. “She’s killed it with this place.”
“Baby,” she said, blushing.
I chuckled.
“Here,” Mason said, putting an end to my laughter as I saw him holding my phone out to me. I hadn’t realized until now that I hadn’t had it with me. I must’ve dropped it on the street earlier, along with my bags.
Something flashed in his eyes briefly as he handed it over, but it was gone so quickly that I didn’t have a chance to figure out what it meant. Weird. Then again, everything between him and I was a little weird.
It was shocking how one mistake could impact so much for so long.
And a real shame, too.
“Thanks,” was all I
managed,
He smiled, actually smiled at me. “No problem, sweetheart.”
“Nat,” Lucy called. “We were wondering if you and Cole were up for having dinner with us?”
“I—”
“We’re finally all settled into our new place and we’d love you guys to be the first over.”
I looked at Mason. “For real,” he assured me.
“I… okay, sure. That’d be nice.” What else could I say? They were extending an olive branch. I couldn’t just dismiss it. There seemed to be a real chance now for us all to make amends and fix what was broken between us. I couldn’t pass that up.
I had to try.
After all, it was all I could do.
Lucy had been a great friend to me before our friendship had been fractured. And, more than ever before, I could really use one right now.
16
~Natasha~
“WHAT’S WRONG, TASHA?”
I jerked my head toward the sound of the voice to see Cole strolling out of the bathroom, his brown hair wild and damp from towel drying it, his sexy abs on full display, just a white cotton towel hanging low on his hips. The delicious sight of him was an instant turn-on.
“Damn,” I breathed, licking my lips at him.
He grinned. “Finally, those pregnancy hormones are working in my favor.” He crossed to the bed and perched beside me. I was sprawled out all cozy under the covers. His humor vanished, concern taking his place as he pressed, “Something’s up.”
“You’re far too perceptive for your own good, you know that?” He’d been able to tell just from the look on my face as I’d been staring off into space deep in thought.
“I know.”
“I’m just thinking about everything ahead of us.”
He reached out and took my hand. “I know you’re worried. It’d be stupid not to be. But we’ve got this. We’re going to do this the cautious, smart way. I’ve got your back, the club does, too. Everything will be fine. I promise.”
I felt sick hearing him work to reassure me when I was holding onto a big secret. If he knew about Slade’s plans, the deal we’d struck, there was no way he’d let me go through with it, though. And then we’d be worse off than when we’d started. Me not accepted by the club. Him having to keep his distance. Our baby growing up with only one parent.
