PREGNANT AT THE ALTAR

by Claire St. Rose

“What have you got?” I asked. We were still looking for whoever was shooting people up with this mystery drug and we ran dry on clues every time. He shook his head and my heart sank. It was just going to be more of the same, wasn’t it?

  “Nothing new. I don’t know how we’re going to catch this guy. We haven’t found anything yet, and we have eyes and ears all over the place. Either this guy is running one hell of an operation, or it’s right under our noses and we’re missing something.”

  I nodded. “Thanks.” Nothing new. I knew it, but it still felt horrible to hear it again. I wanted whoever tried to take Taylor out dead—with his head on a platter.

  Ben disappeared back into the office. I leaned back on the bar stool I’d been sitting on and stretched my back until it popped. I looked around the club.

  God, the place was rundown. It looked neglected. It had never looked like this when my dad had run the place. If he could see it now…

  I shook my head. It didn’t matter. It wasn’t as if he’d bothered to stick around. Why did I have to bother continuing his life’s legacy? On that note, I should just sell the place, but that seemed wrong. Somehow I felt like I couldn’t just get rid of the place.

  I got up, let Ben know I was leaving, and then got on my bike. I drove through town, noting how busy it was during the day. There was life everywhere, with people doing things I could never be satisfied doing. Office jobs. Goalless lives. But the life was nice to see, especially since I spent so much time out on the streets when it was ghostly quiet.

  Ruby’s offices were in a shop that used to belong to a hairdresser. The cutting stations were still installed in the walls in the front and only half of the shop was ripped out when the owner left.

  I walked through to the back, where a door led to the actual offices Ruby used. Ruby was behind her desk. Her copper-colored hair was pinned in a twist behind her head, and she had glasses perched on her nose. She only wore them when she was reading something she really needed to concentrate on, but she didn’t like them.

  She felt like it made her look like a nerd. It did.

  When I rapped my knuckles twice on the open door, she looked up. Her eyes were a shocking green, and then she smiled, rearranging the freckles on her face.

  “Hey,” she said. It was the same tone of voice she’d used when we were dating.

  “What have we got?” I asked. Mine didn’t sound the same. Her face fell slightly, that smile draining from her eyes, but she kept it in place on her mouth. If she wasn’t such a manipulative bitch, she could really be a stunner. She had the looks. She just didn’t have the personality.

  She handed me two thin manila files. I flipped the first one open and studied the photo. It was a mug shot on an Italian-looking guy called DiTrolio. He was wanted for skipping on parole. The second was a cat named Hamilton, who looked as fancy as his name suggested.

  “What do you want him for?” I asked. Ruby shrugged.

  “Not my problem. The bondsman sent those through. Bring him in and let him be someone else’s problem.”

  I nodded.

  “I would suggest you go after DiTrolio first. He was seen last leaving town, so you need to get out there and hunt him down. I would suggest you take someone with you; he’s handy with any kind of weaponry, and he’s known to have knives on him.”

  It was all in the file, but she was telling me anyway. I nodded and snapped the file closed.

  “Anything else?” I asked. I wanted to get out of there.

  Ruby got up and walked around the desk so that there was nothing between us. I’d preferred it when the desk had been a physical barrier.

  “We never just talk anymore,” she said. She stood right in front of me, and way too close. I crossed my arms over my chest.

  “We talk plenty,” I said. She shrugged and lifted her hand to my cheek. Her fingertips lightly brushed across my skin. There was warmth and familiarity with it. I liked how it felt—it brought back good memories. But it was over. Ruby couldn’t be that person to me anymore.

  I shook my head, dropped my arms, and turned around, stepping away from her. I left the office without looking back and shook off the feeling of her being that close.

  I felt her fingers on my skin all the way through the front of the shop and rubbed my cheek with my own hand to erase her. I pulled my phone out of my pocket when I stepped out into the sunlight and made my calls. I was going to leave this evening to find DiTrolio while he was still close, and I was going to take Jack and Morgan with me. They were the two guys whom I could trust to keep their cool.

  They both had a calm exterior, and even though they both looked mean, they weren’t the types to just blow their lids. Just the kind of men I needed with me.

  ###

  We met up at sunset, all three of us on our bikes. I’d put the carriers on my bag and packed enough clothes for four days. I wasn’t planning on being away longer than that. Jack was dressed in faded jeans and a sleeveless shirt. His gray eyes stood out against his tan skin, and he looked eager to have something different happen for a change.

  Morgan was a big S.O.B. with muscles that made everyone look twice, red hair that he hid under a bandana most of the time, and dark eyes that looked like they wouldn’t blink at the thought of inflicting pain. However, he had a solid mind on him. Self-control was an absolute in his case, and he’d packed, too. Perfect.

  I texted Emily before we drove.

  Out of town for a few days. Try not to miss me too much.

  She didn’t reply. I didn’t blame her; I assumed she was back at the ER doing another shift, and I knew from experience now how crazy it could get.

  I had information on where DiTrolio was hiding, and we drove out of town. It was a two hour drive to get to the town where we thought he might be, and when we got there I was disgusted. The town was barely more than a settlement, and it looked like it had been built in the Western era, too. We booked rooms in a motel, made sure all our things were in order, and then we hit the only bar in town.

  Marty’s wasn’t exactly the kind of place where I liked to be seen. It had a Wild West feel to it, complete with fake cactus plants in the corner and a sanded down bar that would have looked better with five coats of varnish. I spotted DiTrolio in a corner, sucking down whiskey and laughing with some boys who I figured would be trouble if we approached it wrong.

  We headed toward the bar and ordered alcohol of our own. I chose Gray Goose, straight. I wasn’t going to dilute my drink with sugary bullshit. Jack ordered himself and Morgan a Corona each and we huddled around a small, round table.

  I kept an eye on DiTrolio.

  My phone beeped, and I pulled it out. It was Emily.

  Rough shift, just saw your message. Another OD on that drug but pulled him through. Be safe.

  Another victim. Shit. I glanced over at DiTrolio. He was still with his posse, and I didn’t feel like starting a group fight. We sat together and talked shit for a while until I finished my drink.

  “I’m going to get another one,” I said and got up. “Can I get you boys anything?”

  They both shook their heads. I made my way back to the bar and ordered a Corona. I wasn’t planning on getting drunk. Not if DiTrolio tried to run and I needed to track him down again. A woman stood next to me, and I felt her looking at me. I glanced at her. She had hair all the way down to her waist that hung in a slight wave, and it was naturally blond, not the kind that came out of a bottle. She had a slim nose and full lips, and when she turned and our eyes met, she smiled.

  “Are you new in town?” she asked and turned so that I got a full frontal. She wore a dress that was so short it could have been a shirt, and the neckline was low enough that the swell of one of her breasts was pushed up and out of it by the arm she was leaning against.

  “Just passing through,” I said and paid for my drink.

  “I can show you some of the sights if you’re staying the night.”

  She said it in a sultry voice. She was beautiful, all right. Beaut
iful and more than eager. Usually, I would have agreed. I knew the “sights” she was talking about were really her assets, and she was willing to go all the way. Her lust came off her like a perfume.

  I thought of Emily. Beautiful and clever…and able to save lives. What a combo.

  “I’m with some friends tonight,” I said, nodding over at the boys. She nodded, looking disappointed, and I turned away. When I joined the boys, Jack nudged me.

  “What was that about?”

  I shrugged. “You know how they get in places like this.”

  Morgan raised his eyebrows. “We know how you get in places like this, too,” he said. “What’s wrong with you?”

  I shrugged. I just didn’t want to pull over some other girl when I had a girl like Emily back home. I didn’t tell the boys that, of course. They would just laugh at me.

  “If you don’t mind, I’m going to head on in, then,” Jack said, getting up. I was willing to bet blondie was willing to put out for him, too. She didn’t seem like the picky kind.

  DiTrolio got up, and I put my hand on Jack’s arm. “Don’t go. He’s on the move.”

  Jack groaned and sat back down with a sour look.

  “Just as I was going to get laid,” he said. I shrugged. DiTrolio left the bar with his buddies in tow. A moment later, we got up and left, too. I wanted to follow him as far as I could without being seen.

  DiTrolio walked away from the bar, hands in his pockets. The group was loud, talking and laughing as they went. They were drunk, probably. We kept following them. At one point one of the guys split off. I sent Jack after him in case it was an ambush.

  The night air was cold on my skin, and it burned my lungs when I breathed. Morgan huffed next to me.

  “I could really use a smoke,” he said.

  “As soon as we have him.”

  He nodded, and we kept walking. Another guy split off, and then it was just two of them—DiTrolio and a friend. Morgan turned off and followed the other guy. I was outnumbered, but they looked drunk enough that I could handle myself.

  They turned into an alley, and when I followed, it was suddenly just DiTrolio. And he didn’t look drunk at all. He was facing me, and I caught the moonlight glinting off a blade he held low and away from his body, as if he knew what he was doing.

  “Evening,” I said calmly.

  “Why are you following me?” he asked in an Italian accent.

  “I just wanted to have a chat.”

  I took a step closer. I needed to get the guy if I wanted to get back to town and to Emily.

  Suddenly someone jumped on my back from behind. Thick arms wrapped around my throat and alcohol-laced breath spiraled down my neck. I fought and squirmed, but the guy was like a monkey.

  A thud sounded, and then the guy slid off my back and to the ground. Morgan was behind me with a piece of pipe he must have picked up somewhere.

  “Thanks,” I said, rubbing my neck. Jack appeared, too.

  “The others went home,” he said. I turned around to where DiTrolio had been standing, but he was gone. Dammit.

  “Let’s get back to the motel and get some sleep,” I suggested. The boys were on board with the idea. It had been a long day and a long drive. We could catch DiTrolio again in the morning. I had the idea he would skip town again, but we would find him. I had no doubt about it.

  We walked back to the bar and found our bikes. Morgan and I straddled our bikes, but Jack glanced towards the door.

  “I think I’m going to head on back in and see if she’s still in there,” he said.

  “Okay, but if you’re going to get laid, don’t do it back in our room. Go back to her place or something.” I wasn’t in the mood for sex in the bed next to mine. “And be careful,” I called after Jack, but I doubted anything was going to go wrong. Sex and danger very rarely went hand in hand.

  I glanced at Morgan, who shrugged. I shook my head, and we started our engines. The roar stretched far into the night. We drove to the motel and parked outside the room. I unlocked the door and went inside.

  “How’s Taylor?” Morgan asked.

  “He’s doing better. He should be able to come home tomorrow,” I said. I wasn’t going to be home to make sure he was okay, and that bothered me. I wondered if Emily would check on him.

  I dismissed the idea the moment I thought of it. Being involved with me was bad enough. My life was already full of danger, and if she got any more involved, I was scared it would rub off on her, too. I would never forgive myself if something happened to her just because she knew me.

  We got in bed and clicked off the light. My phone was under my pillow in case she messaged. I wasn’t going to be able to see her for a while. Hopefully she held on until I got back. I knew how I felt about other girls now that I’d been with her, but I wasn’t sure if she felt the same way about me.

  Maybe she had someone else waiting for her. Maybe she would meet Mr. Right while I was gone.

  Maybe that would be better for her.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Emily

  I didn’t usually date. Men were a distraction in my life I couldn’t afford, and I didn’t have a lot of time to bestow on them anyway. The people in the emergency room—the ones whose lives I saved on a daily basis—were the ones who needed all my time and energy when it came down to the hierarchy of importance.

  At least, that was how I always felt. Except with Daniel. I wanted to see him again. I wanted to give him the time I could spare. Granted, it wasn’t a lot, but it seemed like he was willing to take what he could get from me—and no more.

  It was a nice sensation, knowing that I wasn’t pressured to be someone else, or do something different, or change everything now that he was a part of my life.

  Daniel had to leave town shortly after I’d seen him. I’d been relieved when I’d gotten his message that he’d left town. Sure, I wanted to see him again, but I was nervous about how it would be with him now that we’d slept together. The kind of sex we’d had wasn’t the kind of sex I usually had. I needed to be in control. It was a character trait that had driven too many boyfriends away. But with him? I’d given him the control that night, and it had been fucking fantastic. Pun intended.

  Over the next couple of days, he kept dropping me messages. It was often just one-liners, telling me where he was or what he was doing, but it made me feel like he was thinking about me. It was nice to know that someone was thinking of me now and then.

  I always answered. Sometimes I even sent texts of my own. I had no idea where we stood, and I really didn’t think it was going to get serious with him—I didn’t do serious—but it was a great feeling to know there was someone on the receiving end of this little crush.

  I started panicking on day three. It wasn’t that he’d changed something, fallen quiet, stopped talking to me, or anything like that. It was the fact that he carried on at a steady pace, as if this was something that seemed a little more permanent.

  Okay, so three days wasn’t something to go by. I couldn’t judge the seriousness of any kind of relationship after only three days.

  What I could do, was judge it after wild sex. I had been the one to give in to him, after all. And I’d allowed him to do whatever he wanted to me in my car. In a parking lot. At the hospital where I worked. What had I been thinking? I was lucky no one—like my boss—had caught us.

  It wasn’t like it was normal daylight hours, or like it was inside the hospital…but it had been on the premises.

  What on earth did he think of me? I’d acted like a tramp, ready to be picked up when he was ready for me, and I’d let him do it when he wanted it.

  Yes, it had been amazing, but what was the aftermath? Was he texting me now so that the channel stayed open and we could do it again? If there was anything I knew, it was that I wasn’t going to be a booty call. There was no way he was going to be able to come to me for a piece of ass whenever he felt like it.

  I knew what I’d wanted when he’d looked at me like that. I’d f
elt wanted. I’d felt like I needed to lose control. I’d felt like I was someone who could make his day. But I’d also been attracted to him and felt like this was something I wanted for me.

  I wasn’t going to make a habit of being there for him when he felt like having a go at it.

  The last time I’d lost control like that was before everything happened with Chrissy. Since then, I’d been in perfect control of my life. I didn’t just go with guys, and when I did, they were usually disappointed about the fact that I didn’t “put out.”

  I’d put out with Daniel for sure. I just hoped he wouldn’t make it awkward and expect it to happen again.

  The doors slammed open, and they unloaded a gurney from the ambulance. It snapped me out of the spiral of thoughts I’d been stuck in, and then nothing else mattered. I was in work mode, ready to do whatever needed to be done to save this life.