by Anya Nowlan
Troy met her eyes, unfaltering as he spoke. He didn’t even think about it before he started speaking.
“It was all true. Once you’ve been trained to be deadly on land, sea and in the air, getting an office job seems kind of underwhelming. And I can’t exactly put ‘can kill a man with my bare hands’ on my resume,” he responded. “Well, I could, but the execs might not consider it a bonus.”
She could tell he was trying to joke around, but there was something underneath his words that sounded bitter and hurt. Something about what he said sounded oddly familiar, though.
Land, sea and air…
“Wait, you were a SEAL?” Hailey asked, impressed and taken aback at the same time.
“I was. But that’s not who I am anymore,” Troy replied.
“Once a SEAL, always a SEAL,” Hailey said, cocking a brow.
The waitress chose that moment to come and take their order. Since Troy seemed at home at this place, Hailey let him order for the both of them.
“Did you always want to be a lawyer?” Troy asked as soon as the woman left, effectively changing the subject.
“Not always,” Hailey shrugged. “I wanted to be a cop, first. But then I realized running after criminals isn’t really my thing. I’d rather wait for someone else to catch them and then put them away. Catching them is easy. Keeping them off the streets – that’s the hard part.”
Opening up to Troy came way too easily and she was tired enough to not bother fighting the instinct. Troy smiled at her, his expression genuine and warm.
“Always out for justice. I bet you were one of those kids who chided her friends when they rode their bikes without helmets or jaywalked.”
“Little Hailey was a pain in the ass, for sure,” she replied, laughing.
“I would have liked to be your friend back then. I needed someone to keep me in line,” Troy mused with a grin.
They got engrossed in embarrassing childhood stories, only quieting when the food arrived. From the first bite, Hailey could tell this would be a meal she wouldn’t soon forget.
“Oh my god, I’m going to have to come here more often,” she mumbled in between bites.
“You might bump into me a lot. Which is a perk, really,” Troy answered.
The man sure did hold himself in high esteem. Fortunately for him, he could not only talk the talk but walk the walk as well.
I wish it were easier to hate him…
Hailey stifled a yawn after they finished their meal, the effects of more than one sleepless night making her eyelids heavy. Troy picked up on it immediately.
“It’s getting late, I’ll drive you back home,” he offered, slapping some bills down on the table.
Hailey didn’t argue and let him lead her back to the car. The car rocked slightly from side to side as Troy maneuvered the winding roads back to her place, only adding to her sleepiness. Despite how she thought the evening would play out, she found herself coming out of it with a warm, positive takeaway. When she put it out of her mind that he was a scary mobster, Troy was just as disarming as he’d been before.
But he’s still a member of the Claws, she thought drowsily.
She must have dozed off, because suddenly Troy was gently squeezing her shoulder.
“Hailey, we’re here,” he said.
His voice was nice to wake up to. Hailey opened her eyes to discover they were in front of her building.
Troy’s body was turned towards her, his hand still on her shoulder, and she couldn’t help but stare at the rugged planes of his handsome face. Having him so close only reminded her of that first night they spent together. How good his hands and mouth had felt on her body, how pleasure overwhelmed her and erased everything else.
Without even meaning to, she leaned in, eyes fixing on his full mouth. The darkness of the car only added to the excitement swirling in her stomach, heightening her senses. His masculine scent filled her nostrils, the heat of his body coaxing her closer.
Troy’s fingers on her shoulder tightened as he drew in a breath. The seconds stretched on as the last inches between them sizzled with expectation.
Hailey caught herself in the last second as reason returned to her lust-filled brain. She pulled back, shaking her head and slapping a hand over her mouth. Troy’s hand fell away. He looked more downtrodden than she had ever seen him, blue eyes downcast and shoulders slumped.
I have to get out of here before I do something stupid, Hailey thought, opening her door.
“I’ll let you know if there are any new developments in the case,” she mumbled awkwardly, before stepping out into the night.
“Sleep tight,” was all that Troy said.
Hailey could feel his gaze follow her into the building. Her skin still crackled, waiting to be touched.
I made the right decision by walking away, she told herself.
So why couldn’t she quite believe it?
Making her way up the stairs, she took long, calming breaths. By the time she was in the apartment, she almost felt like she could believe what she was telling herself. But something still felt a little off.
Peeking out the window of her kitchen, she saw Troy’s truck pulling away.
But she couldn’t shake the feeling she was still being watched.
A tiny shiver ran down her back as she closed the curtains, tearing her eyes away from the shadows outside.
You’re just imagining things.
Fifteen
Hailey
Hailey walked out of her OB-GYN's office with her head swimming.
This is really happening.
She already knew she was pregnant, the three tests she bought all turning out positive didn’t leave much room for doubt. But seeing that new life growing inside of her on the ultrasound monitor really drove the reality of the situation home.
I am going to be a mom!
She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, or maybe do a little of both.
Amidst the nerves, Hailey found herself excited. She had always loved kids, but finding a man worth settling down with was another matter in its entirety. She’d always thought that the only way she’d feel comfortable about bringing a life into this world was if the conditions were perfect. The right man, the right house, the right partnership in the right law firm…
Well, she’d learned recently that perfection was never going to be attainable. Life had to go on regardless.
Her current situation wasn’t ideal, of course, but things were never going to be perfect. And she didn’t need a man to take good care of her child.
The doctor had also confirmed Hailey’s suspicions about a shifter pregnancy being different from a normal one. It had only been a few weeks but the ultrasound already clearly showed the baby growing in her belly. She could give birth as early as four months from now. The thought had her reeling.
I have to prepare!
She didn’t have a stroller picked out or a crib set up or anything. Hell, she didn’t know the first thing about getting ready for a baby! Panic started to set in as she forced herself to take deep breaths.
It was going to be all right. It had to be.
She still had plenty of time to read all the books and buy all the stuff and get comfortable with the fact she was going to be a mother.
A single mother, she reminded herself.
She would have to get away from the Crimson Claws and Troy earlier than she had expected, before her pregnancy really began to show. There was no way Troy wasn’t going to get suspicious once she was walking around with a baby bump, not with how close of an eye the organization was keeping on her.
Images of Troy danced around in her head, filling her with both guilt and longing. But this was no time to go soft. She had to do what she had to do to keep herself and her baby safe. As if a switch had been thrown, her motivations changed immediately. No longer was it about surviving this mess. Now it was all about getting the people she loved out of it as fast as possible – her parents and her unborn baby as well.
<
br /> I’ll probably have to move. Disappear. But how can I do that with my family?
Maybe she would be able to gather enough evidence on the Crimson Claws to get into witness protection. Those guys really knew what they were doing. She’d be set up with a whole new identity. Even the Claws couldn’t possibly find her then.
It seemed like her best shot.
Hailey made her way to her car, stroking her belly on the way without even realizing it. Her protective instincts were kicking in with full force. A fire burned deep in her heart, a feeling she had never experienced before. Running through different scenarios in her head, she realized there was nothing she wouldn’t do to keep her baby out of harm’s way.
Determined, she drove back to her office. She had told her friends the doctor’s appointment was about a stomach bug, which wasn’t a completely false. There was something going on with her stomach, alright.
A part of her wanted to tell everyone the happy news, especially her parents. It was practically bursting out of her, the need to share her unexpected joy.
But that wasn’t safe, so she would have to continue to lie. Hailey tried hard to not let it dampen her mood. The doctor had said her baby was healthy and developing fine. That was more than enough to be happy about.
And god knows, she had plenty of things taking away from that happiness without her adding to it herself.
Hailey strolled through the doors of Forrest & Williams with a smile she just couldn’t hide. Having had a chance to think things through, her path forward seemed clear and she even felt optimistic. Get out, get her parents out, raise her baby and become a mom like she’d always wanted.
With hard work, she could see herself balancing a career and a family. Anything could be done if she put her mind to it.
For these past few years, Hailey had been focused on her career, not really thinking about starting a family. But she knew she had a lot of love to give. She would make sure her baby had the best childhood, just as happy as her own had been, with encouraging and supportive parents.
Well, parent, but that wasn’t important right now.
Me, mom and dad, together we can give this baby all the love in the world, she told herself confidently.
“I’m guessing from that smile, the doctor gave you a clean bill of health?” Laura asked as Hailey passed the reception desk, a spring in her step.
Hailey stopped, spinning around on her heel to face Laura. She wanted to share her good mood with someone.
“Yep, fit as a fiddle. I guess it was food poisoning after all,” she said with a smile, hoping she wouldn’t need to make any more mad dashes to the bathroom during work hours.
She had been slightly nauseous this morning, but hadn’t thrown up and had been feeling totally fine since then, which was promising. The doctor told her that everything was going to move way faster with a shifter pregnancy than a normal one. She could only hope that this included the passing of morning sickness.
She’d had enough of that to last her.
“That’s great to hear! I’ll tell Olivia she can take off her surgical mask,” Laura joked.
“Thank god I didn’t cough on her or something, she might have never spoken to me again,” Hailey replied with a laugh, before striding to her office.
She could barely sit down before her desk phone rung. It was a clerk from the local jail, informing her that her client, Snake Rogers, had been hospitalized with acute stomach pain.
Guess the universe couldn’t allow me to feel good for too long.
“The hearing’s tomorrow. Will he be able to attend?” Hailey asked, taken aback by this sudden turn of events.
She had been prepping for Rogers’ case and was feeling very confident about it. Plus, she wanted to get his case over with as quickly as possible, so she could at least have a small breather from dealing with the Crimson Claws. At least until another one of their goons got in trouble with the law.
There were people out there, good, honest people, who really needed her help. Instead of dealing with the likes of Snake, she would much rather be helping them.
Maybe that’s what I’ll do when I get out of Chicago… Start a nonprofit, really do something for the people who can’t get representation.
“I don’t know, ma’am, I’m not a doctor,” the female voice on the phone answered in a bored monotone.
“Well, which hospital was he taken to?” Hailey continued, getting slightly annoyed.
Maybe she could talk to the man’s doctors, see if he was still fit to attend court.
“Don’t know, ma’am, I’m not a paramedic,” the voice replied, sounding even more disinterested.
Hailey got the feeling there was a theme going with this lady’s answers.
“Is there anything useful you can tell me?” Hailey prodded, getting more and more frustrated. “Is there anyone else I could talk to who has more information?”
“I could tell you what time it is…” the voice trailed off, sounding like the woman was stifling a yawn.
Are you fucking kidding me?
“I actually have a watch, but thank you oh so very much,” Hailey ground out before slamming the phone down on the receiver.
Either the clerks are more incompetent than I thought, or something fishy is going on here.
No matter which option it was, she had to contact Troy and let him know what was going on.
Hailey swallowed, hard. She had trouble keeping her thoughts straight around the man, the way she almost kissed him the other night was clear evidence of that. It was safer to keep her distance.
I’ll just give him a call, relay the information, and then that’s that, she told herself as she dialed Troy’s number.
“Hello, Hailey,” a smooth, smoldering voice said after a couple of rings.
Hailey groaned internally.
Does he have to be so sexy even over the phone?
“Hey. There’s been a development in Rogers’ case. He’s been hospitalized, which means the hearing set for tomorrow is probably off,” she explained as succinctly as she could.
Troy grew silent and Hailey could sense him tensing on the other side of the line.
“Hello?” she asked tentatively.
“I forgot to tell you something last night. Can we meet?”
“Does it have anything to do with the case, because if not…” Hailey warned.
Meeting Troy was exactly what Hailey didn’t want to do. Being in the same room as him seemed to send her libido into overdrive, and it wasn’t just the pregnancy hormones talking. He was incredibly sexy and warm in everything he did around her and she couldn’t help but respond to that in the most primal of ways. She didn’t need to get herself in more situations where she might be too close to him alone to keep herself from blurting out what she now knew.
“Yes, it’s about the case.”
“I’m at the office right now, you can come here,” Hailey suggested.
Less danger of me hopping into his lap with all these people around.
“The matter is actually kind of delicate. Can we meet at your place?” Troy asked, an edge of concern in his voice.
“My place?” Hailey all but sputtered.
There’s a bed at my place, and way too many memories of his naked body, she thought, getting more nervous by the second.
“There are too many ears here at the casino, too many people I don’t trust yet. How fast can you get home? It can’t wait.”
To his credit, Troy’s voice was all business, not a hint of innuendo or seduction now. And Hailey couldn’t exactly object, she was out of excuses, unless she wanted to admit she was dangerously attracted to him.
Not a chance.
“Give me thirty minutes,” she sighed.
Sixteen
Hailey
Hailey arrived at her apartment building at around six and gave her surroundings a quick once-over. There was no sign of Troy’s truck in the parking lot. She was almost disappointed for a moment, as if seeing him standing t
here would have made it all better somehow.
It was ridiculous, she knew, especially when her plan had been to keep as far away as possible from him while she properly formulated her plan.
Figuring there was no point in waiting for him outside, as he might have gotten held up with other Crimson Claws business, she went inside.
He is a lieutenant, after all, she thought grimly.
Hailey kicked off her heels as soon as she entered her apartment, sighing and stretching as she did. Normally, she would have a glass of wine to unwind, but that was no longer an option.
Thoughts drifting to her unborn child, she got out her home laptop to browse things she and her baby might need. The doctor had suggested a couple of vitamins she should take, so Hailey went to the site of an online pharmacy and ordered those first. Then, she started looking up strollers and car seats for infants.
There are so many things I didn’t even know I needed, Hailey thought, getting lost in one online store after another. Babies sure have gotten high-maintenance over the years, she mused, scrolling through pages of sound machines and pacifiers with built-in thermometers.
A knock at the door almost made her jump. She knew who it was. Guiltily, she hid the laptop in her bedroom and rushed to let Troy in. She’d gotten so engrossed in the baby shopping that she’d forgotten all about Troy coming over.
I’m doing the right thing by not telling him. It was just a one-night stand. Anyway, he probably doesn’t even want to be a father, she assured herself.
Troy gave her a crooked smile as she opened the door and invited him in with a motion of her hand. Just the sight of him gave her butterflies and she cursed her fickle body. She was supposed to be getting over this infatuation by now, damn it!
“Thank you for meeting me on such short notice,” he said, sounding less concerned than he had before, over the phone.
“You made it seem pretty urgent,” Hailey answered, growing suspicious. “There is something wrong, right? This isn’t just a ploy to get in my pants?” she asked, narrowing her eyes at Troy.
