Meow Or Never: BBW SEAL Shifter Surprise Pregnancy Romance (Chicago Catastrophe)

by Anya Nowlan

  Not so sick after all, huh.

  “Hey, aren’t you…” he started to say.

  “No time for that,” Troy interjected, rushing over to the door and creaking it open just a sliver.

  The guards still weren’t back. He could hear Hailey sobbing down the hall while a male voice tried to shush her. She was really putting on a show and he made a mental note to compliment her for it later. If it weren’t for her distraction, Snake could be dead right now and their plan with him.

  “Come on, unless you want to wait for the Claws to send someone to finish the job,” Troy commanded, pulling Rogers out of the room and towards the elevators.

  Now let’s just hope I don’t bump into the other cop on the way down.

  Twenty-Six

  Hailey

  The guard whose shoulder Hailey was crying on was now genuinely distressed and thoroughly uncomfortable.

  “There, there,” he said, as he awkwardly patter her back. “I’m sure he really did open his eyes,” he added, pulling away to look at his damp shirt.

  After all the noise I made, I’m surprise he didn’t. Sorry, pops.

  “Thank you, you’re very kind,” Hailey replied, wiping her nose.

  She felt bad for using a sick man as a set piece in her performance, but it was the only thing she could come up with on such short notice. The cop was backing out of the room, clearly anxious to get away from the crazy lady and back to his designated post.

  Hailey couldn’t come up with a non-suspicious excuse to get the man to stay. She had already taken up a lot of his time. She could only hope it was enough, and that Troy was safe and Rogers was still alive.

  Holding her breath, she watched the guard step out into the hallway. Would there be shouting? A call for backup? Sounds of fighting? Seconds ticked by and there was nothing but silence.

  Hailey peeked out through the crack in the door. The guard was back in his seat, staring at his phone. The elevator doors opened and his partner came in, holding a cup of coffee and a brown paper bag. The notion of donuts passed through her head way too easily.

  There was reason for the stereotype, after all. Whenever she wanted to thank a particular department for a job well done, she’d buy a big box of donuts for them.

  It was still quiet, though. If Troy was still in Rogers’ room, fighting off the would-be doctor, she would be able to hear it. Seeing as everything was quiet, whatever happened in that room was over now.

  It was just one guy, Troy probably didn’t even break a sweat taking him out.

  As reasonable as that sounded, she still wouldn’t be satisfied until she saw him unharmed, smiling that irresistible smile of his.

  Hailey slipped out of the room and used the adjoining hallway to get to the staircase. Feeling like her pulse was about to jump out of her neck, she made her way to the parking garage as quickly as she could.

  She and Troy had promised to meet back at the car in case they got separated and she prayed she would find him there, waiting and in one piece.

  Chest tightening, Hailey bounded down the stairs until she reached the underground area. She pushed through the doors, silent prayers on her lips. Her heart jumped when she saw Troy standing next to his truck, seemingly unscathed. She ran up to him, relieved.

  “You missed your calling as an actress,” he chuckled, wrapping his arms around her.

  “What happened? Did you stop the guy? Was he an assassin?”

  “Can we get going now?” a voice complained from the backseat of Troy’s truck before she could get an answer.

  Hailey craned her neck to look around Troy’s shoulder. A burly, bearded man with reddish brown hair and more than a few tattoos sat in the back of the car, clad in nothing but a flimsy hospital gown. Snake Rogers.

  “It’s getting a bit chilly in here.”

  “You took him with you?”

  The plan had been to convince Snake to testify against The Claws, not go on the run with a man who was now a wanted fugitive. But looking on the bright side, he was alive, at least. That had to count for something.

  I guess I can’t be picky about a plan coming mostly together.

  Troy led her to the passenger door, opening it and urging her to get in.

  “I took out the man sent to kill him, but River’s just going to send more. Look how easy it was for that shifter to get inside the hospital and into his room. He’ll be safer with us.”

  Hailey wasn’t thrilled that they now had to babysit a guy they didn’t know they could trust, but Troy was right. The D.A. had made a mistake by putting only two guards on Rogers, knowing that there may be shifters out to get him. They couldn’t just leave him at the hospital and hope the cops who already failed to do their jobs once would get it right the next time.

  Though Rogers wasn’t exactly helpless – he was a shifter himself – it was clear enough that his judgment wasn’t the soundest. Otherwise he wouldn’t have put himself in a situation where he was chased by both the Claws as well as barely protected by the D.A.-s office.

  “Yeah, I guess so,” she said, climbing in. “I’m Hailey Molloy, by the way. I wish we’d met under more pleasant circumstances.”

  Hailey twisted in her seat as Troy got in as well and started the truck. Rogers quirked a brow at her.

  “Molloy, as in the lawyer Molloy?”

  “That’s the one.”

  Rogers glanced between her and the back of Troy’s head, before shaking his head.

  “Now I’ve seen everything.”

  Rogers was getting impatient, tugging at his gown and shivering in the breeze coming in through Troy’s open window.

  “Hey, not that I’m not grateful you saved my life and all, but what exactly going on here?”

  “Why don’t we discuss that when we’re off the streets?” Troy answered, merging into traffic.

  Snake Rogers sat on the couch in the safehouse, drumming his fingers on the armrest. He was dressed in some of the clothes Hailey had scavenged from the apartment and it was all too clear they were at least a size too small for him.

  “So,” he drew out, eyeing her and Troy.

  Hailey sat in one of the chairs, not sure what to make of the man. By appearance alone, she would describe him as scary. Which is why she was very surprised when all Rogers spoke about on the way to the safehouse was how good his son was at soccer and how Taylor Swift was an underappreciated genius.

  Talk about looks being deceiving.

  He didn’t strike her as a shifter criminal in anything other than appearance, really.

  “I’ll just cut straight to the chase. Do you have a deal with the D.A. to turn evidence against the Crimson Claws?” Troy asked, crossing his arms in front of him.

  “Not really sure how I should answer that one, lieutenant,“ Rogers replied, scratching his beard and narrowing his eyes.

  The last thing we need is another shifter fight breaking out, Hailey thought.

  “I’m not a lieutenant anymore. I’d wager River wants me dead even more than you.”

  Rogers seemed to consider that as his gaze moved to Hailey.

  “And the lawyer lady over here?”

  Hailey opened her mouth but Troy answered for her.

  “We’re working together against the Claws. Now answer the question,” he said curtly.

  “I told them I needed to know my family would be safe. They promised they would take care of it once they knew I had something. I said I’ll talk once it’s done. We came to a bit of a standstill, you see.

  “So they put me in the hospital to delay the hearing and make sure no one at the Claws got suspicious. I guess they got suspicious anyway.”

  Hailey was having trouble keeping still, anxious to learn if Rogers was on their side or not. She had reasonable hope that he was, but nothing was ever certain when the Claws were involved. Fear was a powerful motivator.

  “Are you still ready to give testimony against the Claws?”

  She waited with bated breath for Rogers’ answer. Wi
th her data and his insights, they could do some real damage, not to mention they would have enough valuable information to guarantee protection for them both.

  “They already sent a guy to kill me. I don’t see having an awful lot to lose.”

  Exactly what I wanted to hear.

  Rogers continued to lounge on the couch, looking around the apartment idly. He didn’t seem all that affected by having someone try and kill him. Guess he was used to a life where murder could solve pretty much any problem.

  “You got something to eat around here? Hospital food sucks.”

  Troy rolled his eyes.

  “Sure, why don’t I prepare you a five course meal?”

  “Help yourself to whatever’s in the fridge,” Hailey quickly interjected with a smile, knowing it was fully stocked from checking it before.

  Sundries, canned food and nonperishables were carefully squared away in the kitchen. Hailey was pretty sure they’d be good for a month if they had to lay low, which was probably the whole concept of the safehouses.

  “Let’s be nice to our guest,” she added while giving Troy a pointed look.

  Rogers got up and made himself at home in the kitchen, not the least bit interested in the excited conversation that erupted in his wake. Troy scooted his chair closer, until his knees touched Hailey’s. She leaned in, studying Troy’s gaze.

  “Okay, we have Rogers. He’s a bargaining chip. How do we go about setting up a deal to get you into protective custody and away from Chicago?”

  “We can’t just waltz into the D.A.’s office. River could have it under surveillance or he could have someone under his thumb there. I’m not feeling particularly trusting as of late,” Hailey replied, wracking her brain for a solution.

  If she could be forced to work for the Crimson Claws, so could anyone. Everyone had a vulnerability that could be exploited and the Claws had a real knack of finding what people loved and holding it over their heads. Troy mulled her words over, tapping his fingers on his chin.

  “But you trust the district attorney?”

  “I wouldn’t exactly say ‘trust’, but since she is investigating the Claws, I think she’s on our side.”

  We have to be able to trust someone other than each other.

  After the last couple of days, Hailey didn’t think she was capable of being surprised anymore, but Troy’s reply proved her wrong.

  “Then I think a home visit is in order.”

  Twenty-Seven

  Hailey

  Hailey slept in until way after noon, blissfully snuggled into Troy’s chest. She hadn’t had a good night’s sleep in weeks, so when she woke up refreshed, it felt a little odd at first.

  This is how every day should start, she thought, stretching against Troy’s warm body.

  His eyes fluttered open and fixed on her with a smile dancing on his lips.

  “Hey,” he said, gently brushing the hair out of her face.

  Hailey pressed her cheek against his chest with a deep sigh, listening to the deep, resounding thuds of his heart.

  “Hey,” she murmured against his skin, listening to the steady thumping coming from within.

  “Are you ready to put this all behind you?”

  “Yes. I feel bad for whoever gets in our way,” she replied, earning a chuckle from Troy.

  “Damn right.”

  Troy leaned in for a kiss, but the mood was quickly ruined by curses and clatters from the kitchen. Hailey fell back onto her pillow with a groan.

  Perfect.

  “Rogers must be awake,” she said with a sigh.

  “I don’t know what he could be cooking out there, I’m pretty sure he already cleaned the fridge out last night.”

  “I don’t think even he could eat through all the stuff The Firm has left here with one night. He’s a big guy, but not that big.”

  Hailey laughed through a yawn and rolled over to her back, rubbing her eyes.

  “Do you think it’s time we fill him in on the plan?” she asked.

  Troy leaned on his elbow and glanced at the bedroom door.

  “I guess now is as good a time as any,” he answered, not sounding particularly sure if it was the right thing to do.

  “You don’t trust him?” she inquired, sitting up.

  “I trust he’ll do what’s best for his survival. As long as our plans align with him keeping his life, we should be good. But I still wouldn’t turn my back on him.”

  “Right.”

  Hailey reluctantly got out of bed and dressed, her hand lingering on her stomach as she did.

  This is the life I want, she thought, glancing over at Troy, also putting on clothes. A life of waking up next to him, except there would be no life and death situations on the horizon. And no criminals in the kitchen.

  She could already picture her and Troy and their little bundle of joy, a happy family. Lazy Sunday mornings and going to the park, running on the beach with sand between her toes. A white picket fence and all that.

  But she still had a fight ahead to make those dreams a reality.

  Nothing good ever came easy.

  They stepped out into the living room together, where Rogers was busy chowing down on what looked like a sandwich topped entirely with canned meat and condiments.

  Now that’s seriously gross.

  “Hey, guys,” he greeted them around mouthfuls. “What’s on the agenda today?”

  Hailey hoped the man would be on board with their more or less crazy idea, since she was less than thrilled about leaving him here unsupervised if he wasn’t. Though he seemed like a nice man overall, she knew he was still a contract killer for the mob, no matter how much he talked about his son.

  She snuck one look at Troy. Maybe she was judging Rogers too harshly? After all, Troy wasn’t the most innocent man around either…

  Troy draped an arm over her shoulder and stared at the man.

  “We’re going to break into the district attorney’s house.”

  Hailey’s eyes were glued to Rogers’ face as he waited for his reaction. The man only arched a single brow before taking another bite of his breakfast sandwich.

  “Okay,” he shrugged.

  They waited until nightfall before piling into Troy’s truck and heading to the suburbs, where D.A. Marie Solomon lived with her husband of ten years.

  Hailey had met Marie at some fundraiser or another a couple of years back, and had run into her at the courthouse a couple of times after that, but she didn’t really know the woman. She knew of the woman, though.

  Everybody did.

  Marie was known for her ruthlessness and relentless drive, and doing whatever it took to build her case. Hailey wasn’t thrilled about the fact they were about to invade her privacy and probably scare the woman half to death, but if she ever wanted to feel safe again, she had to come to terms with it.

  Besides, from what she had heard, Marie Solomon wasn’t one to be easily frightened.

  Troy pulled up near the Solomon home and cut the engine. The windows of the two-story house were dark. The whole neighborhood seemed to be slumbering peacefully, if the quiet was anything to go by.

  Troy got out a little black box with antennas shooting out of it. Hailey knew it had to be a signal jammer, as he had explained its function to her before they left the safehouse. Rogers was excitedly bouncing up and down in the backseat, way too comfortable with breaking and entering for her tastes.

  “Finally, some action,” he muttered, eyes gleaming.

  Troy went over the game plan one last time. The professional side of him was out in full as he made sure everyone knew their part.

  So this is what it’s like to be on a mission with him. It’s kind of sexy, listening to him give out orders, all authoritative and confident.

  “We make our way to the back door, fast and quiet. I pick the lock, you guys stand guard. Hopefully their alarm system is wireless and this thing will stop the cops being on us before we get Solomon to hear us out,” he said, turning the jammer over in
his hands.

  Fear bubbled up in Hailey’s throat.

  Hopefully?

  “Wait a minute, are you saying your little gadget might not work?”

  “It’ll work. Just be ready to run if it doesn’t,” Troy replied, unconcerned.

  How very comforting.

  Hailey took a deep breath and nodded at Troy, indicating she was ready to go.

  “Okay, let’s do this,” he said, and they piled out of the car, careful to close the doors as quietly as possible.

  They made their way to the back door, footsteps soft and measured on the Solomon’s well-kept lawn. Hailey kept her eyes open for nosy neighbors, even though she knew Troy or Rogers would be able to spot any onlookers way before she ever could.

  Rogers was surprisingly graceful during the whole thing, taking his large frame into consideration, but then again, he was a tiger after all.

  Troy placed the jammer on the doorstep and got out his lock picks. It only took him a minute of fidgeting around with the keyhole until the door popped open and they all tiptoed inside. Hailey sighed in relief as everything remained silent.

  At least the alarm didn’t go off. That’s a good start.

  There were no lights on, which didn’t seem to bother Troy or Rogers any, but made Hailey afraid she was going to bump into something and ruin the whole enterprise. Luckily, Troy reached out a hand, so she could follow along in his footsteps.

  The trio made their way upstairs, slowly and cautiously. A soft snoring led them to the correct door, which Troy opened with the utmost care. They didn’t want to give Marie or her husband a chance to scream and wake the neighbors.

  Rogers made his way to the husband’s side of the bed while Hailey followed Troy to Marie’s side. They were both fast asleep, features relaxed and chests heaving up and down. Hailey almost felt bad for waking them, before she remembered her life was on the line. And the one of her unborn child. And Troy’s.