I can’t do anything but watch this happen. Bell and Adeline are hugging me and Lynn.
He tried to kill me with the set-up. He is Mr. Thompson. That’s how the principal got in with the cult.
Shaylin smashes his face into the coffee table. Kayla kicks him on the back at the same time.
Michael yells loudly before he stands up, pushing Shaylin off and onto her ass, but she quickly gets up. He looks at me dead in the face, his face showing his hatred for me. “I am going to come for you, Jezebel, watch your back.” He backs away until he runs out of the door, one of the prospects on his ass to catch him.
He just threatened me. I knew he had it out for me, but hearing it, knowing it, is different.
He has been here under our noses all of this fucking time, right here!
My mother screams from the ground. “Don’t leave me, baby!” she yells, like he’s going to come back for her, but he doesn’t. The prospect does come back and he doesn’t return with Michael.
Amelia holds my hand. “I think it’s time we call in the guys.”
We all stand around in the house. I don’t call Konrad—I have Lynn do it for me because I know I will break down if I talk to him right now because he is my safe place.
The wait for them to show up is so long. I can’t believe Michael was here. I have had nightmares so many times of coming face to face with him again.
* * *
Konrad
The second Lynn and not Etta called me, I knew something was horribly wrong. All I heard was the name Michael and I was out of the door.
I met up with the guys along the way. I was at the compound waiting for her to be brought back home.
Driving along the road, we see a house that is completely trashed and I shake my head, knowing that these girls are the reason for that.
I pull to a stop in front of the bus and I see all of the girls standing inside a small house.
I run up to the door, the guys on my ass, to see what the fuck is going on. Etta is standing closest to the door and she looks absolutely devastated.
Vinny stops dead in his tracks, looking at the woman on the ground. “Mom?” he says and Trey hisses, looking at Etta and Lynn, who are deathly pale.
Etta looks at me and then at the ground. That shit kills me. “We were trashing this house when they walked outside. It was Michael and my mom together. The girls ran in here and beat Michael.” She stops, swallowing hard, looking down at the woman who gave birth to her. “He got away, he threatened me and said he will be back for me.”
I can see the fear in her eyes, which she doesn’t show often. “Angel.” I slowly make my way to her and pull her to my chest, holding her tightly.
I can see that this has fucked with her. I pull her head back, smoothing her hair out of her face. “I love you, baby. You are safe with me, always.” I kiss her forehead. She closes her eyes and I can feel her physically relax in my arms.
Lynn sniffs beside me, staring at her mom. I pull her to me too and tuck both girls in my arms.
Their mom is crying on the floor, not crying for her life but crying for Michael who left her.
I shake my head at the disgusting display.
Tristan runs in the door and Lynn jumps at the sight. “Who has Michaela?” she asks.
He pulls her straight to him, holding her tight. “My dad is with her. I came for you.”
I smile at the display and Trey scowls, but I think he just lost another one. Shaylin drags up their mother by her hair and onto her knees so she is facing the room.
She looks at Etta and Lynn. I want to rip her fucking eyes out of her sockets. How fucking dare she? She is disgusting for the way she has treated her kids.
“Etta, don’t let them kill me,” she pleads, holding her hands up like she’s begging her.
Etta steps out of my arms, going to her mother. She grips her face, hard, pulling it up until she is looking up at her. “You do not speak to me. I could kill you myself but I won’t. That’s going to be left up to someone else. You are nothing, you are a piece of shit who only cared about herself.”
I am so proud of her. She does not flinch. Her words are true and I know she means every bit of it.
She pulls herself from Etta’s grip, glaring at her. “How dare you speak to me this way! I am your mother and you will help me!” she screeches before she turns her eyes to Lynn. “My sweet daughter, come help me please. I was good to you.”
Lynn shakes her head no. “You married me when I was fourteen years old to a man that was over twice my age. You are not my mother. You let others hurt me, didn’t protect me. You gave birth to me, but that’s it.”
She looks to Etta again. That’s all it takes for me.
I step up to her, gripping her by her hair hard. “You will not look to her again or I will rip your eyes from their sockets and make you eat them. Do you understand me?” I growl at her. I have so much anger, it’s taking everything in me not to follow through on my threat.
I let her go and she falls to the ground crying. “Please, Vinny, help your momma. I beg you, son.”
Lani takes over. “You do not speak to him either. You think I don’t know what you have done, bitch? Did you know she loved when her kids were hurt and she watched it happen?” Lani tells the room, her face red with anger.
Etta closes her eyes and Lynn looks to the ground, giving me all of the confirmation I needed.
“Shaylin, you can handle this?” I ask. She doesn’t deserve to live her life anymore.
We hear a sharp cry from the back of the house. We all look at each other in shock because it sounds like a small baby.
Etta runs to the back of the house. I follow her with Lynn. She pushes open a bedroom door and right in the crib is a newborn baby.
Fuck me.
Lynn pushes her way through and reaches inside of the crib for the baby. My first thought is, he doesn’t look great. The diaper he’s wearing is so old that it’s hanging to his feet.
Tristan starts rummaging through the drawers and gets out a diaper. Together the both of them work to get him taken care of.
Etta puts her arm around my back and Lynn snuggles the now clean baby. We walk back into the living room.
“Well you found him,” their mom deadpans like it’s no big deal.
Lynn is angry. “He’s in horrible shape, he hasn’t been bathed and he hasn’t been properly fed. How could you do this?”
She shrugs her shoulders. “I didn’t want him, I wasn’t going to let him starve. I raised you guys. I didn’t have help. That’s why I was here—to get Michael to help me raise him.”
She looks to Etta like it’s all her fault her plans didn’t follow through. Lynn looks at me then at the baby. “I will raise him as my own. He’s my brother.”
“I will help you, anytime.” Etta walks to her and stares down at him. Vinny joins them and takes him from Lynn. “I guess we have a baby brother. We’ll do it together.”
“Well, isn’t this beautiful. You’re taking my son from me!” Etta’s mother screeches and tries to get up.
Shaylin punches her in the mouth. “Why don’t you shut the fuck up? You’re ruining the moment, bitch. “
I am ready to get out of here, take Etta now and get away from her. “Shaylin, can you handle this?” I know this is a lot to ask her.
Amelia and Chrystal step up. “We will take care of it. Get them home,” Chrystal says and Tristan helps Lynn with the baby and I help Etta.
As they both walk out and don’t look back, we can hear screams coming from the house.
13
Etta
A month Later
My eyes are closed as the warm Texas air flows through my hair on the way to his parents’ house.
I’m finally meeting them.
I’m terrified out of my mind. I’m so scared that they won’t like me, but I want to meet the people who raised such an amazing son.
The journey to their house is absolutely beautiful. It’s very rural and h
as small-town vibes.
An hour from his house, we pull up a huge driveway with a gate at the front.
As we drive along the driveway, we see horses running with us, cows on the other side, and then a beautiful wooden home with a matching barn slowly comes into view on top of a slight hill.
“Wow, it’s so beautiful here,” I tell Konrad.
He nods his head and a woman walks outside in a pair of jeans and a button-up shirt. She looks to be in her sixties.
The second he stops the bike, she is hurrying off of the porch and to him. “My baby is home.” She starts kissing his face and I have to laugh at his squirming.
It makes me happy that he had such a happy childhood. The door opens and a man that looks like Konrad walks outside and smirks when he sees his wife. “Darlin’, I think you need to leave my boy alone.”
I know right off the bat where Konrad got the name darlin’ from. I smile at the both of them when their eyes turn to me.
Konrad helps me off the bike and puts me in front of them. “It’s so nice to meet you both,” I tell them honestly.
His mom Geraldine gives Konrad a soft look before she swarms me in a mother’s hug, the same one that Bell and Adeline give—the best hug; it’s warm and feels like home. She pulls back and cups my cheeks. “It’s so nice to meet you, the woman who has captured my son’s heart.”
My heart warms knowing that he has been speaking about me. “He has mine too,” I admit, and she smiles warmly.
“That means grandbabies are soon!” she giggles, and his father pulls her back, but my mind is stuck on the idea of babies.
Am I against the idea of babies? Definitely not. I would love to have his babies.
I almost volunteered to take in Zane myself but I didn’t know if Konrad would have been on board. Lynn and I are going to share him. I get him a few nights a week and he lives there.
“Come on, dinner is ready!” She waves us all in and his dad saddles up next to me and gives me a quick side hug. “Nice to have you here.”
The nervousness is thrown out of the window knowing how nice they are. Konrad doesn’t let go of my hand and pulls out my chair for me to sit down at the dinner table.
His mom has made a custom southern day meal with fried chicken, mashed potatoes, corn, green beans, the works.
“Wow, this looks absolutely amazing!” I tell her, and she looks at me like I’m her favorite person.
Konrad puts his hand on my thigh under the table, giving me a squeeze. He looks super happy and content right now.
“Alright, dig in, everyone.” Konrad’s mom motions for everyone to serve themselves since everything is laid out in front of us.
Konrad doesn’t let me make my own plate, insisting on doing it for me, and I notice that Konrad’s dad is doing the same thing for his mom. They’re both sweet.
Me and his mom share a look. I can see the happiness on her face and I know I am experiencing the same kind of happiness.
“Etta, Konrad told me about the work you do. That’s so amazing, but I imagine it’s so tough,” she tells me. I nod after I take a bite of food.
“It is tough. Konrad has been on every mission with me lately though.” I smile at him, resting my head on his shoulder for a second.
He kisses my forehead and we eat together, his parents making small talk about how they met in high school and they’ve been in love ever since.
Once we eat, Konrad’s mom takes my hand and leads me into the living room, and I notice there’s a ton of photo albums on the coffee table.
I smirk at Konrad’s horrified expression. “I have to show you Konrad when he was a baby.”
She opens the first one—it’s his first year book. I let her show me every little picture and I ooh and aww as I know this is very important to her.
“He loved to run around naked with no clothes on. He would have to pee and he would do it right in the store. He was crazy.” She starts laughing and I join her. Konrad’s face is red with embarrassment.
“Aww, you were just adorable.” I tug on his hand so he can sit next to me on the couch and look at the photos with me.
“Do you have any photos of you when you were little?” his mom asks.
I shake my head no. “I don't have any. We didn’t have a camera.”
“Ohh, okay!” She goes back to showing me every single moment of Konrad’s life until he was eighteen and joined the Navy.
“Then he was a SEAL. That was the scariest part of my life. I didn’t sleep for years, but my boy is home and he’s going to give me grandbabies.”
I snort-laugh at her throwing in the grandbaby part at the end. Konrad rolls his eyes but laughs with me.
But she isn’t laughing, she looks completely hopeful. “I may bring Zane over sometime.”
She perks up at that. “Ohh, who’s he?”
“He’s my baby brother; he’s two months old.”
She gasps dramatically. “Can I please? We’ll come and pick him up.”
“Let me talk to my sister and we can work something out, no problem,” I tell her. She wraps me in a tight hug like I just gave her the best gift.
It makes me happy that I can make her so happy. She is precious. She is the kind of mom I would want to be. She’s a devoted mother to Konrad. She kept everything, even his first outfit and shoes.
“Mom, we better get going.” She nods and hugs me then Konrad. “Let me know about Zane please.”
I squeeze her hand one last time and climb on the back of Konrad’s bike as his parents wave goodbye to us.
“Your mom is absolutely precious. I love her!”
He puts his hand on my leg. “She is pretty great.”
The drive back is even more beautiful with the sun going down. We decided to stay at his tonight since it’s closer and I’m not needed at the compound right now. One of the guys is taking over the phone for me tonight.
I fall into Konrad’s bed, groaning, tired. He laughs and pulls my shirt over my head and my jeans down my legs. “Let’s go shower so we can sleep.”
I slowly and tiredly make my way into the shower. Last night we had Zane and I think he missed Lynn because he was not a happy camper with us.
The second that Tristan and Lynn picked him up, he was content. Michaela is obsessed with Zane. She thinks he is a real-life baby doll for her to play with, but the great thing is, she’s more than careful with him.
Konrad washes my hair for me. I don’t even bother to try anymore. Since the night of the accident he has taken over and I can’t fight him on it.
I close my eyes, loving the feeling of his fingers dragging across my scalp. I can’t stop the moan that slips through.
He stops moving his fingers and grips my throat from behind. “The only time you moan like that is when I’m in you or my mouth is on you.”
I shiver all the way down to my feet. His hands tighten on my throat, but the other hand snakes down my body to my pussy, his fingers sliding through my folds.
“Oh God,” I moan again, and he rewards me by slipping two fingers inside of me. “You are drenched.”
“Soaked.”
He growls and plants my hands onto the shower wall, bending me over until my ass is up in the air.
I look back at him, loving the sight of him above me, huge and hard for me. I bite my lip, aching to be filled by him.
My eyes roll back in my head when he fills me to the brim, stopping when his hips touch mine.
I clench down on him hard, wanting him even deeper when it’s physically impossible.
He wraps his arm around my stomach and the other on my hip as he pushes into me, hard.
I hold on as he lifts me up, bringing me even deeper, like I’m sitting on him. I moan deep as he moves harder, faster inside of me.
His finger digs into my clit, stroking it, and I shake so hard my feet move from under me, but he keeps me up, moving inside of me while holding me up. My eyes roll back into my head and I come hard.
He shakes just as h
ard as me as he fills me with his come. He slowly slips out of me and I lean my head against the wall, just trying to breathe.
He cleans me gently and carries me back into our bedroom, laying me down onto the bed.
Once we’re settled, I turn on the TV and snuggle into his arms. “Have you thought about your mom’s questions about babies?” My stomach is filled with butterflies, I’m so nervous.
He turns me over onto my back so he is looking down at me. “I would love to have babies with you. I didn’t want you to be scared because it’s sudden.”
My heart sings with happiness that he wants the same thing I do. I smile widely. “I want to have your babies, Konrad.”
He smiles back. “Alright then, let’s get your IUD taken out tomorrow?”
I laugh at the suddenness, but I want that. I know that he’s the one for me. There is no hesitation there.
He nods. “I’ll go with you.”
I kiss his cheek, happy that he is on board with me. His mom is going to be thrilled.
“Plus, it takes some people a long time to get pregnant,” I point out, and he nods. “That’s why I was thinking you can go tomorrow and I can get busy on that.” He winks, kissing my cheek, snuggling me back into him.
The Next Day
I’m sitting on a bed in a gown with Konrad at my head. It hurt really bad when they put in the IUD, but hopefully it won’t be as bad getting it out.
The doctor comes in and I close my eyes, waiting and waiting, then she makes a weird sound.
Konrad is stroking my hand to keep me calm, but I look down at her. “I can’t seem to find it.”
My eyes widen in fear. “What do you mean you can’t find it?” I ask her, confused and scared.
“Let’s get you an ultrasound just to make sure it’s not in there and we will go from there.” The doctor smiles reassuringly.
I hold Konrad’s hand tightly. The doctor gathers the ultrasound wand and I close my eyes. “Where is that going?” he asks, but shuts up when I squeeze his hand hard.
Konrad Page 13
