I inhaled deeply as I sat in the cafe waiting for Hawthorne. I had called him yesterday saying I was ready to make a deal and to meet me at the cafe at ten a.m. It was already 9:57 a.m.
“Hey, sweetheart,” Sebastien’s voice came through the earpiece hidden under my hair that was loose around my shoulders.
“Hey,” I said meekly.
“Hawthorne is on his way to you. You’ll be okay, and if anything goes wrong, we’re coming in.”
“Okay,” I whispered.
At ten a.m., Hawthorne walked into the cafe with his two bodyguards. He quickly spotted me and took a seat opposite me while his goons stood behind me.
“Delilah, I was so happy that you reached out.”
He placed his hand on the table, palm open, and looked at me. I placed my hand in his and he turned over his hand with mine in it to rub the back of my hand. My skin crawled, and I wanted to pull my hand away, but I didn’t.
“I wasn’t sure if you’d want to see me after everything that happened.” He smiled. “Delilah, you were one of my best. I’m just wondering what kind of deal you’re willing to make.”
“I’m willing to come back and work for you, but only for six months. After that you back off. You never come close to me or my family again.”
Hawthorne released my hand and leaned back. I placed my hand on my lap, not losing eye contact with him.
“I’m supposed to believe that Sebastien is just going to let you come back and work for me?”
“Please,” I looked around in feigned panic, “I don’t want him to know.” I looked down at my hands before meeting Hawthorne’s. “The thing is, Dean just got out of rehab, and if I had to choose between Sebastien and Dean, I’d choose Dean. He’s the only family I have. If we can set something up so that I can work for you during the day so he doesn’t catch on, please.”
“Sure, I’ll take you back,” he leaned forward with his elbows on the table and clasped his hands at the front. “But I have some demands of my own.”
“Which are?”
“Dean comes to work for me for six months as a drug mule.”
“No! Please, he just came out of rehab, that would kill him.”
“I’ll let the both of you only work for three months each. Dean works as a mule, and you will upgrade from a dancer to an escort. Fuck some real men before you go home to that husband of yours.”
I heard Sebastien swear under his breath.
“That’s the deal, take it or leave it,” he snapped.
I sigh heavily, “Fine, it’s a deal. Where do Dean and I meet you?”
“Dean will meet me tonight. I have a shipment heading to Columbia and he needs to be on a plane by seven a.m. and you, my little whore"—I flinched—“you’ll meet with me first so that I can get a taste before sharing you with my colleagues. After I fuck you in all your holes, you’ll meet the other girls at my hotel on Gilmore Avenue. You’re the oldest of them, but you’ll have to do.”
“Ask about Obsidian,” Sebastien asked in my ear.
“Do I have to fuck Obsidian too?” I asked softly.
“I see Dean told you everything and you guys realized Obsidian and I were working together to fuck over Sebastien. But yes, if Obsidian wants to fuck that pretty pussy of yours, he’ll fuck it. After all, if it wasn’t for him, we wouldn’t be sitting here. We may not have been able to extort that one hundred million from Sebastien, but fucking his wife and killing is friend would have to do.”
“Delilah, duck now!” Sebastien yelled.
Just as Sebastien’s warning came over the earpiece, police swarmed the cafe. I ducked under the table and heard gunshots, screaming as Hawthorne’s bodyguards dropped next to the table, their eyes still open.
I squeezed my eyes shut as I heard feet running around me. I heard them slam Hawthorne on the table before he swore he’d find me and cut me into little pieces. Someone touched my arm and I screamed.
“Sweetheart, it’s me.” Sebastien’s voice came from next to me.
I scrambled out from the table and he helped me to my feet.
“You did good, sweetheart. Now, let’s get out of here.”
I allowed Sebastien to lead me outside. He took me to a rundown motel across the street where they were doing surveillance. Once we got in the room, he removed my earpiece and the chain that was around my neck that had a microphone and a camera. After handing them to the officers, they said they’d be in touch. He took my hand and walked to another room. In this one, Axel, Leonardo, Vincent and Nathaniel were waiting.
“You did a great job,” Vincent smiled.
“Thank you.” I looked at Leonardo. “Do you think it will be enough to keep him in jail?”
“It would be more than enough to hold him while we gather more evidence.”
Just then, the door opened, and Victor, Dominic and Dean walked in. I rushed over to Dean and hugged him.
“Yup, that goes to show that she’ll definitely choose Dean over you, bro,” Axel teased Sebastien.
Dean looked confused and I shook my head. “How did it go?”
“We were able to convince the Syndicate to let Obsidian and Hawthorne go. They have vowed they’ll take care of them,” Dean said.
“Make them examples, so to speak,” Dominic said.
I felt relieved that this was finally over.
Sebastien gently took me from Dean's side and snaked his arms around my waist.
“Now that you’re finally free, that’s the best news I’ve heard all day.”
I bit my lip. I still hadn’t got the nerve to tell Sebastien that I was pregnant. Our situation was supposed to be temporary, but a baby would make it permanent, and I wasn’t sure how he’d take it.
“Sweetheart, what is it?” His eyes searched mine.
“Does me being pregnant qualify as good news?” I whispered.
Sebastien took a step back and looked at me, and I could feel the tears building behind my eyes. Then he stepped toward me and gently placed his hand on my stomach.
“Delilah, you’re pregnant?”
“Yes, but I know that this things between us wasn’t supposed to be permanent…”
Sebastien pulled me into a passionate kiss. I wrapped my arms around his neck and barely heard Axel tease us about getting a room. When we pulled apart, I was breathless.
“I love you, Delilah, and taking down Hawthorne and Obsidian for good isn’t the best news that I’ve heard today. The woman that I love being pregnant with our child is the best news I’ve heard today.”
“I love you, too.” I smiled up at him.
He turned to his brothers proudly.
“Dominic, tell Lucy that she’s going to get a cousin to play with in about nine months.”
After his brothers congratulated him, Sebastien pulled me into a hug and whispered, “When we get home, I going to show you exactly how happy I am with the news you shared with me.”
I giggled.