Page 13

Chapter Twelve

Thought Process

A ll Mara wanted was a giant glass of wine and two Xanax and to sleep for a full day. Twenty-four of pure, uninterrupted sleep. Her entire existence seemed to ache at this point. Her head, heart, and soul for sure. Going up against SOFRAW was not easy to do.

Her mind kept playing scenarios of Cyrus forcing her to take a pregnancy test, which would have obviously come up negative.

Then what? Huh? What would you have done then, Mara?

That scolding voice scared her. And even though she was back in Darrow’s apartment, that didn’t mean things would calm. She stood at the counter, a wine bottle next to her. Behind her she heard the rattling of a pill bottle as Darrow walked toward her.

“Whatever you need, babe,” Darrow said as he placed the pill bottle on the counter. “I’ve got some work to do here. Look at me, Mara.”

She turned her head. She looked up.

Darrow touched under her chin. “I just put my fucking life on the line for you.”

“Aw, how sweet. Want a blow job?”

“That piece of shit fucked your heart up, Mara. I don’t mind the challenge. Just know I’ll keep to my word.”

“What word? I’m not even wearing your ink. I’ve got nothing, Darrow. Nothing but a collection of lies.”

“You have me, babe,” Darrow said.

All things considered that was pretty damn romantic to hear.

“I have to go,” Mara said.

“Go? Where?”

“I have my own business to tend to, Darrow. I am not going to hide here for the rest of my life.”

“You think you can go out there and—”

“I’ll text or call if I need you,” she said. She grabbed his shirt and jumped to her toes. “I’ll see how well you keep your promises.”

“You’re not going out there alone, Mara. You’re carrying my baby, remember?”

Mara snorted. “Yeah. The fake baby.”

“Meaning you need protection.”

Mara opened her mouth but Darrow wouldn’t let her speak. He kissed her instead, shutting her up. Then he ordered her to park her ass until he got her protection. Mara wasn’t a fan of being bossed around so much.

Even though Darrow had a way of making it really fucking sexy.

Mara recognized Virus and she recognized the miserable scowl on the enforcer’s face. More than obvious that Virus wanted nothing to do with protecting Mara. But orders were orders and Mara knew the only reason Virus did what he was told was because of the pregnancy lie. Ironic enough, that made her feel sick to her stomach. She also did experience a mild sense of relief that she was protected. Even if she preferred it to be Darrow.

Darrow, she thought as she parked her car at the back of the diner. We just needed a little more time… then and now…

Time could not be altered. Not by thought and not by action. Time came and went and that was it. Mara knew better than to even think for a second about staying too far into the past in her mind.

She opened the side door to the diner just as one of the waitresses came rushing toward her, headed for a cigarette break.

“Hey, Stacey,” Mara said. “Any chance Kaye is here?”

“She just got here,” Stacey said. “You okay? You look tired. Stressed. Haven’t seen you around here in a while.”

“Life,” Mara said, rolling her eyes. “I left Fitz.”

“Oh. Wow.”

“It was time. Long overdue. But guys like Fitz you just don’t leave. You know what I mean?”

“Got it. I mean… wow.”

“Hey, do me a favor. If he shows up here looking for me…”

“I never saw you,” Stacey said. “Now move out of my way because if I don’t have a cigarette I’m going to burn this diner down. Margaret was here this morning acting like the rotten rich cunt she is.”

Mara traded places with Stacey. As Stacey lit her cigarette, Mara raced through the kitchen out to the counter of the diner. That’s where Kaye stood in a light ivy-green uniform with white lapels and her hair pulled back and up in a tight bun. The uniforms Margaret insisted everyone wear were awful looking.

Kate refilled two cups of coffee for two men who looked like they hadn’t slept in days. She then noticed Mara and smiled ear to ear.

“Mara?” Kaye asked. “Haven’t seen you in forever.”

“I keep hearing that. Hey, can we talk for a second? I need some advice… pregnancy advice…”

Mara nodded at Kaye’s belly. Kaye wasn’t showing just yet. It was still too early. But that was okay with Mara. She just needed to keep a smile on her face.

And keep all her lies carefully in place.

Darrow reached into the fridge for a fresh beer and then stretched his back. He twisted off the cap and flicked it into the kitchen sink. Then took a big gulp of his beer, his mind racing with hundreds of thoughts at once.

Right about now would be the time for Darrow to find something to ease his mind. Lift weights. Pick a fight at a bar. Find some pussy to lick and fuck. Or just go straight to the clubhouse and pick two deecees to do whatever he wanted them to do.

Instead, he stayed put. At home. In his apartment. Waiting for Mara to get back. Before she left, he slipped a small tracking device into her bag. He knew right where she was at all times.

Another gulp of beer and Darrow walked back to the table and sat down in front of three laptops. The Russian guy he had stabbed was named Akim . Scouring parts of the internet nobody needed to know or understand told Darrow that this guy literally meant nothing to anyone. Just some body, literally. A body. Muscle used to protect Damien. Stabbing him meant nothing. And Damien killing him and burying him meant nothing either.

Same for the car. Registered to a fake limousine company based fifty miles north in some small bullshit town. Darrow wasn’t expecting anything though. You did not rise up to lead a mafia without having your ducks in a row.

Damien was smart, organized, and had a lot of power and money. He also had that cleaned up look. You could look at him and judge him, but something about a suit and expensive pair of shoes made people feel a certain way. Compared to those who saw the outlaws in SOFRAW. Their image screamed chaos and violence.

“Fuck,” Darrow spoke out loud.

The Damien angle was for sure a dead end. He wanted to find Fitz first for personal reasons. Even if he didn’t intend on using Fitz to gain information about the club, it was pretty clear Fitz loved to talk. He’d do anything to stay alive and if Damien was smart (which he was) he’d keep Fitz alive and get as much information as possible.

For what purpose? Who knew. But information was never a bad thing to have.

Darrow set his sights on another laptop. The status bar reached the ninety percent mark and ticked away one percentage point at a time. Finally, the screen refreshed and Darrow quickly went back to work, printing off all the documents he needed.

He checked his phone and saw that Mara was just a mile or so from the apartment. After finishing his beer, he grabbed the papers from the printer and waited at the front door for Mara. As she came walking down the hallway and saw Darrow standing there, waiting for her, it didn’t take a nuclear scientist to know Darrow had been tracking her. Mara clutched at her small bag. Tight. Her nostrils flared with anger.

“Bastard,” she called out to Darrow.

“It’s called keeping my promise,” Darrow said. “I have something to show you too.”

Mara reached into her bag, pulled out a pregnancy test and tossed it at Darrow. She then shoved by him and walked right to the kitchen and grabbed for the bottle of wine.

“What the hell is this?” Darrow called out. “It’s… positive…”

“That’s right,” Mara said. “I assume Cyrus will want his fucking proof. So there. He has it.”

Mara skipped the glass and drank the wine from the bottle. Even the wine didn’t do a thing to calm her stomach or her nerves. The entire day had been that much of a mess.

“How?” Darrow asked.

Mara slammed the wine bottle down and turned around. “I have my own resources, Darrow.”

“You were at a diner.”

“Yes,” Mara said. “I wasn’t ordering a turkey club, okay? One of the waitresses is pregnant. She just found out maybe a month ago. She’s not even showing yet. I had her take a test.”

“Wow,” Darrow said.

“That’s right. I lied through my teeth too about it. Sort of. Told them all I left Fitz and that if he looks for me they never saw me. And that I needed the positive pregnancy test to get help.”

“I guess we had the same thought process then, babe,” Darrow said.

He closed and locked the apartment door and then gave Mara the documents he printed.

“Holy shit,” Mara whispered as she began to flip through actual medical records of her own pregnancy.

Except, I’m not really pregnant , Mara thought to herself.

“You do know what I do for the club, right?” Darrow asked.

“Yeah. You hack stuff.”

“Right.”

“You hacked someone medical records?” Mara asked.

“Changed the name and information. Proof of a doctor’s visit, along with a pregnancy test, and anything else needed. Full reports. That’ll keep things at bay.”

“Along with the pregnancy test,” Mara said.

Darrow touched Mara’s face. “Yes, babe. And the pregnancy test.”

Mara wanted Darrow’s approval in some weird way yet she smacked his hand away. As soon as she did, Darrow grabbed the back of her neck. She let out an audible moan and then started to blush. Darrow grinned at her.

“You know this only takes us so far, babe,” Darrow said.

Mara swallowed hard. “I know.”

“So what are you going to do? Wear a fake pregnant belly? Then what? How far do we take this?”

“I have no idea,” Mara said. “I’m just trying to make it to tomorrow.”

“The whole thing is going to blow up in our faces.”

“You went along with it.”

“I did, didn’t I? I could have tossed you to the curb right then and there. But I didn’t.”

“Why? Why, Darrow… why… me…?”

Darrow tightened his grip at the back of Mara’s neck and pulled her toward him.

“We’ve been eye fucking each other for how long now, babe? And now here we are. In the midst of this insanity. And if we want to keep this lie alive and well, then you’re going to need to let me put a baby in your womb.”

Mara gasped. “Darrow…”

“You started this lie, babe,” he whispered, lowering his mouth down closer to hers. “If I have to finish it, I will. And I’ll enjoy finishing. Like I did before. Coating your womb with my cum.”

“Fuck,” Mara whispered.

Darrow kissed Mara. Hard. With the sole purpose of making her panties wet.

Of course that happened instantly.