Reaper
I come to, still sitting on the floor. Lawson is kneeling in front of me, his hand raised to slap me. “You wanna keep that hand, you’ll drop it,” I say, my voice thick.
Lawson chuckles. “Even hurt, you’re still a dick.” He reaches back and uncuffs me, then holds out his hand. I grasp it, letting him do most of the work as he pulls me up off the floor.
“Where’s Belanger?” I want to kick that cocksucker’s fucking ass.
“In lockup,” Lawson says, and for the first time, I notice all the other people in the room. Three plain clothed cops I’ve never seen before, as well as Cam and Bax.
“What’s goin’ on?”
It’s Bax that steps forward. “Belanger’s being charged with a list a mile long, including assisting with drug trafficking, receiving illegal payouts, obstructing justice, stalking and assault.”
My head swims and I reach forward, sitting my ass back down in the seat I’d been in earlier. “How?”
Cam steps forward. “I’ve been digging up dirt on that prick all along, and finally I found some dealers that were willing to trade intel in exchange for a shorter sentence. I got a hold of Mr. Baxter here to broker the deal, and Lawson’s been doing some digging of his own. It was a group effort, but let’s just say, you won’t have to worry about Belanger for a long fucking time, brother.”
“We’ve been monitoring Belanger while he’s been monitoring the Kings,” Lawson says, gesturing to the other officers. “The orders he made were rarely authorized, and he was wasting resources he had no right to. We dug up his performance record and decided to take things a little deeper.”
Jesus. “Where are the others?”
“Just sent one of the guys to get them. You’re all free to go, as soon as we get statements from each of you and take some photographs of the damage he did to you just now.”
The last thing I want to do is sit around here, talking to a bunch of cops about how one of their own beat me up, but I know I don’t have a choice. Lawson is nothing if not thorough, and completely by the book, and this time, I can honestly say I’m grateful for that annoying little quality of his.
The entire process takes another hour and a half. Answering the same goddamn questions, over and over again. Letting them poke and prod my ribs, and take pictures of the bruises already forming there and on my face.
“You really should go to the hospital,” Lawson says.
“I’m fine,” I growl. “I’ve had enough of bein’ around people pawin’ at me for one day. I’m goin’.”
Whether out of self-preservation or annoyance, Lawson doesn’t argue. As I walk down the hall to where the other Kings are waiting, I pass a room and see Cam sitting at a table, filling out some paperwork of his own.
I pause and take a step back, leaning against the door to the room. “You did good, Cam.”
Cam’s pen stops moving and he glances up with a grin. “Of course I did.”
I chuckle a little and shake my head. Cocky fucker.
“I’m just glad this shit’s all over for you.” Cam lays his pen on the table and folds his arms over his chest. “You believe in karma, Lucas?”
I frown. “Not sure I follow.”
“Good things happen to good people. Bad things happen to bad people. You’re a good man, whether you think so or not. You deserve some good karma. I’m just doing my duty to make that happen, and maybe a little good karma will come my way too.”
I shake my head a little and smirk. “So you were doing it for selfish reasons then.”
He shrugs and picks his pen back up. “Somethin’ like that.”
“You’re a good man to know, Cam.”
He smirks again. “And don’t you forget it.”
Anna
The 911 operator is calm and soothing, but I don’t have time for that shit right now. I tell her the address and that my sister’s in labor, and that there’s a knife wielding crazed drug addict knocked out cold on the floor and hang up while she’s still asking questions.
I watch her as I dial Ryker’s phone, but I don’t even get a chance to let it ring. Charlotte’s struggling with her pants, doing her best to yank them down when she screams my name. “Anna! He’s moving!” For a brief second, I think she’s talking about the baby, then I see Shiv roll to his back, his eyes struggling to open.
“Shit!” I look around the room, but like most living rooms, there isn’t anything nearby that I could use to tie up a grown man. “Just a sec,” I say to Charlotte and turn, stumbling into the kitchen as I clutch my belly, where I can feel my wound starting to throb. Again, nothing.
“Anna, you better hurry!” Charlotte’s breathing is fast and loud as she tries to keep calm with her contractions, practicing her Lamaze breathing techniques. Frantic, I search one last time and my eyes land on the cast iron skillet sitting in the drying rack.
Snatching it up, I dart back to the living room just as Shiv is struggling to his hands and knees. Charlotte’s eyes meet mine, and the fear in them gives me the strength to do what I have to do. I lift the skillet high above me and bring it down on the back of his head with every ounce of strength I have in me.
I cringe at the sickening crunch, and Shiv crumples to the floor, a lifeless puddle of wrinkled clothes and foul smelling flesh.
“Oh, God,” Charlotte gasps. “It’s coming!”
I hurry to where she’s laying and snatch a pillow from off the back of the couch, using it to prop her back up. “The ambulance is coming, Char. Just keep breathing, okay?”
Charlotte’s eyes meet mine and determination takes the place of fear. “I’m not gonna last that long, Anna. This baby’s coming now.” She kicks off the last of her pants and cries out in pain as she gets herself into position.
“No! Char, you can’t! I can’t! I have to call Ryker. He needs to be here. I don’t know how to do this. This baby… it’s not time yet.” Panic threatens to pull me under, and I’m on the verge of hyperventilating when Charlotte grabs my hands.
“It’s too late. Ryker’s never gonna get here on time. You can do this, Anna. We can. Together.” She stares into my eyes, and my panic slowly trickles away, her own strength giving me what I need. “Now get between my legs. All you have to do is catch it, honey.”
I don’t know if it’s because she’s a nurse, if it’s adrenaline, or if Charlotte is just a super hero, but her voice is calm, even through her deep breathing. I’ve seen plenty of women have babies on TV, and they’re always screaming and yelling, and breaking their men’s hand. That’s a whole lot different than having a panic attack, kneeling between the legs of my baby sister and listening to her calmly tell me what to do.
I take a deep, semi-calming breath and force my eyes to look down. “Oh, God, Char. I can see the head.”
“I know,” she gasps. “I gotta push, Anna. Get ready.” Charlotte’s face scrunches up with effort and turns a terrifying shade of red. She pushes for several seconds before taking a deep breath and bearing down again.
Taking my gaze off her, I watch as every push she gives me, the baby’s head pokes out a little further, then a little further. “Keep going!” I cry, my hands out to catch it.
It takes her several pushes until I’m able to see the blue-tinged, smooshed up, most adorable chubby little face I’ve ever seen in my entire life. Tears spring to my eyes, even as Charlotte lets out a wail loud enough to shake the windows.
“The heads out,” I whisper.
“Ok,” she gasps. “Now run your finger around the head and see if you feel a cord. We have to be sure it’s not wrapped around the baby’s neck.”
I do as I’m told and feel nothing but the fluids and skin involved in this amazing process. “Nothing.”
“Good,” she shouts as she gives another hard push, and then the baby is out.
In my arms, I hold a squawking, shivering, beautiful, but tiny little baby. “It’s a boy,” I say through my tears. “You have a baby boy.”