“I’m okay, baby,” I heard Riley say as I began to come to. “It went through. Clean.”

“You’ve bled so much,” Melanie said softly to him.

My head pounded; from the back to the front the pain radiated through my skull. I blinked my eyes, trying to clear my vision and gather my bearings. I tried to move my arms and found they were tied behind my back. My shoulder burned with every move I tried to make. I looked down, everything was fuzzy, but I could tell my pants were saturated in my blood. I wiggled my toes inside my boots. I could feel tingling. While it was an all together good thing, feeling something was better than nothing, I still didn’t feel right. My vision cleared, and the craving for a cigarette slammed into my chest.

The room was dark, damp, and only had a concrete floor. There was a bed in front of me where Melanie laid with Riley beside her with his hands bound as well. He was on his side looking at her.

“Fuck,” I groaned as the thumping in my brain matched the rhythm of my heartbeat.

“Paxton,” Riley replied. He rolled trying to face me and cried out in pain.

“What the fuck happened?” I asked, needing to sort shit out.

“Three men came into my place,” she began, but I shook my head silencing her.

That’s when I remembered. The men, the gun, Riley took a hit to the chest; I took a bullet to my shoulder and leg before someone clocked me in the back of the head knocking me out.

“Who the fuck were they?”

Melanie dropped her head. Guilty bitch.

“I don’t know shit, Paxton,” Riley muttered through gritted teeth.

I felt weak, woozy, and out of sorts. I shook my head again trying to get my shit together. I was too fucked up, and I needed control.

“Melanie, who the fuck knows about the baby?” I looked up at the woman.

“I didn’t break my contract,” she fired back at me.

“Alright, bitch, let me get real clear, real quick for you. This shit right now ain’t about your fuckin’ contract. What I know is Petrov requested you because his wife saw you working at a mall, and she said you had good energy. I don’t believe in that shit, but in business, I keep my clients happy. You’re not from my world, so I take your word as nothing. You were vetted by their people. You were informed. And the only way anyone who is not in my organization would know to take you would be because you ran your fuckin’ mouth. Petrov ain’t tellin’ no one because of the risk it would pose. So I’m gonna say this one more time—who the fuck knows about the baby?”

“Tell him,” Riley encouraged her.

“Fine, I told a few people at work that I was hired to carry the baby, but I got scared. I told my manager and my best friend because I wasn’t sure if it was Petrov’s baby or Riley’s because we had sex the day after I had the IVF.”

Fury raged through me.

“You fucking did what?” We had been through countless in-vitro processes in our business, and no one had ever done this. “Pelvic rest,” I reminded her of the instructions after the insemination. I knew far too much about the female reproductive system since we started our business than any man who wasn’t a gynecologist should know. But then again, we had to be prepared. Lives depended on us after all.

“Yeah and I felt good. The doctor said resume normal activities. We were hangin’ out. I didn’t mean to have sex with him.”

“Oh yeah, you just fell on his cock? Is that how this happened?”

She laughed. I didn’t find one second of this the least bit funny.

“Look, we were celebrating the payment. It was the morning after, and we logged in to check our account. Petrov had deposited a hundred grand. We were excited,” Riley explained.

I turned my glare to him. “Our account? Riley, you weren’t on her bank account. We wouldn’t have hired her as an unwed surrogate with a joint owner on her account. I personally looked into that shit. Clarify, Conrad!”

“Well, what’s mine is his,” Melanie proudly explained.

“So excited you didn’t think about the repercussions of your actions,” I muttered in shock, locking my gaze on Riley. “Did you realize Petrov put a man on your sister?”

Riley’s eyes got big.

“Yeah, let that shit sink in for a minute, fucker. Petrov had a man on Melanie. You came around and made your presence known so they looked into you. Low and behold the only family member or connection to your ass is Laurel. You being tied to her put a target on your sister.”

“Laurel had nothing to do with this. She hasn’t even met Melanie.”

“I know that, you know that; Petrov doesn’t know that.”

I watched as Riley’s face paled.

“Does she know? Did you keep her safe?”

“She doesn’t know shit because knowing would put her in more danger. Is she safe? Well, I’m in here with your ass, and she’s with a woman old enough to be my grandmother. In order to take away any power, I wiped out her day-to-day existence including her bank accounts. She has no money, no resources, and a seventy-two-year-old woman as her only company. So define safe?”

“Fuck!” Riley roared. “Your plan was shit, Paxton.”

I fought my restraints wanting to rip him apart. “My plan was fine until I had to go get her back on track and found your ass there getting us both shot and the three of us kidnapped.”

This wasn’t how things were supposed to go. Dane would protect her. As soon as he figured out I was gone, he would step in to keep Laurel safe. That meant I could keep my focus on getting out of here with Melanie’s baby.

The door to the room opened. Three men walked in wearing cheap suits. Their matching neck tattoos gave away who I was up against.

Ivan Petrov.

Andrei’s brother who had a serious hard-on for trying to destroy his brother’s empire here in America since Andrei got him deported four years ago. This was the information Dane gathered when we were considering taking Andrei on as a client. He needed our doctors and the foolproof system we had in place. We wanted his money. The transaction should’ve been simple. He fronted the money, all we provided was medical care for Melanie, the baby, and of course the legal documents on the backend of the baby’s birth.

“We wondered if you’d bleed out or wake up Mr. Williams,” the middle one of the three stooges said to me. He was tall but hunched over trying to make himself look bulkier, but really it just made him look like Lurch from the Addams family.

“What’s this about, boys?” I asked, trying to loosen the restraints on my wrists. My body responded with more pain, but I bit back the feelings. I hadn’t bled out, and I could feel my toes so the bullets hadn’t hit anything important.

“We’re here for the baby.”

I laughed. “Apparently Ivan didn’t get the memo. Damn that’s a shame they aren’t closer as brothers.”

The men stepped closer as their attention was on me. I eyed Riley hoping he would read my signal to take off out the door they stupidly left open while they were focused away from him. It was the only option I could see at the moment. He knew enough about me to find Garrett. And in finding Garrett everything would be handled. At least that’s what I hoped he would do. I couldn’t be sure since he was the dumbass to tie himself to Melanie and believe the baby was his. Then again, it might be. This shit got messier by the second.

“What memo?” the short bald one asked as he kicked at the bottom of my boot. “The Power Chain broke, is that what you’re referring to? We know all about you and your three brothers. A chain is only as strong as it’s weakest link. Looks to me like you’re the weak one, Mr. Williams.” He stepped down on my thigh where the bullet had burned through me.

Pain sliced up my leg.

I gave a quick glance to Riley who seemed to be getting with it and moving slowly to stand. Melanie had moved to be back-to-back with him where she was working to free his hands. I just needed to buy us some time.

“The baby isn’t Andrei’s.” I fought to catch my breath with each word. The pain was so intense my body and mind wanted to black out, to shut down.

I watched their jaws drop before they each quickly reset their faces, hiding the shock. They didn’t understand who Riley was. This meant Andrei didn’t know either. This would keep them from looking for Riley and Laurel, at least until Andrei figured out Melanie was gone. Then he would start with the Conrads. I had to get Riley out of here, and he had to get help for Laurel.

“Yeah, shit’s been hard. We gotta do a paternity test in order to get paid.” I shook my head, pretending to share my frustration with them. “The dumb bitch is too far along to do the test safely while she’s still pregnant. So we gotta wait.”

Riley managed to get his hands free and quickly undid Melanie’s restraints. She remained still on her back with them tucked behind her as he quietly made his way out of the room.

I had no clue where we went and if this was going to work at all. It was the only chance any of us had to get out alive though, so I had to remain strong.

“Then we wait,” the tall guy said before turning around and seeing Riley was gone.

The fist came to my face hard and fast. Melanie screamed as I tasted the metallic of blood filling my mouth. It knocked me to my side. I moved back to sitting and spit blood on my offender.

“Where’d he go?” short stooge asked.

I shrugged my shoulders. “He’s a loose end either way. You kill him, my men kill him. You know my job, boys. I was simply there to collect the cunt’s shit. It’s all checks and balances, numbers for me. She’s not profitable for my business, and he’s just an unwanted accessory.”

“Your people aren’t in charge here, we are,” middle man stated.

I shook my head. “Okay, if that’s what you gotta tell yourself. I promise you Dane Anderson has his name on a target card. No way he’s gonna let anyone else take the thrill of a win for him.”

“Dane, you sent the hit to Dane,” short stooge said more to himself than me.

Dane had a reputation in the underworlds. He had been hired by both Petrov brothers for different jobs in the past. He had a flawless record and had never missed a target.

“Why would I not send Dane? He’s my business partner. You know this. You did your job, you’d know who Dane is. Hmmm, wonder how Ivan will feel when he sorts out who didn’t do their job and got me sending Dane after all of you?”

Tall man hit me again. I heard the sounds of my bones crunch as my nose fractured and blood poured out. As I fell to my side, his boot covered foot came down on my still throbbing head.

“Oh I seem to have hit a nerve,” I muttered as I pushed up with my elbow to sit upright again which shoved his foot off my head as I moved.

“We need to regroup,” the short one said. “We gotta call Ivan.”

I laughed. I had them where I wanted them. They didn’t grab a phone and call someone for backup. I didn’t hear any other noises except the faint noise of a door closing so I assumed Riley at least made it from the home. These three were the only people here. When they leave, I could get Melanie to free my hands and I’d get out of here. Unfortunately, I couldn’t leave her behind in her condition. With my injuries and her so far along, this was going to be challenging.

The stooge’s fist came down and connected with my face once more. I felt like I was in a cartoon as I saw stars behind my eyelids.

I needed a cigarette. I could feel the pack with my lighter still in my pants pocket. I had to focus. Remember the goals. If I could get the three dipshits to leave, Melanie could untie me.

Then I’d have a cigarette and burn this motherfucker to the ground.