Four months later…

“Look at you!” Kenneth said gleefully as I worked at the sink scrubbing dishes from the night’s dinner, homemade tacos and burritos courtesy of Juan’s parents. “You’re about to pop and you’re still doing kitchen work! Let me do that for you.”

“I can do it!” I protested, but Kenneth was firm and gently moved me aside and took my place at the sink.

“I know you can, but you shouldn’t,” he scolded with a friendly reprimand. “You are puh-reggos! You need to be resting and waiting for that little baby boy to be brought into the world. Or do you want him all pissed off and spilling out here onto the kitchen floor while you try to scrub chiles off of a plate?”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “No, I don’t want that, Kenneth!”

“Well, go on and sit down then,” he replied, pointing to the couch, which was now just a couch, as Gabriel and I had moved into our brand new room last month. He’d finished the addition with Preston and we’d completed our room first. They’d also added a nursery for the kids too. It was beautiful, with a nice big window that let the breeze in.

I headed over to the couch just as my phone beeped with a text alert.

“That your buyer?” Kenneth asked me. I checked it and nodded. After settling in on the farm, I’d decided to sell Bottoms Up. It just wasn’t what I wanted from my life. I’d been working hard on my novel, and was almost finished with a first draft, and everyone on the farm had been begging me for a copy so they could give me an opinion. I was nervous, but with Gabriel at my side, I could do anything.

“Yeah,” I replied. “Looks like he wants me to come by the bar so we can finally meet.”

“You haven’t met him?” he asked, sounding slightly shocked. I shook my head.

“No, we’ve just been communicating via text so far,” I explained. “I kind of thought he might want to back out, as it seemed kind of noncommittal.”

“I’ll say.”

“Do you think Preston would mind if I took the truck out for a bit?” I asked.

“You don’t want Gabriel to drive you?”

“He’s in the shower,” I replied. “And exhausted. I don’t want to bother him with this. Just a quick jaunt down to the bar and back.”

“Then I’m sure Preston won’t mind,” Kenneth assured me as he shut the water off and began to dry his hands. “Do you even know this guy’s name?”

“Alfonzo,” I replied. “It’s not a date, Kenneth.”

Kenneth shrugged. “Just seems a little weird. You sure you don’t want Gabriel to go with you? Or me?”

“It’ll be fine,” I told him. “What’s he gonna do? Try to steal the bar from me at gunpoint?”

Kenneth laughed and I grabbed the keys from the counter and headed outside. The August sun was on its way down but the evening was still hot as I made my way to the truck and hopped in. The engine crackled to life and I stomped the gas and headed down the driveway.

Just a quick trip to the old haunt and back for some quality time with Gabriel. Kenneth knew better than to question my pregnancy mobility. It was one thing to take it easy with chores around the house, but another thing entirely to try and keep me from being able to get around on my own. I loved nesting and lounging around the house as much as the next guy, but I wasn’t about to be cooped up.

I hit the main road, made my way to the highway and it wasn’t long before I was pulling off the exit and heading for the bar. Ron was working tonight, and I hadn’t seen him in about a week. He’d pretty much taken over the place for me, handling the day-to-day operations, and was really coming through. I pulled in and parked, and texted Alfonzo to let him know I had arrived. There were no other cars in the parking lot, which seemed odd for that time of night, but all the same, I hopped out and headed inside.

The door squeaked familiarly as I entered and I called out, “Ronald! Ronald, ol’ buddy, where are you!?”

Then, I froze. A scent rammed into my nose like an invading army. The hairs on my arms and the back of my neck stood quickly to attention and I felt my heart rate skyrocket.

It can’t be! I thought as a flood of panic washed through me like a stream of acid splashing through my chest. The baby was kicking, probably upset by the emotions I was going through—the scent that was scratching away at my soul like a tick. Killoran’s scent.

I looked around and saw a set of feet poking out from behind the bar and recognized them instantly. Holding one hand over my stomach, I raced over to find Ronald lying on the ground, a napkin over his bloody nose.

“Ron!” I cried out. “Ron, are you okay!?”

He winced and propped himself up on one elbow. “Get out of here, Percy. They’re looking for you.”

“Let me call the police first,” I told him, grabbing my phone.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Killoran’s voice rang out behind me. I tried to dial 911 as quickly as I could, but before I was able to hit send, something hit me in the back. My phone went spiraling out of my hand to land on the bar mat and I was knocked to my stomach beside Ron.

I whirled around and looked up to see Killoran standing above me, a triumphant grin on his face, licking his lips like a predator.

“Wasn’t sure you’d be this stupid,” he chuckled. “Coming back to your place like this when you knew we was lookin’ for you.” I winced as a terrible pain rippled through my belly. Killoran looked down and his eyes went wide. “Damn, you’re knocked up too? You didn’t waste any time, did you?”

Another pain tore through me.

A contraction! I realized. The baby’s coming! No, not now!

I pulled myself backwards across the wet floor as Killoran advanced on me. Two more figures appeared behind him: Trey and a big bruiser with black hair and tattoos that I didn’t recognize.

“Say, what are you doing here anyway?” Killoran asked with a terrible grin. “Looking for…Alfonzo?”

My heart sank. I’d been played. Killoran had been posing as Alfonzo the entire time in order to lure me here, and I’d fallen right into his trap. Kenneth had been right to caution me, but I’d ignored him. And now here I was, pregnant and alone, vulnerable, at the mercy of three alphas with horrific intentions.

“Never thought you’d fall for it,” he chuckled, taking another threatening step forward. “Didn’t even ask to get on a phone call with me! What a joke.”

Another contraction hit me like a twisting gut punch, causing me to collapse onto my side and cry out.

“Aw, something wrong?” Trey mocked as he came up to his leader’s side. “Got a tummy ache?”

“You see, baby boy?” Killoran said cruelly. “See how much better things would have been if you’d just come along with us in the first place?”

He reached down and stroked my cheek with the back of his gnarled pinky. His scent was like gasoline, toxic and invasive. I turned away, causing him to snatch me by the jaw and pull my eyes to him.

“Now you listen here—” he snarled. But before he could finish, the front door burst off its hinges.