Rocco thumped his fists against the door and said, “Hailey, come on. You’ve got a line forming out here.” He looked over his shoulders and he was met with the sheepish gaze of a college student that had fallen in line behind him.
She crossed one of her legs over the other and pressed herself against the wall. Rocco raised his hand and pounded his fist against the door. “Hailey-”
The door opened, and Hailey hurried into the hallway. She brushed past the girl that had been waiting, and bolted towards the front door. Rocco fell into a light jog and burst through the front doors, where Hailey leaned over his bike in the parking lot.
He approached her slowly and said, “Hailey? What the hell is wrong with you? What did you find out?”
Hailey tossed a nasty glance in Rocco’s direction and spat, “What do you think?” She threw her leg over the side of his bike and said, “I’m fucking pregnant, Rocco. What are we going to do?”
Rocco waited for the rush of ideas that he’d hoped would swarm his brain if Hailey’s suspicions had been correct, but none came. His heart thumped loudly in his chest, and sweat gathered at the base of his neck. He pressed his hand to his chest and said, “W-We’ll figure it out. Just—just put your helmet on or something.”
An Old Lady and a baby? When’s the last time you were able to handle that much responsibility. After Mariah died, he’d spent the following weeks wondering what he could have done to prevent her death. He wondered if he should have been the one that was driving, or if he should have told her to just stay at home, and let him take care of everything. Rocco couldn’t fathom the extra weight that would have been added to his guilt if he’d lost a child too.
Rocco avoided Hailey’s gaze as he made his way over to the motorcycle. The usual rush of excitement that came with wrapping his fingers around the throttle were gone. He backed out of his parking space and drove down the street. He eased his bike around corners, and came to a stop just as the lights turned yellow. Within twenty minutes, he stopped in front the Chasing Spirits clubhouse. He extended his hand to Hailey, and with a brief moment of hesitation, she slipped her fingers in between his.
Rocco squeezed her hand as they headed towards the front door. He stepped inside of the lobby just as Meish came barreling out of his office. Rocco dropped Hailey’s hand and barked at Meish, “Are we going to talk about whatever you needed to see me about?”
Meish scanned the distressed faces of Rocco and Hailey before his lips curled into a smirk and he said, “Yeah, we’re going to talk about it. I want you two to step into my office. Let’s chat.”
Rocco noted Hailey’s fearful glance as Meish led the way into his office. He pressed his hand against her lower back and pushed her forward. Once they were inside, Rocco shut the door and took a seat beside Hailey on the maroon colored couch across from Meish.
Meish grinned and folded his fingers together. His thick, black, bushy eyebrows were knitted together as he said, “I’ve got a hell of an idea.”
Rocco crossed his arms over his chest and asked, “What?”
Meish jerked one of his meaty fingers at Hailey and said, “I think that I’ve figured out the perfect way to get her father to the table. We’ve got the ball in our court with this whole wedding thing, and I’m thinking that we can get the Pythons’ President to bend over backwards if we go a bit further.”
Rocco looked between the worry lines forming on Hailey’s face and Meish’s devious expression. He scowled and said, “Get to the point, Meish. What exactly do you need Hailey to do?”
Meish leaned back in his chair and the bolts creaked loud enough to echo throughout the room. “I think that her father might get his panties in a bunch if we tell him that we can get a good price for her.”
Hailey gasped and said, “A good price? Like a hooker?”
Meish rolled his shoulders back and said, “More like a sex slave. I’m sure that lots of men would be willing to pay for a young, stick thin, blue eyed beauty like yourself.”
Hailey cupped her hand over her mouth and her eyes flew between Meish and Rocco. Rocco cleared his throat and leaned forward, “Meish, that’s crazy. Her father will come to us anyway, there’s no way he’s going to let us keep her around for much longer.”
“Yeah, he’ll come, but he won’t be willing to negotiate if she’s just been hanging around with Clyde all this time. If he’s convinced that she’ll be the property of the highest bidder on the internet, he’ll jump at the chance to make things right with us.”
“Meish, what the hell are you expecting to do?”
Meish chuckled and said, “We’ll clean her up, get her looking nice and sexy, and Clyde will post an ad on this website that won’t allow the cops to trace it back to our club. We might even be able to get a few eager buyers in here to pose for a few pictures. What do you think?”
“I think that this plan is fucking nuts,” Rocco said, “What if one of these guys thinks that he’s actually going to walk off with her? Or what if he just takes her?”
“Cool it,” Meish said, “You’ll be around, and we can’t afford to let too much happen to her or we’ll lose all kinds of leverage.”
Rocco opened his mouth to shout his reply but Hailey’s soft voice cut through the tense feel that had settled into the air. “Rocco?” She reached over and set her hand on top of his. “You should tell him.” Hailey rested her other hand on her stomach.
Meish narrowed his eyes and asked, “What the hell is she talking about, Rocco?”
Rocco looked between Meish and Hailey before he said, “She’s pregnant, Meish.”
Meish’s eyes widened and he brought his hand down on his desk. “She’s what?!”
Clyde’s footsteps shuffled past Meish’s door and Rocco rolled his eyes before he said, “Yes, we just found out. She took a test.”
Meish looked between Rocco and Hailey, and said, “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. You were the one that didn’t even want to go through with this whole fake marriage thing and now you’re taking it to heart. Are you serious, Rocco?”
Rocco nodded and said, “That’s why I want to keep her out of trouble.” He pointed at Hailey’s flat stomach and said, “That’s my baby. I can’t just let anything happen to them, I can’t let you whore her out to fuck with the Pythons.”
Meish scoffed and said, “Rocco, let me tell you something. When I said that she was going to help us get her father to the table with my plan, I wasn’t asking. I was telling you that this is the plan we’re going with. If you’ve got a problem with it,” he pointed towards the door that led to the lobby. Shadows moved past the door and Meish said, “there’s the door. Of course, we’d keep Hailey. I couldn’t let you walk out of here with the solution to all of my problems.”
Rocco scowled and rose to his feet. He shot an angry glare towards Meish and said, “Fine. If you want to have it that way, then fine. Come on, Hailey.”
Hailey jumped to her feet and followed rocco out of the office. Meish leaned back in his chair, and put his arms over his belly. A coy smile tugged at the edges of his lips.
***
Hailey glanced over her shoulder to peer at Clyde before she returned her attention to the people strolling past the front entrance of the Chasing Spirits Motorcycle Club. A small wave of nausea rolled in her stomach, and her breasts had begun to ache the day before. It had been three days since Meish told her and Rocco about his plan, and while Hailey was furious at being reminded that she was ultimately being used as a pawn in Meish’s game, she wanted this part of things to be over as soon as possible.
Her fingers drew a small circle around her lower abdomen, and she took a deep breath. Hailey took a deep breath and savored the feel of the sunlight bathing over her skin. Sunlight was her only reprieve, and she didn’t get a chance to see much of it since Clyde was usually a hawk about keeping tabs on her in his own way.
It’s so hard to check on Becca as much as I’d like because he’s always watching. Hailey looked over her shoulder once more and met eyes with Clyde. Clyde put on a polite smile and raised his coffee cup. He tapped his finger against the tan, ceramic mug and said, “Interested in coffee this morning? I ordered decaf for you.”
Hailey smiled and said, “Yeah, I’ll go and grab some soon.” Hailey stepped away from the window and walked over to Clyde’s desk. I suppose that was my first warning of the day. She watched as Clyde eased into his chair and wiggled his mouse until his computer screen came to life.
I can’t be too mad at him. He’s under Meish’s thumb like the rest of us. Hailey glanced at the closed door of Meish’s office and fought back a wave of non baby related nausea. She shook her head and patted the surface of Clyde’s desk. “I’ll be around, okay? If you need me, you can find me in the lounge.”
Without looking up from his paperwork, Clyde said, “Sounds good. Stay out of trouble. It was one thing when Rocco left me in charge of watching his Old Lady, but I’ve never been responsible for an unborn child before. By the way, your kid is probably going to be a little hellion if it ends up being anything like Rocco.”
Hailey chuckled and moved away from the desk. She strolled down the hallway and listened for the sound of chatter or groans as she moved deeper into the hallway. While Hailey knew exactly why they were not only keeping Becca alive, but around the club but over the last few days, she managed to condition herself to forget.
She pressed her hand against the door to Becca’s room and sighed. Hailey wrapped her fingers around the doorknob, and when she twisted the knob and pushed the door open, the same putrid smells from before flooded Hailey’s senses. Hailey blinked hard and cupped her hand over her mouth.
Hailey hurried into the room and shut the door. She leaned against the door and shook her head.
“Shit,” she mumbled. She could taste the smells of sex and sweat. Hailey moved over to the bed, where the grey sheet that Becca had swathed herself in before had been tossed to the floor. Becca’s body was pushed against the wall beside the bed. Her bony and bruised legs were pulled to her chest. Her mess of tangled blonde hair spilled over face.
Hailey frowned and moved towards the bed. She waved her hand out in front of her and said, “Becca?”
Becca was still as Hailey moved forward. Hailey’s muscles were tense, she anticipated a sudden movement from Becca. However, as she got close enough to the bed for her thighs to knock against the edge of the mattress, Becca’s frail limbs hadn’t loosened any.
A rush of fear went through Hailey’s body, a sudden feeling of lightheadedness invaded her head, and she braced herself against the mattress. Her fingers clutched the edge of the mattress, and she eased herself onto the bed.
Hailey inhaled, ignoring the smells and the mounting nausea that was swirling in her stomach. She extended her arm and pressed her palm against Becca’s knees.
“Becca?” Hailey’s voice had taken on a heavier, deeper tone. With more urgency, she shook her friend’s leg and said, “Becca?”
Just as a frog sized lump had settled in her throat, Becca shifted, and the curtain of tangled hair fell to the side. Her eyes, while they had appeared unfocused on and uncaring before, were glossy and dazed. She lifted her head and parted her cracked lips, “Who’s there?”
Hailey’s eyes widened, and she shifted onto her knees. She leaned into Becca’s face and pushed a few strands of hair off of her forehead. “Becca,” she whispered, “it’s me. It’s Hailey. Come on, sit up.”
Becca frowned but didn’t object as Hailey pulled her legs away from her stomach, and wrapped her fingers around her wrist. Hailey yanked her into a sitting position, and pushed her back against the cool wall.
Hailey smiled and said, “Hey, what’s going on? Do you know who you are?”
Becca’s head tilted on her shoulders, and she blinked, her eyes were closed long enough to convince Hailey that she’d fallen asleep. Hailey held her breath when Becca’s eyes weakly fluttered open, and open, and she blinked again.
Becca tilted her head to the side and said, “Hailey?”
Hailey nodded and said, “Yes, yes. What’s wrong? What have they been doing to you?”
Becca smacked her lips together and her head fell back against the wall with a thump so unsettling that Hailey considered leaving the room.
What if she needs a doctor? “Becca? Tell me what they did to you.”
“One of the big guys…” she drawled, “gave me something to relax. Said I was too squirmy for him, couldn’t…” she yawned, “do what he needed to do.”
“Oh my God,” Hailey said. Rage pushed at the corners of her brain, she pleaded with herself to keep her own survival in mind, and the survival of her unborn child.
That’s right. Becca doesn’t even know about the baby. I’m walking around and making deals with Meish and Rocco, and they’ve drugged Becca and tossed her away in here.
Becca sighed and it looked as if the action had taken all of the energy that she had. She slumped against the wall and weakly lifted her eyes. Hailey patted her on the thigh and said, “I’m going to get you out of here. I’m not going to let them do this to you.” Hailey held her fingers to her stomach and moved towards the door. She wrapped her hands around the doorknob and pushed the door open. Hailey stepped into the hall, the sound of Rocco’s gruff voice and Clyde’s complementing measure voice floated through the halls.
Hailey moved towards the lobby and stopped just before she moved into the room. Can I really do this? Can I really expect a group of some of the toughest men in Chicago to keep their hands off my friend and I? Rocco’s promise echoed in her mind, but she reluctantly admitted to herself that despite his good intentions, he might not be able to keep her, Becca, and the baby safe if Meish had anything to do with it.
Hailey moved into the lobby, and approached Rocco as he pointed at one of the papers in Clyde’s hands.
“See? I don’t see why Meish even wants you to bother with stuff like that, if it were left up to me, I’d have you out with the riders every day.”
“I really don’t mind doing these all day, someone has to process the records around here. Who’s going to do the bookkeeping while you guys are out?”
Hailey snorted. Who’s going to do the bookkeeping while the rest of you are raping and pillaging is more like it.
Rocco turned his head towards her and said, “Hailey, shouldn’t you be lying down?”
“I’m pregnant, not disabled.” She swatted his arm and tossed a facetious smile in Clyde’s direction.
Clyde chuckled to himself while Rocco said, “I see that you’re already hormonal. Did you need something?”
Hailey nodded and pointed towards one of the lounge rooms. “I need to talk to you.”
Rocco sent what was intended to be a reassuring glance towards Clyde before he redirected his attention towards Hailey. He followed her towards the lounge room and stepped in behind her. He flicked his finger along the lock and moved into the center of the room, where Hailey stood with her arms across her chest and her eyes to the floor. Her right leg jiggled, and she violently shook her head and said, “Rocco, you have to do something about this.”
Rocco’s eyes widened as Hailey whipped around and charged him. Her small fists pelted into Rocco’s firm chest, and she screeched, “Do you even know what they’re doing to her?”
Hailey shoved her hands into Rocco’s chest before he snapped up both of her wrists in his hands. Rocco’s hands felt massive compared to hers, and the gentle pressure that he applied to her wrists only affirmed what he might be capable of.
Tears streamed down Hailey’s beet red face, and she said, “They’re fucking drugging her and just treating her like a sex doll. I can’t believe this, this is all my fault.”
Hailey slumped to her knees and Rocco knelt down and leaned in towards her. “What are you talking about?”
“Becca,” Hailey sobbed. “She’s not anything like she used to be, Rocco. You need to get her out of there. You promised that you would protect me, but she’s a part of the deal too. I don’t want things to get any worse.”
Rocco wrapped his arms around Hailey’s shoulders and pressed his face into her neck. He sighed and said, “Look, that’s where Meish wants her-”
Hailey’s shoulders violently shook with sobs. She swiped at the tears that covered her cheeks and said, “But what about what you want? You’re able to keep me safe.”
“As much as I can. And things are especially different now that we’ve got this whole thing going on with the baby. I’m going to keep you safe, but I’m going to follow orders.” Rocco shrugged and said, “I’m sorry that I can’t offer more right now.”
Meish could have us killed at any moment. Hailey twisted out of Rocco’s arms and scooted over to the sofa to the right of them. She pulled her knees to her chest and relaxed against the bottom of the sofa.
Rocco sighed and moved over towards the sofa. Hailey scooted out of his reach, she dug her nails into the carpet and refused to face him. Rocco snaked his arms around Hailey’s waist and ignored her protests as he pulled her close to his chest.
“Listen,” he breathed into her ear, “I’m going to do my best to keep you safe. Just because I’m following orders doesn’t mean that you and the baby,” he ran his hands over her lower belly, “won’t be protected.”
Hailey dried her eyes on her shirt. She twisted around in Rocco’s arms to face him and said, “Okay.”
Rocco eyed her warily and repeated, “Okay?”
Hailey nodded and said, “Okay.”
Rocco wrapped his fingers around her neck and pulled her face close to his until their noses touched. He pressed his lips against hers and whispered, “I’m going to take care of you.” Rocco kissed her on the cheeks, forehead, and lips again before he rested his head in the crook of her neck. He inhaled and breathed in the smell of her skin. Rocco pressed his lips into the soft skin on her neck. His lips lingered there before they traveled up her neck, and stopped just behind her ear. He kissed her, and ran his tongue along her skin.
Rocco’s lips curled into a smirk as he repeated, “I’m going to take care of you.”