Chapter Seven – Danita
Pregnant. Danita smoothed her sunshine-yellow dress down over her rounded stomach. She had noticed that she was gaining weight, but hadn't thought anything of it, not with the amount of carbs she'd been eating lately. It wasn't like she had any other signs of being pregnant.
The lack of period probably should have been a giveaway, but she had never really paid attention to her cycle before. Besides, she was so busy working, all the days just seemed to melt together.
She smiled at herself in the bathroom mirror. It was only half an hour until Amelia's wedding, and she told the boys she was coming in here to freshen up–really she just wanted to probe her stomach and beam about the news in private. Today was Melly's day, she couldn’t side rail it by announcing her pregnancy, no matter how much she wanted to.
Her phone rang, startling her. Danita sighed as she answered it without bothering to look at the number. Killian and Ryan had become overprotective lately, always making sure they didn't go more than ten minutes without speaking with her. While she understood their worry and thought it was sweet, it was also a little annoying.
"I'll be right out, you don't have to worry."
There was a pause on the other end. "As much as I am happy to hear that, Miss Valdez, we have something else to speak about."
Danita's heart nearly stopped at the sound of the smooth voice. McGrath. She swallowed hard, clinging to the sink rim. "What do you want?"
"I just wanted to inform you that I know your two Bears are planning to kill me."
"They're not."
"I have friends in the Lion's circle. They have an appointment to meet with him. There's only one reason they would do that."
Danita couldn't deny it. She stayed silent, her heart pounding.
"I'll admit that I'm a little disappointed that they thought that they could hide it from me, but here we are. I just wanted you to know so that it didn't take you by surprise when I killed them first."
She didn't know she was falling until she hit the floor. Her satin dress crumpled around her as she sat on the cold tiles, trying to find a way to breathe. "Don't."
"Pardon me?"
"Don't kill them. Please." Danita clutched the phone tightly, her breathing shallow. She could feel each beat of her heart, but it felt… outside somehow. Like it wasn't part of her body. Or she wasn't. "I'll do whatever you want. Just don't kill them."
"Whatever I want?" McGrath's voice was layered with innuendos, but Danita didn't need any hints.
She already knew exactly what he would want from her, and she was prepared to give it to him. From the start, he had been wanting one thing, and everything he had done had driven her closer to that, bit by bit. Perhaps he’d known the boys would want to kill him all along, and this was his revenge. Whatever. It didn't matter, as long as she could protect them.
"Yes. Just tell me where and when to go."
McGrath chuckled a deep, throaty laugh. "I'm glad to hear it. I can't wait… Even if those brutes took your virginity from me. But don't worry. One night with me and you'll forget all about them."
She wanted to vomit or scream, but only remained silent.
"There is still a matter of what you owe me… I know. You spend a weekend with me–this weekend–and give me your little farm, and I will let your Bears live. After that, we can arrange a weekend here and a few days there until your debt is paid off. Agreed?"
Danita choked out a yes.
The call disconnected. Danita let the phone fall to her lap. Her heart continued to pound, but she didn't feel anything anymore. She couldn't think, either, which was a relief. The numbness was welcome. What was going to happen was going to happen, for the sake of her two Bears, but that didn't mean she wanted to dwell on it.
Eventually, somebody knocking on the bathroom door roused her. Danita quickly got to her feet, smoothed her dress and made sure her makeup wasn't smudged. She tucked her cell phone back into her clasp and strode out, smiling as brightly as she could.
***
All throughout the short ceremony, she was very aware of the warmth of Killian and Ryan by her sides. She reveled in it, stroking their arms and hands, beaming towards Amelia and her own mates as they wed. They would never know about this new agreement she made with McGrath.
Later, when they were home, she'd tell them that McGrath phoned her and offered her a lower price. Something like that. It didn't matter. As long as they weren't out for blood, everything was going to be fine.
Danita violently thrust those thoughts away, knowing that they would lead to a breakdown. Instead, she focused on Amelia. She was so happy up there with Xavier and Timothy. The three of them were clearly perfect for each other. Her beautiful white wedding dress clung to her figure and–was it? Danita squinted. Yep. There was a curve to her stomach. Subtle, but there. Amelia was pregnant.
Such happy news. Such happy, happy news. Danita held her hand against her own stomach. Well, at least that was something she didn't have to be afraid of when…
How she made it through the small dinner afterward, Danita never knew.
All she knew was that she managed to smile and congratulate the happy triad, and she danced with both Ryan and Killian before spinning off with Amelia to giggle and talk about all the happy things they were going through. Amelia assured her that the loan that they had discussed was going to come through by the weekend.
It was only then that Danita felt the weight of it crashing down on her.
Somehow, she managed to keep smiling as she told Amelia that she was so sorry, but she was tired and had to go. Somehow, she managed to keep it together as she got the boys and headed home. She was in full control.
Until she got home and went to her room, claiming she needed extra sleep. It felt cold and empty without her boys. And the worst thing of all was the package on her bed. Inside was a white baby doll negligee. A note was set on the top.
Looking forward to our meeting.
An address followed. Danita closed the box and set it aside. The thought of McGrath inside her house made her feel ill. The thought of anything else… She quickly changed into a pair of old sweats and curled up in bed, trying not to cry, trying to just fall asleep.
She failed in both.