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“Talk like that and I’m going to need something a lot stronger than beer. He likes to be…in control,” Ethan said.
Connor laughed. “I see the problem. Because so do you.” Glad I’m not there.
Ethan got up and tossed some bills on the table. “Yup. But we all know who really is,” he said. With a grin he added, “Kollette.”
As Ethan walked away, Connor muttered, “And don’t ever forget it.”
He looked at his watch and knew it was getting close to the time he needed to pick up Shaun, who also happened to be in New York for some mysterious meeting. It was only a few blocks away, but in rush hour, everything was longer.
Connor had about half of his tallboy left. He knew he wasn’t going to finish it. He was technically still working, and drinking on the job was no way to keep a job. He got up and added a few more bills to what Ethan had left. When you prefer that no one knows where you’ve been, you always deal in cash.
Before he left, he reached for the glass for one last sip. It was a mistake, because a woman who had had too much to drink, was trying to squeeze by him. She stumbled, grabbed onto his arm, and his glass tipped forward. The remaining beer now covered his jacket. Fuck! He wouldn’t be drunk, just smell like it when he picked up Shaun. He had given himself enough time to be a little early, but not enough to shop for a jacket. It was possible that the fresh air on the walk to his SUV might remove the odor, but he doubted it.
The only luck Connor seemed to have today was finding a parking spot a few blocks away. Good thing, since this lounge didn’t have a valet. But with the number of vehicles parked illegally, it didn’t seem to bother anyone else.
As he approached the black SUV, he knew there was something wrong. He never left the doors unlocked, but the rear passenger door was ajar. Fuck! If pulling his gun out of his ankle holster didn’t get him shot, he’d surprise the fucker trying to rip him off. Thankfully he had a license to carry a concealed weapon throughout the country, based on his prior position with the DEA. Of course that is only good if they give you a chance to show your license before shooting.
Technically the SUV was a rental, but he was still liable for damages. He was just about to reach for the door handle when he heard a woman crying out from inside.
Fuck!
Was some bastard attacking a woman in there? He won’t be for long.
Grabbing the handle and practically ripping it off the hinges, he opened the door and reached for the person hovering over the screaming woman and yanked. There wasn’t much resistance. It seemed odd that the attacker was screaming as well.
What the hell?There was no way such a lightweight person could do enough harm to merit all the screaming.
“What is wrong with you?” asked the angry woman Connor had just pulled from the car.
He quickly assessed the situation. Woman, five-four, blonde hair, blue eyes, name…unknown. If she was doing anything wrong, he now could easily pick her out in a police lineup.
“I should be asking you. This is my vehicle,” Connor snapped, not releasing his hold on her. Another cry filled the air. When he turned and looked back in the SUV, he dropped his hands and practically stumbled backwards. He couldn’t believe what he was looking at; bare legs bent, and wide open, with her dress lifted up. This wasn’t an attack. Yet a damn good explanation as to why she was screaming. “She’s…having a baby,” Connor gasped.
From the looks of it, it wasn’t going to be long either. Normally, nothing scared him, but he felt his heart begin to race. He looked around hoping to see a cop nearby, someone who could help this poor woman. She moaned again and Connor tensed. This baby wasn’t going to be born at the hospital. It’s going to be born here.
He tried to step aside. Connor had seen enough. Actually, too much. He didn’t have a weak stomach, but this was something he wasn’t doing.
“Yes, she is, genius! And where were you?” she demanded.
He’d totally forgotten about the first woman. “Having a beer, not that it’s any of your business,” he snarled.
“A beer. Oh, you’re really a piece of work.” She grabbed him by his jacket and barked, “Get in there and hold her hand.”
It was going to take a lot more than that to make him budge. Looking down at her he asked, “Shouldn’t she be at a hospital?”
“Of course. And maybe if you weren’t in the bar so long, you could’ve gotten her there. But now, there’s no time. Now get inside and hold her hand,” she snapped.
“I…”
“And give me your shirt,” she said with her hand out.
“My shirt? Why?” Connor asked.
“To wrap the baby up in. It’s coming whether you’re ready or not.” He heard her mutter, “And you’re not.”
Connor looked back inside the SUV and could tell she was right. There was about to be a baby delivered. I should’ve stayed and finished that beer. Reluctantly, he pulled off his jacket and tossed it in the front, then unbuttoned his white cotton dress shirt and handed it over.
This might be the last place he wanted to be, but not helping wasn’t an option, not for him. So, he pulled the passenger’s seat forward as much as it would go before climbing into the back. Once he was settled, he looked down at the young woman. She probably was in her early twenties, and she looked scared as hell. Who wouldn’t be? This surely wasn’t how she had imagined delivering her baby.
