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Bryony tried to reassure me, but my gut wouldn’t stop churning. Dread was filling me. I tried to choke it down and think logically, but all I could think of was my new life falling to pieces before I ever got to truly live it. I’d been right not to hope. A man like Blade wasn’t in the cards for me. Fate was cruel to tease me with him and then take him away.
Deciding I needed to be alone and to think, I pretended to believe them and then told them I had to work on something Ian had asked me to do for the bakery. It was for the website. They bought it and left. As soon as I was in the clear, I went to the bathroom and locked myself in. A long hot bath might help me to think and plan.
I sat the bottle of wine I’d opened for Bryony on the side of the tub. I filled it with water and suds. Pinning up my hair, I climbed in. The water was so hot, it stung and my skin turned lobster red. I gritted my teeth and kept going until I was finally sitting in water and suds up to my chest.
Lying back against the back of the tub, I picked up the bottle and took a big swallow. My mind was racing. I needed to calm it before I could think. The wine had to help me do that. I quickly drank the bottle. Bryony only had one small glass, so the bottle was almost full. By the time it was empty, which was in no time, I was feeling drunk. I didn’t drink much and when I did, it easily went to my head.
One thing was clear, even if my course wasn’t. It was too hot in this water. I had to get out. Shifting my weight, I climbed to my feet unsteadily. Gaining them, I stretched to reach the towel I’d left too far out of reach. Just as I snagged the end of it, my foot slipped on a slick spot. As I wobbled, I tried to right myself, but my sense of equilibrium was off. I cried out as I fell, trying to break my fall with my hands. Pain shot up my arm as I hit the edge of the tub then my arm gave out and my head hit the side of the tub. Everything went hazy. I fought to focus, but it was no use.
Blade:
I hated not telling Cassia what was happening, but I wanted to have the whole story before I did. I couldn’t stop worrying about one of my brothers being the father of Lala’s baby, if one existed. I thought it was only right they know about it before anyone else.
I looked around the table, thinking about which of them I’d seen going off with Lala. Sniper, Gunner, Bandit, Coyote, Lance, and Jake were the only ones who were single and possibilities. I hadn’t seen Jake near her. In fact, I couldn’t recall him paying attention to any woman over the years. I think he was still in love with his dead fiancée, Frankie.
Lance had been here almost three months. If he hooked up with her immediately, then he might be. Lots of prospects liked the idea of women throwing themselves at you. There was no shortage of them. And unlike some clubs, ours didn’t prohibit prospects from being with bunnies or hang arounds. I was jarred from my mental tallying by Terror.
“Okay, I know this isn’t our usual night, and I told you it couldn’t wait until Saturday. Here’s the issue. Lala came to the Salvation Security office today. She was going off about being with Blade. Only she was totally saying delusional shit. Things we know aren’t true and other stuff we need to verify. Luckily, Regan helped us and she was taken to Dublin Falls General to be evaluated on the psych ward.”
“Jesus, she’s that bad?” Viking asked.
“Yeah, she is. I told Regan to make sure the hospital knows we’ll do whatever we can for her. Smoke is working on finding out if she has any family. She’s not able to make decisions for herself.”
“That sucks, Terror, but why couldn’t this wait? No disrespect, but there isn’t much we can do, other than what you have Smoke doing. Does he need help?” Sniper asked.
“No, he doesn't need help. Here’s the thing. Lala, in her delusional state, kept saying she was pregnant. She says it’s Blade’s, however, he’s never slept with her. She claims to be about two-and-a-half months along. I asked Regan to have her tested at the hospital. The test came back positive. She’s pregnant. Now, the issue is, does this baby belong to any of the Warriors or one of our friends or someone she was screwing out in town?”
Stunned looks were universal around the table. Even those who were married were shocked. This was most men’s worst nightmare. Finding out a woman was pregnant and you might be the father. Sure, if it was a woman you loved and wanted to have a kid with, like I did with Cassia, then great. However, that wasn’t the case here.
“Fuck! I can’t believe this. Sure, I slept with her a couple of times around then. After that she was fixated on Blade and I wasn’t feeling it, but I wore a condom every time,” Sniper said in a panic.
“It doesn’t matter. Even if you did, it still might be yours. Nothing is foolproof. Anyone else?” Terror asked, scanning the table. I saw Coyote’s hand go up. Unusual for us was the fact Terror had asked the prospects to join us, that didn’t happen often and only when something really serious was happening. Lance put up his hand too. He looked pale and ready to faint.
“No one else?” Savage chimed in.
“Nope. I was too busy with others to sleep with her, then when she started to chase Blade, I kept my distance. I tried to tell Sniper to stay away from her. She gave off crazy vibes to me,” Gunner added. He exchanged a worried look with Sniper. The two of them were best friends. They’d joined and been prospects at the same time.
Sniper hung his head. Coyote didn’t look thrilled, but he looked better than the other two. Lance was still white as a sheet and muttering under his breath.
“Listen, here’s what we need to do. I’m reaching out to Reaper. His club was here about that time. I’ll tell him that any one of his guys who hooked up with her needs to come down and have a test done,” Terror informed us.
“A test? What test?” Coyote asked.
“They can do a paternity test. It won’t harm the baby and all you do is give them a swab. Tomorrow, all of you plan on stopping by the hospital. Regan and Dr. Kurts have arranged for you all to have your DNA taken. They’ll take Lala’s blood and compare. That should tell us if the baby belongs to any of you or the Punishers, when they come,” he continued to explain.
“What if the baby is one of ours? What are we going to do? I’ll tell you right now, I don’t want her raising a baby of mine,” Coyote uttered.
“If that’s the case, we’ll get our lawyer on it. He’ll tell you what to do. According to Regan, it’s likely that this is a mental disorder such as schizophrenia or bipolar and something Lala will have to live with for the rest of her life. She’ll need care and the baby is at greater risk of having the same thing too. Whatever we do, we do what’s right for you, the baby and Lala. I don’t see her being able to cope with a baby. Whether we take in the kid or make sure he or she goes to a good family, we’ll make sure he or she is protected. The child will always be a Warrior,” Terror added.
“I’ll be damned if any child of mine will go to someone else! If it happens to be mine, I want custody. I can raise it here with all of you. I might not care for its mother, but I won’t turn my back on my own flesh and blood,” Sniper snapped.
“If it’s yours and that’s what you want, then we’ll make it happen. You’re right. You’ll have plenty of us to help. The whole club can help raise the baby, just like Hunters Creek helped Bull raise Harlow,” Terror said, with a twinkle in his eyes. I knew he said that to break the tension, which it did.
“Oh hell no, I’m not going to raise a Harlow. Imagine my daughter being like her. Nope. Better pray it’s a boy and we’re not letting Harlow near him. She’ll infect him,” Coyote said, while fighting a grin.
We all loved Harlow, but she was a badass woman. She was tough to keep down. We didn’t envy Terror when it came to that. She was used to being a princess in the club plus a Marine sniper. Just because she had been out for years didn’t make her any less of a worthy adversary, if you went up against her.
This got all the rest of us chuckling. After that, Terror promised to keep us updated and dismissed us, so he could call Reaper. I wondered how many of his guys would have to be tested. In a night, a woman like Lala could get around. They had been here a couple of nights. I hurried to leave the common room. Neriah caught me. I hated to stop, but I wouldn’t be rude.
