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Doc held his hand out for his phone, and I gave it back before he headed out. I scrubbed a hand over my face before pulling my cell out and immediately dialed Gab’s number as I made my way toward the back and stepped outside.
“Hey brother, how was the doc?” Gab instantly asked.
Gab himself was starting to care for Natalie as well. After speaking with him this morning, I understood that he and Natalie had gotten along well enough. He liked her. He liked that she wasn’t afraid to speak her mind. He liked that she had a fire within her. He wasn’t wrong either; she was special compared to the others. That’s what made this so hard on me, on either of us now. She had wormed her way into our hearts without even trying, and now we both felt like it was our responsibility to save her and this baby, her miracle baby.
“A dick, as usual. We’ve got a problem. Due to her past history Natalie would normally be giving birth through a c-section. According to the doc, if it's natural, she might die in delivery.”
“Shit. I didn’t think that would be an issue. You said it was bone cancer.”
“Apparently, the cancer treatment could have affected her uterus and birth canal. Normally, she would be closely monitored for the whole pregnancy, and blood tests and ultrasounds would be done regularly to catch any problems early on.”
“Which is something we can’t do. We also can’t do a c-section, which really puts us on a clock, not that we weren’t before. We gotta get her out of there by six months to be safe, right?”
“Ideally. They both need to be closely monitored, and she’s not going to get that while she is here. If we want to ensure they both live and have the best chances of getting through this alive, we need to get her out of here sooner than later.”
“We also have to worry about her trying to escape or say the wrong thing and Dom gets fed up and kills her.”
That was also a major concern that I had. I did not forget about last night. I didn’t think for a single second that Natalie was only horny and needed someone to rub up against. She had a plan brewing within her mind, and I knew she was trying to build some sort of trust or rapport with me. She wanted me to let my guard down so she could escape. It was clever, but it wasn’t going to work. I shouldn’t have slept with her, but I couldn’t stop thinking about her.
My whole body had been craving her touch; it still was. I had given in last night, but I would need to be careful that it didn’t happen again. I couldn’t afford to allow any further feelings toward her to develop. Especially because she didn’t truly want to be with me. I was a means to an end for her, she was using me, but that was fine. I was expecting it now and would be more aware of it.
“I’m planning on making sure she stays in the room whenever Dom or one of the other guys are here to minimize the risk of her saying the wrong thing to them. I’ve debated on telling her the truth. Telling her that I was looking to kill Dom before she gave birth, but I doubt she would believe me. There is also the added risk of her saying the wrong thing and getting herself killed.”
“I agree. It would be safer to keep her in the dark. I mentioned Alexis yesterday to her. I didn’t mean to, but it just came up within the conversation. Her hearing about Alexis and knowing that you and I weren’t like Dom might have helped. I obviously didn’t tell her about why we were here. I was trying to make her feel more comfortable around us. She doesn’t need the added stress, and it can’t be good for the baby.”
Alexis wasn’t a conversation I ever wanted to have. I loved her with everything in me; losing her was still extremely painful. It was devastating to find her dead. To know that she had been in so much pain, and I couldn’t stop it. I didn’t see it. I thought she had gotten better. I thought she was in a place where she could be happy and live with the trauma she had endured. I was so very wrong, and I lost the woman I loved and my chance at being a father. I knew she had only been along weeks and there was no chance she knew she was pregnant. Part of me often wondered if it would have changed anything. If she had fought and held on for the baby. We had discussed children at one point.
We had discussed my leaving the mafia in Gab’s hands and creating our own family and life. She had no interest in having children, which I understood. She had been through hell in her life and would naturally be apprehensive about bringing a child into the world. Now here I was once again thinking about leaving the mafia and starting a new life somewhere. A legal life where I could have a wife and a child one day. That day wasn’t today, so there was no point in thinking about it.
“It’s fine. It might help her feel more relaxed, which is best for the baby. Realistically, they will not be safe until Dom is dead and they are out of town. I can have everything set up for when it’s time to leave, but we need that window for killing Dom.”
“I am working on it. I have been speaking with the guys and trying to see what Dom has coming up that would create an opportunity to move in. I have also been thinking we need a fall guy. Someone we can pin Dom’s death on so the rest of the guys don’t start looking at you or me. I know we’ll be on the other side of the country, but still, we can’t be too careful. Not with something like this.”
“You’re right. Dom doesn’t have any connections on the East Coast, at least that I know about, but we can’t be too careful. With Dom dead, it will create a power vacuum and we don’t know who will step up to fill it.”
That was going to be the issue. If I was killed, then Gab would take over. We have a logical flow in my organization, something I thought everyone had. Since working for Dom, I quickly learned that there wasn’t a designated number two. Dom went through a lot of guys, even the higher-ups. There was no way of knowing who would take over the mafia upon his death. We had to be extremely cautious about how I killed him and where.
“We’ll figure it out. We won’t let her die,” Gab promised.
I wanted to believe him. I wanted to believe it would be that simple, but I knew it wouldn’t. All I could do was hope that everything worked out, and both Natalie and her baby were healthy. We had a challenge ahead of us, but I was never one to turn away from a hard fight. We were going to make it happen, one way or another. I just needed Natalie to hold on until I could free her once and for all.
Chapter fifteen
Natalie
It was nearing early evening when I heard the back door open. I had been outside doing yoga for the last thirty minutes to try and settle my mind after the doctor’s appointment. I had been in my room, trying to process everything, but it wasn’t helping, so I figured a little yoga might be nice. I wasn’t a huge fan of yoga, as I had only taken a couple of classes. It just wasn’t really my thing, but I had to try and stay calm and yoga was apparently good for that. I still couldn’t get over that doctor. Not only was he a complete asshole, but he was useless.
He was the guy you saw when you needed stitches, not someone you would entrust with a baby. Certainly not a baby within my body, but I was going to have him until I got the fuck out of here. Seeing the doctor only fueled my desire to escape. It was made even more clear that I needed to get out of here as soon as possible and if that meant I had to keep sleeping with Armando, then so be it.
“Is that really a good idea? Shouldn’t you be resting?” Armando asked from behind me.
I looked over my shoulder to see him with his arms crossed over his chest leaning against a wooden post that held up the roof over the deck. I answered as I stretched and went down into the downward dog position. If I was going to be getting out of here, I needed to ensure he couldn’t resist me, and a clear view of my ass was a good place to start.
“The doctor says I need to stay physically and mentally healthy. Yoga is a great way to stay active without too much strenuous activity. Plus, it will help calm my mind and all its racing thoughts.”
“How’s it working?”
“I think it’s a complete load of hippy crap, but I can’t do what I normally do to unwind,” I answered, as I slowly went into the cobra position.
