King of Hearts: An Arranged Marriage-Mafia Romance (Rake Forge University Series Book 2)

by Ashley Munoz

  If this had all been done prior to her father showing up, I’d have let her walk away from me, but instead I grabbed her hand and smiled at the receptionist.

  “We’ll be right back.”

  Taylor led the way down the hall to a small alcove, whisper-yelling at me the whole time.

  “Do you really need to come with me?”

  She opened the door to a single-person restroom, and I followed her in.

  “Are you really that worried about peeing in front of me?”

  She scoffed. “Yeah…I’m still in that stage of wanting you to think I wake up looking like a princess and don’t fart or burp.”

  I cracked a smile. “Why do you care if I think those things about you?”

  I wanted to know. I needed to. I had to have something to hold on to, proving that she was in this, falling into it as much as I was.

  “Because I’m a girl. Now wait outside.” She pushed my shoulder blades until I was moving.

  I waited for the outside her door, pulling my cell free to answer a few texts and check my bank account. My parents had me on payroll at their restaurant, and if I was there for a few hours a week, they generally paid me under the table. With my payout from the Hornets, I had enough to float on for a while, enough to see Taylor through this. We had class in a couple of days, and I hoped that was enough time to sort shit out because there was no way I was leaving her alone on campus.

  I heard the toilet flush on the other side of the door but punched in my banking password for a quick glance. Right as the door opened, I saw my balance was over nine hundred thousand dollars.

  “What’s wrong?” Taylor asked while drying her hands with a paper towel.

  I looked up, giving her a smile. “Nothing…just some banking stuff I need to clear up.”

  I knew it was my uncle, but fuck, I wasn’t ready to accept it. I wasn’t ready to accept El Peligro, or any extension of them.

  “Taylor, there you are.” One of the doctors came up, smiling at Taylor. Dude was older than us by at least ten years, but he wasn’t half bad-looking. He looked like he worked out, and I knew from the way Taylor blushed that she found him at least semi-attractive. Fuck, the more I looked at him, the more I realized he resembled that soccer player she’d chosen her namesake from.

  His eyes narrowed briefly, taking me in before putting his hand at the small of Taylor’s back.

  I followed after them, thinking through how much trouble I’d get in if I broke his wrist.

  “How are you feeling?” the doctor asked, helping her sit down on the elevated table.

  “Okay…just a little achy and tired. Same as usual.” She pulled up her shirt, leaving her in a small tank top, and slipped off her sandals.

  “How are the hormones?” he asked, his eyes bouncing to me nervously then back to Taylor.

  “Not as bad since the last time…” Taylor brushed her hair behind her ear while a new patch of red invaded her neck.

  What the fuck was going on here? I watched as Taylor stood, grabbing hold of the waistband of her shorts, ready to drag them down her thighs. The doctor’s eyes moved from the computer screen to her in a sleazy-as-fuck way, then went back to his screen like he was trying not to notice that she was about to get undressed.

  The doctor flicked his gaze once more toward Taylor before typing on his computer. “I was surprised when I saw that you had moved your appointment to a Saturday. Usually I see you much later in the afternoon, and usually you’re alone. It’s nice that your friend could come with you.”

  “I have my ultrasound appointment today,” Taylor said, moving right past the comment about me being a friend. She was about to unclasp her bra when my eyes swung back to the doctor.

  “What the fuck are you doing?” I eyed the doctor even though my question was directed at Taylor.

  She let out a little gasp of shock. “Juan, chill, this is how visits go.”

  I spun to look at Taylor, and a bone-weary anger began surfacing in my stomach.

  “So, you undress in here, in front of him, before every visit?” Please tell me she doesn’t. Please fucking tell me she doesn’t.

  Taylor’s face turned red. “These exams are all pretty up close and personal. I know how it must seem from the outside, but—”

  “Dr. Kline,” I said, cutting her off. My voice was a warning, and he seemed to realize that as his face began to flush red. Motherfucker. “Go find a female doctor. If you can’t find one then return with a female nurse.”

  He stood, letting out a little scoff. “This isn’t what you think.”

  “I think you need to go do as I said before I smash your face in with that laptop.”

  Shaking his head, he eyed Taylor once more before moving toward the door.

  Her eyes darted toward the closed door. “What the hell, Juan?!”

  “Tell me the truth—have you ever let him get you off?”

  Her eyebrows hit her hairline. “What…that’s crazy…”

  “Answer me.” I was barely containing the rage rolling through me. I wanted to kill him, fucking murder him.

  Her lips thinned while the rest of her neck and face turned an angry pink color. “Not on purpose.”

  My eyes narrowed, my fists clenching at my sides. “What. The. Fuck. Does. That. Mean?”

  She pulled her tank top back on slowly, linking her arms over her belly. “He was asking me how my hormones were doing, and at the time I was going insane. Nothing was helping, and I felt like a deranged sex addict even for struggling. So, he offered to show me a stimulation tactic that would help.”

  I was going to go to jail. That was just the end of it.

  “So, he touched you?”

  Taylor lifted her shoulders just slightly.

  “Did he touch you?” I upturned the metal tray of tools that were out for the appointment. I needed an outlet for this rage. He fucking touched her…he…

  Taylor winced, clenching her arms tighter over her chest. “He showed me the movement, yes…and he did it until I came, so I knew it could be done.”

  My voice cracked as I worked to swallow the lump in my throat. “Did he keep his gloves on?”

  Her shuddering features told me enough.

  “He took his fucking gloves off, stuck his fingers in your pussy, and made you come, and you think that’s fucking normal?”

  Her cheeks flushed a deep pink while tears lined her eyes. “I’ve never been pregnant, I don’t know what the hell normal is…they stuck a big-ass wand covered in a huge condom up my vagina the first time I came in here.”

  It was when her voice cracked that I realized I was being too harsh on her. I wasn’t even angry with her; I was just pissed as hell at the man who’d taken advantage of her.

  Walking forward, I cradled her head in my hands and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Hey, hey, I’m sorry.”

  She hiccupped as tears began to stream down her face. “I didn’t know that wasn’t normal…I thought my reaction to it was embarrassing, and I was so ashamed, but he promised me it was completely normal. I mean his hands are always in my vagina every time I come in for a checkup, so I thought it was normal. He told me he had to remove the gloves in order to show me…so I could feel it.”

  Rubbing circles into her back, I kept kissing her hairline.

  “It’s okay, baby. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

  The door opened, and a female nurse walked in, her eyes already softening at the sight of Taylor’s tears. I grabbed a Kleenex and handed it to Taylor while I slowly slipped toward the exit.

  “I’ll let you set her up, and please explain to her exactly what should be done every single time she comes in for a visit. I’m pretty sure it isn’t normal for her to strip down with the doctor still in the room each time she comes in for a checkup.”

  The nurse’s mouth gaped.

  Taylor grabbed my wrist, a silent question about where I was going and what I was about to do.

  I gave her a small smirk, hoping to lessen the
worry in her eyes.

  “I need to talk to Dr. Kline.”

  Her blonde eyebrows narrowed. “Juan…”

  “I’ll be right back” was all I could get out. If the nurse knew what I was about to do, she’d call the police. I waited, unsure if Taylor would put up a fight or not.

  She slowly released my wrist, giving me a tiny nod, and I knew she understood. She’d grown up with the devil…of course she understood. I leaned forward once again, pressing my lips to her forehead before exiting.

  I walked down two doors until I saw the shitbag in question typing away on his computer. His face was still slightly red, and if he’d had any sense in his goddamn brain, he would have left the building.

  I walked into his office and shut the door behind me.

  Dr. Kline stopped typing and rolled back in his office chair. “I don’t think you should be in here.”

  I tilted my head. “Really? How strange. I think it’s you who shouldn’t be here.”

  “She’s a fucking tease, did you know that? She came in with these tiny shorts and her shirt showing half her breasts. She’d openly talk about how horny she was…she was asking for it,” the shitbag explained through clenched teeth.

  “So, because she’s a beautiful girl and unsure of how these appointments are supposed to go, not to mention completely alone…you preyed on her?”

  I stalked forward, forcing him to cower into his bookcase.

  “No. She wanted it. She wanted to get off, and I just helped her.”

  “Would you have fucked her? Is that what you had planned for today? Thinking you could take advantage of the fact that she’s in her third trimester and so hot and bothered she would need a mediocre fuck to help her?”

  The good doctor clenched his teeth while he shook his head.

  “No. No, it was a one-time thing.”

  I drew closer until I was directly in front of him, hardening my tone as I asked again, “Were you going to fuck her today?”

  “No…I…”

  I slammed my hand into the bookshelf next to his face.

  “Okay, fine…fuck. Yes, I was going to. If she wanted it, I was going to offer it.”

  I grabbed him by the collar and slammed his face into his desk. His hand rested next to his keyboard, and I didn’t waste any time pulling a blade from the holster hidden under my shirt. I sank it into the back of his hand and covered his mouth to smother his scream.

  “The only reason I’m not cutting off your hand is because I have an appointment to get to, but trust me…if I want it gone, it will be.” I pulled the blade free and wiped the blood on his face. Hovering close to his ear, I asked, “Do you understand?”

  Finally, he nodded, and I let him go.

  “Clean yourself up. Try to call this in, and you might be signing your death certificate.” I placed a single playing card down on top of his bleeding hand. It was the calling card for El Peligro, the king of hearts with a bleeding black heart inked into the middle.

  The way the doctor’s eyes bulged meant he knew who it belonged to.

  I left him there to figure out what he wanted to do with it. I walked out of his office and down two doors, until I found Taylor’s exam room.

  “Okay, she’s all set. The ultrasound takes place at this location. It’s out this building and down the street.” The nurse held up a card with an address on it. “They will be expecting her in about twenty minutes.”

  I held my hand out and helped Taylor up. The nurse gave us both an apologetic look while Taylor grabbed her purse.

  Once we were out the door, we walked right past Dr. Kline’s office. The door was still closed, and not a single siren or security guard moved while we passed by.

  Once we were clear of the building, Taylor looked up at me.

  “Did you hurt him?”

  I shrugged, shoving my free hand in my pocket.

  “Did you kill him?” she clarified quietly, like shame coated each word.

  “I should have.” I blinked at the bright sun. It was getting later in the afternoon; the shine should have dulled by now, especially for how late in October it was.

  “So you did hurt him?” We turned the corner and headed into a glass elevator.

  “Taylor, I’m going to hurt anyone who touches you. Period.”

  She stared up at me in shock as the doors opened. This entire ruse was getting away from me. I’d never been this protective of a single person in my life, but the idea of anyone touching her—it made my blood boil. I wondered, not for the first time, if I should just come clean and offer her my black, bleeding heart.

  What would she do with it though? She had no use for it, and none for me…I was merely a lucky break; any other guy could have fit the role. With that idea in mind, I bit my tongue and held back any other wandering thoughts.

  Chapter Twenty

  My stomach seemed to pinch with panic as every minute passed and we waited for the ultrasound technician to call my name. Juan took a seat in the waiting room, tugging my hand until I was sitting next to him. I couldn’t explain to him how embarrassed I felt. Juan used to make snide remarks about how much of an easy lay I was, how I was essentially a slut with an open ticket to anyone who wanted a ride.

  I had never explained to anyone why I had sex as frequently as I did, and I guess it honestly didn’t matter. Once someone made up their mind about you, you would be hard-pressed to change it. I didn’t care what others thought of me, except for Juan. His opinion mattered very much to me. I could feel myself begin to shut down, just like I had back in the spring after Juan came in and told me he had wished I would just disappear.

  My chest tightened as assumptions and that inner voice began to speak and tell me I was worthless and didn’t deserve to be a mother. My fight-or-flight instincts kicked in, mocking me and telling me to just give up already and run. I nearly choked on the sob working its way up my throat, then suddenly my phone vibrated on my knee.

  Fatima: Hey girl, didn’t hear from you…how did the ultrasound go? You know I’ll be waiting on a picture of that baby.

  It was like an air mask had been placed over my face, filling my lungs with air. I inhaled a silent breath and decided to face Juan and whatever it was he thought of me.

  Looking over at him, I tried to gather the tiny specks of bravery I had gathered, knowing it would be like trying to hold on to sand.

  “I never encouraged him…I know you must think the worst of me, but I never once asked for anything from him. From the beginning he set up our appointments in that way, explaining that it was normal and telling me to relax.”

  I looked down at my stomach. I wanted to throw up. He’d taken advantage of me, and the realization hadn’t really hit until now.

  Rubbing my forehead, I felt tears burn behind my eyes. God, I was so stupid. Of course it would be me who would get taken advantage of, simply because I was naïve. Self-hate smothered me. I didn’t deserve to be a mother. I didn’t deserve to be in Juan’s life, or to have his protection.

  “Taylor Beck.” A man wearing green scrubs stepped out, holding a clipboard.

  Juan grumbled under his breath. “Great, another Beckham lookalike.”

  Threading our fingers together, he walked in behind me. The room was dark and quiet with two large screens set up along the wall to our right. In the middle was a plush leather medical chair, already reclined.

  “Go ahead and sit down, and your husband can sit over there, next to you,” the tech advised, typing away on his computer.

  I didn’t correct him regarding Juan. Instead, I settled into the plush chair while Juan took my purse and set it next to the chair next to mine.

  “Okay.” He turned toward me holding a hand towel. “I’m going to tuck this into the band of your shorts, but I’ll have you unbutton them first, please.” My eyes immediately went to Juan, now unsure who was being honest and who was just taking advantage.

  Juan’s gaze was already on the tech, who seemed to grow red under his inspection.


  “Give us a second, please,” Juan asked, moving to take the white cloth from the man’s hand.

  “Sure, just pop your head out when you’re ready.” He rolled his stool to the desk and then left us alone.

  Juan sat next to me on the edge of the chair. “You’re shaking.”

  “I don’t know what’s normal.” My voice shook as I tried to calm down, blinking away tears.

  Juan slowly unbuttoned my shorts and splayed the denim open, revealing the top band of my underwear.

  “You know, most women probably want to kill you for not having to wear maternity shorts. These cutoffs look like sin on you…it’s not fair that you’re about to give birth and can still fit in them.”

  I laughed, trying to relax into the chair. “I haven’t indulged in a single craving, so I think it’s plenty fair.”

  His eyes met mine while he slowly tucked the rag into the band of my underwear, flipping it so it protected the opening of my shorts. The tech wouldn’t be able to see anything except the cloth.

  Juan’s lips pursed, his brows caving as he spoke softly. “I know I’ve said some pretty shitty things to you in the past…I know I can be an asshole occasionally, but there’s no one on this earth that sees you the way I do.”

  I sniffed, letting the tears I had been holding back fall free.

  “I see you fight and get bruises in places no one can see. You stand when everyone else around you falls. You love when everyone has given you a reason to hate. You have a beautiful heart, preciosa, and I’m doing my best to help you see it. But this whole thing with the doctor…it’s heavy as fuck, and I would really like it if you left it in this room so we can enjoy what comes up on that screen.”

  I nodded, swiping at my face.

  He wiped my hair out of my eyes and then raised my shirt up, tucking it under my bra line so my chest was covered, only showing my stomach.

  After giving me one last look, he went and called the technician in.

  The ultrasound tech reclaimed his position on the rolling stool and then began to set things up.

  The sonographer made a sound of approval. “Let’s get this show on the road.”