“No one raped me,” I repeat, tears streaming down my face.
My entire body trembles with fear and my legs threaten to give out, but I stand my ground, bracing a hand on the brick to steady myself.
He takes another step closer.
“Let’s go.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you.”
“I’m taking you to the hospital. God only knows what these animals did to you.”
He reaches for me, his hand closing around my arm. I try to yank free, but he pulls me forcefully. My hand slips from the wall and I lurch forward. I’m about to scream at the top of my lungs when a truck comes to a screeching halt in front of the house.
“Get the fuck off her!”
Nico.
My eyes close at the sound of his voice and a sob slips past my lips. Then my father’s grip loosens, and I open my eyes just as Nico’s fist collides with his face. My dad drops to the floor, and Nico lifts his gaze to mine.
“Go inside and call my father. Now!”
“But—”
My father grunts, reaching into his pocket.
My guess is for his phone.
“I’m not leaving without Carina. In ten seconds, this place will be full of cops. They’re going to drag you out of here with cuffs and she—”
Another punch to his face. Then another.
“Now, Carrie,” Nico orders, fist poised ready to strike as he keeps his eyes on me.
So intense.
So dark.
So damn scary.
Sobbing, I turn around and hurry into the house, not bothering to close the door behind me. I grab my phone, my fingers fumbling as I try to pull up Wolf’s contact information. A sharp pain sears through my lower back and I feel something wet rush down my legs. Bowing my head, my eyes go wide and the phone slips from my fingers.
My water broke.
-Twenty-two-
Nico
Desperate to get back to Carrie, I drag Ritzer’s bloody body into the garage, releasing his legs as soon as we clear the door. Jabbing my finger against the switch it lowers, clanging against the concrete. With his blood dripping from my knuckles, I make my way to the workbench in the far corner of the garage and grab the zip ties. Rushing back to the cocksuckers body, I drag his arms over his head and pull him towards the garage door. I make quick work of securing the ties to his wrist and binding him to the chain on the door.
I give his unconscious body one last glance before stepping over him and reaching into my pants for my phone. Thankfully my brother didn’t answer the phone when I called or it may have interfered with the security app alert I received, informing me of a breach in the system. I immediately pulled up the camera footage that Riggs had set to stream to my phone and saw Carrie on the steps.
I don’t remember a time in my life when I moved quicker or a time that I felt so fucking frightened. I booked it straight to the house, not stopping to call my father like I should have.
Locating his contact info, I hit send and lift the phone to my ear. A scream sounds from inside the house and I nearly drop the phone. Kicking in the door, I run towards the sound of Carrie’s voice. I find her in the living room, hunched over, grabbing her belly.
“Yeah,” my dad says, answering the call.
Reaching Carrie, I lower the phone from my ear and gently lift her chin with my free hand.
“Baby, look at me. You’re okay.”
“No,” she cries, meeting my gaze. “Nico, my…” she stammers, choking on her words. “…my water broke.”
My eyes widen and I look down as her hand grips mine, spotting the puddle on the floor.
“What are we going to do?” she sobs.
Trying to hide my own panic, I swallow and give her hand a squeeze.
“It’s going to be okay…” I mutter.
Remembering the phone in my hand, I lift it back to my ear.
“What the fuck is going on?” my dad barks.
“We got a problem,” I say, turning my back to Carrie. I’m not sure why, it’s not like she can’t hear me. I’m standing right in front of her, holding her goddamn hand. “Ritzer showed up here, tried to take Carrie…it’s a long story, but I got him. He’s unconscious. I tied him up, but Carrie’s water broke. I can’t call an ambulance. They’ll find him.”
“Is he alive?” he questions.
“I think so…”
“Alright, listen, I’m on my way. I’ll have Maria call Schwartz and have him meet you at the hospital. Take her to the North site.”
Carrie’s hand tightens around mine and she screams, jerking my attention towards her.
“Something’s not right, Nico,” she shrieks. “There’s too much pressure,” she says, her voice frantic as she reaches between her legs. “Oh God,” she moans, her nails clawing into my palm.
“Uh…I…she’s saying there is something wrong. I don’t know if we’re going to make it to the hospital.”
“I have to sit…” Carrie declares breathlessly. I prop the phone to my ear with my shoulder and guide her to the couch. Maria’s voice sounds in my ear then.
“Nico, it’s Maria, how far apart are the contractions?”
“I have no idea. I came in the house and she started screaming, says she feels like there’s a lot of pressure…her water broke too.”
“Okay listen to me.”
“I need to push.”
“What? No!” I shout. I don’t know a whole lot about fucking birth, but I’ve watched enough television to know when they start pushing, the baby comes. “Carrie…I don’t know how to deliver a baby.”
“I. Need. To. Push,” she grinds out.
For fuck’s sake, her pants are still on, if she pushes where the hell is the baby going to go?
“Nico, are you with me?” Maria asks.
Swiping a hand over my face, I try to calm down. I switch the call to speaker mode and lay the phone on the couch beside Carrie.
“I’m here. You’re on speaker.”
“Carrie, honey, can you tell me how far apart the contractions are?”
“I don’t know,” she cries. “Please help me,” she begs.
“Maria, she ain’t making it to the hospital…”
“Okay, I need you to check how much she’s dilated. Your dad is already on my phone with Celeste, we’re going to have Cobra drive her over. But you need to pull yourself together and check her.”
Sweating, I look at Carrie, tears streaming down her face as she nods.
“Just do it,” she moans.
I swallow, reaching out to lift her shirt over her belly. Finding the waistband of her maternity leggings, I pull them down, peeling them off of her. I draw in a ragged breath as Maria tries to distract Carrie and I take her underwear off next.
“Okay, I have her pants off,” I say hoarsely. “Now what?”
“You need to look and see if the baby’s head is crowning.”
Crowning?
“What the fuck does that mean?”
Gritting her teeth, Carrie glares at me.
“The head, can you see the head.”
Fuck.
This is karma rearing its ugly head.
“Oh God…I feel it again…ahhh!”
My eyes widen as she grabs her knees and lets out a blood curdling scream. Seeing her in that much pain does something to me, and I snap into action. I have no idea what I’m doing, I’m just running on natural adrenaline.
I cover her hands with mine and look between her legs.
My throat tightens when I see the mound of hair trying to push its way into the world and I quickly lift my eyes to Carrie’s.
“I see the head…” I squeeze her hand. She laces her fingers with mine and throws her head back against the cushions. Reaching for the phone, I ask Maria to tell me what to do. She quickly instructs me to grab some towels and a scissor to cut the cord. I hear my father in the background, ordering her into the car.
Thank God.
Once I gather all the suppli
es, and I disinfect the scissor with Peroxide, I roll my sleeves up and push the coffee table against the couch. My first priority is to make Carrie as comfortable as possible. I position her legs on the coffee table and pile the pillows behind her so she has a soft landing between pushes. I lay the towels on the floor and kneel in front of the coffee table.
Carrie leans forward, wrapping her arms around her knees as Maria instructs us and our eyes lock.
“You got this, Green Eyes, you got this,” I assure her, watching as her eyes overflow with tears.
“I’m sorry,” she cries. “I shouldn’t.”
“Sssh,” I murmur, reaching to touch her face. “No apologies, okay? The only thing that matters is bringing this baby into the world. You and me…we’re going to do that, okay?”
Overwhelmed with emotion, my throat tightens as she jerks her head.
“You and me,” she repeats.
“That’s right, we got this,” I bend my head, pressing my lips to one knee and squeezing the other. Her face goes soft for a second before pain mars her features and throws Operation Baby Scotto into overdrive.
“Oh God, Nico, I need to push.”
I move between her legs, holding them apart as she pushes, and I watch in awe as the baby’s head slowly breaks free from Carrie’s body. It’s the single most amazing moment of my life and I try to bottle up all that beautiful. A hard task when everything is moving so quickly in front of me and I’m trying to play catch up.
“The head is out,” I tell Maria.
“Okay, can you see the cord? Can you tell if it’s wrapped around the neck?”
“I…I don’t think so.”
“Okay, Carrie,” Marie calls. “Can you give another push?”
I lift my gaze to Carrie. She looks so fucking tired. So damn scared. Yet, she’s never appeared more beautiful.
“Okay,” she groans. “Let’s do it.”
Maria tells me they’re a couple of blocks away, but this could be the final push, she says once the shoulders are out the rest of the baby will basically fly out and I need to be prepared. I lay one hand gently on the top of the baby’s head, feeling the soft mass of curls beneath my fingertips and Carrie uses every bit of strength to push herself up. On three, she pushes, and my hands move with the baby. One shoulder breaks free and then the other. Carrie’s cries fill my ears, splintering my heart. But it’s fleeting because ten seconds later her daughter fills my arms and my heart grows ten times in size.
I remain frozen for a moment, staring at the miracle in my arms, trying to process it all and search for any imperfections…but there are none.
She’s perfect.
And she fits perfectly in my arms.
“It’s a girl,” I murmur, feeling a tear slide down my cheek and as if on cue, my niece blesses us with the sound of her cries.
Carrie lifts her head off the cushions and stares at me in shock before her gaze travels to her daughter.
“It’s a girl?” she cries. Smiling, I nod. “Oh my God, it’s a girl. I have a daughter.”
“Al, it’s a girl,” Maria murmurs and by the tone of her voice, I can tell she’s crying too. “Nico, you have to cut the cord. Did you disinfect it?”
“Yeah,” I rasp.
Bringing the baby closer to my chest, I grab the scissors.
“Where do I cut?”
“Not too close to the baby. Leave about two to three inches.”
My hand trembles as I bring the scissor to the umbilical cord and I pause, sending up a silent prayer to God. Then I hold my breath and cut the cord.
“I did it,” I whisper hoarsely.
“Okay, now wrap her up in something. We’re turning down the block,” Maria says.
I glance around for something to cover her in, but the towels are a bloody mess on the floor. Spotting my kutte on the arm of the couch, I balance the baby in one arm and reach for it, gently wrapping her in my leather before placing her in Carrie’s arms.
Tears stream down her cheeks as she cradles her daughter and again, I find myself bottling the moment.
Soaking up all that beauty.
I inch forward, completely enamored, and rest my head on her knee, watching as she presses a kiss to the top of the baby’s head. Carrie’s green eyes zero in on me and she smiles.
“We did it.”
I shake my head.
“You did it,” I say hoarsely.
You brought that beauty into this world.
You, Green Eyes.
You made me fall in love with both of you.
You. All you.
-Twenty-three-
Nico
“Welcome to the world, Anna,” Carrie murmurs against her the baby’s head. I lift my gaze from the beautiful bundle in her arms and stare at Carrie, sure I misheard her.
“Anna?” I ask hoarsely.
Her eyes find mine and she smiles before returning her gaze to her daughter’s angelic face.
“Yes, Anna, after her great-great-grandma,” she confirms.
Before I can fully react, the front door swings open and Maria and my father come charging through with Cobra and Celeste on their heels. At the sight of them, I’m hit with an onslaught of mixed emotions. On the one hand, I’m relieved they’re here, especially Celeste. I want her to check the girls out, make sure I did everything right. That I didn’t hurt them in any way. On the other hand, I find myself wishing for more time. Just five more minutes alone with my girls, soaking them in, committing their faces to memory.
“Are they okay?” Dad asks hoarsely.
I swallow, giving Carrie’s knee one last squeeze.
“Come see for yourself,” I tell him, forcing a smile.
My hand falls from Carrie’s knee and I immediately feel the loss of her and Anna as I stand to my feet and step out of the way. Shoving my hands into my pockets, I watch as my father rounds the couch. His eyes fall on the tiny leather bundle and Carrie repositions Anna in her arms, so he can get a good look at her perfect face.
I’ve seen my father react to a lot of things but seeing him look at his granddaughter for the first time, trumps everything and for a minute, I wish it was me who gave him his first grandchild. I wish I was the reason for that joy in his eyes.
“Anna, meet your grandpa,” Carrie coos.
“Anna,” Dad repeats, lifting his gaze from the baby to Carrie.
“She doesn’t look like an Alfonse to me, but I think Anna suits her just fine, don’t you?”
“It fits her perfectly,” Dad rasps.
That it does.
He turns to me then, and without saying a word, he charges for me. I brace myself for the blow. After all, there’s a body in the garage that needs to be taken care of and I—my thoughts come to a halt as Dad’s arms wrap around my body, pulling me against him.
“I’m so fucking proud of you,” he croaks. “You did good, son.”
Startled, it takes me a moment to recover and respond to his display of affection. I wrap my arms around him, and he pats me on the back before pulling back and cupping the back of my neck, a grin on his face.
“We got a girl,” he boasts.
I laugh at his excitement, hoping he still feels this jubilant when it’s time to deal with the district attorney.
“Lady,” he calls.
“Right, here, Al,” Maria replies, moving to stand beside him.
“It’s a girl,” he says.
“I know, honey,” she says, grinning up at him before turning to look at me. “You did great, Nico.”
“Thanks, but it was all Carrie,” I reply, my eyes moving back to her. I watch as she cradles her daughter, whispering sweet nothings into her hair and I quietly make a vow to serve and protect. To love them and be there for them whenever they need me. They may be Frankie’s, but tonight they became mine too.
Celeste calls for Maria, asking her to take the baby from Carrie as she checks her out. You know what they don’t show you in the movies? The stuff that happens after the baby is born
. It’s no wonder, that shit is nasty.
Dad and I move away, giving Carrie privacy and join Cobra in the hallway.
“Where is he?” Dad questions.
Realizing he’s talking about Ritzer, I scrub a hand over my face.
“The garage.”
I wait for the questions, but they don’t come. Instead, Cobra and I follow him into the garage. Cobra walks towards the body, bending over it. He touches his fingers to Ritzer’s neck and lifts his head, meeting my Dad’s eyes.
“Got a pulse.”
“Alright, this is how we’re going to play this,” Dad starts, turning to me. “Maria is going to call an ambulance. I want Carrie and the baby checked out. You’re going to ride with them to the hospital. Schwartz is already on his way there with the papers.”
“What papers?” I ask.
He ignores my question and turns back to Cobra.
“You and I are going to take this cunt out of here.”
“We’ll drop him on his doorstep like the piece of shit he is,” Dad supplies, diverting his eyes back to me. “You realize once he comes to, he’s going to go after you, right?”
Crossing my arms against my chest, I think about that. Until now, I didn’t really give the repercussions of my beating the district attorney to a bloody pulp, much thought. At the time, all I cared about was getting him away from Carrie. Now, it’s starting to sink in.
“Yeah,” I mutter.
“We’ll handle it,” Dad assures. “Whatever it is, whatever the fuck he tries to do, we’ll handle it.”
“Yeah,” I repeat.
He studies me for a beat, his light eyes quietly assessing mine. Then he lifts his hand and gives my cheek a pat.
“Give us ten minutes to get out of here, then have Maria call the ambulance.”
I nod.
“Don’t leave their side, you hear me?”
He doesn’t have to tell me twice.
There is nothing in this world, no man or thing, that will ever tear me from Anna or Carrie. Still, I give him the satisfaction of a nod. He turns to Cobra and they get to work, cutting the ties from the garage door. I stand there for another minute, watching as Cobra backs his truck into the garage. They hoist Ritzer into their arms and deposit him into the back of the SUV.
Walking The Line (Satan's Knights Prospect Trilogy Book 3) Page 18