by Forgy, M. N.
“I’m sure one would have done just fine,” Frank tells him, taking the bag from his hand and pulling out a pink box. He throws the bag onto the floor and then tears the box open with his teeth, looking straight at me. “Get her up.”
Alfeo steps toward me, unraveling the Saran Wrap from my body. Lifting my arms, they’re numb and tingly, my legs feeling like Jell-o. The cuffs were pressed into my wrists so deeply, they’re bleeding. What was once just sore is now raw meat.
A white pee stick is placed in my line of sight, inches from my face. “Piss on this,” Frank orders, his tone not to be messed with.
Swallowing the lump forming in my throat, I bring my eyes from the stick to him. Fear pounding in my temples and blurring my vision. If I am pregnant I don’t want to find out like this.
“No,” I nearly choke on the words, the wrap in my mouth still gagging me. I’m being reckless and stupid with my life refusing, but I don’t fucking care.
“No?” Frank tilts his head to the side, his dark eyes searing through my remaining bravado. Balling my hands into fists I search for what strength I have left.
“I said no!” I shout, tears spilling from my eyes.
“Make her,” Frank huffs, his eyes bulging like a lunatic, his hand jerking on his red tie.
Alfeo grabs at my limbs, making me stand, and Cross fists me by the hair hauling me down the hallway.
“You will piss on that fucking stick,” Cross threatens into my ear, the warmth of his breath hot on my skin. “Or I’ll run a fucking catheter up that cunt that got our Zeeky boy turning on us.”
“Fuck you!” I cry, trying to pull from his grip.
I’m thrust into the bathroom, slipping on the black tile and landing on my knees painfully.
“I won’t do it,” I cry, my head hanging, tears slip from my cheeks falling onto the floor.
Hands grab at my pants, ripping them down my legs.
“Stop it! No!” I cry, trying to kick them away. If my hands were not cuffed, I’d be able to fight better. But they’re not, they’re captured in metal links, making my fighting hopeless.
My pants and underwear bunch at my feet, and a cool breeze wafts between my legs. Stretching my shirt down, I try and cover my private area. My eyes fluttering, embarrassed tears sticking to my lashes.
Cross wraps his hand around my throat, pressing his thumbs into the soft tissue of my pressure points. Pain wraps itself around my neck as he forces me to stand from the ground. Alfeo whistles, his eyes trailing up and down my body unforgivingly. Slowly Cross releases me, and I look out the window of the bathroom seeing the lights of Vegas filtering across my face. I feel like I’m going to get sick again. God, where is Zeek?
Standing there, with no pants and no panties I feel myself breaking. Tears rolling down my cheeks in waves, I feel so humiliated. I’ve been stripped of not only my clothes, but my dignity, as well.
Frank walks further into the bathroom, the stick in one hand. I can tell he’s not one to get his hands dirty, he has men to do that for him.
“Pee. On. This. Now.” He emphasizes each word. My mouth trembles as I look the test over.
“You’re a coward,” I snarl.
He snorts.
“Or smart, depends on the way you look at it, sweetheart.”
“Why? Why do you want to know if I’m pregnant?”
He rubs the pad of his thumb along his bottom lip, his eyes downcast.
“Zeek is a traitor, turning against not only his creed of brotherhood, but you in his head made him think it was okay to overturn me and my hand in his club. He’s going to pay for his infringement, and in doing so raise my profile of power. Zeek is going to help me punch it to the Mafia, and take his place at the head of the table of the Outlaws, with me guiding him. I’m done being a second hand to anyone in this fucking city!” he roars, veins protruding in his forehead. “I wasn’t so sure he’d oblige…especially with his recent defiant behavior. I expect he’s sitting back conjuring up ways to take me down or run away again once he’s tried to save you. But, if he knows I have his child in my hands, he’ll succumb to my demands a lot easier.”
My chest tightens, a lump forming in my throat. “The Mafia?” He’s going to get Zeek killed.
“I’ve told you enough, all you need to do now is follow directions.” Franks holds the test out, offering it to me again. I don’t want to pee on it, what if it’s positive? I don’t want to find out I’m pregnant while being handcuffed, and forced to pee on a stick. I don’t want Zeek to fall into place because of me or the baby either.
“No!” I reaffirm.
Cross’s hand raises, backhanding me in the face hard. My head whips to the side, my lips burning severely as my cheeks radiate with pain.
Frank rolls his shoulders and exhales a loud breath. Cross grabs a .45 from one of his holsters and presses the cold barrel on the inside of my thigh, trailing it up til it stops on my abdomen.
“You either piss on this stick, or I will shoot you in the stomach. Spilling your blood and the life of that bastard baby who might exist.” He smiles, as if he’s hoping I won’t obey so he can shoot me. I want to kill him.
A tear slips in between my lips, my eyes fluttering with defeat. It’s over. I will never live with myself knowing my pride killed a piece of Zeek and me.
“Fine,” I whisper.
Cross smiles. “See, we can get along.”
Grasping both of my shoulders he pushes me back a few steps and applies pressure, making me sit on the toilet.
“Do it.” He hands me the stick.
Taking the pregnancy test I hold it in between my legs, and I pee. I didn’t realize how bad I actually had to go until a steady stream flows continuously.
Slowly I pull the stick out from in between my legs and hand it over, my eyes searching the little window that might hold the results, but Cross takes it before I can see anything.
“It says here you have to wait three minutes.” Alfeo points at the back of the box he’s holding.
“You read the directions?” Cross looks at him like he’s stupid.
“Well, one of us needs to know how this shit works,” Alfeo states matter-of-fact.
“I fuck chicks in the ass just to avoid this shit,” Cross throws at him and Alfeo shakes his head. I swear I’ve been kidnapped by idiots.
“Get her dressed and back in the chair, by then it’ll show the results.” Frank’s eyes sweep to mine, taking my breath away. “And her future.”
* * *
My heart is beating, my eyes searching Frank’s face for any indication of what the test may say.
“It’s been three minutes.” Cross points at his watch, his body sprawled out on the sofa.
“Two lines means she’s pregnant,” Alfeo informs.
Frank strides toward the counter, his legs stubby and small as he glides to the counter. Picking up the test his eyes furrow. My eyes ping pong between his eyes and mouth, praying he’ll fucking end my misery and spill what the hell the results are. I hope they’re negative, I don’t want to find out I’m pregnant like this. I don’t even want to be pregnant. I can barely wrap my head around the idea that Zeek killed my father. Bringing a child into the situation gives the matter of Zeek being a murderer a whole new meaning.
“I don’t see anything.”
My body sags with relief.
“Wait…” My head lifts confused.
Frank holds the test under the light, Cross looks over his shoulder at the results.
“There’s two faint lines.” Cross points at it.
Frank lowers the test and beams me with a look that makes my soul shrivel up and die in my chest.
“Looks like someone has a little outlaw on the way.” Frank smiles that Joker smile, and the wind is sucked right from my lungs.
“I’m pr-pregnant.” My voice reedy in disbelief. Looking down I look at my abdomen, the idea of carrying a child doesn’t seem real. “Pregnant,” I whisper, little butterflies of an unknown feeling fil
l my stomach.
Chapter 13
Zeek
“Yeah, thanks, man.” Bull hangs his phone up, and shakes his head at me. “Sorry, man, nothing.”
Standing up I throw my beer. “Fuck!” It’s been a day, a fucking day since they took her. I feel like I’m failing her, that I should have found her by now.
“Chill, man, the bike was just pulled out. You can head to Vegas now.”
The burner phone Paw gave me rings.
“Hello?”
“Zeek…” Frank greets. My heart stops, everything around me going deaf.
“How’d you get this number?”
“Ah, you continue to underestimate me, Zeeky boy.”
“Where is she?” I push through gritted teeth.
“Zeek, I just wanted to be the first one to congratulate you.” Frank’s voice chuckles from the other end of the phone. My jaw tenses, my hand flexing around the phone.
“Cut the shit, you tell me where she is or—” The phone pings.
“Check that.”
“I swear to God if you touch—”
“Check the fucking message, Zeek!” he hollers into the phone, his humor gone.
Scratching the back of my neck I pull the phone from my ear and open up a text message feeling nauseous it’s going to contain something gruesome. It’s a picture but I can’t make it out. The picture comes to full resolution showing two pink lines in a small circular window.
It’s a pregnancy test.
A positive one.
“Congratulations, Zeek,” I hear through the speaker of the burner phone.
My world crashes. Everything echoes, my vision blurring. My stomach clenches so tight I feel like I might throw up. This can’t be real.
Putting the phone back to my ear, sweat drips from my forehead.
“You better—”
“I don’t think you’re in the position to make demands at this point. This is how it’s going to go, you fucking traitor. Your betrayal does not go without consequence and you know that, in fact, I am completely at a loss to where your loyalties lie, Zeek. Maybe I should have had you taken out with your father, cut the betrayal of bloodlines when I had the chance.”
“Fuck you. I’m not a traitor.”
“No? Well, I guess we’ll find out. The bosses have been taking more than their normal cut from the casino and when I suggested my cut on my end be raised, they refused. It’s time they…and you…realize I am taking over. Tomorrow night a black sedan will be leaving Sin Casino with duffle bags of money to be delivered to the Mafia. You are to interfere and take that money, bringing it back to me.”
“And if I don’t?”
“You’ll never look at a wire hanger the same again, and your bitch will lie with the last one you were fucking when you decided to question my ruling. We got a deal or not?”
Clenching my eyes shut, my face spreads with an angry warmth. I’m done dealing with Frank. I’m going to fucking rip him limb from limb the next time I see him.
“Fine,” I seethe into the phone.
“Oh, and there’s one more thing. You are to get with the program, Zeek, your club works for me. No more fighting the inevitable here.” The line goes dead, and my fingers curl around the phone to the point I nearly break it.
“FUCK!” I scream, my hands tangling in my hair. My eyes water, my chest heaving up and down. “I have to find her. I need to find her now!” I state hysterically at anyone who can hear.
“What the fuck, man?” Bobby looks at me like I’ve lost my mind. Staring at Lip, I swallow hard.
“She’s pregnant. Frank has her, and if I don’t meet his demands, he’ll kill her and the baby. I can’t let that happen.”
“I’m going to be an uncle?” Lip asks with a look of shock on his face.
“Yeah, and to a cop baby.” Bobby chuckles causing Lip to glower at him from over his shoulder.
“What was the job?” Bull questions, breaking the banter between Lip and Bobby.
I explain that the casino bosses are actually the Mafia, and have set Frank up in the perfect life. In return, he skims money off the top of the casino’s profits and gives it to them. I tell them how Frank has been trying to take my club over to turn on them, and take over everything. I inform them Frank is making a point to the bosses and myself by making me, and what is left of my men, steal the money and return it back to him.
“How much money are we talking here?” Bull asks, rubbing his chin after I give him and the Devils the rundown.
I shrug. “I’m not sure, couple million.”
Everyone’s eyes go wide. Bobby spitting beer all over Shadow.
“Thing is, I know even if I do this Frank is going to kill Jillian to make a point to me. He’s not going to take me fucking a cop, and running off with her, without any consequences.” He killed the last girl I had something going on with just for the hell of it, he’ll do it again without a second thought and I can’t let that happen.
Bull rubs the back of his head. “Give me and my boys a moment?”
I glance at Lip who gives me a reassuring nod.
“Make it quick, I really need to be going.” I’m not sure what the fuck I’m going to do, but sitting here isn’t an option.
Stepping outside, I put my hands on my hips and take a deep breath. A breath that doesn’t even feel like I’m breathing at all, because I’m not. Pregnant. She’s pregnant with my kid. My father used to tell me to pull out and I’d be fine. Cross would then tell me that’s how I was made, and not to listen to him. Guess Cross wasn’t just feeding me bullshit though, ‘cause now I’m a father.
Look at me, how can I be a damn dad. I can barely be the man Jillian deserves, let alone the role model a child deserves.
A piece of me wonders if Frank is toying with me, but another part wonders what if he’s not, what if Jillian is pregnant. Dragging my hands down my face I groan, before screaming into the night air. I fall to my knees, my rage and fury spilling from my vocals like poison begging to be released.
Eventually I run out of breath, and my roar subsides into a pitiful yell.
Chest panting, eyes watering I fall forward on my hands and look at the rocks. If he hurts her, I’ll kill him. I’ll kill everyone in my path. I’ll paint the streets of Vegas as red as the carpet lining the floors of Frank’s casino.
“Zeek, you alright, man?” Lip comes into view.
Pulling myself together, I stand, and wipe my hands on my jeans.
“Yeah.”
“Bull wants you.”
Nodding, and pushing the hair from my face, I follow Lip inside.
“So, you want your chick back?” Bull asks, and I can’t help but roll my eyes, the question redundant. “You give us that money, we’ll help you get your bitch back.” Bull takes a sip of his beer, eyes never leaving mine.
“So you want the money…in return for helping me save Jillian?” I ask, eyebrows raised.
“Yup. But you either get our help and give us all the money, or you don’t get us at all.” Nodding, I glance at Lip who is staring right back, arms crossed.
“I just want her,” I state immediately. I know I’m passing up a ton of money, but you can’t put a price on what I feel for Jillian.
“That means nothing for you and your club. You’re picking your woman over money,” Bobby clears it up, as if I didn’t understand Bull’s ultimatum.
“Yeah, I got that.” Running my hand back and forth over my sweating forehead I’m still confused as to why they’re wanting to help me. They don’t owe me anything. Hell, they should be delivering me to Frank themselves. “Why do you want to do this? You don’t understand what you’re getting yourselves into. If we fail, Frank could come after your club.”
Bull crosses his legs, and leans back against the bar. “What can I say? I like happily ever afters…and money.” They all laugh in unison.
“We could also use the money. This place is falling apart if you haven’t noticed.” Shadow points at the ceiling wh
ere I crashed through.
“If Frank doesn’t get his money, he’s going to kill her.” I inform them. Not sure how we’re going to get the money and Jillian.
“I think with your men and my men, we can get the money, get your woman, and kill that sleazy asshole Frank.”
My hand darts up on its own, pointing at him, my heart pounding against my chest murderously.
“Frank is mine!”
Bull’s lip curls at the corner.
“You got it.”
“I guess we will see where Zeek’s head is at. Does he bring me the money, or try and save his woman and kid and die in the process?”
I close my eyes, not wanting to hear his voice anymore. Most women who find out they’re pregnant are pacing in their bathrooms, their significant other worrying their hands in the other room. The idea of parenting scaring them, as they wonder if they will survive the struggles ahead.
I’ve been kidnapped, and was just forced by gunpoint to piss on a pregnancy test, which will be used to walk the father of my unborn child into a death trap.
The turmoil and burning path that Zeek and I walk along will never fail as long as we are together.
“Doesn’t matter, does it? In the end we’re going to kill them both.” Cross laughs.
Frank rubs at his tie. “Not if Zeek complies. The deal was he has to return to the club and be under my thumb. I can’t keep those animals in line, and do the business side of things, too. I need someone with some brains to run the club.”
“Hello,” Cross waves his hand. “I could have saved you a lot of fucking trouble, you could have just put me in charge.”
Frank sighs and rolls his eyes. “That will never happen. You can’t even keep a level head if I’m not standing over you. You’d have the club in a blood bath, every connection the club has would be severed. You’re where you’re supposed to be.”
“And what about her? You killing her?” Cross juts his chin toward me.
Frank’s hand slowly moves up, and I watch as he rubs his chin, his eyes raking over me. “Yes. No. Maybe. I don’t know yet.” He turns on an exhale. “I’m going to lie down before Zeek shows up, keep an eye on her. I don’t care how you do it, just do it.” Frank yanks on his tie again and heads toward the elevator.