I leave after about an hour and immediately call Jackson with the intel I collected. Clarissa had a large family, and the one taking the reins on this is her youngest brother. He’s probably trying to prove himself to his father. As I drive back to the brownstone, I realize that this was a stupid job that I had solved quicker than shit. Jackson had men that could deal with low level shit like this, messing with the clubs and the girls. He didn't need me for that part. Now, I wondered why Jackson really needed or wanted me back here and not in Portland.
Stomping into Jackson’s office, I drop into a chair and give him a surly look. “Why am I really here?”
“Allow me to explain.”
Chapter Thirteen
Bren
Everything starts today. I woke up, showered, grabbed my stuff, and walked out my door. I was told I needed to fast before I had my blood test this morning, so I didn’t even get a cup of coffee. The hospital is only a five-minute drive, so I am good on time. I go have my blood drawn and then head off to my last final of the semester before I have to take my leave of absence.
The final went better than I expected. I actually retained all the information that I thought was a jumbled mess in my head. I still haven’t had any coffee, so I make my way to The Java before my mom is due to pick me up for my egg harvesting appointment. When I walk in, James is again behind the counter, but he is on the phone. He nods at me and moves to make my coffee while he continues his call. I overhear him, and he doesn’t sound very happy.
“What the hell? Why is this happening again?” After a pause, he says, “Yeah, I will keep an eye out.” Another minute goes by as he waits for the other person to speak, then he replies with, “Yeah, right now, actually, so I have to go. I’ll talk to you later.”
“What was that about?”
“Nothing really, it’s all good.”
“For some reason I don’t believe you, James. What’s going on?”
“It was Max; he just wanted me to watch over you since he isn’t here.”
I huff. “Must be nice to get a call from him, I haven’t heard from him since before he stood me up.”
“I’m sure he will call. He said he was busy.”
“Busy avoiding me.” I snap as I grab my coffee and head for the door. “I’ll talk to you later, James. I have to go. My mom will be here soon to take me to the hospital.”
He walks around the counter to give me a hug and squeezes me just a little tighter than he normally does. “Hope it all goes well today. Call us when you get settled this evening. We both love you.”
“Thanks, James, I’ll call.” With a forced smile on my face, I wave and walk out the door.
An hour goes by, and I get a call from my mom. “I’m almost there, sweetie. Can you meet me on the street so I don’t have to park?”
“Yeah, Mom, I’ll be waiting.”
I get in her car, and the silence is deafening. We are both on edge, and it can be felt in the air. We get to the hospital and not a word has been spoken between the two of us. Once we are parked and both have gotten out of the car, my mom approaches me and pulls me into a tight hug.
“I love you, Bren. Everything will be all right.”
Making our way to the correct office, I check in with the reception desk and we sit and wait. Only a few minutes have passed when I am called back. We enter his office, and I introduce my mom to Dr. Gerrard for the first time. This time there is another doctor that I haven’t met before, Dr. Tracey, who is the specialist who will be doing the egg harvest procedure.
“Mom, this is Dr. Gerrard. Dr. Gerrard, this is Tina, my mother.”
“Nice to finally meet you,” he says, giving me a look in my direction that says it’s about time. He introduces Dr. Tracey to both of us, and we proceed to go over all the details of today’s procedure; I will get a propofol-based anesthesia, an intravenous sedation, and then they will harvest my eggs, which will be frozen and stored for me. I suddenly remember that I wasn’t supposed to eat or drink anything today for this.
I tell him about the coffee, and he says, “You should be fine, one coffee won’t kill you, and I don’t want to postpone this any longer.”
My mother shoots me a glare, and I know she’s both annoyed that I forgot but also that she realized I’d been putting off decisions.
Dr. Gerrard hands us off to his nurse, who takes us to another section of the hospital where I will have my procedure done. I am handed a gown to change into and a bag to put all of my belongings in. I give the bag to my mom for safe keeping as I try and get comfortable on the thin blue mattress that covers the hospital bed. A few shaky and nervous breaths later, the nurse returns and starts my IV. She does a good job, and I only feel a pinch when she inserts the needle. We wait another fifteen minutes before I am taken to another room, where Dr. Gerrard and Dr. Tracey are waiting for me. My mom was ushered to the waiting area. The team prepares me as I start to feel the sedation working, and the next thing I know, I am in a recovery room.
My mom is there waiting for me to snap out of the anesthesia, and when she sees my eyes start to flutter open she is right by my side. “How are you feeling?”
I take a moment to get my bearings and realize I don’t feel that bad—a little cramping and still groggy, but overall, I am good. “I’m fine, Mom.” A nurse is in my room a little while after that to check me over, and when she turns to leave she lets us know she is getting the doctor to see if I can be discharged.
Dr. Tracey comes in soon after she leaves.
“Hey, Bren, I wanted to let you know that we were able to harvest eight eggs to freeze for you. It’s great, considering we had to fast-track the process. How are you feeling?”
“Pretty good. I have some cramping, but I was expecting that.”
“Good, that’s normal and to be expected. You know what to do, though, should it get unbearable, correct?”
“Yes, I know to call or go to the ER.”
“All right, everything looks great on your chart, so I will go sign the paperwork for you to go home. Any questions before I release you?”
“I think I’m good. Thank you, Dr. Tracey.” As soon as she leaves, the nurse comes in to unhook my IV. When the nurse leaves the room, I crawl out of the bed with my mom at my side, who is fussing over me. I apparently turned back into a toddler, because she decided she needed to dress me. I laugh as I tell her, “Mom, I can dress myself, I’ve been doing it for a long time now.”
I get the Mom glare as she steps back to let me get dressed. “I’m just trying to help. I thought you might be uncomfortable.”
“I know, Mom, and I really appreciate it, but I’m good. I mainly feel like I’m having a period from hell at the moment, but besides that, I’m just glad that this part is over. It gives me some peace of mind if things don’t go well with treatment.” As I pull my yoga pants on and sit down to put my shoes on, she comes over and wraps her arm around my side.
“I know, sweetie, but you are my baby and always will be. I worry about you, and even more so now. It’s hard being here, knowing that I really can’t help or protect you like I always have in the past. This one is out of my control. I warn you, I most likely will push myself on you through this, make sure you are all set and have everything you need and just be a pain in your ass. It’s all I can do for you at this point, besides be by your side. Speaking of being by your side, where is Max? I haven’t seen him around lately.”
I sigh as I answer. “He supposedly got called back to Boston for a while, but I think he is avoiding the sick girlfriend here in Portland. He ran shortly after I told him about the cancer. I don’t know what to do, and he won’t answer my calls or texts.”
“Oh, honey, I’m so sorry. This is the last thing you need to be worried about right now. You need to concentrate on you and your health and then worry about him later.”
“I guess, but it is still hard. I miss him. He kinda snuck up on me. I wasn’t expecting to feel like I do with him.”
“I’m sure
he will come around; no one can resist my girl.”
“Thanks, Mom, I needed that.”
The nurse comes back in with my discharge paperwork, and we are on our way. I assume we are headed to my place, but I am sadly mistaken when we go in the complete opposite direction—to my mom’s house. I chuckle to myself and just decide to go with the flow for today.
Chapter Fourteen
Max
I’m sitting across from Jackson in his office, tense as fuck, because I don’t know what is going on and what it has to do with me.
“Explain.”
I can tell he is also tense by the way he is sitting in front of me. He leans forward, sets his elbows on the desk, steeples his fingers, and looks right into my eyes.
“I wanted you away from Portland because they were starting to sniff you out. I was hoping to stop last year’s shit from happening again, this time to you and Bren. If they know you have her in your life, they will fuck hers up more than what she is already going through. I didn’t want that for her and I don’t want it for you. I thought the best bet was to get you here and away from the ones we both love. I should have told you, instead of using the timing of Bren’s cancer as an excuse to get you here. I’m sorry.”
I lean forward, rest my elbows on my knees, and run my hands through what little hair I have on my head. “Fuck!” My nightmare is returning ten-fold, from Bren’s cancer to Clarissa’s family. My past is meeting up with my future. I need to protect her; she needs to be my first priority. I need to leave my past right where it is and move on. I just don’t want to lose her for any reason, whether it be cancer or the Calluci family.
I raise my eyes to meet Jackson’s and say the only thing I can say, “Thank you.”
We both sit back and relax into our seats as he picks up his phone. “Bring us some whiskey, please.”
The blonde from the other day comes in with a bottle and two glasses on a tray and sits it down on his desk. She quickly turns to leave, and when her ass is in Jackson’s line of sight, he smacks it and says, “Thank you.”
She turns and winks at him. “You’re welcome.” Then she leaves the office with a sway to her hips that Jackson definitely noticed.
“Who was that? I’ve seen her around the house a few times since I got here.”
“That, my friend, is my assistant with benefits.”
“Looks like you have a good setup. Ever going to be a fool and fall in love like the rest of us assholes who can’t get their shit straight?”
“Doubt it. Who wants to marry a guy like me, unless she wants my money? I really can’t trust anyone, so why not use what I have to my advantage? Be single and fuck who I want, when I want, until the next one comes along that catches my eye.”
“Yeah, let’s see how long that lasts. You will get the love bug someday, and when you do, I’m going to sit back and laugh my ass off.”
“Watch it—I don’t need you to curse me.” The tension has broken for the moment, and we are both laughing, both taking a swig of our whiskey before our eyes meet again and the tension is back.
“What are we going to do, Jackson?”
“We will keep you here for a little while; make it known you are back long-term, and find out what the hell they want from you. I get it—you fell for the right girl in the wrong family, and she died of cancer. They can’t blame you for that, but when we took down their leadership and sent them to prison, they turned their focus on you. Iven heard that Vincent and Mathew are out now, and that is probably why we’re hearing from them. They want their revenge. We will get a handle on this, and we will keep them safe in Portland. We need to call James and let him know we have a threat.”
“I’ll call him.” I pull my phone out and find his contact information and hit send. I take another swig of whiskey as I wait for him to answer.
“What’s up? Why did you leave like that?” he answers with an edge to his voice.
“Like I told Jackson, I’m a coward and an asshole. Let’s all just agree I fucked up.”
“Damn straight you did. What do you want?”
“I left for more than one reason; there is a threat, and this time it’s against me. Jackson didn’t want the Calluci family to track me to Portland and then to you and the girls. I just found out the real reason I was pulled to Boston like half an hour ago.”
“What the hell? Why is this happening again?”
“I will explain later, but right now I need for you to keep an eye out. Let me know if anything weird is going on or any new people hanging around. You know the drill.”
“Yeah, I’ll keep an eye out.”
“Have you seen Bren? Is she okay?”
“Yeah, right now, actually. I’ve got to go.”
“All right, bye.”
We hang up, and once again, I am reminded of what a spineless prick I am. As soon as we get this shit straightened out and remove the threat, I am on my way back to clear the air with Bren and let my past out of the closet. Let’s just hope it’s sooner rather than later.
I look up to Jackson, and he is laughing around the rim of his glass. I glare. “What?”
“He reamed your ass for leaving like I did, didn’t he?”
“He sure did, followed by being pissed off that this shit is happening again.”
“Understandable. Now, let’s figure out what we are going to do about this situation.”
We sit in his office for what seems like hours, trying to come up with a plan that didn’t include murdering the entire Calluci family. They know I’m around, and I hope to hell they aren’t as smart as we are and know what kind of attachments I have in Portland. If they know about Bren, we will have so many more problems on our hands. We have been down that road before with Kat.
All we can really do at this point is keep eyes and ears open and wait for them to take any step toward me or this family. We have to be prepared for anything, and Jackson has made the choice to up his security around the brownstone.
I continue to show face around the city in our territory and the club. I hate going to the club, and being around all the strippers, because I know Bren would hate me being there. I take the chance that she isn’t so pissed off at me that she doesn’t want to hear from me and send her a text.
Max: Hey Bren. How was your day?
What seems like forever goes by. I finish my whiskey and ask for another. I decide she doesn’t want to talk to me, when I feel my phone vibrate.
Bren: Not bad, could have gone without being poked and prodded.
What the fuck is she talking about, poked and prodded? Did she start treatments already? Is something else wrong? I get so pissed at myself for not knowing what is going on that I kick the table over in a fit of fury. Everyone turns to look at me, and I just stare and shrug my shoulder before righting the table up and sitting back down.
Max: What do you mean poked and prodded?
Bren: Oh, so now you care what is happening with me?
Max: I deserve that.
Bren: Damn right you do. What the hell was up with bailing on our dinner date? Why won’t you let me talk about my cancer? Why do people keep telling me to give YOU time?
Max: I got scared, Bren. I can’t explain over text, not even over the phone. I care maybe too much.
I get no reply back from her for several minutes, and when I start to think she won’t message me back, my phone vibrates again.
Bren: I care too, that’s why it hurts so badly.
Max: I wish I could be there, but I can’t. We need to talk. I need to tell you about my past. Just know I care.
Bren: Fine. When will I see you?
Max: I don’t know. I’m sorry.
Bren: I’m here anytime, Max.
Bren: Today, I had my eggs harvested to be frozen. I want to be able to have my own child one day.
Max: WOW. Are you feeling okay?
Bren: I’m fine. At my mom’s house. I go home tomorrow.
A commotion starts on the other side of the room, so
I stand up to see what is going on. Two of the bouncers have a couple of pissed off guys in their grip. I shoot off a quick text to Bren before I walk over to them.
Max: Got to go. Talk later.
I don’t even wait for a message back before I make my way over. I know the two guys, and I walk in between the two bouncers.
“Who do we have here?” I shoot the question out for either one to answer.
“These guys were trying to get Vi and Chrystal to go with them even after they refused. Something about a better club across town paying more money. We saw the signal for trouble and came over. What do you want to do with them?”
“Let me make a call, for now just keep them here.”
I call Jackson. “We got two guys here who were trying to get Vi and Chrystal to go to the new club we have heard so much about. Want to send someone to get them or do you want to come down?”
“On my way,” is all I get from him. Fifteen minutes later, he comes strolling in the door and simply points at the men and jerks his thumb back.
“Take them to the back office, now.”
Jackson and I follow the four men to the office, and I can’t wait to get in their faces. After they are settled in seats and can’t move, Jackson and I look at each other and simultaneously take a swing right to the jaw of both guys.
“I see the Calluci family is sending me some visitors again. I’m sure they thought that they were being smart, and I didn’t know who was coming in. I’m smarter than that, though. Who specifically sent you?” Jackson spouts off at them.
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