by Nicole Fox
“It’s not that.” Kenzie took the liberty of sinking into one of the plush recliners in the living room, and she buried her face in her hands. “You’re going to think it is, because it sounds like it. But I’m just here to tell you about it, and maybe ask for your help, but not to threaten you.”
Xavier felt his patience slipping quickly away. “Just spit it out.”
“I’m pregnant.”
She hadn’t pulled a gun on him this time, but she might as well have. Xavier stood stock still as he assessed the statement. “And what does your father expect to get out of me now?”
“He doesn’t know.” She lifted her face to him now, tears running down her cheeks as she sobbed. “I haven’t told him. I only just found out for sure today.”
Xavier blinked. “If this is true, then why are you telling me? You held a gun to my head, and I turned around and did the exact same thing to you.” His mind was racing as he looked at the situation from every angle, trying to decide what his next move should be. He and the other Reapers had been doing a lot of planning, but none of them had expected this.
“Because I need your help.” Her eyelids were red and swollen, and she sucked in a shaking breath. “My father came up with this whole scheme because he was pissed that you guys had stolen a corner of the black market from him. He wanted me to sleep with you and then claim that I had been raped if you didn’t pay up.”
“That much I follow,” he replied. “It wasn’t hard to figure out.”
“I know. And I’m sorry. I didn’t want to do it, but I didn’t have a choice. My very existence is in his hands, and I want nothing more than to get away from him.”
This whole idea frustrated Xavier. “Then why haven’t you left? What’s stopping you from just getting in your car and going?”
“Don’t you know what it means to be part of the mafia? I can’t just leave!” She cried harder now, and he handed her a box of tissues from the end table. “They’d track me down before I even crossed the state line. They’d bring me back home, and the things my father would do to punish me … I don’t even want to say.”
“All right.” Xavier was glad to see that at least his gut feeling about Kenzie had been right. She wasn’t really at fault here. That made it a little easier to deal with, but it didn’t make everything go away. He sat down on the edge of the coffee table and braced his hands against his knees. “So what is it, exactly, that you want from me?” He hadn’t thought about becoming a father. His life was taken up with the club and his motorcycle. Women had just been entertainment up until this point. His own father hadn’t needed a permanent woman in his life to stay happy, and Xavier didn’t think he was any different.
“I don’t want to keep the baby,” Kenzie sniffled. “I can’t. I need to have this taken care of, but I don’t have the money or the means. That’s why I need your help.”
Xavier’s spine stiffened. She wanted him to pay for an abortion. It was such a new thought that his mind didn’t seem quite capable of taking care of it. He just sat there and looked at her.
“I know what you’re thinking,” she said, even though she really didn’t. “But I’m not going to go through with the rape charges. My father has sent the paperwork and the photo to the police, but I’ll deny the whole thing. I won’t take the stand against you. I never wanted to in the first place, but if you can get me out of this than I definitely won’t.” Her hands were clasped in front of her now, pleading for his mercy. “Please. Just get me out of this. Pay for the clinic and give me enough money so that I can get away from here and take on a new identity. I know it’s asking a lot, and you don’t owe me anything, but I’ll find a way to pay you back someday.”
Shooting to his feet, Xavier ran a hand through his dark red hair and tried to think this through. He had no real reason to believe her. Most women could make themselves cry anytime it suited their purposes. But he could easily see Matteo as being the kind of man who would use his daughter. The man hadn’t even batted an eye when Xavier had used her as his shield, so it was clear he didn’t care about her as she should. For that matter, her black eye had said a lot on its own.
Still, there was a part of her plan that didn’t sit right with him. “I’ll help you, but on my own terms. I’ll get you out of your father’s house. You don’t need to do anything but sit tight and wait, and I’ll come for you when the time is right.”
The hope he saw in her eyes was almost unbearable. How could a man be such a monster? Xavier knew he hadn’t always been a gallant gentleman, but this was unthinkable.
“However, the baby is staying right where it is for the moment.”
“But—”
“No. You don’t get to argue with me on this. It’s my baby, too, and you aren’t the only one who gets to make the decision here.”
“But my father will kill me when he finds out!” Tears flooded anew down her cheeks, and she swiped another tissue out of the box.
“If you’re just a little bit patient, he’ll never have the chance.” Xavier’s mind was churning through what he and the Reapers already knew about Labriolas’ house and habits. “I’ll get you out of there, and without Matteo hovering over you, we can sit down and make this decision rationally. Together.”
Kenzie opened her mouth as if to debate the issue once again, but she clamped it shut. “All right. When should I expect you?”
“You won’t. I’m not going to tell you anything, because then you won’t be able to tell Matteo even under duress. For this to work, it has to be a complete surprise.” He slammed his fist into his open hand and paced around the coffee table as he thought.
“But you are coming, aren’t you?”
He was angry with her. She had used him, even if had been against her will. It seemed she’d probably had some opportunity to confess this all to him before it had gone so far. He could have helped her, even if it had been that night he had taken her home from the bar. But every time he turned around, he was in a deeper mess. “You’ll just have to wait and see. Call me in two days.”
Chapter Seventeen
Kenzie
Kenzie’s body shook as grabbed a washcloth and wiped her mouth after throwing up yet again. It had been happening every day, and no amount of crackers seemed able to stop it. She just wanted it all to be over with. Xavier had seemed like he wanted to help, but there was still a little bit of doubt. What if he changed his mind? What if he decided it was easier to let Matteo take care of the decision? She had offered not to go through with the rape charges, but what if Xavier wanted more than that from her?
A knock sounded on the bathroom door.
“What?” she gasped as yet another wave of nausea racked her body.
“Come out here.” Her father’s voice was calm and yet demanding. She had learned by now that just because he didn’t sound angry didn’t mean he wasn’t.
Kenzie mopped her face once again and staggered out into the hall.
Matteo’s lips twitched. “Is there something you’d like to tell me?”
Oh, shit. He’d found out that she’d been to Xavier’s house and asked him for help. She should have known. Her father was always having his mafiosos spy on her, and she shouldn’t have expected it to be any different this time. “Like what?”
“Come on, sweetheart. You can’t think I’m dumb enough not to notice. You’re late getting out of bed every morning, you’re puking your guts out, and you’re tired all the time. You’re pregnant.”
Her eyes widened, both at the idea that he might have known her secret and that such a cruel man could be so deceptive. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I’m not dumb, Kenzie. Here.” He handed her a bag from the pharmacy. “It’s a pregnancy test.”
She took the bag between her thumb and finger as though it was dirty. “I’ve just been tired. Between school and work, I’ve been overdoing it.”
“Take the test.”
“Maybe later.” She set it on the bathroom counter
. “I’ve really got to get going to class—”
“Now, Kenzie.” Matteo was stern, and it was clear he wasn’t going to let her get past him. “It won’t take but a few minutes, and I’m not a very patient man.”
With a sigh, she shut the bathroom door again and did as she was told. Maybe it would come out differently this time. The first one could have been a false positive; those kinds of things happened. And she was just so freaked out that she had been imagining the symptoms. Taking a second test would only prove that she was in far less hot water than she had previously imagined.
But it didn’t. It was positive.
She opened the door with tears streaming down her face. This was the end, and she had no choice but to face it. Matteo would have his men cut the brakes to her car or push her down the stairs. She would have some horrible “accident” and never be heard from again.
But Matteo wrapped one arm around her and escorted her down the hall. It was the most physical affection he had shown her since she was a little girl. “Why are you crying?” he exclaimed, a genuine smile taking over his face. “This is the best news we’ve had in a long time!”
“What?” She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. He was just fooling her into a false sense of safety. “How could it be?”
“Don’t you see?” He led her down the hall to her bedroom. “Now we have even more leverage over Xavier. The baby is not only another piece of evidence if he pushes me, but he’ll do whatever I say if he knows his genes are at stake.” He laughed, tipping his head back. “I couldn’t have planned it any better myself.”
Kenzie shook her head, blinking, hoping this was all just a terrible nightmare she could wake up from. “No.”
“What do you mean, no?” He stopped laughing, but he was still smiling, his dark eyes shining. “It’ll work. Trust me.”
“I’m not keeping the baby.” Kenzie tried to make her voice sound strong, but it was impossible when she’d been crying. “I’ve already made an appointment for an abortion.”
His hand moved so fast she didn’t have time to flinch. Her cheek stung from the slap, and she reeled backwards and caught her balance on her dresser.
“You had no right to do such a thing! I’m the head of this family, and I make the decisions! You’re keeping that baby if I say you are. We’ll use it to take the Reaper’s Hearts down piece by piece. When we’re done with that, I’ll have a grandson to carry on the family name!” He sounded deranged as he explained his plan, his voice growing ever louder.
“Then I hope it’s a girl!” she yelled back, tired of always cowering in front of him.
Matteo smacked her again and headed for the door. “I’ll keep you locked in here for the next eight months until that baby comes. Then it will be mine to do with as I please, and you can make your own way in the world. That is, unless you decided to do something else and piss me off further. Remember, Kenzie, I can make your life a living hell.” He slammed the door behind him, and the sound of the lock tumbling rattled through the room. His voice on the other side of the door confirmed what she knew would happen anyway; Matteo put one of his men on guard outside her door.
Kenzie fell to her bed and cried, letting all of her anger and frustration flood out into her tears. This just couldn’t be happening. She had thought things couldn’t get worse when she’d discovered she was pregnant, but now they definitely were. To make matters worse, she realized there were new feelings cropping up inside her as soon as her father started talking about using the baby for his own purposes. It stirred a sense of protection inside her that she hadn’t wanted to feel.
Drying her eyes and looking out the window, she realized she couldn’t wait any longer for Xavier to swoop in like a white knight and save her. She stood up and lifted the sash, staring at the freshly clipped lawn two stories down. There was no trellis to climb or gutter pipe to shimmy down, and she suspected her father had arranged that purposely a long time ago. Her only choice was to jump.
But she knew what would happen. The baby would be lost. She shut the window.
Chapter Eighteen
Kenzie
Either Kenzie had changed her mind about leaving her father’s house, or something was up. Xavier checked his phone again, but he hadn’t missed any calls or texts. He had tried to contact her numerous times but to no avail. He should have waited for the assistance of his men, but there was no time to call them all together and formulate a new plan. He jumped on his bike, rode straight to the Labriola mansion, and knocked on the door.
The big man Matteo had referred to as Tiny answered the door and, surprisingly, waved him inside. “Boss’ll be down in a minute,” he rumbled.
Matteo showed up as promised, looking pleased with himself. “Mr. Flynn, what brings you by? I thought our business was finished.”
“It’s not, and you know it. Where’s Kenzie?” He glanced around the room, looking for some sort of sign. But Matteo would have covered his tracks if he had already done something.
“She’s … indisposed,” Matteo replied with a smile. “I’m afraid she hasn’t been feeling well.”
“You can cut the shit. I already know about the baby, and I have a right to see her.” Xavier wanted to deck Matteo in his smug face and charge through the house until he found Kenzie, but the two hooligans that flanked him would have stopped him easily.
Matteo’s confident smile faded instantly. “What? How did you know about that?”
“What does it matter?”
But it clearly did to the mob boss. His face reddened as he clenched his fists at his sides. “I see how it is. She’s turned against me and is working with you. Of all people. After all I’ve done for her.”
Xavier couldn’t deny it. At the very least, he and Kenzie had decided to work together to get her away from the rest of the Labriolas. “She’s a smart girl.”
Matteo’s thick finger pointed at his face. “And you think you’re so smart, too. But I have certain connections, and your attorney won’t be able to keep you on the street for long. You’ll be behind bars where you belong!”
Lifting his hands in the air, Xavier shrugged. “That’s going to be pretty difficult. See, I have Kenzie on tape saying that the whole thing was set up. Even if you manage to take me to court, the charges won’t stick.
“I ought to kill you right now!” Matteo raged.
“It would be a shame to get blood on this nice carpet,” Xavier teased.
“No, you’ll think it’s a shame when you see the bodies of your men piled around you and you know you’re next!” Labriola stepped toward him, but he made no move to do anything about it right then. “I’m going to let you go, because I want you to know that I’m coming after you. It may not be right now, but it’ll happen. And you’re going to regret that you ever messed with me.”
“Sounds good.” Xavier knew Matteo was playing the same game the Reapers had been, waiting, and he liked getting under the man’s skin. He turned his back on the boss and let himself out the door.
As he crossed the lawn to his bike, something soft hit his shoulder. He turned, suspicious, but he saw Kenzie in the second-story window. She looked like an angel sitting up there, watching him with tears streaming down her face. He bent to pick up the crumpled paper she had tossed down, shoved it in his pocket, and left.
Chapter Nineteen
Kenzie
Even through the thick walls of the Labriola mansion, Kenzie recognized the booming echo of Xavier’s voice. Her heart thundered with fear and excitement as she scrabbled uselessly at the locked door. He had come for her, just like he’d said he would! But Xavier had never said anything about confronting her father directly. Didn’t he know how hopeless that was? Did he think he could just charge in here and demand that she be handed over? It all sounded very nice and romantic, but it would never work. He was only going to get himself killed, and that wasn’t going to help either one of them.
Still she pounded on the door, determined to let Xavier know she was
there. “Xavier! Come help me! Please!” She hit the door with all the force she had inside her, not caring if she broke her nails or even her hand. None of that would matter as long as she got out.
Kenzie flew back in surprise when the door flung open and slammed against the wall. Angelo stood in the doorway, his gun at the ready in one hand and his other hand curled into a fist. He advanced a few steps into the room, just enough to let her know he was serious. “Shut the fuck up!” he ordered. “If you insist on keeping up that racket, I’ll be more than happy to bring you to your knees.” Angelo’s eyes were dark and hard as he leered at her, his scar accentuating the twist of his mouth.