Cry Wolf

by Romy Lockhart

  “Don’t tell me you’re not hungry,” I challenge him. The second I smelled the food I wanted to eat, but maybe that’s just me. I take a bite of the cookie, but I’m already eyeballing the chocolate coated strawberries and some kind of flapjack looking thing.

  “I don’t really do sugar,” he tells me, going to the stereo and turning the music down a bit.

  “Well it’s a good thing I do then,” I say, knowing I’m going to make myself sick. I don’t even care. It’s been too long since I had anything this delicious.

  Theo comes into the room from the kitchen, placing a plate of perfectly fluffy little mini sponge cakes down in the space on the table.

  “You’re home,” he says, smiling.

  Yes, I damn well am.

  I smile back. “If this is the kind of welcome I can expect, I’m going to need to take out all my clothes.”

  “Well, you could always just take them off,” he suggests.

  “Is that why it’s hotter than Satan’s arsehole in here?” I ask, taking off my jacket.

  The fire’s a godsend in the winter. Right now it’s overkill.

  He grins. “You got me. I might have gone a little overboard.”

  “Oh, you think?” I ask, going to turn the heating off. “Put the fire out please.”

  “So you’re staying?” I hear Theo ask Lukas when I go into the hall.

  “I’m staying.”

  My heart does an excited little flip. Then I remember. There’s a third guy, and they don’t think he’s here. I hesitate in the hall, starting at the boiler cupboard as I close the door. What if three’s a deal breaker? Maybe they don’t like their mate Baz as much as I do. Ugh. This better not ruin things.

  I walk back into the room and plonk down beside Lukas on the couch, leaving enough room for Theo on my other side. He takes the seat and I keep my fingers crossed as I clear my throat.

  “There’s something I should tell the pair of you.”

  Lukas immediately takes my hand in both of his. “You’re pregnant?”

  “It’s a bit soon for that,” Theo murmurs, though his gaze drifts over my tits and belly as if he can maybe tell by sight.

  “Don’t be eejits,” I tell them. I’ll worry about the pregnancy thing when I get symptoms or my monthly visitor doesn’t arrive. “Baz was here earlier.”

  Lukas’ jaw drops. “That’s not...”

  “There’s no way,” Theo cuts in, his tone amused. “He’s been in London for years.”

  “He works for my lawyers. He took the job when he heard my name. It was completely random.”

  “Fate works in mysterious ways,” Theo says.

  “This is really how it was meant to be,” Lukas says, shaking his head.

  “So you’re okay with this?” I ask, taking in Theo’s easy nod.

  Lukas seems more shaken, but I’m not worried about him. If he needs time again he can take it. I know he’s mine. I can wait for him to wrap his head around this.

  “I can’t believe it,” Lukas says, “but you chose me first so I don’t care.”

  Theo chuckles beside me, and I’m ready to slap him in the guts if he takes the piss.

  “The more the merrier,” Theo tells me, making my heart skip a beat.

  I love how easy he is about this. I understand Lukas’ reservations too, but Theo’s relaxed attitude makes me want to mount him right now, in front of Lukas.

  He grins at me, as if he can tell the affect he’s having on me.

  “No more sex today,” I blurt. “I need a rest before I get a permanent injury.”

  Theo laughs. Lukas kisses my hand. I snack a little and curl up between two of the three men I’m currently head over heels for. Life couldn’t possibly get any better.

  I get up early, and have to crawl out of bed under the covers to get past the sleeping hunks of man meat that will fight over possession of my body the moment they wake up. Lucky for me they’re a pair of lazy bones in the mornings. More so than I am, I mean.

  I woke up with Theo’s hand on my arse, shoved inside my knickers, and Lukas’ hand under my top, planted on my stomach. I could suddenly imagine all the possibilities that having more than one lover in my bed could bring. I crawl out of there as if my pants are on fire.

  I could probably do with a day without a tryst or two. My fanny’s about ready to drop off at this rate, and they don’t seem like the type to suggest alternative places to shove their permanently hard cocks. Not that it’s usually something I enjoy, but with these two? I’m more than willing to get experimental.

  I take a shower and throw on some comfy clothes before I go downstairs and put some of last night’s left over snacks in a plastic tub to take to Fergus. I’m worried about him. I wouldn’t blame him if he didn’t want to see me again. I’d just rather he told me if that’s the case.

  I’d rather be a little hurt than worried sick about him.

  I leave the house and decide to walk. It’s not far. Nothing is in this town. I could walk the entire town in about an hour, maybe two if I was taking my time. I get to Fergus’ grandmother’s house within ten minutes.

  I can hear her griping at something inside before she answers the door.

  She narrows her eyes at me. “What do you want?”

  “I’m just here to say hi to Fergus.”

  “He’s in his bed.”

  “I heard he’s been feeling sick. I came to visit.”

  “He doesn’t need a visit from the likes of you,” she says, starting to close the door.

  “Fergus!” I call out, as the door slams in my face. “Damn it.”

  I walk around the house, trying to figure out what window is for his room.

  I’m just trying to peek in the first on the side of the house when a door creaks beside me and I notice there’s a basement entrance down a set of steps to my right. Fergus steps out and I rush to the stairs that lead down. He looks pale, and tired. He really is sick? “Maggie?”

  “I had to see if you were okay, after everything,” I tell him, keeping my voice hushed in case his bitch of a grandmother is listening.

  “Come in,” he says, nodding to me.

  I creep down the stairs and come inside, closing the door quietly. His room is more like a studio apartment. I look around and see a small kitchen and living room as well as a bed. Everything’s pretty neat and tidy. He’s wearing clothes rather than pyjamas so he hasn’t been in bed.

  “Are you okay?” I ask, handing him the plastic tub of cookies and cake.

  He smiles at me. “I think it’s supposed to be soup when someone’s sick.”

  “If I could make soup, it would be soup.”

  “You made these?” he sounds amused.

  “No. You got me. Dick made them.”

  “Dick?”

  Right. He wasn’t at the pub last night. “I mean my fiancé.”

  “Thanks for bringing them.” He puts them on the coffee table. “You want a cup of tea or something?”

  “Sure,” I tell him, taking a seat on the couch. I look around. There’s an open door to a bathroom, but there are wardrobes rather than a closet and I can’t see any other doors that might lead into the house.

  “Nice place,” I say as he puts the kettle on. “I would have killed for an apartment this nice when I was your age.”

  “It would be a lot nicer without the nasty upstairs neighbour,” he tells me wryly.

  I can’t help the bubble of laughter that erupts from me. “She’s a little overbearing your nan.”

  “A little?” he asks.

  “So how are you doing?” I ask, not sure how to help him if he’s freaked over the body. I mean I went through something traumatic when I was a kid but I was kind of left to just get on with it considering no-body believed me.

  “I’m just feeling a little weird,” he says. “It’s hard to describe it really.”

  Guilt swells in me. I shouldn’t have let him help look for the body.

  “Tea?” he asks.

 
“Two sugars and milk if you’ve got it, thanks.”

  He sets about pouring the tea. I wait for him to finish and come over.

  “I told my gran I have a stomach bug. It’s keeping her away. She has a thing about bugs.”

  “Smart,” I tell him, picking up my tea when he puts it down.

  He sits down leaving a space between us. “She’s been that way ever since I was a kid. Dad was never around, and then he had that accident at work. Spent months in hospital before he died. She was too afraid to visit. I had to go on my own.”

  “That must have been awful, I’m so sorry.”

  “It was okay,” he says, his gaze unfocused as he leans back in his seat. “I just remember going there every day and watching him. Waiting for him to wake up. Praying he would wake up. So I wouldn’t get stuck with my gran.”

  “Oh, Fergus.” I feel so bad for him. No wonder he was so nice to me. He knew what it was like better than anyone to grow up in a bad situation. I only suffered for being thought of in a bad light. He suffered worse for not having someone take care of him properly.

  He sighs and takes a drink of his tea.

  I sip mine again, waiting for him to go on. It feels like he has more to say, that he’s haunted by what we did and it’s brought something out in him that was under the surface waiting to be unveiled.

  “You told me once everything would be okay,” he says. “I’d been waiting for gran to pick me up from school and she didn’t show up. You were walking past and took my hand to walk me home. I don’t know why I didn’t just do that myself. I’d been getting the bus to the hospital myself. I was just... I don’t know... lost, I suppose.”

  “I remember,” I tell him, holding the mug to warm my hands. He’d looked so sad. I’d felt so bad for him. Just lost his dad and stuck with his mean old witch grandmother. I’d wanted to hug him, but it had seemed like a weird thing to do, so I just tried to cheer him up as we walked.

  “Things got better. I focused on doing well at school so I could leave. Then I met Maria and everything felt a million times less shitty.” He clears his throat. “Then she dumped me, and you came back. I thought maybe...” His face turns scarlet, but he goes on regardless. “I thought maybe that was fate. Then I realized you had a fiancé, but I liked hanging around the pub with you so it didn’t matter. Talking to you always made me feel better. It still does.”

  I’m lost for words as he pauses, a lump starting to form in my throat.

  “Then the attacks started, and we found her.” His tone shifts. It cools to an emotionless monotone.

  I put the cup down and reach out to squeeze his hand. He weaves his fingers through mine.

  “Everything suddenly started to make sense.”

  I fight the creepy feeling that washes over me as his gaze rises to meet mine. This is still the sweet guy I know and love. He’s just traumatised. I can help him.

  “I’m sorry I can’t stop this, Maggie,” he says, his grip tightening on my hand. “Those wolves of yours must die.”

  “Wolves?” I ask, confused.

  “When they’re gone, you’ll be mine,” he says with a soft sigh. “And my mother will be restored.”

  Okay, now I’m creeped the feck out. “Fergus, I know you’re not feeling well right now so I’ll not take this shite you’re spewing seriously, but you need help.”

  I tug at my hand, ready to leave. He won’t let me go. Pain burns through me as he crushes my hand in his. He’s stronger than he looks, or something seriously mental is happening here. My head starts to swim. I hear a bone break.

  “Sleep now,” he whispers, reaching out to touch the side of my face with his other hand.

  “Feck... Off...” I bite out as I fall forward into him.

  I hear laughter right before I pass out. A woman’s laughter. There’s someone else in this room with us. I don’t get to find out who it is. One thing is certain, when I wake up Fergus is a dead man.

  I’m going to be late for my lunch with Sebastian. I don’t know how the feck I managed to fall asleep on the couch after breakfast, but it seems my men are still out cold in my bed so there’s no-one to ask. Maybe constant napping is a side effect of pregnancy. I should really grab a pregnancy test or three while I’m out. I go to the kitchen to grab a glass of water to wake myself up, and the damned glass falls right out of my hand.

  “What the...” I murmur, realizing my hand feels weird.

  Did I crush it under me in my sleep? I flex my fingers and white hot pain flares through me.

  Nope, it hasn’t gone to sleep. Something’s broken.

  Well that’s a first. Breaking my hand in my sleep. How the hell does that happen?

  I grab a glass with my other hand, and swivel on the spot to place it in the sink and run the tap all with my good, non-broken hand. There are painkillers in my handbag. I can clean the broken glass up after my fecking hand stops throbbing in agony.

  I take the glass of water to the table and place it down. I use my good hand to tip my handbag over and spill the contents out. I hesitate with the painkillers. Should I be taking these if I’m pregnant? I mean I don’t know for sure I am anyway, and my hand is bloody killing me now. I don’t know if it’s allowed, or whatever, so I drop the packet and sigh.

  I drink a bit of the water, and pick out my phone. I’ll have to rain-check the date. I need to wake one of the guys up to take me out to the nearest hospital A&E to get this hand checked out.

  So weird. It looks okay. Maybe it’s a little red and swollen now that I’m staring at it, but it doesn’t look like anything’s really wrong with it. I feel like I should remember how this happened. It must have hurt when I bashed it off something. Surely the pain would have woken me up.

  I call Sebastian and cancel the date via his voicemail. I don’t like to do that, but that’s his hard cheese for not picking up the phone. I need to get to a hospital.

  I hold my hand to my chest as I climb the stairs.

  Lukas and Theo are still crashed out in my bed. Theo’s rolled himself up in the covers on the left side of the bed, and Lukas is spread-eagled with a tiny corner of duvet just about covering his unmentionables, his arm raised up and covering his eyes.

  A little spark of glee races through me on seeing them in my bed like this. How the hell did I make this happen? I still can’t quite believe it.

  I move toward Lukas, trying not to let myself get too distracted by his naked body. It’s not easy. That underwear model body is pretty hard to ignore.

  I reach out with my good hand to give his shoulder a little shake. His right hand reaches up to stroke my fingers. He’s awake?

  “Lukas,” I whisper, attempting to avoid waking the pair of them up. I don’t want them fighting over who gets to drive me. They fought enough over who should sleep beside me last night before I told them not to be so stupid, that they were both sharing my bed.

  He brings his arm away from his face slowly, bringing it up to attempt to pull me down gently on top of him. His eyes open and burn into mine intently.

  “Come back to bed, Maggie.”

  He makes it sound like an order. I push down the urge to obey. If we started something right now, I’d forget about my hand until I had to lean on it and then the pain might make me pass out.

  “I’ve hurt my hand,” I tell him, making him sit up quickly.

  “Let me see,” he demands.

  The covers completely roll away, revealing his half-mast cock. Even not fully erect it’s impressive. I tear my gaze away reluctantly as he checks my hand carefully, his brow furrowing.

  “You have four broken bones,” he says, his tone sharpening. “How did this happen?”

  “I don’t know, I fell asleep on the couch,” I tell him. “How do you know I have four broken bones?”

  Theo stirs suddenly, pushing the covers back.

  “What’s this I’m hearing about broken bones?” Theo asks.

  “Maggie’s hurt,” Lukas tells him.

  “I need someone
to drive me to the A&E.”

  They glance at each other and I frown at them.

  “Well, don’t both jump at once,” I snap.

  “We need to tell her,” Theo murmurs.

  Lukas seems conflicted, but he nods. “Can you call Baz?”

  “I already left him a message cancelling our date. I need a lift to the hospital please,” I tell them, wondering what the hell’s going on.

  “If we’re going to tell her, he should be here,” Lukas says, clearly talking to Theo.

  “What the hell...?” I start, fuming now.

  Lukas gazes up at me. “Trust me, Maggie.”

  “I do,” I hear myself whispering back, though I’ll be damned if I know why right now.

  Theo leaves the room and I hear him on the phone in the hall. I can’t tell what he’s saying, but I hear the urgency in his voice.

  “I need to know what’s going on here,” I tell Lukas.

  He nods. “I know. We’re going to tell you, but you have to trust me right now.”

  I sigh as I realize this is as much as I’m going to get out of either of them.

  “What about my hand?” I ask, low-key furious that they’re not jumping all over themselves to take me to the hospital.

  “You don’t need a hospital,” he tells me as he stands up. “You just need to let us explain.”

  “Fine,” I tell him, stalking out of the room.

  I’ll give them ten minutes. If they piss me off any more than they already have I’m taking painkillers and driving to the damned hospital myself.

  Five minutes of quiet fuming later and the two arseholes are dressed and silently guarding me in the living room. Theo brought me painkillers. I frowned at him, but I took them.

  The instant the door goes, Lukas is up like a shot. Seriously. I think I must be seething with rage right now because when he got up it seemed like he blurred a little. So angry I’m hallucinating. Sounds about right.

  He comes back into the living room with Sebastian who looks worried. Well, at least someone cares.

  “Are you here to take me to the hospital?” I ask him, standing up.

  He glances from Theo to Lukas and back again.