Nine

  “Trig, I’m late,” I say.

  “Late for what? We don’t have any appointments or events today.”

  “No. I mean, I’m like late, late.”

  He slowly moves his body around and looks at me. I can see the wheels in his head finally turning.

  “Like…missed your period late?”

  I nod.

  “More like missed two periods.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

  “You’ve been busy, and I’ve been busy. I thought it was stress at first, and then when the second month passed by I knew something was up.”

  “Do you feel sick?”

  “No. Just tired mostly, but that’s from work.”

  “Did you take one of those pee tests?”

  “I bought one, but I haven’t taken it yet. I thought we could do it together. Just don’t tell Mya until we know for sure. You know how she’s always saying she wants a little sister. I wouldn’t want to disappoint her if I’m not.”

  “It must have been that night with the champagne,” he says. “I’m gonna be honest with you. You had that leather outfit on with those red pumps, and that collar around your neck, and I didn’t pull out on time. It was feeling too good. You were sucking me and riding me and…”

  I look around the store to make sure no one is listening.

  “Stop. I get it.” I interrupt him. “So this is all your fault.” I grin.

  “No. This is your fault for coming into the bedroom dressed like that.”

  He stares at me.

  “All jokes aside, this is good news. I’m happy,” he adds.

  “I’m holding in my excitement until I take the test, but it wouldn’t be a bad thing to add another Krackle to the family. Mya would have a playmate, and she’s old enough to help me out a little bit.”

  Mya runs over with her stuffed unicorn. He’s decked out in a glitter shirt, some neon shorts, and a pair of rainbow boots. She’s topped him off with a rainbow headband and matching necklace.

  “He’s ready to go home, Mom.”

  “What’s his name?” Trig asks.

  “Frankenstein,” she replies.

  “He’s very…colorful. Are you sure you don’t need just a few more accessories,” I joke.

  Mya squints her eyes at me.

  “Frankenstein does not appreciate your sarcasm.”

  I stare at Mya and then over to Trig.

  “See? That’s what I’m talking about, right there.”

  He laughs and grabs Mya’s face in his hands.

  “Mommy’s just mad that she doesn’t have a unicorn.” Trig winks at her.

  He stands up and grabs my hand. He pulls me up from my seat.

  We pay, make our exit out of the mall, and head for the car. I’m tucking Mya into her car seat when I remember she has a carnival at her preschool tomorrow.

  “Can we stop by the bank? I need some cash for Mya’s carnival.”

  “When is it?” Trig says.

  “Tomorrow.” I laugh.

  “We have plenty of cash at home.”

  “There’s only hundred dollar bills in the closet. I already looked. It’s better to have smaller bills at these school events. I also need to deposit this funky cashier’s check from that store where we bought the bad applesauce.”

  We jump into the car and head for the bank.

  “I have to pee,” Mya says.

  “How bad?” I question.

  I look back to see her wiggling in her seat.

  “Why didn’t you go when we were at the mall, little lady?”

  “I didn’t have to go then.”

  I roll my eyes.

  “Let’s just all go inside. If Stacy’s working, she’ll let Mya go back and use the restroom.”

  We park the car and enter the bank. I look around for Stacy, and I don’t see her. Stacy is a teller that has worked here for years. She usually handles our big deposits and loves it when I bring Mya in. She’s let her use the employee restroom before, but not everyone there is as nice as she is.

  “There’s no line. I’m going to go deposit this. See if someone else will let you take Mya back to the bathroom. I’d do it but that stupid cashier’s check is in my name.”

  I hurry up to the counter. I can hear Trig behind me talking to the girl at customer service about Mya.

  “No. Sorry, sir. The bathroom inside is for employees only. It’s too close to the vault to let customers back there.”

  “She’s three. What do you think she’s going to do? She just needs to pee.”

  “Sorry, sir. I can’t allow that.”

  I’m talking to the teller when Trig brings Mya up to me.

  “They won’t let her. I’ll just run her over to the gas station across the street.”

  “Okay.”

  Just as Trig turns around all hell breaks loose.

  “Get down on the ground! This is a robbery!” a man yells.

  I swing around to see a man with a shotgun. He looks like he’s out of it. His face reminds me of how my parents used to look when they would be high. His hands are twitchy and his eyes are red. The bank employees out on the floor immediately duck down. A customer standing close to me makes a run for it. The robber turns and fires off a shot into the back of the man. Blood burst through his chest and he collapses just inches from the door. Several people gasp and whimper.

  “See what happens when you don’t fucking listen?” he screams.

  I grab Mya and tuck her behind me. She’s crying and holding onto my leg. I glance over at Trig who hasn’t moved a muscle. The robber turns and looks at us.

  “I said; get the fuck down on the ground. What are you, deaf?”

  We toss our hands up and slowly drop to our knees.

  “Except you,” he points to me. “Come here, blondie.” He snorts.

  Trig steps up on one knee to intervene. The robber turns his gun on Trig.

  “Don’t you make a single move or I’ll blow your brains out right here.”

  I stand up and remove Mya who has now attached herself to my back. She’s reaching out for me and sobbing.

  “Baby, I need you to go with Daddy.”

  “Mommy, no,” she cries out.

  “Somebody shut that brat up,” the robber says.

  Trig pulls her into his arms. The robber storms toward me and grabs me in a gun chokehold.

  “I want all the money this bank has to offer in a bag, or this bitch dies.”

  He backs up and looks around the bank.

  “You. Money. Now.” He points to a teller.

  I can see her tossing cash into a plastic bag. I squirm to get loose.

  He grabs me by the hair and pushes me down to the ground. I can feel the barrel of the shotgun against the back of my head. I start to cry. I don’t want Mya to see me die this way. I lift my head up to look at Trig. His chest is rising and falling fast, and his eyes are dark.

  “I love you,” I mouth.

  Trig takes Mya close to him, and whispers something in her ear.

  “I don’t see you moving fast enough,” the robber yells over to the teller.

  Right in that small time frame, Trig jumps up and comes running full speed at the robber. I see Mya take off toward a desk for cover. Trig grabs the shotgun and pushes the base of it hard into the guy’s face a few times. The gun drops and slides next to me. Trig wrestles with the man until both of them are on the floor. I can see fists flying and elbows dropping. I pick up the shotgun and stand up. I walk over to them and cock the gun. Trig has his hand around the man’s throat, cutting off his air supply. He’s choking and gagging and I just know Trig is seeing red. He’ll kill the guy. The sound makes both of them look up. I keep my eyes targeted in on the man.

  “We are animals, and we will fuck you up. You just messed with the wrong pride,” I say.

  Trig delivers one last punch and knocks the guy clean out.

  Tellers come out from behind the glass, and the other employees slowly rise up from the floor.
I see a few of them dash over to the man who was shot. They start checking for a pulse, and everyone whips out their cell phones.

  “Cops are already on their way. Is everybody okay?” the branch manager asks.

  Trig stands up. His knuckles are bloody and he’s breathing hard.

  “I’m good,” I reply. I lean over to catch my breath.

  Trig walks over and grabs my arm. He pulls me up.

  “Are you alright? You look a little pale.”

  “I’m just dizzy. That’s all.”

  “Go sit down.”

  He walks me over and we both take a seat. I turn and look at him.

  “That was pretty bad-ass. You are one tough photographer.”

  “I could say the same for you. You got all gangster out there.”

  He puts his bloody hand on top of mine. I look around.

  “Where’s Mya?” I ask with panic. I go to stand, but Trig stops me.

  “Relax. She’s fine. I just saw a bank teller take her back to pee. I think it’s the very least they can do after what happened.”

  We hear sirens and see police lights. Trig stands up and looks over at the robber on the floor.

  “We will fuck you up,” he mimics me. “You’re hardcore, ya know that?”

  I smile as he turns and walks toward the police that are running in with their guns drawn.

  ***

  I turn off the light in Mya’s room. She’s tucked safely in her bed. The doors and windows are locked, and I can’t help but think about the bank robbery today. Mya’s eyes are just about to close as she yawns. I walk over to her bed and sit down.

  “What did Daddy say to you at the bank in your ear?”

  “He said that fear is the enemy and not to be scared. He told me he loved me and that I needed to run and hide where no one could see me, and then he said go.”

  I take a deep breath.

  “Daddy is very brave isn’t he?”

  “You both are. You looked like superheroes out there.”

  I kiss her on the forehead before I leave her room. I walk back to our room where Trig is sitting in front of the TV.

  “We’re on every channel. It’s crazy. Thank God they blurred out our faces.”

  “Well, the day’s not over yet. Are you ready for some more crazy?”

  He turns and looks at me. I pull a pregnancy test out from my bag. I nod toward the bathroom and we both trail over. Trig leans up against the door frame and stares forward. I delicately pull the test out of the wrapping and adjust myself on the toilet.

  “I’m pretty sure you have to pee on it to get a result, babe.”

  “I know. Just stop rushing me.”

  I stand up, push my pants down, and sit on the toilet again. Trig is almost gawking at me. I motion my hands for him to turn away.

  “Really?” he says, and turns around. “There’s not an inch on your body I haven’t seen already.”

  “Trig!” I bark.

  I relax and pee on the stick. I then place the cap back on it, and set it on the edge of the sink counter top. I flush the toilet and then wash my hands. Trig turns around.

  “It takes a few minutes,” I say.

  He walks past me and then he takes a peek at the test. I stare at him nervously, waiting for him to say something.

  “How many lines is it supposed to show if you are?”

  “Two.”

  He looks back to the test and then to me. I see a smile come across his face.

  “Looks like we have another cub to protect.”

  “Oh my gosh! Really? Keeping one alive is hard enough.”

  I grab at my chest and exhale. He strolls over and grabs me.

  “We got this. Just remember. ‘We are animals and we will fuck you up,’” he mimics me again. I smile.

  “You’re not going to let me live that one down, are you?”

  “Hell no. It was kind of sexy the way you said it too. You almost had bigger balls than me.”

  I laugh and turn my head. He places his hands on both sides of my face.

  “You, me, our daughter, and that little bun in there, it’s us to the end.”

  “It always has been and it always will be,” I add.

  Trig leans down and kisses me. “Until the wheels fall off, baby.”

  “I’m not even sure I want to bring another baby into this world after today. I thought we were safe up here. The fear I saw in Mya’s eyes today at the bank wrecked me.”

  He lifts my chin up.

  “It’s the same fear I saw in your eyes that night at the hotel with Victor. I will never let anything happen to my girls, ever. Trust me on that.” He takes my hand. “I want to show you something. Just don’t get mad.”

  “I can’t promise you that.” I raise my eyebrow.

  He leads me over to an extra-large painting of this hideous cat on our wall. He picked it up years ago, and it matches absolutely nothing in this house. He liked it so much that he put it in our bedroom. I stand there and stare at the horrid thing.

  “I don’t understand. We’re looking at an ugly cat. What gives?”

  He pulls his hand away from mine, and then he lifts the picture off the wall. I see a latched door just slightly smaller than the picture underneath.

  “You said you want safety, right? You got it.”

  “Trig, what’s behind that door?” I say worried.

  I have a feeling, but I’m not going to jump to conclusions just yet.

  He unlatches the door and pulls it open. My mouth drops and then I stare at Trig, and then back inside the wall.

  “What can I say? Old habits die hard.” He pauses. “Before you speak, just know that I need to feel like I can protect my family at any given moment. These things here provide that. It doesn’t matter where we go. There are bad people lurking in every corner of this earth, and I’ll be damned if I lose another person that I love. This is me watching over my pride, and today, if I was strapped I would have protected them a lot quicker.”

  I step forward to get a better look. There has to be at least ten to twelve different weapons in this hideaway closet. They range from smaller handguns, to shotguns, and everything in between.

  “When did you build this?” I ask, still in shock.

  “The day we brought Mya home from the hospital. I quit smoking and started up a new hobby. I’ve been slowly adding contents to it since then.”

  I stare at the silencers, bullets, and guns and my head starts to hurt. I walk over and sit on the edge of the bed. I’m filled with mixed emotions.

  “Jesus, Trig,” I say.

  I cover my nose and mouth with both of my hands. After today’s events, I think the whole ‘we’re supposed to be changed people’ speech would be ridiculous.

  “He had a shotgun to the back of your head. He could have killed you, me, and Mya.”

  “Trig, I know. I was there.”

  He comes and sits down next to me. I look over at him.

  “Mya must never know about this. I mean never. God!” I say into my hands.

  He nods just once.

  “So you’re not upset? Yell or scream at me or something, but don’t just sit there.”

  “No. I can't be mad. Not after seeing that man killed at the bank. I know you do what you do for us. Please just don’t keep secrets from me. I can’t handle it.”

  He reaches over and grabs my hand.

  “I love you,” he says.

  “I know you do and I love you, too.”

  I look up at the wall where the hidden compartment is. I can’t believe it’s been there for years without me knowing. I place my hand over my stomach and look down.

  “This baby I’m carrying, it could be a girl. What are we going to do with two girls, Trig?”

  I hear him take a deep breath and then exhale. “Buy a bigger gun.”

  The journey is not over yet.

  (Book 2)

  Trig

  Sometimes you have lie to protect the ones that you love.

  About
the Author:

  Jennifer Raygoza is also the author of the smoking hot vampire series The Guardians I: Feel the Fire, The Guardians II: The Revelation, The Guardians III: Blood Vengeance as well as Unleashed Poems, and The Silver Lining. She enjoys writing in the sunny state of California. She loves to hear from her readers at [email protected] and hopes they will visit her updated website as well. She reads all her email and answers what she can.

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