Aurora woke up when we’d arrived home half an hour later. Though she wasn’t as clammy as she was earlier, she was still pale. She got out of the car without a word and walked into the house. The guys all stood around the SUV and waited for me, grabbing their bags from the trunk when Joseph opened it.
“What’s wrong with her?” Saint asked as he slung his bag over his shoulder.
“I think she’s finally realized what’s done,” I said.
“She didn’t react that way when she killed Hank,” Nyxin said.
“All she did was bash Hank’s head in,” I reminded him. “It’s not every day that you cut off all of someone’s fingers, stab them multiple times, and then slit their throat all on your own.”
“I’d still have the doctor look at her just in case,” Bruce said.
“Agreed. Can’t afford for either of you to get sick,” Saint said. “Anyway, are we off duty for the rest of the night then? I need to go check on Giselle.”
“Yeah, you’re good for the night. Since the trip is canceled, we may as well get back to work tomorrow. We’ll meet in the lower conference room first thing in the morning.”
They all nodded and headed into the house. I grabbed my bag along with Aurora’s and sighed. So much for a trip to weaken her defenses, I thought to myself. Joseph closed the trunk and looked to me for direction.
“You’re dismissed. Thanks,” I said and left him in the garage.
Aurora was nowhere to be found as I walked through the house, but Brittany was.
“Is she okay? What’d you do to her? What’s wrong with her?” she asked as she followed me up the stairs.
“I didn’t do anything to her. She’s just sick,” I said, my tone flat.
She frowned at me. “Did she eat bad food at a restaurant or something? She wasn’t sick when she left—”
“Brittany, please,” I interrupted. “I don’t know why she’s sick. We didn’t go out to eat, not that it’s any of your business what I do with my wife. She’ll be fine.”
“But what if she’s—”
“Good night, Britt,” I said when I approached the bedroom door. She huffed and stormed off when I entered and closed the door. Along with wanting life to go back to normal, I wanted to hurry up and resolve this Wilson problem so she could go back to living on her own. As much as I loved my sister, she was driving me up the fucking wall with her nosiness and questions.
The sounds of Aurora vomiting again echoed in the bathroom. Even if she was sick from what she’d done, it usually didn’t last thing long. “You okay in there?” I asked, putting the bags at the foot of the bed.
The toilet flushed and she finally came into view a few seconds later. “I’m fine. I think I’m just gonna get ready for bed,” she murmured. I nodded and she walked over to the sink. I sat at the foot of the bed as she brushed her teeth, my phone vibrating next to me. KC’s name popped up on the screen, which slightly confused me since there wasn’t a reason for him to call me since I was in the house.
“What’s up?” I asked.
“I know you’re probably busy with getting Aurora situated, but I wanted to tell you that it’s a good thing you didn’t go on your trip,” he said.
“And why’s that?” I asked as I pulled my shoes off.
“Wilson knew where you were headed. Along with hacking into your chip system, he’s damn near gotten into everything.”
I paused in my movements, my entire body stiffening. “What do you mean everything?”
“Like everything. The house system, cameras, emails. I’ve spent forever trying to secure everything since then.”
“This day just keeps getting fucking worse,” I mumbled, running my hand down my face.
“I’ve secured everything for now, but I’m going to advise you to change things over. Since you’ve been on the same network with him for so long, I’m not surprised he’s finally done this.”
“You’re right,” I said and sighed. “We need new shit anyway now that we’ve gone my separate ways.”
“Right. We can work on that first thing in the morning and I’ll continue monitoring shit throughout the night. I secured the most important things, which are your bank accounts, the house security system, and your phone. I’ve taken the whole camera system offline for inside of the house until we can switch to a new system. They’re still active for the outside of the property,” he said.
“Yeah, okay,” I said. “What did he say about Hawaii?”
“His texts only said that you wouldn’t make it there. I can only assume they were either going to ambush you on the runway or they’d tampered with the plane,” he said.
I couldn’t help but think of what could’ve happened if Aurora didn’t get sick. I’d thought I would’ve been doing something good by taking her away for a few days but that could’ve led to her death; hell, it could’ve led to the death of both of us. The only way to keep her safe was to deal with Wilson once and for all, and I was done waiting around like a sitting duck. Fuck waiting for the right time to strike and fuck killing others just to send him a message.
I was going to find him and get this over with once and for all.
“Thanks for letting me know. We’re having a meeting first thing in the morning. Make sure you’re there so we can figure this shit out,” I finally said.
“You got it,” he replied.
I hung up and tossed my phone onto the bed beside me, putting my head in my hands. A solid knock sounded on the door, irritation filling me.
“What?” I snapped.
The door opened to reveal the doctor’s beady eyes as he poked his head in. “It’s just me, Mr. Moreno,” he said. “You wanted me to check on your wife?”
I waved for him to come in, standing to my feet. “Sorry. It’s been a long evening,” I apologized. “You can set up what you need.”
He nodded and opened the door completely, Saint carrying an IV pole into the bedroom.
“Where should I put this?” Saint asked.
I looked to the doctor. “What do you need an IV pole for?” I asked with a frown.
“You said that she’d been vomiting. It’s in case she’s dehydrated and I need to give her fluids,” he said adjusting his glasses.
“What’s going on?” Aurora asked from the doorway of the bathroom.
“The doctor’s here just to make sure you’re okay,” I said.
She rolled her eyes. “That really isn’t necessary. I said I was fine,” she said.
“Yeah, you said you were fine right before you threw up and passed out,” I reminded her. “Now I’m taking matters into my own hands.”
“Whatever,” she said.
“Give her a full exam. I need to step out for a second,” I said and gestured to Saint to follow me into the hallway.
“Of course,” the doctor said with a nod before turning his attention to Aurora. Saint and I walked out into the hallway, Saint turning to look at me as I closed the door.
“What’s up?” he asked.
“I just got off the phone with KC—”
“Is he not in the house?” Saint asked, his brows furrowed in confusion.
“That’s not the point,” I said, holding up my hand. “The point is that he told me Wilson hacked into everything I have. He knew about the trip to Hawaii, even with disabling her chip.”
“Shit,” he murmured. “We would’ve been walking right into the arms of death. We wouldn’t have been prepared for a confrontation.”
“I know. KC said that Wilson told whoever he was talking to that we wouldn’t have made it to Hawaii.”
“I wouldn’t doubt that he’d fucked with the plane or put people on the plane to take us out,” he said with a shake of his head. “It’s getting dangerous out here, man.”
“Even more so because Wilson is becoming highly unpredictable.” I ran my hand through my hair. “We have to find him and Brian and end this shit.”
“You’re telling me. Just thinking about how close to death we were
makes me fucking uncomfortable, especially when I’m all Giselle has,” he said.
There was a whole room full of kids who were still at high risk, even more so if my dickhead father decided to attack my home. My men were counting on me to get them out of this alive, to protect the people that meant the most to me. Wilson was hitting too close to home after he’d hacked everything I had. I wasn’t worried about him touching my bank accounts; he had more money than he knew what to do with. It was simply a power move just to show me that while I was no longer a part of the Moreno Family, he could still control me like the puppet master he was.
“Just like I told KC, we’re going to discuss this at the meeting in the morning. Tell the others to pack a lunch or some shit because we’re not leaving that room until we have Wilson’s location,” I said, just as the bedroom door opened. I looked back at the doctor. “What?”
“My exam is complete. You may want to come inside for this,” he said, glancing to Saint.
“How the fuck did you do an exam that fast?” I asked.
“Because I started with what I thought her symptoms matched so that I didn’t perform unnecessary tests,” he said.
“Fine,” I ground out and turned to Saint. “Nine sharp.”
“Heard,” he said and walked away.
I entered the bedroom behind him to find Aurora no longer in the bedroom. The shower ran in the bathroom “So? What is it?” I asked, folding my arms across my chest.
“It’s not a virus or anything, which is what you were concerned about,” he said, writing something down on his notepad.
“Good,” I said, breathing a slight sigh of relief. “I just wanted to make sure she wasn’t coming down with something. I was almost worried that she was actually sick and not just suffering from guilt sweats.”
The doctor looked up from his notepad, confusion on his old aged features. “Guilt sweats?”
“Usually happens when someone has their first couple of kills and the guilt hits,” I said and shrugged. “It’s a mafia thing. I don’t really expect you to understand.”
He adjusted his glasses with a frown. “I see. Well, it definitely isn’t ‘guilty sweats’ or whatever it’s called.”
“You just said she was fine,” I said.
“I said she didn’t have a virus or anything contagious; I never said she was fine,” he corrected me.
I ground my teeth as I became irritated all over again. “Then what the fuck is wrong with her?”
“Exactly what I expected to happen after I hadn’t heard from you after emailing and trying to call you,” he said and finally closed the notebook. “Mr. Moreno, your wife is pregnant.”
AURORA
“Pregnant? We can’t be pregnant!” the small voice protested. “As if we weren’t already trying to figure out how to get out of here after joining the mafia, he’s never going to let us go with a fucking baby!”
Will you shut the hell up? I need to think, I thought. I stood under the shower spray; my eyes closed as I thought over my conversation with the doctor. As soon as Bennett walked out of the room, the doctor opened the briefcase he’d brought with him and pulled out a urine specimen cup.
“After Bennett pretty much ignored my calls and birth control reminders I’d sent to his email, I’m almost certain that your vomiting is due to pregnancy,” he’d said.
I scoffed. “You’re kidding,” I said.
He held the cup out to me, his expression indifferent. “I need you to pee in this,” he’d said.
“You’re not kidding,” I said, looking at the cup. He shook it, signaling me to take it. I took it, my stomach tightening with nausea at the thought of possibly having the Anti-Christ inside of me. Had I been here more than three months already? Hours, days, weeks, and months all blended into a single blur since I’d been here. I wasn’t even sure what today’s date was, as I’d lost all track of time after going from one hell to another. The shot the doctor gave me when I’d first arrived was only good for three months, and Bennett definitely didn’t believe in wearing condoms ever. Hearing the doctor confirm his suspicions and announcing that I was pregnant, I fought the urge to scream. A baby wasn’t a part of the plan. It was bad enough that I was married to this fucker, but now I was pregnant. I could kiss any chance of freedom goodbye.
I can’t keep this baby, I thought.
“We don’t have a choice. Bennett is not going to let you get an abortion,” the small voice said. “Maybe we can make the most of a shitty situation and see if we can get this to work in our favor.”
How the fuck can this work in our favor?
“Well, just think about it. A baby would be the perfect weapon against him. Knowing you’re pregnant could be the easier way to get him to fall in love with you. He’ll think that you’ll stay for the baby, which you can use to trick him into being vulnerable enough to hurt him,” it said.
A slow smile crawled across my lips. That was really the only thing I had that would work the quickest. Sure, I could let him “woo” me to where he’d think he’d eventually changed my mind about him. But a baby would make him work harder and quicker.
I stiffened when the shower door opened after a while, wiping any emotions from my face. I didn’t bother to turn around as the door closed.
“Just don’t lose yourself trying to seduce him,” the small voice warned. “You can only pretend so long before it becomes real.”
I’m well aware of what I’m doing. I’m not the weaker one of the two of us, remember?
The voice went quiet just as Bennett wrapped his arms around my waist, his hands resting over my lower belly.
“Did you come in here to hide from me?” he asked, his voice low.
“It’s not really hiding if you’re also in here, now is it?” I replied.
“I suppose it’s not.” He turned me around to face him. “Doctor says you’re pregnant.”
“Whoopee,” I drawled, rolling my eyes. “I’m forced to marry you and now I’m being forced to have your baby. How lucky am I?”
“What the fuck are you doing?” the voice all but shrieked. “Did you already forget the whole plan? You’re supposed to—”
Will you shut the fuck up? I know what I’m doing.
“You know what you’re doing? Being an asshole to him isn’t part of the plan, you raging psycho!”
I snickered. How ironic to hear my own inner voice call me the very thing I called Bennett every chance I got. He furrowed his brow as he looked at me.
“What’s funny?” he asked.
I shook my head. “Nothing. Just can’t help but to laugh at how fucked up my situation is getting by the day,” I said with a sigh.
“Yeah, nice save, genius,” the small voice said sarcastically.
I can’t just jump into being lovey dovey with this bastard, you cry baby. The same way he’s not in here professing his love for me and our baby is the same way I have to interact with him, I thought.
“…I suppose that’s true,” it said.
Yeah, exactly. That’s why I’m in charge right now. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a plan to execute. Go to sleep or something; you’re fucking annoying me.
I looked up at Bennett and frowned. “I’m not having a baby in this fucking chaos Bennett,” I said, my voice firm.
Something dangerous flashed in his eyes as he looked at me, the muscle in his jaw tightening.
“This won’t last forever,” he finally said. “Everything going on will be resolved immediately, especially way before you give birth.”
“You can’t guarantee that. Just because you get rid of Wilson, that doesn’t mean other men like him won’t come and take his place.”
He cupped my cheek in his hand, his expression hard. “I swear on my life that I won’t let anything happen to you. I won’t make the same mistake twice.”
“Yeah, well, we’re in the middle of a war. I won’t be able to breathe until your father isn’t walking this earth. How about you go work on that instead of harass
ing me in the fucking shower?” I snapped.
“Did you brush your teeth?” he suddenly asked.
“What the fuck? What does that have to do with what I just said?”
“Yes or no?”
“Yes, but—”
He cut me off my pressing his lips against mine, walking me back until my back was against the cool tiles of the shower wall. I pushed against his chest to get him away from me, but he only tightened his arm around me, his other hand snaking its way down my body and settling between my legs.
“No,” I managed to say between kisses, slapping against his wet chest. But he ignored me as his fingers found my clit.
“The sooner you stop fighting me, the easier this will get,” he murmured, planting hot kisses along my neck.
“Let go of me,” I ground out, trying to wiggle out of his grasp. The more I moved, the more pleasurable pressure he put on my clit. Streaks of pleasure raced up and down my spine as I tried to keep my wits about myself. This wasn’t fair. Everything that he wanted was practically being handed to him on a silver platter. A marriage. A pregnancy. Me. A part of me wanted to think that he’d already known I was pregnant, the marriage simply sealing the deal to let me know that I was his forever.
As if hearing my thoughts, he leaned down and kissed the shell of my ear. “I told you the day you got your tattoo that you’ll always be mine,” he whispered. “Always.”
“Fucking let go of me!” I screamed, fighting harder against him. Angry tears burned my eyes when he slipped two fingers inside of me. Angry because I realized how helpless this situation probably was and that I may not be able to get out no matter how much planning or plotting I did. Angry that his fingers being inside of me made me so fucking wet and needy. Angry that I didn’t want him to stop.
“Your mouth is telling me to stop, but your greedy little pussy is squeezing my fingers so tight,” he said and smiled. “I think you want it.”
“I swear I fucking hate you,” I ground out, a hot tear rolling down my cheek.
He leaned forward and licked the tear trail before devouring my mouth. I stifled a moan as his fingers moved quicker inside of me, but I couldn’t stop the tears. One after another slid down my cheeks, so much so that a sob ripped from my throat. Bennett paused and looked down at me, a flurry of emotions nestled in his brown eyes.
You Will Obey (Rules of Bennett Book 4) Page 10