by May Gordon
When I reach it, I’m suddenly pushed into the wall, a furious Foster in my face.
“What the fuck, Annabelle?” He yells. He sound angry and scared.
“I was helping,” I yell right back, not intimidated with him in the least.
“You could’ve gotten yourself killed!” He growls.
“Well, I didn’t. And you can't be mad at me for trying to save you.” I snap at him.
“The hell I can’t!” Again with the yelling. “Do you have any idea what would happen to me if I lost you?”
And then I know the real reason he’s so angry...he loves me.
Chapter 9
Foster
I’m pissed as hell she risked herself, but also impressed and thankful, though I'm not telling her that. She could have gotten herself killed.
“Damn, you're just like my wife. I’m impressed,” Lawson praises me.
“Brilliant idea, Anna. You saved our asses,” Cole says and the other men agree. She smiles at them.
“Stop it. Don’t praise her. She was reckless and risked her life.” I’m annoyed at their lack of help scolding her.
“Foster, I remember you being impressed when I did something similar,” Cleo reminds me as she joins us then walks into Lawson's arms.
“That was different,” I grumble.
“How so?” Annabelle challenges.
I don’t answer, but instead, I grab her and kiss her, showing her how I feel, but it's not enough. I need more. I need her.
“You okay for a few with clean up? Use Jace and Cole as you wish,” I tell Lawson.
He smirks and says, “Take your time.”
I drag her upstairs and pull her into the bathroom where I devour her lips. I'm letting my anger fuel me as well as my love and passion for her. I rip off my jacket which is covered in blood and dirt, then pick her up and place her on the counter. We attack each other with heated touches and kisses and I yank at her shirt and bra, her pants quickly following. I’m a madman at this point.
My cock is so hard it’s painful. Pulling her closer to the edge, I spread her legs wide and drive inside her in one motion. We both groan at the feeling as I clutch her hips tightly and begin thrusting with powerful movements. I feel her nails claw my back as she moans in pleasure. I’m fucking her hard and fast, and I know she deserves better, but I'm so crazed at this moment I can't help it and don’t fucking care. I need her. We’re loud and the whole house can probably hear us, but I don’t care. I pound into her a few more times, and we come together in pure bliss.
I rest my forehead on hers, trying to catch my breath, then worry sets in. “Angel, did I hurt you?” I ask as I pull back and kiss her. “I was rough.” I would never mean to.
“No, it was amazing,” she smiles at me. “I should disobey you more often,” she jokes which I don’t find funny at all.
“Enough.” I lift her off the counter and slap her ass making her yelp. “In the shower, now,” I growl.
We shower together, and she washes the blood off me. It’s something I didn’t know I wanted, a partner for life, and that’s precisely what she is. We finish and change into fresh clothes before making our way back downstairs. The chaos has settled, and I set Annabelle up in the living room with Cleo and the baby. I meet Lawson in his office where Jace and Cole are waiting.
“Have a nice chat?” Lawson asks as he cracks a smile causing me to roll my eyes. He’s such a dick.
“What have we gathered?” I asks, ignoring his question.
“They got the drop on us. We still have trouble trying to figure out how, but we managed to win this battle at least,” Jace supplies.
“How many men did you lose?” I ask Lawson.
“Five,” he growls, pissed.
“What's next?” I want to know.
“I just got off the phone with Quinn. He’s concerned, and not just with the activity here, but he thinks things are gearing up in his area too.”
“We’ll leave right away. I don’t want him having to fight a battle meant for me,” I say as I look toward Jace and Cole. “Make the necessary arrangements.”
We quickly say our goodbyes and promise to see each other soon then board the plane. Jace and Cole busy themselves with tracking down Arnold's movements in Nevada. Annabelle and I are sitting in the front area. I close my eyes and try to get some rest, but I have too many things on my mind to actually rest.
“So, I'm guessing no grenade throwing this trip?” Annabelle's sweet voice makes me open my eyes, and glare at her. I know what she's doing, trying to lighten the moment because she knows how much I struggle with this, and I love her all the more for it.
“Behave or I’ll put you in hiding,” I tell her, but all I get in return is laughter.
“Yeah, good luck with that big guy. No way you’re getting rid of me now,” she says with a wink.
I growl at her and grasp her chin in my fingers forcing her to look at me. “I would never get rid of you, I would never do that.” I vow to her. “It’d be for your safety,” I explain.
“We fight together Foster,” her voice is almost lethal sounding and I'm struck by the force of it. I manage to crack a smile, fuck she was meant to be mine.
“We fight together,” I repeat.
She sits beside me then lays her head on my shoulder and we both rest. God knows we need it. I know Quinn said he’s worried about something going down as well, but I hope it's not as exciting as Seattle was. I’d do everything in my power to keep Annabelle safe, even if I must break my word and send her away to do so.
Chapter 10
Annabelle
“Are you sure you should be doing that?” I ask Molly as she makes us a smoothie. “I don’t need one, Molly.”
“Oh spit. You sound like Quinn. He’s driving me bloody mad, and trust me once you taste it, you’ll be happy you did.” She smiles then continues what she’s doing.
We got to Nevada two days ago, and Molly is just as beautiful in person as she is in the pictures I've seen of her. She’s also very pregnant. Foster was kind enough to give me a new i phone on our way here, and i’m glad he did because I’ve been texting Cleo nonstop, updating her and just chatting. She seems worried about Molly as well. She’s nine months along and does everything herself. It doesn’t help that Quinn is freaking out over every little thing. Once she’s done with the smoothies, she pours some into a glass and passes it to me. I take a sip and moan at the taste.
“You were right. This is amazing,” I admit.
“Told you. I swear this baby has me craving smoothies like crazy,” she mumbles and finally sits at the table.
I’m about to ask her something when we hear the men arguing, again. “Calm down, Irish. We’ve got a plan now and I’m here to help. Jace and Cole's intel is good, and Ryan told me he has the men ready for the raid,” Foster explains to Quinn as they come into the kitchen.
“Look at her,” Quinn says as he stands behind Molly’s chair pointing to her belly.
“Yeah, I see her,” Foster tells him sounding almost bored. “Isn't that even more reason to hit now? We can't wait for this Irish baby to be born.”
“What’s going on?” I ask them. I hate when they fight, though they act like brothers most of the time.
“Jace and Cole have found the stash house Arnold's men have been keeping what they’ve been stealing from me, they think Arnold will be coming to collect it.” Quinn explains. “And everyone has lost their damn mind by deciding they want to hit the place today,” he growls.
“And?” Molly asks taking a sip of her smoothie.
“And? And?” Quinn sputters, his face turning red with anger. “You’re about to give birth any day now! I can't be going on a killing spree the same day my son is born,” he says as an explanation.
“Oh for fuck’s sake, Quinn. Go on the bloody raid. It’d be better to get this shit done before he’s born,” she snaps at him.
“Don’t swear,” he grumbles, which is laughable because he does it more than
anyone else.
“There, you hear, Irish says we can go. We’ll leave Kevin and a few men to look after the girls, and we’ll take the rest. It’ll be quick because they aren't expecting us,” Foster urges.
“That’s a great idea, Foster. Quinn get moving,” Molly says then takes a sip as if this is a normal conversation. I’m holding back my giggle, amused this is unfolding in front of me.
“Fuck!” He sighs. “Fine, let's go!” He leans down and kisses Molly then puts a hand on her large belly. “We’ll be quick, I promise.”
“Please, take your time. I need a break from your hovering,” she tells him with a wink, making me laugh.
Foster gives me a kiss and vows, “We’ll be back before you know it, angel.”
“Stay safe.”
“Always,” he says with a smile “Come on Quinn, let's get this over with.”
Reluctantly, Quinn leaves Molly’s side and the men take off. “Thank god, I thought they’d never leave,” she breathes out. “He’s driving me up the bloody wall.”
“He’s excited about the baby and just wants you both safe,” I try to calm her.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” she mumbles. “At least Kevin is staying with us. He’s not nearly as bad as Ryan,” Molly adds, talking about Quinn’s men.
We spend the next few hours enjoying our time together. We talk about the baby, her granddad in Ireland and her plans to visit him once the baby is born. She was right about Kevin, he’s cute and doesn’t hover like Ryan and Quinn. We’re sitting in the living room watching movies when Molly starts getting pains. She thought they were Braxton Hicks, but then they got stronger, more painful and closer together. Then her water soaked the couch, and all hell broke loose.
“We need to get her to the hospital. Her contractions are only two minutes apart,” I inform Kevin who is completely freaking out.
“We can't. What if there's a trap when we leave? The hospital is almost half an hour away, Arnold could be laying in wait. What if...” he can't even finish.
“Kevin!” I yell at him. “You need to calm down.”
“Bloody hell! I don’t think I’ll make it to the hospital,” Molly screams in pain. “I think I feel his head.”
“Oh my fucking god!” Kevin continues to freak out.
I walk to Kevin and slap him across the face. “Kevin, I need you to calm down, then listen to everything I tell you.”
I give him a list of items I need and tasks to do, including calling the doctor Quinn has on his payroll to get him here asap before returning to Molly. The next thirty minutes are the fastest and slowest of my life. I’ve helped deliver a few babies over the years, so it’s not like I don’t know what I'm doing, but its always such a huge responsibility. It is another life after all. Molly shows her bravery though she’s in pain and doing this without Quinn, though she does cry and scream in agony, but there's no tears until I deliver her baby boy and place him in her arms. Aengus came into this world with a beautiful head of red hair just like his mother. I find myself crying tears of joy with Molly. Kevin, on the other hand, bawled like a baby as he stayed by Molly’s head the whole time.
“Oh, calm the hell down Kevin! I'm fine,” Molly tells him.
“I’m sorry, I just can't believe he’s here, and you were in so much pain,” he whimpers. “He’s so beautiful.”
“Well, they’re both doing fine. When’s the doctor due?” I ask Kevin.
“He said it would take less than an hour, so he should be here any minute,” he says getting up from the floor.
The next hour is busy as the doctor arrives and checks out Molly and the baby, finding them in perfect health. I spend time with Molly and the baby and tend to their needs and cleaning up. I’m making Molly something to eat when Foster, Quinn, Jace, Cole, and Ryan get back. They all look bloody and tired, but good overall.
“How was your raid?” I ask as Foster comes up and kisses me.
“Successful. Arnold's men didn’t know what hit them,” Foster tells me.
“But he wasn’t there?”
“No,” he growls. I know how disappointed he must be, but he couldn’t expect it to be that easy. “How was your day?”
“You know, boring,” I say plating the food for Molly when the baby suddenly cries. Quinn, who’s been talking on his phone since he entered the room, goes still and looks at me in confusion. “Oh, and I delivered your son,” I smile at him.
He laughs like I'm joking, then another cry sounds and his face drops in shock as he bolts up the stairs.
“What? Wait, for real?” Ryan asks.
“Man, it was amazing and the scariest thing I’ve ever witnessed,” Kevin tells them as he comes into the room.
“I can’t believe you delivered a baby,” Foster says in shock.
I shrug and say, “It’s no big deal. I’m just glad they are both alright.”
“You're amazing,” he says before he kisses me hard.
We spend the next few hours settling in after the excitement of both the raid and birth. Quinn and Molly seem forever grateful for my help. They’re the perfect little family and I feel the same ping as when I saw Cleo and hers. Later that night, I'm laying in Foster’s arm after making love.
“What was that about in the office earlier today?” I ask.
After they got back from the raid, and Quinn had some time with Molly and his new son, all the men had some big meeting.
“We had a conference call with Lawson and Novak. Novak is worried he’s going to be hit next. He’s had a little uprising he’s taken out but Arnold paid them,” he explains. “He thinks that was the first wave and more would be gunning for him.”
“Is California our next stop then?” I ask, cuddling closer.
“Yeah, we leave tomorrow.”
“Already?” I pull back to look at him.
“Sorry, angel, once this mess is over we’ll visit longer with everyone,” he promises, leaning down to kiss my lips.
I barely slept a wink that night and come morning we said our goodbyes and headed out once again. As much as I’d miss Molly and my time in Nevada, I was looking forward to seeing L.A. and finally meeting Willow. What I didn’t know then is my time of excitement and joy would soon come to an end.
Chapter 11
Foster
I’m sitting across from Novak at his desk and listening to my friends over the conference call we’re in the middle of. This whole Arnold thing is a fucking mess, and it’s affected every aspect of my life. It's time it comes to an end.
“I still don’t understand how we can’t track the fucker down,” Novak growls.
“Cole’s been working on it, but Arnold's not an amateur. I've been trying to find him for many years,” I tell them.
“How many?” Quinn asks.
“Who is this man to you?” Lawson wants to know.
“We’ve never gotten the full story,” Novak adds.
And this is the conversation I’ve been dreading for a long time. All they know is I have beef with Arnold, but now why.
“Why the silence? What's wrong?” Quinn asks over the phone.
“I don’t know, he’s just staring into space,” Novak tells them.
I give up trying to stall and admit the truth, “Arnold is my father.” My confession is followed by deafening silence.
“What the fuck is up with you two keeping shit from us?” Lawson snaps, referring to Novak and myself.
“I should’ve told you guys, but it wouldn’t have changed anything,” I mumble like a child that’s just been scolded.
“Tell us everything,” Quinn demands.
And so, taking a deep breath, I tell them the story I’ve only ever shared with Annabelle. I don’t leave any details out and by the end of my account, they seem even more eager to get their hands on Arnold, if that’s even possible.
“Goddamn,” Quinn says quietly.
“I’m sorry, man, sorry you had the life you did, but we’re here for you. We’ll take the fucker down,” Novak sw
ears.
“That’s what family does; we stick together,” Quinn says.
“Thank you all. I appreciate it,” I say honestly.
There's a knock and Novak summons Cole and Jace in, both holding their tablets.
“Boss, we got something,” Cole tells me.
“What is it?” I ask eagerly.
“We have a location we think some of Arnold's men are staying at,” Cole says.
“I hear uneasiness in your voice,” Novak cautions us.
“It could be a trap,” Jace says.
“How do you know?” I ask.
“The signal just suddenly popped up and made a trail. It still wasn’t easy to find after nothing from months of tracking him,” Cole says unconvinced.
“Do you want us to come?” Lawson asks over the phone.
“No,” I answer right away. “We’ve got this and we’ll talk once we have a plan,” I vow then end the conference call.
“So?” Novak asks. “Let's form a plan.”
We spend the next hour doing just that, and when we’re done, we think we have one that might work. Or at least we thought it would. I walk into Novak's kitchen to see Annabelle and Willow giggling over something on a laptop.
“This would look so cute on Aengus,” Annabelle smiles. “You should get one for your baby too.”
Since the day we arrived in L.A., Willow and Annabelle became been fast friends, just like she did with the other girls. Novak stands by my side, watching them.