Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 63967 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 320(@200wpm)___ 256(@250wpm)___ 213(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63967 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 320(@200wpm)___ 256(@250wpm)___ 213(@300wpm)
“Sophie!” Josie is out of her chair and at my side in an instant. “Breathe, Soph. Like me, like we practiced.” She inhales slowly and lets it out even slower. “Follow my breathing.”
My eyes slam shut as another contraction hits me mid-inhale. “Josie, something is wrong. It’s too early.”
“Plenty of babies are born a few weeks early.” She laughs when I glare up at her. “Now, breathe.”
I breathe deeply, but almost every breath is interrupted by another contraction. “We have to go. Now.”
Fear flashes in Josie’s eyes, and it’s quickly replaced by a look of determination as she helps me to my feet.
“Yep. All right. Let’s do this.”
She hooks one arm around my back, and together, we head to the door.
Another contraction hits, which draws a few eyes. If I wasn’t in so much pain, I might have laughed at the irony. “Just keep,” she says. “Going.”
Josie nods, and we inch toward the door when a guy slides between us and the exit. “Lockdown. You can’t leave.”
I recognize the guy as Diesel. He came to the clinic quite often. “We have to. Please move.” Sweat forms on my forehead, and my stomach is clenching so hard it’s difficult to stay on my feet.
“Sorry.”
Josie sucks in a breath, poking him in the chest with every syllable forming in her mouth. “Get your big ass out of the way before I move it for you!”
I almost smile because Josie is like a baby bulldog, always up for a fight no matter how big her opponent is.
Two women join Diesel, and I recognize the bitchy no-longer-pregnant-woman with the baby in her arms. Gia, with tattoos and vibrantly colored hair, says, “What’s going on here?”
“Baby,” I spit out just as another contraction hits.
Gia steps forward, glaring at Josie. “You know you’re not going anywhere. We’re on lockdown.”
“Yeah, well, we’re not asking,” Josie tells her with more than a little attitude.
“I’m not asking either,” Gia growls.
Josie snaps back, “Fuck you, girl. Sophie is in labor, and we’re going.”
The next contraction isn’t as bad as the previous few, but they are coming faster. I stand up tall and face the women who have done nothing to make me feel welcome here.
But I have bigger concerns. “I’m in labor, and my contractions are coming fast and hard. If anything happens to my baby, there’s nothing I won’t do to make you pay. Nothing.” The effect of my words is ruined by another contraction, but Josie has my back.
She pushes between Gia and Diesel, pulling me along. “Stay inside, and stay safe,” she throws behind her as we head toward her car. Two minutes later, I’m in the reclining passenger seat as my best friend breaks every speed law to get me to the hospital.
“Josie,” I whine. “It’s too soon. It’s too soon, and I’m not ready. And Tank isn’t here.” I’m scared, but I don’t need to say that to her. She just knows and reaches over to squeeze my hand.
“You are ready, Sophie. You’ve been ready for this for years. You don’t need Tank, and you don’t need me, but I’m here.” And he’s not remains unspoken between us.
I’m ready, I say to myself no less than a dozen times as we rush toward the hospital. I call Tank six or seven times, but he doesn’t answer. The calls roll straight to voicemail, which means his phone is off. He’s busy, I remind myself. Busy doing some shit he can’t tell me about.
I shove away that thought as Josie rolls into the ER parking lot. I help her fill out my paperwork, and then it feels like only seconds pass before a nurse wheels me off to the maternity ward and preps me for childbirth.
Holy shit, this is happening.
“Josie.”
“Right behind ya, Soph!”
My best friend is here with me, not my baby’s daddy.
Did I just royally fuck up my life?
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Tank
We arrive back at the clubhouse, feeling totally fucking dejected. Hours wasted, and we haven’t tracked down any of the motherfuckers who thought they could come after my woman and scare her without blowback. “That was a fucking bust.”
Ace nods, gripping my shoulder. “We’ll find those fuckers. Wild Man is already on it.”
I nod because I have no doubt about that, but I know I can’t make Sophie stay here for long. “We have to hunt these motherfuckers down before they wreak more havoc on our lives.”
“We will,” he assures me, but I’m only half-listening as I pull out my phone and frown.
“What the fuck?” I rush inside the clubhouse wondering what’s happened, and why I missed so many calls from Sophie? “Where is she?”
Kenna rushes up to Ace, sparing me a glance. “Sophie and her friend left. She’s in labor.”
“Kenna,” Ace says sternly. “What happened?”
Her gaze locks with mine. “She went into early labor, and her friend took her to the hospital.”