The hero, Carmine, was a well-dressed killer. He had a loyalty and respect for his family and friends that was undying. He shed blood over it. And he was a vicious and ambitious leader who dominated and controlled it all. The only thing he couldn’t control was the heroine, Eva. But boy when he tried to control her, it wet my panties and made me root for her to give in.
In the middle of the book, they stopped dating and she’d discovered that she was pregnant. I couldn’t wait for Carmine to find out. When he did, I was confident that he would move mountains to take care of her and his child.
After a few hours, I closed the book, lay down, and stared at the ceiling. By then it was the middle of the morning.
What if I was pregnant by Dima?
Foolishly, we never used condoms each time. Granted, I knew I wasn’t pregnant. Every three months, I went to my doctor's office for a birth control injection. I’d even made sure my new doctor in Paradise had me scheduled for the next shot.
But for some reason, I closed my eyes and imagined what would have happened if I were pregnant by him. I didn’t think I could keep something like that a secret in Paradise, especially from Dima.
He wants five kids.
His mother and uncles seemed to be the sort that would expect him to expand their name and power with children.
I imagined telling Dima that I was pregnant. I saw the joy on his face. I imagined how he would embrace me and the warmth that would spread all over my body. I fell asleep to the images of our making love.
And then hours later, I woke up to a cold bed and an echo of silence.
My chest felt hollow. My soul felt dark. And for the first time in a long time, there was a deep sadness that moved through me that I couldn’t comprehend.
And the morning went on as mornings did before Dima entered my life—coffee, half a bagel, fruit, and the news. Barbara appeared right as I sat down with my food. She crept by me without a purr or meow, ate the food in the bowl, took a dump in the litter, covered it up, and left.
Whatever.
“Alright, Barbara.” I picked up my remote control. “I see your energy this morning.”
She disappeared into my room, swishing her tail.
I turned up the volume and set the remote down, happy to see my bestie’s face, even though it was only on a television screen.
We have to catch up. There’s so much freaking shit I have to tell her.
“Good morning, Paradise City.” Xandi smiled. “Welcome to the Xandi Wild Show where we chat about the things others are scared to.”
Xandi, what is going on with those business deals in the West?
I took a bite of my bagel.
Xandi gestured to the screen. “We have official breaking news this morning. The police have captured the serial killer labeled Death Angel by the media.”
I swallowed the bagel and opened my mouth in shock. “What?”
“The killer’s identity is still unknown, but the police did explain that this person was not a resident of Paradise and had recently arrived months ago to target residents.”
“Okay.” Xandi pressed her finger at her ear. “I’m being told that we have live footage of Mayor Park’s press conference happening now.”
The screen switched to Johnathan waving his hands with a grin. “I want to thank all Paradise citizens who put their trust in the city and me to keep them safe—”
“Can you tell us more about the killer or his motive?” a reporter yelled.
Being a true politician, Jonathan’s smiling mask slipped onto his face. “All information will be provided soon.”
“You mean when the Diamond Syndicate notifies you?” a woman said.
The camera shifted its view to a female reporter holding a device up in her hand. “Isn’t it true that all victims were related to the Diamond Syndicate in some way, which would mean that the Diamond Syndicate would be taking care of this?”
“The Syndicate is not in charge of this city.” Jonathan’s smile remained. “In fact, this is a good time to announce the city’s new task force. Paradise United Special Support Investigations.”
“P.U.S.S.I?” A reporter chuckled
“Oh, God.” Another reporter shrieked. “It is P.U.S.S.I!”
The rest of the news crews laughed.
“P.U. . .” Jonathan’s politician mask cracked a little. It took him several seconds to recover. He cleared his throat. “This force will take full control of Paradise—”
“So, you do admit that the Diamond Syndicate is in control?”
Jonathan ignored the reporter and pointed to the camera. “Citizens, I beg you more than ever to put your vote in this election year. If I am re-elected I will dedicate my—”
“About that.” One man held up his hand. “What is your response to Dimitri Ivanov filing his Notice of Candidacy for the Mayoral Election this morning?”