Maren trembled and I fought the urge to go to her. The place had been set up for a show of some sort. I was positioned to see most of the room. My senses were on high alert as I watched everyone closely. With a shaky voice, Maren asked, “Will you let my brother go now?”
The plea in Maren’s voice broke my heart as I watched her beg Eric. “Bring him out.”
The bedroom door opened; Frankie walked out with a gun held to his head. With … Hampton following. My chest heaved at seeing who I thought was one of my friends. The thought Hampton could betray me stung. I waited for any sign from him that this was a double-cross. None came as he stared without emotion back at me.
“Tell me, did you know Hampton was involved? Was I able to get the phone turned off before his voice came through the line when your whore was talking to Frankie?” I fumed at Eric’s jubilation with his insult and my demise. I stared down Hampton, but he couldn’t meet me in the eyes.
Fucking coward.
“Ahh … I take it this was the surprise I hoped it would be. Good.”
Frankie looked shaken standing in front of Hampton. With him being a loose cannon that could make things worse fast or he’d get himself killed. For once, Frankie seemed sincere as he asked, “Maren, are you okay?”
“Yes.” I could tell by the shaking in her voice she was far from okay. At least she was near the fire where she could continue warming up.
Frankie went to walk toward her, but Hampton jerked him back. Panicked, Frankie, confessed, “I shouldn’t have done all the things they asked. Switching out your condoms … pills …”
The blood drained from my face as my head shot over to Frankie. Hampton hit him upside the head.
Bang.
Maren yelled and I looked at her. There didn’t seem to be any wounds as she recoiled in her chair. The sound ricocheted through the room as Frankie dropped letting out a blood curdling scream.
“Frankie! No!” Maren bolted from her seat, but Eric caught her wrenching her back. A gasp escaped her lips.
In one movement, Eric shoved Maren back into the chair and I saw red as I stood. No one touched her like that. No. One.
The hammer cocked which sobered me. Eric held the gun to her head while giving me a malicious smile. I sat back in the chair. He’d kill her without a second thought if I pressed or stepped over the line too much. I needed to save the moment for when I would get us out of here.
“Sit, Maren. It’s a leg wound. He’ll be fine.” Without hesitation, Maren obeyed the orders. Eric alternated the barrel of the gun between us. “Either of you move and I’ll shoot him again.”
Hampton remained impassive as he watched the scene. Any hope continued to diminish as I waited for a sign that I wasn’t going to receive.
Maren shook as Frankie grabbed his leg in agony. He’d live. Leg wounds hurt like a son of a bitch and slowed someone down, but they were survivable.
Eric crouched in front of Frankie. “Ruin my surprise again and it’ll be worse.” Scoffing, Eric muttered, “Amateurs.” He turned to address Maren and me. “I hoped to reveal this little secret in a bit, but seems Frankie let the cat out of the bag.”
The mischievous grin on Eric’s face made me sick. I had a feeling where this was going and I hoped to hell I was wrong.
Eric kept his gun pointed at Maren. I wished he would aim at me and leave Maren out of this. “Maren’s birth control pills were replaced with blanks for two months prior to meeting her. She was one of the many targets we thought you might be interested in based off of accumulated data we had of likes. The condoms were replaced, something engineered by our team. Completely permeable. Basically, this entire time the two of you have been having unprotected sex.”
That was the reason Frankie had been in our motherfucking room that day. Damn it all to hell.
Maren swayed in her chair. “A baby.”
Eric caught her shoulder. “Keep it together, sweetheart.”
This cannot be happening.
No.
Not again.
I can’t lose another baby.
Seeing Maren’s lifeless body like Jasmine took over my vision. I had to shut my eyes to clear my head. This was not happening again. Maren had been throwing up; we’d been fucking like mad … unprotected. She was pregnant. I knew it.
Dryly, I spoke. “Get her some water. She’s in shock.”