No Boundaries

Luka hadn't tried to make any contact. It wasn't like he had my phone number, but he had found that where I worked pretty easily. I'd given a physical description of him to Leah so she could be on the lookout, but she said he hadn't shown up to the diner. So I guess the he understood me running was us being over. Every time I thought about it my heart broke a little bit. Why did things have to be this way?

Roberto had called twice, last time the message was clear. He knew I wasn’t following Luka closely, and he was pissed. I had to figure out some way to find out where Luka was hiding out. Maybe his family still owned that club downtown, I could watch from there and maybe not get caught.

But a part of me wanted to be.

Jesus my feelings for Luka made me a wreck.

“Vienna? Did you get that?”

I lifted my eyes up to meet hers, “Yeah. Milk, wheat bread, tampons, and you want me to get brownies or something? I mean I get the whole PMS thing.…”

She laughed as my face froze in its position. The pencil slipped from my fingers and fell to floor with a light sound that could only be heard by the mice that probably lived in the walls. Leah's face quickly showed her concern.

“Vienna? Vienna what's wrong?”

I couldn't be. I ran to the living room and grabbed my phone paging through to the calendar. There was no way. I couldn't be… pregnant? Could I? It was there in black and white shouting in my face as I scrolled through weeks and counted, I was two weeks late. I should've gotten my period right after moving in here, but instead I'd been period free for nearly seven weeks. Shit.

There was only one guy I had been left in the past year, Luka. Leah followed me and put her hand on my shoulder spinning me around. “Vienna what is going on?”

I showed her the calendar as if she would understand. “I think I'm pregnant.”

She raised an eyebrow at me as her mouth dropped open a little. “Pregnant? The mob guy?”

I nodded slowly. “I'm going to the grocery store. I'm getting a pregnancy test.”

I snatched my purse off the couch and grabbed her keys. I was on the road in a matter of moments. Every part of me wanted to drive back to Luka’s apartment right then and confront him. Tell him I was having his baby, that he needed to reform and change his ways. He would have to tell me the truth about my parents. But I couldn’t do that. I'd run away. I separated us for what could've been forever, but the baby that was potentially growing inside of me could link us for the rest of our lives.

And in ways I didn't understand that prospect made me happiest of all.

13

Vienna

I clutched my duffle in my hand trembling with anticipation. I knocked on the door and waited. Leah had tried to talk to me out of it. She told me I could stay with her, that there was no reason to go back. That she would help me raise my baby. But I couldn’t do it. I had to own up to the truth with Luka, I had to give him a chance to prove himself. He was going to be a father after all. I used the last of the money he gave me to buy a new outfit, after leaving a couple hundred dollars for Leah. I wanted to help with rent and she wouldn’t let me, so I waited until she left for work and put it in her bedroom. I would miss how good she had been to me, but I wouldn’t forget it. She would be this kid’s godparent for sure, and I would make sure Luka’s family helped take care of her.

The door flew open in front of me just as I was about to knock again. Luka’s eyes grew wide as he continued to talk on the phone.

“All that I'm saying is you better make sure the warehouses are clear, Marco. That's your job as the muscle. I'm doing my part, and you have to do yours.”

He waited for Marco's response.

“Fine, I’ll see you on Friday night. And don't forget mass on Sunday. My mom is gonna blow a gasket if we’re both not there.”

He clicked off the call and put his rough hands on my face and pulling me into him. A hastened kiss fell upon my lips before he put my bottom lip between his teeth and ground it gently. “I missed you,” he said as we broke away.

“I'm here now.”

“You are. Come in.”

He was so soft with me, totally different than he had been with Marco. I was surprised, I expected him to be angry, but honestly I thought he was too surprised to be mad. “What was that all about?”

He rolled his eyes. “Just business.”

“They already have you working again?”

He shrugged. “There's no vacation in this business. Besides, I have

a lot to catch up on. So what about you? I like your new outfit.”