Opening my eyes, I saw Hampton sitting in the chair Maren had been in before. I scanned the room as dread seeped in with the antiseptic smell. Had she left me? She couldn’t leave me. I’d been such an ass the day Eric found us. Things needed to be set right between us. “Maren?”
There was no answer from her voice. She wasn’t here. Where was she? I tried to sit up and Hampton pushed me back down. “Take it easy. She’s at the hospital. The doctor’s examining her.”
He sidestepped my question. “Why? What’s wrong?”
A firm hand stayed on my chest. I was two seconds away from ripping the damn cords off of me and finding her.
“He’s being cautious with all the stress she’s been under.”
That was closer to the truth, but not all of it. “What the fuck happened, Hampton?”
Running a hand through his white hair, he blew out a breath, only raising my anxiety. “She started spotting. John thought it best to do a thorough examination at a hospital.”
John Willbanks. I remembered telling Hampton to take me to him. He was a doctor who saw people off the books for a price. No questions. Just cash. I was in his home. I recognized the room. Not much changed since the last time I was here five years ago.
I tried to sit up. “Bane, lay your ass back down. I have three of my best guys with her. Do you remember what happened?”
My pulse rocketed under my veins. The heart monitor confirmed it as the beeping increased. All I could think about was Maren. “Let me talk to her and then I’ll think about all that other shit. I need to hear from Maren that she’s okay.”
Of all people, Hampton knew what I had been through. The fear from what happened with Jasmine bulldozed its way to the surface. Happiness wasn’t something I deserved. Something was going to take away my last chance at love … I knew it.
Hampton handed me the phone with the number already dialed. It rang twice before she picked up. “Hampton, I was about to call.”
Her voice instantly soothed me. It sounded normal. If something happened she’d be upset. Wait … was she upset about the baby? We needed to talk. What if she didn’t want the baby? What if she tried to abort it? I took a steadying breath realizing I was overreacting. Maren wouldn’t do that. Through all our time together I knew her as a person.
I swallowed hard. “Angel, it’s me.”
A page with someone’s voice went through the speakers and came through the line. “You’re awake! How are you feeling?” She sounded calm and excited to hear from me. Thank goodness.
There was no hiding how stressed I was. “How are you and the baby?”
“We’re fine. The doctor left and said the amount of bleeding was normal. I’m supposed to take it easy for the next few days. If any more spotting occurs, I should come back.”
I heaved a sigh of relief. “Good. Are you on your way back?”
“Yes. As soon as I get the discharge papers. The doctor estimates I’m almost five weeks along, which means I got pregnant one of the first times we slept together.”
Even if I’d been strong enough to stay away after the first time, chances were Maren would have my child inside her. Some things were meant to be. I’d been drawn to Maren like a moth to a flame. There had never been a chance for me to stay away. It was all clear now looking back.
“Bane?” There was hesitation. Had I responded to what she said? Fuck, I messed this up. When she got back, I’d clear the air—set things straight.
“Yeah, angel?”
“I’ll be back in about twenty minutes.”
“I need to see you.”
“I’ll hurry, Bane.”
I laid back and remembered the questioning of Eric and Sarge. It had been brutal as I pulled their finger nails out one by one, ensuring no one else knew about Maren, Hampton, me, or the pregnancy plan. As I’d assumed, me coming back to Black Division wasn’t the real reason to get Maren pregnant. It had been a way to get me to cooperate based off my history with Jasmine. Playing off my fears to subdue me until they got what they wanted.
Bastards.
They needed intel only I had, on several contacts I’d used through my years at Black Division. Operatives didn’t give out their field allies. It was understood. Most of the time, having the outside resources was what kept us alive.
Alex, Sarge’s boss, wasn’t retiring. That had all been lies from Sarge. After Sarge and Eric had all the pieces of their puzzle together … Alex would have an “accident”, leaving Black Division to Sarge.
To get their finances in order, Sarge and Eric were involved in several illegal gun smuggling operations. Up until this last year, they’d kept the operation small and under the radar. Then, when they decided to take the side business to the next level they needed my Middle East contact. My contact could get information on anything or anyone. He was still alive.