“A father’s intuition proved right.” The doc smiled at me. “Looks like you’re indeed pregnant and that little star is the heart, beating pretty strongly. I’m going to take some measurements here.”
He pressed a few buttons that seemed to capture the fetus from different angles. Then he was on the screen, drawing lines across.
We let him work as we absorbed the news. News of new life, of change, of complete pivots that would have to happen.
My heart probably beat as fast as that little star was going.
“She’s going to be fierce,” Katie whispered, looking down at our intertwined hands. Her eyes jumped up to meet my gaze like she’d realized she said it out loud. “If we keep her, of course.”
“She’ll be a monster and a queen, Kate-Bait.” It rumbled out of me before I could contemplate anything else.
The doc’s head snapped up when he heard a noise outside. He squinted out the window and I turned fast enough to see an SUV rolling slowly up his drive.
“Get behind the counter now,” he ordered.
The doc’s command didn’t fall on deaf ears. I was used to moving quick, had to with my job, and I knew that SUV wasn’t ours.
The ticking of the clock was slow, loud, ominous as I swooped my arms around Katie and lunged behind the counter across the room, carrying her like a baby.
The doctor ducked behind it too, just as the first bullet broke the window pane.
The shattering of glass had her jumping in my arms and covering her ears. She hadn’t expected it, not like the doc and me had.
As bullets flew in and hit the counter, the doc said, “I was never sure a day like this would come, but I got a bulletproof wall installed here just in case. We’re safe behind this counter.”
I set Katie down, and her gaze burned bright, not with fear but with rage. She said, “I didn’t bring a gun. I can’t protect her.”
“We’ve got eyes. It’ll be over soon,” I told her, but my hand hovered over my own gun, ready to pop off a shot and bring one of them down at least. I wanted one of their heads.
All of them.
On a damn platter.
As I was about to take a peek to see where I could get a clean shot, return fire began and bullets ceased to fly into our room.
We heard Bastian screaming obscenities, and Dante burst in to see us huddled there. “We’ve got them. Underground gang. Katie needs to go now. Her location is about to be made which means everyone is about to know she’s having a baby.”
My hand flew to the man who sat beside me, a doctor who was supposed to be a secret. I crushed his windpipe as I asked the one question he had better answer correctly “You leak this location?”
Katie’s hand was at my wrist immediately. “He has a family, Rome. Fucking pictures of them out there on the mantle. He just saved our asses. It wasn’t him. Let him go.”
The man sat there, eyes bulging but not fighting back whatsoever. “I wouldn’t. She’s pregnant. She’s got a nine-week-old baby in there.” His eyes filled with tears, but not at the thought of losing his life. And I saw no guilt in his eyes.
I let go. “If I find out you had anything to do with this, I’ll reign hell down on you, Doc.” I got up and pulled Katie up with me.
The doc stayed sitting there, as if fear had overcome him and he couldn’t move.
Dante called out, “We’ll send payment for the damages, Doc. Have a good day.”
No one said a word as we exited the room and filed through the living room to our cars. Bastian eyed my arm around Katie’s neck, and when we got to our SUV, he followed us to the door. “You carrying the Armanelli bloodline, Katalina?”
She stared at him. Then her gaze swung to the enemy SUV that had been riddled with bullets. Two men still in their seats were mutilated with bullets and completely lifeless. One car door was open where our men must have pulled out a hostage for intel.
“I’ve got my bloodline in me, Bastian,” she said. “No one else’s. And that means I’ll decide what to do with the baby.”
Bastian took a small step toward her which she met with a step forward of her own. She didn’t back down, nor did she cower.
Katalina became a mother in that moment. I saw it in her eyes, saw how her vision changed. Her stance to protect was stronger and more vicious now.