Page 43 of Slay King

He turned back around, and I followed him outside into the warm morning air, then toward a black SUV parked closest to the barn. I watched him toss his cigarette onto the ground and put it out with his boot. At least I wouldn’t have to worry about the secondhand smoke. I was pretty sure that was bad for the baby. He didn’t open my car door, but I hadn’t expected him to. I was just so used to King, Sebastian, and Storm doing it. I thought maybe that was a thing with these men.

Once we were inside, Thatcher said little as he backed up and turned the vehicle toward the exit. My hands fidgeted in my lap nervously, and I kept my eyes on the road. Being alone with this man wasn’t something I had ever planned on doing, but I could survive it to get to Maeme’s.

“You pissed he didn’t come back?” Thatcher asked, breaking the silence.

I glanced at him. He had one hand on the steering wheel, and the other still held his mug as he rested it on his thigh.

“No.”

He smirked, not looking over at me. “Don’t believe you. You’re running off. Knowing when he gets back and you’re gone, he’ll act stupid.”

“No, that’s not what I’m doing. I wanted to go get a book and see Maeme. That’s it.”

He turned his gaze toward me and narrowed his eyes, then let out a deep chuckle that verged on evil. “Yeah. Sure. Y’all might come in different wrapping, but inside, you’re all the same. Smart, calculating, and you wield your pussy like a weapon.”

I wanted to set him straight, but then I didn’t trust him. He was dangerous in a way the others weren’t. Sure, they all killed people and did questionable things, but this one, I was pretty sure he’d kill for sport and then smoke a cigarette over the bleeding corpse.

Relieved at the sight of Maeme’s house, I decided to keep my mouth shut. He pulled up to the walkway and stopped the SUV.

“Thank you,” I said, reaching for the handle.

“Don’t fuck with his head, yeah?”

I paused and looked back at him. “I would never do that.” I almost said I loved King, but I caught myself. “He’s important to me.”

Thatcher said nothing while he put the truck back in drive. Clearly, he was done talking. I wasn’t going to say more either. I had to use this time while I had it.

I closed the door and headed toward the house. Thankfully, I was here before King returned, and I’d get to ask my questions. Hopefully, I’d also get some waffles and bacon. I wondered if she had whipped cream and chocolate sauce for the waffles.

• Eighteen •

It’s the only way I’m going to survive this.

Rumor

Maeme took the seat across from me in the sunroom. “All right then, what do you want to talk about?” she asked, looking concerned, although I had assured her that the baby and I were fine. At least as far as I knew, we were. My lack of knowledge on this topic was why I was here.

“I threw up this morning,” I told her. “I know that’s to be expected, but I guess I didn’t think about the fact that I know absolutely nothing about being pregnant. I mean, I ran a hot shower, and at the last minute, I realized it might be bad for the baby, so I cooled it down. What things are bad? Does secondhand smoke affect it? And what do I tell King when I get sick around him?”

Maeme reached over and squeezed my hand. “Breathe. It’s okay. You’re getting worked up, and there ain’t no need. Women have been doing this since the beginning of time.” She sat back and gave me a reassuring smile. “Now, there are a lot of rules and suggestions for healthy pregnancies that were not around back in my day. I’ll get on the internet and order you a book. One that you can read, and it can give you direction. I want you and the baby to be healthy too. I can even get Doc over here this weekend to talk to you. He can answer all your questions, and we can see about getting you something for the nausea.”

I nodded, feeling somewhat relieved.

“As for King seeing you sick, then I guess it was a blessing that he had to run to his house last night. I’ll see what I can do to make sure he’s not in bed when you wake up the next two mornings, and then by the time he gets back, Doc can have you all fixed up.”

I let out a breath and relaxed for the first time since I’d thrown up. “Thank you.”

She frowned. “Don’t thank me. I take care of mine. It’s what family does, and you are and will forever be family now. You’re gonna be the momma of my great-grandchild. Speaking of which, are you hungry? Have you eaten anything?”

Hearing her call me her family put an instant lump in my throat. I didn’t want to hold on to that too deeply. I wasn’t sure what would happen once King knew. But I couldn’t imagine Maeme would turn her back on me.

I fought back the tears and shook my head. “I came straight here.”

She slapped the top of her thighs, then stood up. “Well, what sounds good to you?”

“Waffles … and bacon,” I said hesitantly.

She laughed as her smile spread across her face. “Then, waffles and bacon it is,” she said, holding out her hand for me to take. “Come on with me to the kitchen. I’ll get you some juice.”

---