Page 22 of Broken Soul

Thank Christ. I’ve been going crazy to finally be with Odette in the most intimate way again. It’s more than chasing our pleasure, it’s everything. Connecting with her, feeling her surrender to me, hearing her unrestrained cries of passion… God, I miss it. I miss her.

My phone rings, pulling me from my thoughts. Lorenzo’s name pops up on the screen and I immediately answer.

“Hey,” I greet him. “What’s up?”

“Just checking in. I heard you’re on the mend and you’re able to resume normal activities.” I don’t even question how he got that piece of information. Like me, Lorenzo has numerous contacts and connections.

“You heard correctly,” I tell him. “Thanks again for your help. My brothers and I are indebted to you.”

“And I’ll call in the favor when the time comes,” he promises. I don’t doubt he will. I’ll be there for him the same way he was there for me. “Any trouble down your way after everything went down?”

“I honestly was in and out of it for a few days. Domino took care of the details and it appears no one will miss the lowlives we buried in the sand.”

“Not exactlywe, right?Someonewent and got shot up as an excuse to get out of doing manual labor.”

“Did you just crack a joke?” I tease.

“Don’t tell anyone.” His tone is ice-cold but I can hear the smirk beneath his voice. “Oh shit,” he suddenly says, the conversation shifting.

“What’s wrong?”

“She wasn’t supposed to be here today,” he says more to himself than to me. “Fuck, she can’t know I’m here. She can’t know I’ve been following her.”

“Who?”

“No one. Nothing. Never mind.”

“Uh-huh,” I say unconvincingly. “Stalker, much?”

“I’m not stalking her. It’s for her own protection.”

“Which is it? Are you not stalking her or are you stalking her for her own protection?”

“Shut up, smart ass. Gotta go.”

“Fill me in on the details later.”

“Don’t count on it.”

I chuckle as he hangs up. I miss Lorenzo and his subtle sense of humor that sneaks up on you when you least expect it. I hope whoever he's totally not stalking is safe. I'll have to follow up on that next time I call.

Odette walks into the living room, bringing a smile to my face. My woman is always gorgeous, but today she’s absolutely radiant. Glowing, even. When I take a closer look at her face, however, my smile drops. She looks anxious as she wraps her arms around her torso and peers around the room for me.

“Everything okay?” I ask as I take a few steps toward her.

“Um, well… So… I mean, I…” She huffs out a breath and squeezes her eyes shut.

I close the distance between us, taking her hands in mine. “Come to the couch, sweetheart,” I encourage as I gently lead her in that direction.

I sit down and Odette does the same, turning so she’s facing me. Her hands are fidgeting in her lap and she won’t look at me.

“Tell me what you’re thinking about. I can’t fix it if I don’t know what’s wrong.” Finally, Odette looks up at me, tears streaming down her beautiful face. I reach out and wipe her tears away with my thumbs. “No more crying, please. You’re breaking my damn heart. “ I take her hand in mine and trace my thumb over her knuckles.

She inhales slowly and then lets it all out.

“I’m pregnant,” she whispers.

What?I can’t possibly have heard her right.

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