Page 18 of Loathe

“What is it now?” she asked as she flopped onto my bed.

“I just had a long talk with Tony and we’re going to have another talk later about the plan. One thing he’s made very clear is you’ve got to stop giving Kara such a hard time. She’s seven months along now and the stress isn’t good for her or the princess. If you don’t respect his wishes, Phoebe, you’re going to end up pissing him the fuck off,” I said firmly.

She rolled her eyes and made a noise at the back of her throat. “Messing with his little princess is fun to me. She deserves to be bullied. She came in and took what should’ve been mine,” she replied in a matter of fact tone.

“See, that’s where you’re wrong. You and Tony were already done when he met her, and you cheated on him, which ended your relationship. He told me to tell you to lay off and I have, so if you keep it up and get thrown out on your ass, then it’s your own goddamn fault.”

I stepped outside and looked at my bike, knowing I needed a good ride to clear my head. So, I let it be me, the wind, and the road.

* * *

When I finally came back, I saw Tony and Kara arriving back from the appointment. He made his way over to me and I noticed Kara watching us as we talked. He motioned me to follow him inside, so I did as he asked. We made our way to his office to discuss how things were going to go when we went to take down Phoebe’s father. I heard someone following behind me, and I knew it must have been Kara. We entered his office and he shut the door behind me only for it to be thrown open again.

Kara stood in the doorway with an emotional look on her face. Tony looked confused as Kara shut the door behind her. Without a word she moved to stand right in front of him and look him straight in her face.

“Tony, I love you, but I need to know what the hell is going on here. You’ve been spending a lot of time with Phoebe, and I know you two had a thing a long time ago. Are you into her still? Am I not enough for you? I just need to know whether I’m going to be raising this princess with or without you.”

Kara began to cry.

My heart broke for her as I knew she had to be so afraid that Tony would run back to the one thing that was comfortable and familiar to him. I also saw how much he loved Kara and how gentle he was with her. He cradled her in his arms until her sobs subsided and then took her face in his hands, tilting her up to meet his eyes.

“I promise you, Kara, there is nothing going on with us. Cameron can vouch for me there. It’s just business and helping a woman who is in serious trouble,” Tony assured her.

“Tony is right. Phoebe and I are together, and I talked to her today about leaving you alone, so hopefully she listened to what I had to say. We’re just trying to help her out of a bad situation is all. You have absolutely nothing to worry about,” I said, trying to help assure her that Tony wasn’t betraying her in any way.

Tony pulled her to him and I could see the love for her shining in his eyes. He leaned in and kissed her, making me feel like I was intruding on something special. I squirmed in my seat and looked away. I heard Tony laugh as they broke apart.

“Kara, love, you are the best thing that ever happened to me, and I’m not going to ever do anything to mess that up. You and the little nugget in your belly are my world and I would die to keep you safe and happy,” he said with passion in his voice.

She nodded and without another word left the office. I watched as Tony sat in the chair behind his desk and held his head in his hands. I knew he had to be feeling guilty for the way she was feeling, but I also knew pregnancy hormones were killer. I’d been around pregnant women before, and I knew how irrational they could be.

“I hope I’m doing the right thing by helping her, Cameron. Hurting Kara isn’t something that I want to do and if helping Phoebe is going to hurt her, she’ll be on her own,” he said.

“It’s the right thing to do, Tony. No matter how bad she’s been in the past, she’s been that way because of the cock face that raised her,” I reminded him.

He nodded and started talking about his plan of action. As I listened, I knew this plan was going to require a lot out of Phoebe, and I wondered if she would have the strength to do what was going to be asked of her. If she wanted to be rid of him, she’d have to find the strength somewhere. I just hoped she could.

Chapter Eighteen

Phoebe

My hands shook as I put my clothes in the suitcase that I was to take with me to see my father. Cameron had informed me of the plan that him and Tony had discussed, and I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to go through with the things they’d talked about. I knew I would do what was right when it came down to it, but at the moment I was doubting myself big time. I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to walk in and chat with him like we were the best of friends before putting a bullet between his eyes like he deserved.

I knew deep down the right thing to do would be turn him in to the cops, but that wouldn’t solve my problem. It would only make it worse, because then he would have his men harass me and maybe even kill me.

The plan we’d came up with was the only thing that was going to free everyone from his stifling grasp.

“Are you done packing yet? It’s almost time to head to the airport,” Cameron said, breaking through the thoughts that were running through my head.

“I’m almost done, Cameron. I have a few more things that need to go in the bag, and I’ll be ready.”

I was beyond grateful for him and he had no idea. I’d waited most of my life to find a man like him that would treat me the way I deserved to be treated, no matter how I was acting. That was something I’d never had before, and it was going to take some getting used to.

I was nervous about what the trip was going to do to us. I worried that something would go wrong and one of us wouldn’t make it back. I had to shove those thoughts from my mind before they took over my brain.

Cameron came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist, holding me close to him. I enjoyed it every time he held me close like that, but knew I was kidding myself when it came to thoughts of us being together long term. He was so much younger than me that I didn’t see how it would work.

I told myself that was a bullshit way to think and I deserved the way he treated me. I shook those thoughts from my mind as I relished the feel of his arms around me and his lips at my neck.

---