Page 47 of Liar's Heart
Ender
Take your time, baby. See you soon.
Can’t fucking wait.
My heels echoin staccato clicks as they strike the tile, announcing my entrance as I turn into the drawing room, where I know the others are waiting for me. Ender’s eyes are already up and looking for me, which will make this more difficult but not impossible. A smile breaks out across his face, lighting up his features as my presence fills him with a misplaced sense of joy. I’m almost to him when he opens his mouth to greet me. He gets out, “Hey,” before the heel of my palm connects with his nose in an open-palm strike, and his head flies back.
His hands come up to his nose on instinct, leaving his balls open for my knee to hit. Which it does. Hard.Good luck trying to knock me up now, motherfucker.The hit has him doubled over and off balance, so I don’t hesitate to take him to the ground. He’s stronger than me, bigger and better trained. I’m banking on the element of surprise and him not actually wanting to hurt me to get him where I want him.
Over the chaos and Ender’s pained shouting, I hear scuffling, and Len’s voice booms out, “Don’t even think about it, lover boy.”
Roman responds, “Eaaaassy, killer. You can put the gun down.”
Ender’s still reeling in pain with me on top of him, so I risk it and look up. Sure enough, Roman’s hands are up in surrender as my best friend holds him at gunpoint. She’s still in her riding gear, her hair braided back and leather jacket on but unzipped, and she always carries when she rides. I can’t help but grin. She has no clue what this is about, just that I need backup, and she’s going to provide it.
That’s my bitch.
Len doesn’t even blink as she chirps back, “Think I’ll put you down instead.”
God, I love her.
Swinging my attention back to the man whose nose I just broke, I grab him by the hair and angle his face to look at me. “Where thefuckis my IUD?”
His nose is starting to swell and is pouring blood, which makes the scrunched, confused look on his face fucking hilarious. “Um. In your uterus?”
Now I’m seeing red. I punch him, connecting with his cheekbone. To his credit, he doesn’t even attempt to fight me off. Whether out of guilt or girl privilege, I don’t really care, but it means I have a nice, open target to work with until he drops the act. “Wrong. Try again, asshole.”
That’s what finally spurs him into action as he grabs me by the waist and flips us, pinning me beneath him. I let him, knowing I can get us back around just as easily. But his face is nothing but confusion and concern. Well, underneath the blood and swelling. “What are you talking about?”
“Imagine my surprise when my gynecologist told me my IUD was missing in action today. When did you yank it out, you sick fuck?”
His jaw goes slack as he registers what I just said. I hear Len's hissed “You motherfucker” layered over Roman's quiet “Fucking hell.” My eyes don't leave my husband's, though, asI look for any sign of the truth on his face. His expression begins cycling from shock to fear to rage to concern before shuffling them all up and starting over again. What doesn't make an appearance is guilt or shame or embarrassment—which could be because he's not a bit ashamed of his actions, but coupled with the rage? The shock? “You didn't know.”
His eyes burn into mine, willing me to see them, seehim, when he answers, “I didn't know. I didn't do this. Baby, are you okay?”
That question has my wrath turning to despair on a dime, the tears welling and spilling before I can stop them. “No. I mean, yes. Physically. I'm not pregnant. But I'm not fucking okay.”
Ender rolls off me and stands, scooping me up into his arms and carrying me to the couch. He sits down, holding me in his lap. I grab his shirt and bury my face in it, giving myself a moment to just let the tears fall. My husband shushes and soothes me, gently stroking my hair and back while I fall apart. The sobs begin to weaken, and I feel another set of hands on my feet. I lift my head to see that Len's ditched her leather jacket and joined us on the couch, where she's taking my heels off before planting a reassuring hand on my calf. When I'm down to just gulping breaths, I feel a tap on my shoulder. I look up and see Roman holding out a bottle of water with a murmured, “Here. Drink this.”
Ender takes the bottle for me with an equally low, “Thanks, man.”
Shifting around to sit more upright, I do my best to clear my face before accepting the bottle and pounding back several big gulps. Roman must’ve also brought Ender an ice pack and cloth for his nose because now that I’m not clinging so hard to him, he’s mopping up some of the blood. Len is still on the couch, still touching my leg to ground me to her, with such a severe look on her face that it's a miracle she didn't shoot Roman just to take the edge off. Roman haspulled a chair closer and taken up position there, forming enough of a circle for us to sit and talk. His face looks pinched, pensive and brooding, as he plants his elbows on his knees and steeples his fingers against his mouth. I turn to look Ender over and find the exact same cycle of emotions still rolling across his face, though more subdued now. And his shirt is smeared with his blood and my tears, makeup, and probably snot. “Shit. You need to change. I ruined your shirt.”
He clasps my free hand in his, rubbing his thumb across the skin there as he shakes his head. “Ignore it. What happened?”
I recount my appointment, everything Dr. Warren said, and the conclusion drawn as a result. By the end, all three of them look downright murderous. Len still has a death grip on my leg, like it's the only thing keeping her in her seat and not charging out the door to take someone's heart. Roman and Ender are exchanging glances back and forth in silent conversation. I blurt out what we all have to be thinking. “If it wasn't Ender, then who the fuck was it? Who else has access to me like that? And would be able to get past both of us. I'm a light sleeper, and you haven't let us spend a night apart since the wedding.”
Roman sits up straighter. “Could it have been before the wedding?”
I mull it over and give a noncommittal tilt of my head. “It's possible. I know it was there at my last appointment a year ago. I've been celibate between then and recently, so to be honest, I hadn't really paid any attention to it. But my period still hasn't resumed from it being removed, which means it likely was within the last few months, probably less, and I don't have any lost time where I would have been drugged or anything like that.”
Roman lets out a frustrated sigh. “I doubt anyone was in the house without you knowing, but I can pull the securityfootage and start going through it when we get home. I'll work from there. In the meantime, I think it's best to act like you have no idea and watch people. Can we trust your doctor?”
“More than most. She's not Society, but she's been loyal for years. She was horrified right along with me and even offered to keep it off my records just in case those are hacked. I told her not to run it through insurance and paid cash. If whoever did it is getting information from her, it’s not because she’s willingly providing it.”
I shift in Ender’s lap to reposition, and he lets out an uncharacteristic grunt beneath me because I’m probably hurting him. I pinch his chin between my fingers and examine his face, turning it when necessary. “Shit, I really got you good, didn’t I?” His eyes are already starting to look swollen and bruised, the left more than the right from taking that extra punch.
Ender palms the back of my neck and grins at me. “Fuck yeah, you did. And it was hot as hell, minus the part where I still feel like I’m going to throw up. Partly from how grossly violating this is, but mostly because I don’t know if my balls have crawled out from where you launched them into my torso yet.”
