Page 33 of Menace

Aidan told me that Finn was desperate for her to go back to Ireland because he couldn’t stand her. According to him she was a slutty bitch no one wanted anything to do with. He said the reason she was in SA was the rumours that Asa was being groomed to take over the Irish Organisation.

Apparently her father sent her here to find a way into his bed and get him to marry her, ensuring her family’s place at the side of a powerful man. They had the crazy idea she would be able to manipulate him the way she did almost everyone else.

Everyone excluding Bren and Finn and the men close to Asa. None of them fell for her bullshit.

I didn’t see much of her because I avoided her like the plague. She had made her dislike of me very clear. I suppose it was because of the time Asa and I spent together.

Angie, one of the cleaning ladies warned me she had overheard her on the phone telling someone Asa’s pregnant whore was living in the house with them. She was outraged because she was about to become his wife and wanted to get rid of me and my bastard.

I was shocked when she told me. I assured her the baby wasn’t Asa’s, and that we were friends, nothing else. What worried me more was who the bitch had been speaking to. Who had she told I was living at the compound? Her family in Ireland or someone else?

Asa was so busy with the Salvatore problem and running his businesses that I decided not to bother him with it.

If she became more of a problem I would tell him.

I blamed not talking to him about her on my pregnancy brain and the fact that I was pissed at him.

I was more focussed on my expanding body.

The bigger I got the less of my feet I could see.

Until one day they disappeared completely. Now as I entered my eight month the only time I saw them was when I lay down on my bed with my feet raised. And I had those puppies raised an awful lot to stop them from swelling.

I enjoyed my days but the highlight was chatting to Rider and Ms Squirrel when it was her bedtime.

The three of us lay in our respective beds while I read to my little squirrel and she chatted to my belly. It was so sweet and funny she had Rider and me biting our lips not to laugh out loud.

Tonight’s call was a perfect example of what she called her ‘veejoe chats’.

It went something like this.

“Hello little belly brrrudderrr, I went on walks today an’ sawded a beeegg birrrd. My G tol’ me it was a hawke but I don’ tink so. Unca Hawke was playing wif de babies, not flying in de sky. He’s Hawke, not de birrrd. What ya tink?” She frowned as she stared at my belly almost as if she was listening to an answer.

“When’s youse comin out to play wif me? I’se bin waiting an’ waiting. I’s getting tirrred of waiting.”

She let go of a great big sigh and leant into Rider her eyes battling to stay open.

“I’s goin’ to sleep now. Chat wif you laterrr little belly brrrudderrr.”

I loved how she called the baby her belly brother.

She has done it ever since we found out the baby was a boy. I loved that she claimed him as hers.

Recently she had started saying her r’s and over emphasising them which was so damned cute. I just wanted to grab her and hug her and keep her safe from all the bad in the world. I knew Rider felt the same.

After we said goodnight I went downstairs, had dinner with everyone and after spending a bit of time with the guys watching a show went back up to my room.

I slept but woke up somewhere in the night to use the bathroom. Once I did I was wide awake and couldn’t go back to sleep. Not even curling around my special pillow helped.

Turning on my light I tried reading to tire myself out. And then I got a craving, one that wouldn’t go away no matter how much I tried to banish it.

Muttering to myself I got out of bed, slipped my feet into my slippers and pulled on my robe. For some reason I wanted hot chocolate and to get it I would have to go down to the kitchen.

Quietly opening my door I peeked into the semi-dark passage before slipping out. My room was at the far end and I had to walk past the guys rooms to get to the stairs. I knew the guys were light sleepers so I tried to make as little noise as possible. Of course whoever was on duty in the security room would see me and most probably check on me. But that was okay, I was used to it.

This wasn’t my first late night kitchen visit.

I had just put my foot down on the third step down the staircase when it happened.

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