Page 53 of Violent Reign (Violent Kingdom)

Should I wake Rome up? He’s been sleeping a lot since we got here and I want him to rest as long as possible. I know what it’s like. I know that soul-deep exhaustion. It’s impossible to indulge it unless you’re somewhere truly safe. What could be safer than an FBI safehouse? Safe for me, safe for the babies. Safe for Rome. I’m going to let him sleep. From everything I’ve read, the first stages of labor could go on for days or even weeks, especially in your first pregnancy. No need to raise the alarm yet.

I heave myself out of the breakfast nook and slip my feet into a pair of flip-flops—the last remaining comfortable shoes I have—and head out into the backyard. Its lack of landscaping makes it seem bigger than it is. A high fence hides the cut grass from the rest of the world—eight feet at least, and neatly painted wood. Nothing about this place would draw any attention. So I feel fine about doing some laps.

God, it’s gorgeous—the sunlight, I mean. Buttery and soft and warm on my shoulders. I’ve squeezed myself into maternity leggings and a tank and the clothing is somehow perfect. No pulls at my skin. No tight bands. One lap, then two. And then another contraction hits.

This one takes me off guard by how powerful it is. The sudden squeeze. It knocks the breath from my lungs, pinches at my temples. Ouch. I put a hand on the fence and let it take my weight. Breathe through it, Avery, breathe. It’s like breathing through a panic attack, only the contractions seem like they come from an outside force, not my own fear. I couldn’t stop those invisible, giant hands from squeezing even if I tried. There’s nothing to do but ride it out.

Thank god it’s not painful yet, just...weird. So very weird. My heart beats faster. Oh, Jesus. I’m not ready for this. I’m not ready to face the reality of birth. But I might not have a choice.

I straighten up slowly and a hand skims across my back, pulling me in gently. Oh, Rome. He knows. Of course he knows. He must have sensed it, the way I can sense it when he’s settled down into sleep. The fear skitters away, no match for him. I turn in his arms, ready to let him be the solid ground beneath me, and—

Nathan grins down at me, one arm wrapped around me, the fingers of his other hand playing lightly at the handle of a gun as it hangs by his side.

My stomach drops out from me and keeps plummeting, drawing all the blood from my face and my head and my entire body. Goosebumps spread instantly from my wrists to my shoulders. Another contraction comes, but it’s nothing compared to the crushing fear. A scream curdles in my throat. If Rome is still sleeping, he won’t hear me. The master bedroom is in the front of the house. Fuck.

“Hey, Aves.” Nathan flicks off the safety of the gun with a low click and he levels it at me, right between my eyes. Then he lowers it, and lowers it again, until it’s pointed at my belly. Every instinct screams for me to drop to the ground and curl up around my babies. That’s not enough to save them. Not against a gun. But getting on the ground will make it easier for him to kick me. I stay on my feet. Nathan gives a little sigh. “Time to come with me. Time to stop playing games.”

A clawing, unending terror moves up my stomach to the back of my throat. “There were guards,” I stutter. “How did you even find me here?”

“Therewereguards,” Nathan emphasizes. “Now, they’re dead. And come on, Avery. Our family owns the SFPD. Did you really think I wouldn’t be able to find you?”

Oh my God.“I know what happened to you.” My whisper is so broken that there’s no way he could have understood, so I start over. “I know what happened to you, Nate. It’s no wonder you are the way you are after the way your parents destroyed you.”

He cocks his head to the side. “They did a good thing. They made me strong enough to get whatever I want out of life. Out of you.”

“That’s not who you really are, though.” Grasping at straws, my mind firing on half-cylinder under the weight of horror. “I know who you really are. Sebastian. You don’t have to do this.” I put both hands over my belly. “Just go. Leave me and my babies alone. I won’t look for you if you just leave me be.”

Nathan shakes his head, lips pursed like I’ve suggested hamburgers for dinner and he wants Indian food. “My name is Nathan,” he insists. And I’m not leaving without my children.”

His eyes bore into mine, and more than anything I want to look away. But if this is the end of my fucking life, then I’m going to bear witness to it. To every wretched part of it. “They’re not your babies.”

His eyebrows draw together. “Yes, they are. I got you pregnant. On our wedding night.”

“They’re Rome’s babies. I was already pregnant when you forced me to marry you. Our wedding night? Before you… before we…” Courage swells along with the truth. Let him know it, even if nothing can truly hurt Nathan. “The positive pregnancy test you found. It was mine. I took it before you ever touched me on our wedding night. These are not your children. And I am not your wife.”

Chapter Thirty-Six

ROME

“I’m not your wife,”Avery says, and I’m almost there. I’m almost fucking there. But like so many other times in my life, I’m a second too late. I can actually see the hairs on Nathan’s neck rise at the last second. A warning. He knows I’m here, with a gun pointed at his head, and he lunges.

One arm goes around Avery’s neck and the two of them twist in a sick dance, his gun pressed against her temple. She’s in front of him now. A human shield. Unadulterated rage makes every beat of my heart razor sharp. Nathan laughs. He laughs and laughs. And then the frantic expression drops away from Avery’s face, morphing into...

Pain.

She lets out a low groan and doubles over as far as she can. It’s not far, given Nathan’s arm, but she tries. “Please,” she grunts. “Nathan, let me go. Be better. Be better than this.”

He yanks her back upright and nuzzles the gun almost lovingly against her head. There’s something wet on his face.

A fucking tear? Nathan isn’t crying—he can’t be. But wetness gathers at the bottom of his eyes and spills down his cheeks anyway.

“I’m taking my family,” he barks, and then the strain leaves his face too. “I’m not leaving without them. They’re my babies, you dumb fuck.” Then he smiles, wide, so wide the smile shouldn’t fit on his face. It turns into a grimace. An ugly, awful grimace. “Time to go, Aves. I’ll be leaving with my wife now, Rome. Don’t make this harder on her.”

He jerks Avery backward and she can’t fight him. She’s just too off-balance and I can tell from the crumpled expression on her face that another contraction has come. Christ. Labor. Real labor, and she’s in it right now. Let what she said be true about women not being able to give birth if they’re in danger. If those babies come now...

Nathan drags her across the grass, her heels skimming the ground, toward the waiting car in the driveway. I stay close. I can’t take a shot at him because Avery’s in the way. He fucking knows that.

Then they’re at the car, and Nathan has a problem. He can’t hold the gun and open the door and shove her inside all at the same time. It means that Nathan has to bend down, awkward as fuck, and pry the handle open with his fingertips. It looks like it hurts. The angle looks awkward. But he doesn’t stop. He has fucking snapped, and I’m watching it all fall to pieces in front of my eyes.

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