Meow Or Never: BBW SEAL Shifter Surprise Pregnancy Romance (Chicago Catastrophe) (5 page)

T
roy woke
up the next morning with Hailey’s scent still on his skin. It was something he was growing very used to, probably more than was appropriate.

Getting soft, Sellen. Foster wouldn’t allow that.

After showering and brushing his teeth, he was just about ready to go and hit the gym. A knock on the door interrupted him just as he was shoving his sneakers into a duffel bag. Troy’s training kicked in. As a Navy SEAL, he knew any unexpected situation should be treated like a potentially dangerous one.

As a member of the Crimson Claws, he knew that to be doubly true.

He crept up to the door, grabbing his gun on the way over. The tension left his body and the weapon moved to hang slackly at his side as soon as he could smell the man on the other side. He pulled the door open, staring suspiciously at the wiry guy fidgeting with his cell phone.

“Jay, what are you doing here?” Troy asked, not a fan of surprise visits. “You know shit like this can get you killed, right?”

“The boss sent me. You going to let me in or what?” Jay answered, already nudging past him.

Troy knew immediately which boss the man was talking about. Jay was as close to River as Troy had ever gotten. The man in charge was very reclusive and rarely dealt with people face to face, and only when he deemed them important enough for his presence. Few made the cut.

The fact that Jay had bothered to track him down to his apartment wasn’t only something worthy of being mentioned in his latest report, it also gave him hope his time with the Crimson Claws would come to an end sooner than previously expected.

Jay was one of the guys River used to relay sensitive messages. He didn’t look like much, but Troy knew the trust he’d earned with the big boss was soaked in blood.

“By all means,” Troy muttered as Jay made himself at home on his couch.

“I have an assignment for you,” the man said, typing away on his phone like Troy was barely even in the room with him.

“Dempsy already told me I had work coming my way. That doesn’t explain what you’re doing at my house. Dempsy’s my direct superior, why isn’t he the one giving me this information?”

Troy sounded annoyed, but he was secretly glad. Jay being here meant whatever the mission was, it was important and River had chosen him specifically for it. Troy had already risen up the ranks with great speed, this only cemented his position as someone to look out for.

Besides, there was no love lost between him and Dempsy. The less he had to deal with that guy, the better for both of them.

Maybe an audience with River himself isn’t as far off as I’ve thought.

“Usually, that would be the case. But seeing as Dempsy
is
the target, that might be a little awkward,” Jay said, finally looking up from his screen to study Troy’s reaction.

“Okay,” Troy responded immediately, before the thought had really even sunk in.

That took Troy by surprise. Despite the rumors about the man, which may or may not have been true, Troy thought Dempsy was doing a good job managing the casino and his crew. Then again, if business had been going bad lately Dempsy sure as hell wasn’t going to confide in Troy about it.

He didn’t like the guy – that was not news to anyone – but that didn’t mean he had it out for Dempsy.

Troy had to tread carefully here. He couldn’t be too enthusiastic, in the unlikely but possible case this was some sort of test of loyalty. But he also had to show strength and willingness to do what had to be done.

Good thing I’ve been trained for this stuff,
he thought absently, considering Jay thoughtfully.

It was one thing he had over the rest of these jokers, and something he had no qualms about using to his advantage.

“Dempsy, eh? Got to admit, didn’t see that one coming,” he commented neutrally.

Deep down, he was even a little disappointed. He wasn’t friendly with Dempsy by any stretch of the imagination, but at least the man didn’t outright despise him, like Culliver seemed to for some reason.

Seeing as Culliver was next in line for Dempsy’s job, that was going to complicate things. Dempsy had let some valuable information slip in Troy’s presence and he had a feeling Culliver was not going to make the same mistake.

“He has a tendency to get chatty with his favorite escort after he’s had a few. And we think his crew could be stronger under different leadership,” Jay shrugged, shoving his phone in his pocket.

“We need this done sooner rather than later. The messier the better. We need to send a message here. Oh, and avoid taking out too much of the crew, if possible. We might need them later,” he added before standing.

“You do know he’s recently doubled his security, right?”

“That’s your problem now, isn’t it?” Jay replied with an unpleasant smile.

I guess it is.

* * *

T
roy waited
until nightfall to go to the casino. He knew it would be bustling with people, drinking and talking loudly, the slot machines clinking and jingling.

He walked right past both the security guys at the entrance and those milling about on the floor, giving them slight nods of recognition. He’d been in there often enough that his presence didn’t surprise anyone, even though Dempsy hadn’t called on him for the evening.

Unlike the rest of Dempsy’s crew, Troy wasn’t one of the ‘regulars’. He was a member of the organization, but because of his particular skillset, he only came in when there was a job to be talked over. Still, with everything going on lately, there had been a lot more reason for him to mill about.

Strolling through the packed building, jostled by drunk and greedy bodies, all he could find himself thinking about was Hailey.

I saw her last night. There is no need to pine after her like a lovesick teenager,
he chided himself as he made it to the entrance of Dempsy’s office.

It was far enough away from the bustle that he could talk to the guys posted at the door without having to raise his voice too much. There were four of them, just like last time.

She gave me her number. Is it too early to call her if I do it tonight?

“Hey boys, here to see the boss,” he greeted the men casually.

These guys were more cautious than the others and probably had a better grasp of Dempsy’s schedule. They weren’t as easy to twist around his finger as the previous crowd – especially when the casino was hopping like it was tonight.

“You’re not supposed to be here tonight,” one of them commented, looking him up and down.

“What? He just called me and demanded I get here as soon as possible,” Troy protested, feigning annoyance.

“He didn’t say anything to us about it,” the tallest of them said, crossing his arms.

Troy knew all of them. The wordiest one was called Lucky, and it had nothing to do with his luck. Then there was Drew, who constantly looked like he had a stick up his ass; Bo, a real mid-south caricature of a man; and finally Grit, who made Troy think that he spent most of his time breaking rocks apart for fun.

“He called me like ten minutes ago. Lucky for him I happened to be in the neighborhood and not home in bed or I would have told him to fuck off,” Troy said, really getting into his performance.

He threw in a grin for Lucky just to round it off.

Do people even call each other these days or do they just text? Should I have gotten her Skype or WhatsApp user? Maybe she’s on SassyDate…

“Dempsy probably didn’t figure he’d get here so fast,” Drew sighed, turning to his buddy.

“Okay, fine, go on in,” Lucky told Troy as they all got out of his way with obvious reluctance.

Troy strolled in to Dempsy’s office, complaining loudly as he did.

“You better make it short, I don’t have all night,” he called out, closing the door behind him as quickly as he could without it looking suspicious.

He used his body to hide the fact he also locked it from Dempsy, who was sitting at his desk with a laptop in front of him. He pushed the lid down as soon as he saw Troy walk in.

“Sellen? What the fuck are you doing here?” he demanded, looking confused and immediately on edge.

“We had a meeting tonight, or have you forgotten?” Troy asked, shoving his hands in his pockets as he strolled towards Dempsy, biding his time until he got close enough to the desk.

“What are you talking about? We…”

Dempsy’s argument was cut off as Troy came to a stop in front of the desk and launched into action. His hand shot out and his fingers tightened around the man’s larynx. Dempsy’s eyes bulged as he gasped for air, face contorting in anger and surprise.

I should text her first thing tomorrow, so she doesn’t think I’ve lost interest.

Troy dragged his boss out from behind the desk with the man clawing at his hands. Dempsy’s chair tipped over and his body brushed the paperwork and laptop off his workspace and onto the floor.

“Sorry, nothing personal. It just turned out that the weak link was you,” Troy said.

Not that Dempsy required an explanation. Or that it would do him any good to know exactly
why
he was going to die.

Realization flashed across Dempsy’s face as he punched Troy in the ribs. Troy uncurled his fingers from around Dempsy’s throat as pain stabbed through his side. His opponent drew in a sharp breath before attempting another punch, a roar growing in his chest, letting Troy know Dempsy’s tiger wanted to come out and play.

Troy’s lion was ready to pounce as well, gnashing his teeth just below the surface.

Catching Dempsy’s fist, he twisted it in one swift and savage move. His boss howled in pain, the snarl on his face intensifying. His skin started to ripple and morph, giving way to his animal form.

But Troy was faster.

The lion burst out of his skin with practiced speed, roaring, teeth at the ready. Pressing onto the balls of his back paws, Troy lunged, claws sinking into Dempsy’s shoulders as the man went down with a loud thud. His head smacked against one of the bookcases by the wall, knocking a couple of volumes out of their shelves.

Someone knocked tentatively at the office door, but Troy ignored it. Those jokers wouldn’t dare come into Dempsy’s room without invitation or thinking something was seriously wrong. It helped that the room was decently soundproofed to keep the noise of the casino out.

Troy’s teeth buried into Dempsy’s trachea and he pulled away with half of Dempsy’s throat in his mouth. Blood poured everywhere, covering his mouth and the floor surrounding him. The lion roared victoriously, its bloodlust satisfied.

Soft knocks turned to fists slamming on the door as the guards outside shouted their boss’ name. They were too late and they knew it.

Troy licked around his muzzle, the taste of metal swirling in his mouth. He shifted back, grabbing some Kleenex off of Dempsy’s desk to clean as much of the blood off his face as he could. The carpet around his former boss’ lifeless body was growing soggy with crimson.

The job wasn’t as clean as Troy would have liked, but he hadn’t come in here expecting anything better. He’d come in to put on a performance and that was exactly what he was going to do.

That’s going to be tough to get out once it dries,
Troy mused as the door flew off its hinges.

S
talking
up the stairs of Forrest & Williams, Hailey started feeling a little lightheaded.

Damn, I really should start getting some exercise in if climbing a couple of flights of stairs is giving me trouble.

Or the issue could lie in the fact she’d been up most of the night looking up case files and slept in, making her skip breakfast. Well, it was part that, and part the fact that her stomach had been twisting and gurgling since she opened her eyes, making her want to hear nothing about food.

She checked her phone to see exactly how late she was, only to be greeted by a text message from Troy.

Fight any fires yet?
it read.

A smile spread across Hailey’s face.

It faded quickly as she moved her suitcase under her arm so she could grab for the door handle, causing her to remember the two tigers she’d represented for the Crimson Claws were out on bail. They were probably out causing who knows what kind of mayhem and already shaking down innocent business owners.

Laura, the receptionist, started grinning from ear to ear when Hailey finally made it upstairs, dizzy and slightly sweaty.

Why does the elevator have to be out of order today of all days?

“Seems you’ve been holding out on us,” Laura said in a sing-song voice, throwing Hailey a playfully accusatory look.

Hailey stopped short, confused.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

Laura reached under her desk to pull out a huge vase full of flowers. They were gorgeous, white roses mixed with pink ones, all long-stem and beautifully in bloom.

“This came for you this morning. Who is he?” Laura inquired, hand on her hip expectantly.

Hailey stared at the flowers, feeling her excitement grow and her sour thoughts dissipate. They had to be from Troy. She hadn’t had a date in months and it definitely wasn’t her birthday. She snatched up the tiny card in the middle of the bouquet, holding her breath.

He must have looked me up to see where I worked, because I’m pretty sure I didn’t mention it at dinner,
she reasoned before reading the message.

You are a very impressive woman. I would like to get to know you better. – Culliver

Hailey let go of the card as if it had bitten her.

No way. That creep? Like I don’t have enough things to worry about.

Laura frowned at her reaction.

“Is something wrong?” she asked, looking from the flowers to Hailey and back.

“Toss them. This is one admirer I’d rather not have,” Hailey said, turning on her heel and marching into her office.

Laura’s mouth hung open but she didn’t say anything before Hailey slammed the door to her office shut behind her.

Already in a seriously bad mood, Hailey’s day only got worse once she found two new files on her desk that definitely hadn’t been there when she left the night before. It didn’t take a psychic to tell her this was the Crimson Claws’ way of informing her that her caseload just got bigger.

Hailey sat down in her office chair and let her head fall into her hands, staring at the manila covers of the files.

She wanted to shove them into a paper shredder and it was driving her insane that she couldn’t.

I can’t take this,
she thought, tears welling in her eyes.

Needing to remind herself there was more at stake here than her righteousness, she got out her phone and dialed her mom’s number. The woman picked up almost at once.

“Hailey, honey, I was just thinking about you,”
her mother’s soft voice flowed into her ear.

“Hey, mom. Just wanted to check in, see how you and dad are doing,” Hailey said, imagining her mother in her office, surrounded by those motivational posters she liked so much.

“Oh, we’re fine, I would rather hear about how you’re doing!”
she said, just like all moms tend to say.
“You sound a little tired,
honey.”

It was just like her mom to worry about
her
after all she and dad had been through. Hailey’s thoughts drifted back to that awful night at her parents’ office, and her hand holding the phone started to shake. Her father’s arm had only just healed, too. It was all way too damn fresh, no matter how hard she tried to put it out of her mind.

“I’m good, just have a lot of work to do,” Hailey answered, hoping she sounded convincing.

In that typical mom way, she’d sensed from across the city that something was wrong. Hailey wondered if she would have the same kind of superpowers when she became a mother.

If
I ever become a mother,
she reminded herself.

“Do you want me to get dad? He should be around here somewhere,”
her mom offered, and Hailey could hear her chair squeak.

Tears sprung to Hailey’s eyes in earnest now. Her parents were the kindest, most loving people she’d ever met and she would do anything to keep them safe. She had to end the call before she started all-out blubbering, and taking to her father was a surefire way to guarantee that.

She still felt irrationally guilty every time she looked at his face, even though the bruises had mostly faded. Her parents were just a tool to the Crimson Claws, a way to get to her. If she weren’t their daughter, they wouldn’t be in the danger they were in now.

“No, that’s okay, I have to get back to work anyway. We’ll talk more when I get home, okay?” she asked, making her voice as cheerful as she could manage.

“All right, honey, bye-bye.”

Hailey sighed deeply and opened the folders in front of her.

* * *

H
ailey got back
from lunch feeling even worse than before. Sitting at her table, she felt like nothing had changed for the better and every step forward took her two steps back.

Why did I order seafood at what was definitely a pizza place?

She shot a quick text back to Troy, hoping talking to him would get her mind off things. Mulling over what to say took way too much time, but she finally pressed the send button.

Not yet. How’s your quest for purpose going?
she typed, hoping the little jab at Troy’s expense didn’t come across too harsh.

Hailey didn’t get much time to ponder that, as her desk phone rang. She picked it up, wondering which one of her clients it could be.

“Hi. Did you get the flowers I sent you?”
a chillingly familiar male voice asked.

It didn’t take a genius to figure out who the caller was. Tired and slightly nauseated, Hailey’s patience was definitely wearing thin.

“Look, Culliver, I’m flattered, but…” she started before cutting herself off. “No, you know what, I’m not flattered. You’re a heartless jerk and you work for even bigger jerks and I don’t want to get to know you. In fact, I wish I didn’t know you at all!”

The line was silent for a couple of seconds, giving Hailey plenty of time to think about what a bad idea pissing this guy off was.

“So you got them,”
was all Culliver had to say.

Hailey slammed the phone down with a frustrated cry. She had a feeling this wasn’t the last she’d heard of the man. He didn’t strike her as the type to give up easily if he wanted something.

Whatever. I’ll deal with him later,
she thought.

Hailey buried herself in her work, shutting everything else out. It wasn’t until Laura knocked on her glass door, coat in hand, that she looked up to see the office empty.

“It’s half past nine. Go home, you look like you could use some rest,” Laura said with a kind smile.

“I will. See you tomorrow, Laura,” Hailey responded, running a hand through her hair.

She turned off her computer and gathered her things, slightly sad to see she had no new text messages, but too tired to dwell on it. Her feet dragged as she took the stairs down and all she could think about was falling into bed.

Cool air hit her face as she exited the building and she breathed in deeply. Her fingers fumbled in her purse trying to find the car keys, thoughts already fixed on crawling into bed. Crossing the street and running her eyes over the parking lot, she noticed a figure standing next to her Volkswagen.

Not tonight… not tonight…

The closer she got, the more her stomach sank.

It was Culliver, and he was holding another bouquet of flowers, even more lavish than the previous one. This time, he’d gone for red roses.

I should have called in sick today,
she thought with a sigh.

Hailey briefly considered going back inside, but decided to face the man head-on instead. Maybe he’d get the message better face to face. There were other people getting into their cars in the parking lot, so at least she wouldn’t be alone with him.

Besides, running away from her problems had only gotten her in deeper so far.

“Good evening,” Culliver said as Hailey got to her car, his wide smile unsettling for some reason.

He stretched out the hand with the flowers, pointing it towards her.

“These are for you.”

“I thought I made myself clear over the phone. I’m not interested,” Hailey replied, frustrated.

How deluded can a person be? Like I’d go out with someone who threatened my parents’ lives.

“I think it would be in your best interest to give me a chance, Miss Molloy,” Culliver argued, frowning.

“You aren’t owed a chance. I don’t have to go out with you just because you feel like I should,” Hailey countered, shoving past the man to get to the driver side door, annoyance brimming within her.

Culliver threw the flowers on the ground as his lips thinned into a grim line. Hailey quickly scrambled into her car, not at all interested in seeing the man angry.

“You’re going to regret this, Miss Molloy. I urge you to reconsider,” the man demanded, his fist hitting the front of her car.

Now this was the Culliver she remembered. He looked like he was getting tired of playing nice. And she knew what could happen when Culliver got to that point.

Hailey turned her key and started the car, hands shaking a little. She revved the engine, trying to get Culliver to step back. He stared at her through the windshield for a moment, his face a mixture of anger and disappointment. Then, he started towards the passenger door and Hailey slammed down on the gas.

No way she was letting him get in the car.

Culliver jerked away at the last minute, narrowly avoiding getting ran over.

Hailey’s heart pounded as she sped off, adrenaline coursing through her veins.

Guess I’m not sleeping tonight after all,
she mused, thinking how easy it would be for Culliver to track down her address.

He probably knew it already.