Roofie (MMA Bad Boys Book 2) (13 page)

As I’m making my way back to the tattoo shop from Lorena’s, my skin prickles in awareness. The feel of someone watching me has me walking faster. I’ve always been hyper-sensitive to my surroundings and when I have a feeling in my gut I usually go with it and try to get to safety ASAP.

I practically jump in the door and land on my face when I get back to the shop. My heavy breathing makes me feel like I’m going to fall head first into a panic attack, which I haven’t had since leaving Brighton.

“Gem?” Carlotta’s panicked voice calls out. I hear her tattoo gun hit the floor before her feet are running toward me. On my hands and knees, I must look fucking ridiculous but the sheer panic that made me fly through the door is still prickling my skin. “Gem, shit. Are you okay?” Her knees come into view as she kneels in front of me, her hands lifting my head to face her.

“I think someone was following me. You know that feeling I get when… well, yeah, I had that and I just started running. Didn’t look to see if anyone was actually watching or following me. I just needed to get back.” I take deep calming breaths and try to gain back my control.

Before I even get a handle on what’s happening inside my body, I’m pulled up by my hair and I scream as I feel the strands leaving my scalp. The burning pain has tears pooling in my eyes and I grab at my hair to save what I have left of it.

“You just don’t get the hint do you, bitch.” The coldness in the woman’s voice has me shaking in fear. “You listen to me. You stay the fuck away from my Levi. You’re nothing but a two-bit whore trying to make a pretty penny from him.” Her words sting as they slice into my soul. Who the hell does this woman think she is.

I throw my elbow back, smashing into her stomach. Her hands release my hair as she doubles over and struggles for breath. I smooth my hair down, wincing at the pain that’s still thumping along my scalp. “Are you okay?” Carlotta whispers to me. I nod, unable to form a word from shock.

“You’re going to wish you never did that.” The woman behind me says. Before I can turn to face the heartless cow, I’m slammed against the wall with my head bouncing off. Dizziness takes residence inside my head and my vision goes blurry. “Levi isn’t yours, darling. Stay away.”

“Or what? Don’t you think it’s his choice? Who the fuck are you anyway?” I scream at her just as the tip of a knife comes into view. She places it to my neck and chuckles in my ear.

“I’m your worst enemy. I need him to help me but he won’t because he’s too busy fucking you. He should respect his mother more; wouldn’t you agree?” she asks, digging the knife tip in just a little bit. Blood trickles down my collarbone and tears pour from my eyes.

“What the fuck is going on in here?” Beast’s voice booms across the expanse space of the store. I can’t see him as my head is still pressed against the wall. “Who are you?”

Roofie’s mother turns around, pulling me in front of her with the knife never moving away from my throat. I don’t dare swallow just in case it pushes my throat against the knife. As I look at Beast, I notice Roofie standing next to him, anger clearly evident on his face. He looks dangerous and so fucking hot. I struggle against this woman’s hold but she just holds me tighter and pushing the knife a little harder against my throat.

“Let her go, mother.” The low growl that echoes around the silence of the room has my legs quivering. I’ve never heard danger in Roofie’s voice before and to say it’s a turn on is an understatement.
Not here, Vagina, for fuck sake. This is a serious situation so back off;
I mentally tell the hole between my legs.

“No. Not until you agree to help me with your bitch of a sister! I’m not asking for much, but I’m desperate,” she says. I can hear the hatred in her words and I can see Roofie isn’t going to back down.

“We know your husband isn’t part of some drug cartel. That bullshit was easy to find out. Your husband is a fucking lawyer… and he had no idea that your mental health had deteriorated. You need help, mum, and so does Tatiana. You’re making her worse by not seeking the help you need.” I can feel his mother’s trepidation. The knife drops from my throat and Carlotta tackles the woman to floor.

I run and fling myself against Roofie’s body, my arms clinging to his neck. I let the sobs out, the fear of what would have happened if these two brutes never showed up. I could be bleeding out on the floor right now, fighting for breath. I’ve been given a second chance and I won’t waste another second of it rehashing this drama.

I turn when the door opens, seeing three policemen storm in and immediately handcuffing Roofie’s mum. Looking to him, I see the pain in his eyes, the anger has gone and the shell of the man left has my heart cracking in two. I don’t think his mother is the only one that needs help, Roofie needs it too. He now needs to rebuild himself, leave the past in the past and look forward to a future that’s not haunted by the demons in his closet.

“This chapter of your life is closed now, Roofie. It’s time to move forward. Will you do that with me?” I cup a hand to the side of his face. His eyes have a faraway look in them, indecision wrapped in hopelessness. “Please. Together, we can put this behind us but without you beside me, I don’t think I can.”

“We’ll get through this, baby. She’ll never harm you again. Fuck, I should have known she would have something crazy up her sleeve. She hasn’t been right in the head for months but I never thought she’d do something like this. I can’t apologise enough for this.” His forehead rests against mine as his arms wrap around me like a shield. I let my tears flow, thankful that I have this amazingly strong individual in my arms. Without him, I’d lose my fight with reality. I’d lose myself to the feelings of fear and despair. We can do this. Because love can defeat any other feeling in your body, it can wipe out your past and coddle you in warmth. I know what I feel, I love Roofie and I have done since the first time we hooked-up.

I have no idea where the future will take us but together we can get through anything.

2 months later.

Since the incident with my mother and Gemma, we’ve both grown closer, we started seeing a therapist together as a team and it really helped us grow stronger as a couple.

“Roofie!” I rush to the bathroom to find Gemma stood there, shock making her eyes widen and her lips tremble.

“What’s the emergency?” I look around for a spider, because she’s petrified of them and it’s usually the only time she screeches at me like that. She holds up a little white stick and my heart misses a beat. “Are you… are we… pregnant?”

She nods her head but her eyes never leave mine as they search for my emotions. A smile creeps onto my face because let’s face it, this is the best fucking news a man can have.

I rush at her, picking her up and swinging her around. “How could this be? I mean, you’re on the pill right?”

“Yeah, I am. But I had to have antibiotics for the cut in my throat in case of an infection. That must have cancelled it out. I should have known better. I’m so sorry.” She looks down at the marble floor as she shuffles on her feet.

“Sorry? What the fuck for? This is the best news I’ve ever had. Fuck, Gemma, I love you.” I grab the sides of her face and plant a big fat, wet kiss on her lips. Her hands grip my forearm as she balances on her tiptoes. “I love you so much.”

Finally, a smile graces her lips and her eyes twinkle. “We can do this, Roofie. We’re going to be a family.” A cheesy grin takes over her face as she looks at the stick once again. “It may be too soon, but we’re solid, right? We can do this. Oh, and I love you too.” Her rambling is cute and I place a softer kiss on her mouth.

Even with everything we’ve both been through in the past, we’ve come out the other end better people. A calmness settles over me and the worries I carried on my shoulders for years washes away.

Love can conquer anything and I never believed I’d have this. I was so against relationships that I never opened my eyes to what they really entail. Our love, our bond, has produced a baby that I’m going to father to the best of my abilities. My kid will never be without, and every day for the rest of my life, I’ll buy her something to make her smile. She completes me, understands me and grounds me and for that, I’ll thank her until my dying breath.

This is our story, our life, our reality. Love has cured us both from the evils of the world and from parents from hell. We have each other and that’s all that matters.

THE END.