Jaded Hearts
Chapter 50

Drew

Ninety-six days. That’s how long I’ve been laid up in this filth hole, fighting for my life. I don’t know what those Blue Moon f***s did to me, but I haven’t heard from my wolf Killian since I woke up, and without him, I’ve been unable to heal properly.

Three months of lying in bed dealing with the pain of shattered knee caps, third-degree burns, broken bones, deep gashes and punctures, and disgusting infections. But the pain I can deal with; it only lasts for so long. Bones and burns would heal, and gashes would eventually close. Some things, though, would never heal. Not everything could be rectified with time.

When the Gamma took that saw and cut off my right arm, I’d never before felt that type of agony. And he watched as I screamed and kicked. He made me weak and took pleasure in it. I would never be able to fight and protect myself again; never be able to hand out punishments to the unworthy or be a wolf worth fearing.

He took everything from me, and I’d return the favor. Yes, I’d reclaim my flower. Then I’d make him watch as I brutally f****d her until she passed out, then slit her throat. He’d watch the life leave her emerald eyes and know it was all because of him. Then he would see everyone else he loved died before I finally ended his miserable existence. He would pay—I just needed to be smart and figure out how to get it done.

When the small omega came into the room with my lunch, she kept her eyes down and didn’t speak. They knew the consequences of crossing me, even if I was a pathetic cripple.

“Who is your master, and why has he not shown himself to me?” She looked up briefly but changed her mind and cast her eyes back to the ground.

“Answer me!”

“Sir, my master doesn’t wish to reveal his identity. He just asks that you are taken care of so you may heal properly.”

“Did this mysterious master of yours rescue me from Blue Moon?”

“Yes, sir, he did.”

“Is he a wolf?”

“I am not at liberty to say, sir.”

She was useless. They all were. Every time a new omega came in, I asked the same questions and got the same answers. “Just set the tray down, do your job, and get out.”

As terrible as this place was, lunchtime was my favorite time of the day. I’d get my lunch delivered, hold my interrogation, then get my d**k sucked. Every day was like this, and it made me wonder who was behind the scenes pulling the strings.

Whoever it was, I was grateful.

I sat back, closed my eyes, and imagined that the throat I was currently f*****g belonged to none other than Taylor Adams, just moments before I ended her life.

* * *

Taylor

As strange as it sounds, life had become almost normal again. I know the men were still looking for Drew, but since he had been gone, there were no more messages, no more people being hurt, nothing. I hoped that maybe he realized that what he was doing would only end badly for him, or that maybe he had died from whatever injuries he had gotten that night.

I still didn’t know what happened in the basement, and I hoped to go to my grave never ever replaceing out.

“Alright, sunshine, this is the third store we’ve been to, and you still haven’t found the blanket you want. Why don’t you order it online?”

Tyson decided to accept Matt’s offer to become my bodyguard, and he’d been with me every day for the past three months. Even though it was clear that he still had feelings for me, he was never inappropriate and respected Matt and the relationship I had with him.

“We don’t have time for the internet. Genesis is due in three weeks! What if it doesn’t get here in time?”

“Sit down and describe it to me again.” Tyson led me to a bench outside of the mall, where I gladly sat and rested my feet. I told him all about the insanely soft and cozy blanket I needed for Genesis’s nursery while he typed away on his phone.

“Is this it?” He asked, showing his screen to me.

“Yes! That’s it! It’s so pretty.”

He tapped a few more times, then tucked the phone in his back pocket. “It will be at the house tomorrow. Now I need to get you home so you can rest.”

“Tomorrow? But how? I couldn’t replace it anywhere.”

“Amazon.”

How could I forget about a****n?!

“Well, now that that’s figured out, can we stop by the office for a few minutes before you take me home? I need to send a few documents to a client, and I left my laptop there.”

“That baby is making your memory s**t. Let’s go, gorgeous.”

Riding with Tyson in the car was probably similar to riding with the secret service. His head was on a constant swivel, and something as small as a plastic bag blowing across the street was enough to make him slow down, stop, or even change course altogether. There was never a quick trip anywhere with him.

We got to the building, and Tyson pulled into my spot next to Matt’s truck. He had been there all day, but today was the first day of my maternity leave, so I was supposed to be home.

I’d be really quick; he wouldn’t even notice me.

Tyson and I rode up the private elevator to the executive floor where the receptionist, Cecilia, was waiting. She had the biggest crush on Tyson, but for some reason, he acted like she didn’t even exist.

“Hi, Taylor. Mr. Stone said you were on leave. What are you doing here?”

“I forgot my laptop and needed to send one more email. Do you mind keeping him busy for me while I run to my office?” I asked, pointing behind me to Tyson.

Cici smiled and fluffed her hair.

“There’s no need, I’m coming with you, and you know it. If Matt isn’t by your side, then I am. Let’s go, sunshine.”

I rolled my eyes and walked away with Tyson right on my heels. “You know she likes you. Why are you so mean to her?”

“I’m not mean, I’m just not interested. There’s a difference. And there’s no point getting her hopes up for something that’ll never happen. I’m doing her a favor. Nobody wants their heart broken.”

I guess he was right, but he could’ve been nicer about it. We got to the office, and I took my seat and began typing up the email and getting all the files together. Matt came in a few minutes later and looked at me like I was caught skipping school or something.

“Hey, Tyson. Tesoro, why are you here and not home resting?”

“I don’t need rest, I’m fine.”

Matt raised an eyebrow at me and waited. “Fine, I’m exhausted. Tyson took me to three different stores, and none of them had the blanket I wanted for Genesis.”

“Why didn’t you just go on a****n?”

Tyson chuckled in my visitor’s chair, causing me to shoot him a dirty look. “He did. It will be delivered tomorrow. Anyway, I needed to send the files to Mr. Wu, but my laptop was left here.”

“I could’ve sent them if you would have told me.”

“It’s my job, not yours, and we both know Mr. Wu doesn’t like you. It’s no biggie, though. It’s done, and now I can get out of here.”

I stood up and felt a sharp pain in my belly that made me quickly sit back down. “Holy s**t, that hurt!”

Tyson stood up while Matt rushed to my side. “Should I call the doctor?” Tyson asked.

I took a few deep breaths and rubbed the spot, waiting for the pain to die down.

“I think it’s Braxton Hicks. Just give me a few minutes,” I said.

“Show me where it hurts, baby,” Matt said.

I took his hand and placed it under my belly, right over my stretched-out uterus and pelvic bone. He began to rub and massage the area, making the pain slowly fade away.

“I think I’m alright now. We can head out,” I said, looking over to Tyson. When I stood up the second time, I felt the pain again, but this time there was something else.

“Tyson, call the doctor and tell her we’re coming home now. Tesoro, you’re bleeding, I can smell it. We’ve got to go.”

“But it’s too early; she’s not ready yet.”

Matt scooped me into his arms and ran to the elevator. When we got to the garage, he climbed in the back seat while Tyson got behind the wheel and tore out of the parking garage. He never drove like this any other time, so I knew this had to be serious. Tyson zipped through traffic like a maniac, and the entire time, Matt held me in his arms and rubbed my belly.

“I can hear her heartbeat, and it’s still strong. So, try to stay calm, okay?”

I nodded my head and tried to concentrate on breathing through the pain that shot up my back. When we got home, Matt was out of the truck before it had even completely stopped. Dr. Bennett was waiting for us and had me on the table being examined in minutes. After she was finished, she delivered the news.

“Alright, you two, I’ve got good and bad news. First off, you’re not in active labor, and the baby is fine, for now.”

“Why just for now? What’s wrong?” Matt asked.

“It’s called placental abruption. Basically, the placenta has slightly detached from the uterus, hence the bleeding and pain. Luckily, only a small portion of the placenta separated, so it’s not as bad as it could’ve been.”

“What do we do? It’s too early for her to come,” I said.

“We have a few choices. First is bed rest for the next few weeks. I know you won’t like it, but it’s the best option and will prevent any more detachment, allowing the baby the time she needs for her lungs to form properly. The other options are only if you or the baby are in distress, and those are an emergency c-section or labor induction. I’d prefer to avoid those if possible.”

“Bed rest. Does it have to be here, or can it be in our room?” Matt asked.

“We want you guys comfortable, so upstairs is fine. And let me clarify bed rest; I know how you can be, Gamma. Taylor needs to stay off her feet, but she’s not 100% confined to bed for the next twenty-one days. If she wants to sit on the couch and binge her favorite TV show, she can. Just avoid anything that’s jarring or bumpy like the stairs, rides in the car, and I’m sorry to say, but s*x as well.”

I giggled at the look of disgust that crossed Matt’s face, but he quickly straightened up and nodded his head. “We’ll do whatever we have to do,” he agreed.

“Good. The bleeding should stop in the next hour or so, but if it starts again or if you feel any more pain, we may have to take the baby early, so take it easy.”

Once we were free to go, Matt again picked me up and carried me to our bedroom.

“I was supposed to help Tyson pick his flooring and countertops tomorrow. I promised him,” I told Matt as he began to climb the stairs.

“You can still help him; you just have to do it while seated somewhere comfortable. He’ll understand.”

“Do you have to get back to work? It’s alright if you do. There are plenty of people here who can help me while you’re gone.”

“Maybe, but none of them are that little girl’s father, I am. So, I’m going to stay and make sure you are both taken care of. Any meetings can be done by Skype until she’s born.”

“Okay. Well, I could use some lunch. Can we go back down—”

“No. At least for tonight, you should stay in bed. Tomorrow we can see about you going downstairs. Is that alright?”

“Fine. As long as my lunch is really, really good.

“What would you like?

“Nonna’s baked gnocchi with spinach and prosciutto.”

Matt just stared at me for a few seconds before he laughed out loud. “How do you expect me to get you that? She’s thousands of miles away, and gnocchi isn’t something we can whip up.”

“Fine, then how about pizza?”

“Pizza, I can handle that. I’ll be back soon.

Matt lowered me into bed and left the room as I snuggled into my huge body pillow and closed my eyes. Pizza was alright for now, but someone was going to get me that gnocchi. No one could deny a pregnant woman food, and I was going to use that to my advantage.