Vicious Minds (Children of Vice #4)(40)

I held up the gun, but instead of seeing one of him I saw two. The whole world felt like it was spinning. Gripping the gun tighter, I fired. I missed completely. My throat burned and had to grab on to rail to keep from falling.

“Well, well, look who looks weak, small, and insignificant now.” He grinned, walking over to me and taking out his gun.

“Still you.” I didn’t say that. Both of our heads snapped to the side, and there was…the redhead? Before he had a chance to react, she threw something into his neck. He gasped out once before going down like a rock. She rushed over to me and kissed me, and I felt something enter my mouth.

I pushed her off me. “W—who the fuck do you think y-you are?”

“The woman currently carrying your child. You drank my poison, I gave you the antidote. Meet me here.” She put a card into my handkerchief pocket and patted my cheek. “Pull yourself together babe. Your men shouldn’t see you like this, it’s not very boss-like.”

She kissed me one more time before exiting just as quickly as she came. It took a second for me to gather enough strength to stand up straight. My mind was hazy, but still clear enough for me to recognize that voice.

Calliope.

Wait, did she say carrying my child? What the motherfuck?



CALLIOPE - AGE 21

Houston, Texas

Friday, September 7th





I was going to kill him.

I hated him so much right now, death was the only answer.

“Gu-uh…” I puked in the toilet.

“Did you say you are pregnant? After telling me you poisoned me?” He stood in the doorway of the bathroom.

I looked over to him, wanting so badly to bash his head into the mirror. But when he stepped closer, I caught that smell again and faced the toilet, puking once more.

“You’re pregnant,” he repeated.

I held my hand out for him to stop. Feeling dizzy, I looked up with all the anger I felt in my voice. “Shut up, strip, and take a fucking shower! Whatever cologne you’re wearing pisses this kid off and it’s taking it out on me!”

He stared at me like I wasn’t speaking a language he could understand.

“Vai, ora! (Go, now!)” I screamed in Italian.

His jaw tensed, but he shrugged out of his jacket and pulled off his tie. “Pull yourself together babe, it’s not very assassin-like.”

I grabbed the first thing I could reach, a small gold decoration, and threw it at his head. He ducked as he made his way over to the shower. He was mocking me? I was being attacked by his little spawn and he was mocking me. Didn’t he know how close I was to ripping his head off his nice broad shoulders? The mere thought of it, his body running around headless like a chicken, made me feel much better. It took a second until he stood under the water, but finally my punishment was over and I pushed myself off the ground, flushing the toilet.

I moved to the sink, and in the large framed mirror I saw him glaring at me from the shower. I grabbed my mouthwash, cleaning out my mouth before brushing my teeth, not once but twice, giving him time to finish as the mirror fogged up. He exited the shower with a large white towel wrapped around his waist. Water droplets slowly rolled down his abs and dripped from his dark hair. If I didn’t want to kill him so badly, I would be tempted to join him.

He stood beside me for a second and I turned to him and smiled. “Better.”

“You’re pregnant,” he said again.

“Surprise,” I muttered taking the towel and wiping my mouth. “Please don’t ask me if it’s yours—”

“I doubt you would tell me or keep it if wasn’t mine.” He leaned against the sink. “You weren’t on something last time—”

“You’re asking now?” I laughed, and he frowned. “Of course, I was on something, a couple of somethings actually, apparently your sperm is a ninja warrior and didn’t fucking care.”

He laughed, and I wanted to roll my eyes. Maybe it was something biological but for some reason, men really loved knowing they could knock a woman up.

“So tonight was how you give me a pregnancy announcement? I say this without sarcasm; that was very original.”

Please lord almighty, don’t let me kill the father of my child. Taking a deep breath, I tried to calm myself before turning to him.

“Tonight, I was working. Tonight, Miguel Munha of the Rocha cartel was supposed to be hosting the ambassador to China’s son, Chao Neng Chang. Instead of Chao Neng Chang, Ethan Callahan was there, out of the blue, ruining my plans, so I had to make new plans…to save you from dying from my own fucking original plan!” I hollered and then took another breath. “The pregnancy just slipped out because I was annoyed.”

He took a deep breath, closing his eyes, and before I could ask him what the hell he was doing he took a step over and walked behind me. I froze, somewhat stunned when his arms circled me, his hands on my stomach.

“You were swinging from the ceiling; my men shot at you…you tell me nothing else, just to meet you at the penthouse in the city. If you had done all that just to tell me you were pregnant—”

“I was never at risk.”

“You were in the eye of risk.”

I thought about it from his perspective. If I had done everything I did just to tell him, it would make me a fool, and there was nothing Ethan hated more than stupidity, planned or not. Nodding, I leaned back against his chest, shivering from the water soaking into my dress.