Criminally Yours

24.

A M A R A

TWO WEEKS LATER

It had been two weeks since our date. I had the most perfect time and I couldn't get it out of my mind. Lucian had been extra happy as well.

Because he was back at work trying to figure out who was stealing from him, I had been sitting at home with Sandra bored out of my mind. I was just about to take my second shower of the day when I got the urge to throw up.

I ran to the toilet and puked. Suddenly, I smelt a whiff of the cinnamon air freshener in the bathroom and felt nauseous again. I continued to puke for a while.

I reached over to the counter to grab my phone. I checked my period app. Oh my God. I was late.

After cleaning up, I grabbed my keys and drove to the nearest convenient store. I couldn't be pregnant. Right? I was on birth control. It was probably just a false alarm. Probably just a stomach bug.

I purchased a couple of tests anxiously. The lady working at the counter could sense my uneasiness.

"Miss, there's a bathroom in the back if you want to take them in there," she said with an encouraging smile.

I felt like I was going to break down. Taking the tests here would be smarter. No one relating to Lucian would find them. "Thank you," I smiled at her and she gave me the keys to the door.

After taking the tests I stared at myself in the mirror. What if I was pregnant? How was Lucian going to react. I was sure he wouldn't want me to keep it. This was the longest five minutes I had ever experienced.

After what seemed like forever I finally stared at the tests. My eyes welled with tears at the results. Pregnant.

I brought my hand up to my face and silently cried. Before I had time to think, my phone started blowing up.

10 messages from Gabe. What the hell?

I unlocked my phone and wiped my tears to read them.

Amara, I need you to listen to me. You need to leave Lucian's house now. I'll send you my address, you can go there for safety.

What was going on?

I don't have a lot of time.

Time for what?

I know you didn't do it. I think you were right about Rachel.

Oh my God. I was being framed.

I threw the tests in the trash. I was going to have this baby. I knew Lucian probably wanted to kill me at the moment, but I wanted this baby, and I wasn't going to give it up.

I exited the bathroom and gave the keys back to the worker. "Thank you so much," I said before running to my car.

I entered Gabe's address into my phone and tried to get to his house. As I was lost in my thoughts, I didn't realize someone was coming at me from the right, and they hit my car.

I spun out on the road and was lucky enough to not flip. I put my hands over my stomach to try and protect it.

Soon, my door opened, and a man in a black ski mask was tearing me out of my car. I felt dizzy. He dragged me to another vehicle and injected me with something before driving off. I passed out in the backseat.

L U C I AN
Five minutes after Amara left to take the test

"What the hell are you talking about, Rachel?" I couldn't believe her.

"Lucian, I know you don't want me anymore, but I still want what's best for you, no matter how much you don't want to believe me," Rachel said with a sincere look on her face. "I saw Amara taking guns from the armory."

My body froze. "What?"

"I'm sure she has them somewhere. I would never lie to you Lucian," Rachel assured me.

Amara wasn't the rat, right? She wouldn't. Would she? I thought about it for a moment and realized that shit only started going downhill once she arrived here. Oh my God.

"Gabe. We're leaving. Amara better appreciate her last breaths if she doesn't have a good excuse for this," I was fuming.

The girl I loved betrayed me. I loved her and she was using me all this time. She was working with Angelo. I believed she was innocent just because of her act.

I remember what she told me the first time she went to The Viper. All people are actors, Lucian. Some people are just better at it than others. She truly deserved an Oscar.

I gripped onto the steering wheel so hard my knuckles turned white. Gabe followed behind me. I could feel my eyes water. She lied to me. I trusted her with everything and she lied. Blinking the tears away I pulled my phone out and called my dad to tell him what had happened.

When I got there, Amara's car was gone. Oh my God. She knew. She really did betray me.

I quickly got out of the car and ran up to her room. I tore it apart. From throwing everything in her drawers on the floor to tearing apart the clothes in her closet. Everything was trashed.

As I was ransacking her closet, I opened the bottom drawers. There they were. Five of the newest guns we were supposed to sell. I bent down on my knees and picked one up.

"Lucian, put the gun down."

I looked at Gabe and felt myself get even more angry. I threw the gun on the ground as hard as I could. "SHE LIED TO ME!"

"We'll find her Lucian. She won't get away with this."

G A B E

I texted Amara again.

Amara it's really not looking good for you right now. I hope I don't regret helping you.

Lucian locked himself in his room. I could hear him trashing it. He definitely loved her.

Sandra was going crazy. She didn't believe that Amara would do this. I called Adrian to stay here with Lucian. I needed to see if Amara made it to my place ok.

I stood outside Lucian's door fearing that if I talked I would get a bullet in my skull. "Um, Lucian, Adrian is going to be here. I need to leave."

"I don't give a fuck Gabe," He yelled smashing more things.

I sighed and left as Adrian entered. "Good luck Adrian. I would give him space right now."

He nodded and shut the door behind him. I got in my car and drove to my apartment as fast as I could.

I silently opened the door expecting Amara to be standing in front of me, but she wasn't to be seen.

"Amara?" I shouted. No answer.

I pulled out my phone to check if she had responded. There was no response, but she did see the messages. Where the fuck was she then?

I walked over to the TV and turned it on.

"There was a shocking accident on North Michigan Avenue this evening. A young woman was seen getting removed from her vehicle after impact by a man in a black ski mask. She was clutching her abdomen and stumbled as she walked. Video surveillance shows that she was injected with something before the man drove off. If you know this woman or her whereabouts please contact the Chicago Police Department. Thank you."

Oh my God. She was set up.