~Colin's POV~
I gaze into the mirror as I fix my tie, I am wearing my favourite suit. It's dark grey and tailored so it fits me so perfectly, in a way that makes me feel invincible. I have worn it for every important event in my life. The day my office was opened, the day it changed from a simple Publishing company to a massive Enterprise, the day I met my first Sub. Today I wear it to go meet a son of a bitch, to save the girl I love from her dick of a father.
I don't know why my mind keeps flashing back to my childhood, I'm not afraid... I don't get afraid anymore. That emotion was beaten to death thanks to my father. Well... I guess not completely. I keep reminding myself that I am no longer a helpless boy. I am a man with enough connections that I am untouchable. I am a man with years of boxing experience. But I am afraid of something happening and Emery getting caught in the middle. I am afraid of losing her.
"Can I come in?"
"Course."
Emery steps into the bathroom and walks over to grab her toothbrush, she glances at me "are you having second thoughts?"
"No," I say instantly. I place a hand on her back and gently rub it. "It's okay, everything will be alright." I pause a moment before giving her a kiss on the side of her head. "How is the baby today?"
Emery smiles turning her gaze to me in the mirror as she starts brushing her teeth. "He's good."
"If I'm not allowed to only call the baby 'she' then you can't just call her 'he'," I say with a smile.
Emery smiles a little, "well I figured if we both stick to one then we are covered no matter what." Her voice is rather muffled cause of the toothbrush.
I smile a little wrapping my arms around her from behind, I rest my hand against her abdomen giving it a gentle rub. I kiss her neck and breathe her in. I sigh a little when there is a knock on the door.
"Is that Reese?" Emery asks after rinsing her mouth out.
I nod slowly.
Emery sighs a little and turns to me, she touches her hand to my cheek.
I lean down and press a firm kiss to her lips. I feel her hand run through my hair and cup my hand to her cheek. I gently guide her back against the counter and lift her up onto it. My hand gravitates down to her leg to squeeze her thigh. Her legs part and I step between them. When I have wrestled her tongue into submission I pull away gazing into her eyes. "I love you."
Emery smiles warmly "I love you too."
I touch my hand to her stomach again and give it a gentle rub. "Don't leave this hotel room until I am back."
Emery nods "promise."
I kiss her forehead, I help her down from the counter before stepping back and heading over to the door. I pull it open. Reese stands on the other side with his colleague who picked me up the day Reese met Emery. He has dirty blonde hair and stands 6'3, he has rather wide shoulders.
"Emery," I say glancing at her before turning back to the man "this is Nixion, he is a colleague of Reese's. He is going to be standing right outside the door until I'm back."
Emery glances at me then at the man she smiles a little and shakes his hand "nice to meet you."
Nixion returns the smile "likewise."
I glance at Emery "I'll see you soon."
Emery turns to me and kisses my cheek "I love you."
"I love you," I say pressing my lips to hers in a brief kiss. I pull away and gaze into her eyes for a moment before kissing her forehead and heading off through the door. I glance at Nixion as I shut the door.
"Fuck this up and I will fuck you up," I mutter coldly.
Nixion nods "she's in good hands, sir."
I nod a little before heading to the elevator, I glance at Reese.
"Are you sure about this, sir?" he asks as he stands beside me. "We can come up with something else."
I shake my head "I want him to see the face of the guy he is messing with. I want him to know that as long as he is trying to come after her it is me, he will get."
Reese nods.
"Reese if things go wrong and something happens to me you meet Emery on the plane and you disappear. You go somewhere he won't find her or the baby," I say with a stern frown. "You make sure she is safe."
Reese nods "yes, sir. No matter what Miss Palmer will be safe."
I nod breathing a small sigh. I trust Reese and I have to right now. As long as Emery is safe and taken care of I can focus on what I need to do. I can push the worry of not ever meeting my unborn child aside and focus on intimidating Justin Anderson into crawling back to Michigan. It'll be okay, no matter what Emery and the baby will be taken care of. There are over a dozen people who would fight tooth and nail to make sure she is safe, no matter whether I am alive or dead.
In my mind, I can see Emery and the baby safe even in my absence. Emery would raise our baby with the life that I never got and that is all I can ask for.
I step out of the hotel, my Audi is waiting for me on the street. I glance at Reese "see you in an hour or two." I walk over to the car and get behind the wheel. It's almost scary how quiet the city of Chicago seems right now. It's like I sense that I am walking into a trap, like the universe is warning me.
I breathe a hard sigh when I pull up at the hospital, as I get out of the car and head inside, casting my gaze around I spot the man I met on the street two weeks ago sitting in a booth off to the right, he's away from the other people in the diner but not in the corner. I frown and grit my teeth a little, I hate sitting in the middle of a public place. I hate having my back to people, Dr. Anca says it's part of a trauma response from my childhood, I lie saying I like to sit next to a window so I can keep an eye on my car, or I stand in the back of auditoriums.
I make my way over to the table and slid into the booth across from him.
Anderson frowns deeply looking at me "I asked to meet my daughter, alone."
"Well, you got me, so you can either live with that or go to hell," I mutter.
Anderson frowns darkly and holds my gaze, his eyes narrowing a little "you are playing with fire."
"I could say the same thing to you."
Anderson gazes at me with a calculating gaze, he takes a sip of coffee before glancing at the waitress as she walks over to us.
"Can I get you something to drink?" she asks glancing at me.
I glance at her "just a water."
She nods and heads off.
I turn my gaze back to Anderson and lean back in my seat, undoing the button on my suit. From inside my jacket pocket, I pull a folded piece of paper, I unfold it before placing it on the table. "How much of that is accurate?"
Anderson gazes at me curiously, he pulls the paper closer to him and reads it over. "Where did you get this?"
"I know people, people who can get me more information than most cops can get," I say simply. "But unfortunately, they haven't figured out how to read minds so how much of that is accurate?"
Anderson leans forward against the table and shrugs "how much of that information on my daughter is accurate?"
I grit my teeth a little "stop calling her your daughter. You lost that right the moment you walked away from her mother and left them to fend for themselves."
Anderson frowns a little "you don't know the story."
"Then tell me the story," I say.
Anderson sighs a little he glances at the piece of paper in front of him. "I am not affiliated with the Brotherhood." He undoes the button of his sleeve and slowly pulls it back to show a tattoo. The tattoo is one of a skull with a crown on top of its head. Behind it, there is a Celtic symbol for brotherhood.
"My father's line has been leading the Brotherhood for generations."
I frown darkly and turn my gaze to him "you are the leader of a gang?"
Anderson shrugs, he tugs his sleeve down and redoes the button "isn't freedom of association wonderful?"
I glare at him a little "I don't think that was what the founding fathers had in mind."
Anderson smirks a little.
"So, what do you want with her?" I ask.
"I regret leaving Emery all these years, but it was safer. It kept her safe from rivals and jealousy —"
"I have a hard time believing that you ever do something for anyone but your own personal gain."
Anderson's jaw tightens but he glances up when the waitress returns with our drinks.
"Can I get you something to eat or are you just getting drinks?"
I gaze at Anderson frowning softly.
"I'll get a California chicken burger, no onions and extra guac," Anderson says. He glances at me.
I glance at the waitress "I'm good with water."
The waitress nods before she heads off again.
I turn my gaze back to Anderson "how does Emery fit into all of this?"
"I need a hier," Anderson says simply. "Emery is going to come back with me and marry one of the top members of the Brotherhood, he is practically my son and she will give me a grandson."
My teeth are now gritted together so tightly my jaw hurts. "She is not going with you just to be some drug dealer princess. Over my dead body is she going with you. So help me I will put every cop I know on tracking every illegal activity you have done —"
"You have no proof of me doing anything illegal and neither do the cops. It's the glory of being at the top you never get dinged for anything," Anderson says. "And she is my daughter."
"Did you not hear me before? She is not your daughter. She is nothing to you, so leave town before things get ugly," I snarl. I glance up when the waitress returns with the burger. I grab my wallet from my pocket and pass her enough money to cover the bill and a tip for her having to deal with this asshole. I turn back to Anderson "stay away from us. More importantly, stay away from her or you will regret it."