Prologue

PROLOGUE

“ H ey,” Michael Marshall said to his buddy Owen. “How have you been?”

He held his hand up to the bartender at Fierce. He didn’t know the guy, so it had to be someone new. Brody Fierce was his cousin Alex’s brother-in-law and Michael came in here often.

“Not bad,” Owen said. “Work is kicking my butt this week and I need a beer.”

Since it was a Wednesday, Michael found that funny. “We’ve got two more days to go this week. How are you going to manage it?”

“Like I have been doing,” Owen said. “A stiff drink at the end of the night.”

“I’ll take number five,” Michael said when the bartender came over. He’d been browsing the beer list on the wall.

“The same,” Owen said. “Can we get a menu? I’m starving.”

Two menus were slid in front of them at the bar. They were off to the side and he looked down, saw one of the specials and made up his mind fast.

“What’s going on?” Michael asked. “You said you needed to talk to me about something. Everything okay?”

“It is with me,” Owen said. “But it’s something I heard.”

“About me?” he asked, lifting his eyebrow. That never sounded good.

“Remember Electra?” Owen asked.

“The chick I was dating months ago?” he asked. He’d met her at a bar where Electra worked. The two of them hit it off, but he soon realized how immature she was and a month later they parted ways. He’d avoided that bar since. No reason to stir up any more drama.

“Yeah,” Owen said. “Her.”

“What about her?” he asked.

“I heard she’s pregnant,” Owen said.

“Good luck to whoever that idiot is to be tied to her for years,” he said, shaking his head. “She is a ditz. I’m not sure she’d remember to feed herself let alone a kid.”

Owen picked up the beer that was set in front of him. Michael did the same and they ordered their food.

“Well,” Owen said. “She looks to be about seven months pregnant. I asked around when I noticed it.”

Michael frowned and did the math in his head. “You’re sure?” The beer he’d been thinking of all day was not going down as smooth as it normally did.

“Positive of what I was told,” Owen said. “I stopped there last week with a few guys from work. She didn’t seem to notice or remember me.”

“Not surprising,” he said.

Owen had only met Electra once and he’d agreed that she was a complete airhead and wanted to know what the hell the two of them talked about.

The simple answer had been not much, but they’d spent a lot of time in bed. That was pretty much the only thing the two of them did, talked about, or had in common.

Michael didn’t think he was much of a scholar, but he never got a blank look in his eye if someone asked him what animal a steak came from. That was only one of the more interesting conversations the two of them had.

“Are you going to talk to her?” Owen asked. “I can see it in your eyes. There is a possibility of it. Unless she was sleeping with more than one person when you were together. Or if the person I asked about how far along she is was wrong.”

“Fuck,” he said, his throat closing and the beer not even helping. “I’ll have to see what is going on. I’m sure it’s nothing though.”

“But you can’t let it go either,” Owen said. “You’d want to know, right? Or did you think she’d at least reach out to you?”

“I’d hope she would have,” he said. Jesus Christ. This was too much to think about.

“Let’s eat and have this beer while you process it. Maybe she’s working tonight and we can swing over there. I knew you didn’t want to go there again so wouldn’t have suggested that place without giving you a heads-up.”

“Thanks for that,” he said. Michael picked his beer up and hated that he couldn’t enjoy the taste of it with all this shit going through his brain.

The two of them finished their meal within an hour and were out the door. He was glad Owen was going with him. He might need the moral support.

They drove the fifteen minutes to the bar where Electra worked. He parked in the back, saw her little bright yellow sedan, and knew she was working.

“Is your heart racing?” Owen asked.

“It might if I can get it out of my throat,” he said.

Owen put his hand on Michael’s back. “Let’s hope that person is wrong.”

He opened the door and they walked in, his eyes moving around the place and landing on Electra’s back. He’d notice that bright-colored red hair anywhere. She was more of a blonde but said she didn’t want people to judge her as a blonde bimbo and dyed it fire engine red.

In his eyes, it didn’t matter what color her hair was, once she opened her mouth they got an idea of her personality.

“Can we have a table in Electra’s area?” Owen asked, pointing to Michael’s ex.

“Sure,” the hostess said. “Follow me.”

They moved to an empty table and took a seat. Two minutes later Electra walked up and she was clearly pregnant in her fitted T-shirt and tight black jeans. She’d had a smoking body on her before and all that changed was the watermelon in front of her with a tiny apron tied under it.

“There you are,” Electra said all excited. “I lost your number and was hoping you’d come back. Boy, do I have news for you.”

He looked at his best friend and knew his mouth wouldn’t open.

“I’ll say it for you,” Owen said. “Fuck!”