23. Heidi

Itry not to look at the body as Trick helps me off the floor. I let him lead me into the living room, and only then do I pull Sophia away from my chest. I don’t know how much she saw, but I hope I protected her from the worst of it. She doesn’t need those kinds of nightmares.

Her face is tear-stained, but other than that, she seems okay, and that allows me to breathe a little easier. I kiss her head, relief a palpable ache inside me.

As much as I want to keep hold of her, Trick needs me, so I place Sophia on her playmat before I turn back to Trick. He sinks onto the couch, his hand still pressed against his shoulder as blood trails between his fingers.

There is a lot of blood, more than I thought, and seeing it dripping the way it is makes my mouth dry.

I grab one of the baby’s blankets from the back of the sofa and sit next to him, trying to exude a calm I don’t feel.

“This looks bad,” I murmur as I gently push his kutte off his shoulders.

He winces at the movement but helps me to remove his top. It’s hard to see the wound, but my assessment of how fucked it is isn’t wrong. There’s so much blood staining his skin and pouring from his shoulder.

“It’ll be okay.” This doesn’t reassure me as much as he thinks it does. “Just put pressure on it. The doc’ll stitch it.”

“It’s only a graze, right?” I laugh nervously, repeating what he had told me when I was shot.

Humour dances in his eyes. “How long have you been waiting to say that to me?”

My smile fades. “I would’ve preferred you didn’t get shot so I didn’t have to.”

His bloodied hand reaches out, pressing against my stomach. I stare down at it, my stomach fluttering wildly at the sight. “Better me than you.”

My stomach dips as I place my hand on top of his, and all the fear I had about telling him about being pregnant fades to background noise. He wants this baby. He wants me. And I want the same. I want him and Sophia to be my family.

“Are you and… and the, uh… the baby okay?” he asks. His uncertainty is sweet.

“I think so.”

“I didn’t hurt you when I put you down on the floor?”

“No.”

Relief makes his body relax. “We’ll get you checked out anyway.”

I stare at him, not liking the sweat gathering on his skin. “You’re really okay with this?”

“You think I’m pretending?” There’s a hint of disbelief in his words.

“No, of course not. It’s just… I worry it’s too soon and what everyone is going to think.”

That conversation I overheard at the baby shower is still fresh in my mind.

“I don’t give two fucks what everyone thinks,” he says. “You, Sophia, and this baby are my only priority, Heidi.”

I let out a shaky breath. “I’m scared.”

“You don’t have to be. I’ll take care of you. I promise.”

My throat is tight as I swipe at my tears. “You can start by not getting shot.”

His lips kick up at the corners as he sags back into the cushions. “I’ll do my best.”

The door opens and I stiffen until I realise it’s Howler and Kane Fraser.

Howler takes in Trick with a quick scan before scrubbing a hand over his face. “How bad?”

“I’ll live,” Trick jokes, though I don’t know how he can at a time like this.

Howler’s gaze moves to me and then Sophia before going back to Trick. “Where’s the body?”

“Kitchen.”

“Did you kill him?” Kane asks. I know he’s Skye’s family through her sister, but the guy scares me. He’s got that crazy look in his eyes that says there’s no line he won’t cross.

“It was Bobby.”

“Guess I owe him my thanks then.” He turns to Howler, offers his hand, and they shake. “My brothers and I plan on hunting down any remaining members of the Pioneers. You boys want in?”

“Can’t let you have all the fun.” Howler does well to hide how crazy he thinks Kane is. I’m not sure my face is as neutral.

Kane stares at the wall, as if he’s looking through it before he brings his attention back to Howler. “Do you mind if I take the body?”

Howler’s brows come together, and I know he’s thinking exactly what I am—what the fuck is he planning on doing with Richardson’s body?

“Sure,” he says hesitantly.

Kane gives him a toothy smile. “Great.”

He pats Howler’s shoulder before leaving the room, presumably to collect his prize.

“He’s fucking crazy,” Trick mutters as Howler approaches.

Carefully, he takes the blanket from me so he can look at the wound.

“Who cares? He ain’t our problem,” Howler says. “Doc’s on his way. You feelin’ okay?”

“I feel like I took a bullet.” The glibness of his response makes Howler snort.

I curl my bloodied fingers into my palms as they tremble. Once again, we nearly died. Someone up there must be looking out for us.

“It’s over,” Howler says. “That fucker’s gone.”

The relief threading through his words is unmistakable. I feel it too. No more looking over our shoulders. No more prospects trailing me everywhere I go. Life can go back to normal, whatever that looks like.

“I hope he rots in hell,” I mutter.

“I think Kane Fraser and his crazy brothers are gonna make sure of that,” Trick says.

Howler leaves us to make sure the cleanup is done properly. I keep pressure on Trick’s wound, our eyes magnetised to each other’s.

“We should move.”

His words surprise me. “And go where?”

“Somewhere we can have a fresh start.”

“But this is your home.”

“Home is about the people. This place,” he glances around the room, “it has too many ghosts. I don’t want to be eating breakfast with the kids thinking about Desmond fucking Richardson bleeding out on the floor.”

That’s a good point, but all his memories with Mara are here. I don’t want to take him away from that. “Don’t make any decisions now.”

“We need a fresh start, Heidi. A place that is just ours.” His hand splays over my stomach again. “Somewhere that we can all call our home.”

I kiss the side of his face, the coarse hair of his beard scratching across my skin. “We’ll talk about this when you’re not bleeding.”

“Fine, but I’m not gonna change my mind.”

The doctor turns up, breaking through our conversation. I step back to give him room to work, watching as he cleans and stitches the wound.

I use some of Sophia’s baby wipes to clean my hands before sitting with her. She seems oblivious to the fact her father is hurt, and I’m glad she’s not old enough to understand what is happening around her. I want to keep her innocent for as long as possible.

So many terrible things had to happen to get us to this point, but Trick and I have been given a second chance, and I fully intend to make the most of it.

Life is fleeting and can be snuffed out in the blink of an eye. Every moment must be seized and lived. I glance towards Trick, and I’m not surprised to see he’s watching me.

“Keep it dry, keep it clean. Any sign of infection, call me.” The doctor sits back, packing up his supplies. The gauze patch covering the wound is neat.

Maybe he is a real doctor.

“Thanks, doc. You need to look at Heidi now.”

The doctor turns to me, and I see the confusion on his face. I’m not bleeding, and outwardly, I don’t look hurt. “Are you injured?”

A smile creeps onto my face. “Pregnant.”

His brows lift. “Congratulations. How far along?”

“I’m not sure. Maybe five or six weeks.”

“Obstetrics isn’t really my field,” he says. “Were you hurt at any point? Hit in the stomach? Do you have any cramping or bleeding?”

I shake my head. “I feel fine other than a little scared.”

“I’d wait and monitor. Book in with your own doctor as soon as possible. At this stage, baby is pretty protected, so if you weren’t hurt in the incident, I’m sure everything will be fine. Try to limit stress.”

Is that a joke? Limit stress? That is easier said than done, but I give my agreement anyway. The doctor stands, grabbing his medical bag. “Don’t take this personally, but I hope I don’t see either of you any time soon.”

As soon as he’s gone, Trick signals for me to come to him. I sit next to him on the sofa, letting him pull me against his side that isn’t hurt. His arm wraps around me, holding me tight. “It’s over.”

I don’t even know how to describe how that makes me feel. For so long, we’ve lived under the shadow of Desmond Richardson and his men. Knowing he is no longer a threat is a surreal feeling. “Yeah, it’s over.”

And I’ve never been happier knowing that our unborn baby will grow up in a world where they do not have to be afraid of stepping outside the house because of Desmond fucking Richardson.

He kisses my forehead as we watch Sophia play, completely unaware of the chaos unfolding around us, and for once, I look forward to the future we are building.