Nobody tells you that nine months pregnant is akin to torture. Everything hurts and my feet are swollen.”
“Your feet are beautiful,” Dillon assured her but her dubious expression said she didn’t believe him. He went to the edge of the bed and started gently rubbing her feet. She smiled, her eyes going warm and misty with appreciation. He smiled as he rubbed, saying, “Don’t go ruining my reputation as a hard-hearted jerk by sharing how I rub your feet at night.”
“Your secret is safe with me,” she said, nodding. “Oh! Yes, right there at the arch. Gently…ahhh, that’s nice. Now what were we talking about? Oh, that’s right…this club. What club is this?”
“It’s a private club called Malvagio and before you ask, yes, it’s a sex club and no, I’m not a member nor have I ever been there.”
“Does Shannon know about this club?”
“I’m not sure. She must know something because she knows about the girl.”
“True. I wonder why she didn’t say anything about it though? Maybe Nolan only shared the barest of details. Shannon can be a little judgmental at times.”
Dillon agreed. “Well, that’s his problem and I don’t envy him. The situation is that someone has beat up two girls — sisters of all the dumb luck — and it seems personal.”
“Against the sisters?”
“No, against the twins. I think it was just a coincidence that the girl — her name is Emma Winters — got caught up in the same web as her sister, Lana.”
“It’s going to be impossible to catch who did this. People come and go out of clubs every night.”
“Not exactly with Malvagio…it’s a members only establishment and it’s only open on Saturday nights on an invitation only basis. It shouldn’t be too hard to track down who was on the guest list that night.”
Penny frowned. “Assuming that person was an actual member. Maybe they snuck in.”
“Twice? No, something tells me whoever did this is a member,” Dillon said.
“Why? Does the club have video surveillance?”
“Yes, but whoever did this knew how to avoid getting his face on camera. All we have are back shots and he’s wearing a dark suit in a dark room.”
Suddenly Penny sucked in a wild breath. “Oh, that was a good one,” she said, a little shaky. “Your kid is using my kidneys for a soccer ball.”
“Athleticism does run in my family,” he joked but he was really starting to wonder if Penny was going into labor. He didn’t have much experience — okay, he didn’t have any experience with this sort of thing — but he was starting to think that maybe a trip to the hospital would be a good idea. “Maybe we ought to call Dr. Shabaz and have him check you out,” Dillon suggested to which Penny waved away his concern.
“Honey, I’m nine months pregnant. There’s bound to be some discomfort. I could really use a hamburger. I’m starving.” She looked to him with a sweet smile and he couldn’t deny her even if it was ten o’clock at night and he had no idea where he was going to find a decent hamburger at this hour. But just as he went to grab his keys, she made a small gasping sound and he whirled around to see a red-faced Penny, looking distressed and plainly embarrassed at the growing puddle beneath her, wetting their expensive sheets.
“Um…sweetheart? Did you just…pee?”
“No,” she wailed, her eyes widening. “I think my water just broke!”
#
Nolan had just closed his eyes when his cell went off on the nightstand with a soft, insistent buzz. He snatched it up in the hopes of catching it before it woke Shannon but she bolted awake the moment he grabbed it. “Is it Penny?” she asked blearily, rolling onto her side with a yawn.
“Yeah, it’s Dillon,” he answered to Shannon. To Dillon, he said, “Is it time? Is Penny in labor?”
“Yeah! I thought at first she peed but—“
“Don’t tell everybody that! It’s embarrassing enough as it is!” Penny yelled in the distance
“Your feet are beautiful,” Dillon assured her but her dubious expression said she didn’t believe him. He went to the edge of the bed and started gently rubbing her feet. She smiled, her eyes going warm and misty with appreciation. He smiled as he rubbed, saying, “Don’t go ruining my reputation as a hard-hearted jerk by sharing how I rub your feet at night.”
“Your secret is safe with me,” she said, nodding. “Oh! Yes, right there at the arch. Gently…ahhh, that’s nice. Now what were we talking about? Oh, that’s right…this club. What club is this?”
“It’s a private club called Malvagio and before you ask, yes, it’s a sex club and no, I’m not a member nor have I ever been there.”
“Does Shannon know about this club?”
“I’m not sure. She must know something because she knows about the girl.”
“True. I wonder why she didn’t say anything about it though? Maybe Nolan only shared the barest of details. Shannon can be a little judgmental at times.”
Dillon agreed. “Well, that’s his problem and I don’t envy him. The situation is that someone has beat up two girls — sisters of all the dumb luck — and it seems personal.”
“Against the sisters?”
“No, against the twins. I think it was just a coincidence that the girl — her name is Emma Winters — got caught up in the same web as her sister, Lana.”
“It’s going to be impossible to catch who did this. People come and go out of clubs every night.”
“Not exactly with Malvagio…it’s a members only establishment and it’s only open on Saturday nights on an invitation only basis. It shouldn’t be too hard to track down who was on the guest list that night.”
Penny frowned. “Assuming that person was an actual member. Maybe they snuck in.”
“Twice? No, something tells me whoever did this is a member,” Dillon said.
“Why? Does the club have video surveillance?”
“Yes, but whoever did this knew how to avoid getting his face on camera. All we have are back shots and he’s wearing a dark suit in a dark room.”
Suddenly Penny sucked in a wild breath. “Oh, that was a good one,” she said, a little shaky. “Your kid is using my kidneys for a soccer ball.”
“Athleticism does run in my family,” he joked but he was really starting to wonder if Penny was going into labor. He didn’t have much experience — okay, he didn’t have any experience with this sort of thing — but he was starting to think that maybe a trip to the hospital would be a good idea. “Maybe we ought to call Dr. Shabaz and have him check you out,” Dillon suggested to which Penny waved away his concern.
“Honey, I’m nine months pregnant. There’s bound to be some discomfort. I could really use a hamburger. I’m starving.” She looked to him with a sweet smile and he couldn’t deny her even if it was ten o’clock at night and he had no idea where he was going to find a decent hamburger at this hour. But just as he went to grab his keys, she made a small gasping sound and he whirled around to see a red-faced Penny, looking distressed and plainly embarrassed at the growing puddle beneath her, wetting their expensive sheets.
“Um…sweetheart? Did you just…pee?”
“No,” she wailed, her eyes widening. “I think my water just broke!”
#
Nolan had just closed his eyes when his cell went off on the nightstand with a soft, insistent buzz. He snatched it up in the hopes of catching it before it woke Shannon but she bolted awake the moment he grabbed it. “Is it Penny?” she asked blearily, rolling onto her side with a yawn.
“Yeah, it’s Dillon,” he answered to Shannon. To Dillon, he said, “Is it time? Is Penny in labor?”
“Yeah! I thought at first she peed but—“
“Don’t tell everybody that! It’s embarrassing enough as it is!” Penny yelled in the distance
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