CRYPTO: Infidelity (Book 1)

CHAPTER 98: BELOVED

As I walked to the front door, I passed the window and saw Birdie sitting on the couch in front of the tv with a blanket wrapped around her. I was so relieved to see that she was okay, I nearly cried.

I knocked on the door. Soon I was standing face to face with my beloved Birdie. She had tear stains on her cheeks.

"Crypto!" she gasped.

I hugged her.

"The last time I saw you, you had gotten arrested," Birdie said.

"They let me go. They had the wrong guy."

"Don't lie to me. I'm tired of being lied to."

"I'm not lying. I would never lie to you. They thought I had helped Rockie kill someone, but I didn't. They had it on camera. They had to let me go. Where's Cam and Rockie?"

"They left. What happened to you? You're hurt."

"I'm fine. I just got caught in the middle of a fight."

"What kind of fight?"

"Well, the bullet wound in my thigh was actually an accident. One of the cops shot me when they were trying to shoot someone else."

"Oh, I didn't even notice that. I was referring to the stitches in your neck."

"Yeah. That wound was from the guy the cop was trying to shoot."

"That's awful."

"I tried to call you a few times to tell you what was going on but you wouldn't answer."

"Yeah. Sorry. I left my phone at home. I left everything at home. Rockie was in a rush to get me out of there. He said we were in danger."

"Yeah. That's because he killed a cop."

"Rockie didn't do that to you, did he?"

"No. This is a dog bite... or shark bite. He had a weird power."

Birdie looked back at the tv in the living room.

"What are you watching?" I asked her.

"The news," she said. "I can't believe the craziness that's going on right now. It feels like the world is ending. Rockie and Cam are out there... I was hoping I'd see them on tv, but then again... I kinda don't. I think they're a part of this."

"They are. The whole mafia is. They want to take out the whole police department and replace it with their own guys."

"I can't believe this..."

"Me either."

The tv showed the police and mafia having a shootout. Animals on both sides were dying. Birdie hugged me for comfort.

"Maybe we should turn it off," I told her.

She nodded and I grabbed the remote and pressed the power button to turn the tv off. Birdie clung to me and cried into my chest. I did my best to comfort her, but there wasn't much I could say or do. As much as I wanted to, I couldn't change what was happening to our city.

At around 2 am, we were both so exhausted that we ended up falling asleep on the couch together.

I was jerked awake just before hitting the floor. My neck wound stung. Standing over me was a large muscular cougar with blood stains all over his fur.

"Rockie!" I exclaimed as I stood up. "Where's Cam?"

"He's dead," Rockie said. "Just as you will be soon."

"Rockie, you're alive!" Birdie exclaimed as she went to hug him.

He shoved her back onto the couch.

"Hey!" I snarled at him.

"What are you doing here with my girlfriend?!" he asked me. "Don't pretend that I didn't just see the two of you sleeping together!"

"Rockie, it's not what you think," Birdie said.

"She can sleep with whoever she wants, old man," I said.

"I'LL RIP YOUR HEAD OFF!" Rockie snarled as he swiped a paw at my neck.

I dodged but then he tackled me to the ground. He clawed at my face with his Steel Claw power. I tried to push him off but he was an extra fifty pounds heavier than me.

"STOP!" Birdie screamed. She grabbed a throw pillow and started hitting Rockie with it, but it didn't faze him at all.

I did my best to protect the stitches on my neck. I knew if he cut into my already injured neck, I was done for.

Birdie finally got the courage to tackle Rockie, pushing him off of me, and I quickly got to my feet and backed away. Birdie stood in front of me, blocking Rockie from getting to me.

"Get out of my way!" he yelled at her.

"No," she said.

"You don't deserve her, Rockie," I said. "You never did."

"I thought you were my friend!" Rockie shouted. "I trusted you!"

I felt a little pang of guilt in the pit of my stomach.

"She loved me first!" he told me.

"Not anymore," I said.

"I do still love you, Rockie," Birdie said.

"She only likes you for your money," I told him. "You already knew that. I bet she hasn't even told you she's pregnant."

"Crypto!" Birdie exclaimed.

"What? You're pregnant?" he asked her.

"I was gonna tell you," she said. "I just-"

"It's his, isn't it?" he asked.

Birdie looked down in shame. "I don't know yet."

Rockie looked at me, his eyes burning with rage. He reached for the gun on his belt and I leaped over the couch for cover as he shot. My thigh stung but it was from the old bullet wound.

I remembered the gun I had left in the bag by the front door and I made a run for it. Rockie shot at me a few more times as Birdie screamed for him to stop.

When I got to the bag, Rockie's gun clicked. He was out of ammo. I grabbed my gun and aimed it at his chest.

Birdie jumped in front of him. "Crypto, if you kill him, I will never forgive you!"

I lowered the gun. I didn't want to shoot her by accident.

"Enough of this, Birdie," I told her. "You have to choose one of us. Who's it gonna be?"

She looked back at Rockie and then at me. Tears were forming in her eyes. "I can't choose! I love you both!"

I shook my head. "If you don't choose then I will."

Birdie took a step toward Rockie.

"Fine," I said. I opened the front door and left.