Damaged Goods

Chapter 16- Hormonal Hell

Marcus encouraged Aria to eat her Mexican while he called Nate. He needed Nate to know what they had discovered missing and get feedback on how to proceed. He thought they would have a little more time before being spotted, but luck was never on their side. He carefully dialed Nate's number and waited for an answer.

Nothing.

He tried one more time with the same result and resorted to leaving him a text; nothing incriminating, just to call him back as soon as possible.

Marcus walked back into the room and sat down to eat quietly beside Aria. She looked distressed about the situation and Marcus couldn't blame her. Why, out of all things, would they steal a pregnancy test?

"They think it's Colin's and would be leverage," Aria whispered as if reading his thoughts. "They want my baby, Marcus."

Damn! That was actually a logical reason. One that infuriated Marcus even more. They couldn't have this baby. He could see Mason being screwed up enough in the head to try something like that though.

"Or..." Aria began, "They know regardless if it's yours or Colin's they will have power over you. They know if it's yours they can get you to cooperate if they take me. But what they don't know is Colin won't give a shit if it's his or not. He only cares about his self and his delusional world I belong with him in."

That was an even scarier thought to Marcus because they would be right. If they got a hold of Aria or his child he would do anything to cooperate.

"We will just make sure they don't get to you then, won't we?" he asked rhetorically.

Aria just stared at him as if she didn't believe him. But honestly, who could hold a mob off forever? Surely not two men alone. Aria was in trouble and she knew it.

Big trouble.

Deciding she suddenly lost her appetite, she threw her take-out into the trash, grabbed her purse with her trusty new pistol and headed to their room. She decided it was theirs because there was no way in hell she was sleeping alone.

-- --

The next morning, Aria awoke with horrible morning sickness and found herself hunched over the toilet in a very unladylike fashion for the better part of an hour. Marcus had stayed to hold her hair up for a while, but quickly couldn't handle it and went downstairs to make her some broth, trying to get some kind of nourishment into her system.

When Aria felt it was safe to leave the toilet, she brushed her teeth again and got dressed to go down stairs. She hated being nauseous, and knew the doctors could write you a script for nausea while pregnant. She grabbed her purse, intent on making Marcus take her to the clinic to get some meds.

She neared the entryway to the living room and heard voices. Knowing Nate shouldn't be back until that evening from his assignment, she flattened herself against the wall and listened intently.

"I know the girl was here! Where is she?" a strange voice demanded.

"Fu*k you!" a voice she recognized as Marcus hissed.

Oh shit! Was this another kidnapper? She pulled her trusty pistol out of her purse and quietly cocked it back, lodging one in the chamber. She flipped the safety off so it was ready to fire. Aria knew her dad would rip her a new one for that, but she didn't have time to waste doing that later.

The sound of flesh hitting flesh alerted her, knowing that probably wasn't the sound of a secret assassin handshake and she needed to act quickly. Aria spun around the corner, pistol at the ready. Neither of the men noticed her entrance. She saw Marcus sitting on the coffee table with his hands tied behind his back. He turned his head and spit a mouthful of blood onto the carpet. The other man was wearing a pair of brass knuckles and Aria saw his gun resting on the coffee table beside Marcus.

The man raised his fist to swing again and Aria spoke up, "Put your hands where I can see them!"

Both heads snapped up in her direction. Marcus looked horrified to see her there, while the other man just smirked and took a step towards her.

"Freeze, dude. I'm pregnant, pissed off and have a fully loaded gun. I wouldn't push your luck if I were you. Take another step and you'll end up like one of those Indian women with a dot between your eyes," she threatened.

The man laughed menacingly and replied, "No can do, princess. You're just the person I came to see," and took one more step.

"I said don't move, dumbass! Take another step and your kneecap will be shot to shit. I'm hormonal and very unstable right now. I'd do it and not think twice; no regrets whatsoever."

The man seemed to mull over her words but must not have taken them seriously because the next thing she knew, he lunged at Aria. Out of instinct her finger squeezed the trigger, firing off a single round. The room echoed as the shot went off. It actually ended up hitting his kneecap, despite her distress. The man fell to the floor howling in pain.

Idiot.

She did warn him not to move. It wasn't her fault he was too cocky to care. She wasted no time rushing to untie Marcus. His wrists were raw and an angry red, but he didn't notice. He went straight to the stranger and began dragging him to the kitchen, making sure smack the man's injured knee against his boots a few times for good measure.

Aria's morning sickness chose that moment to start up again and she raced to the kitchen sink to expel what contents remained in her stomach. In the meantime, Marcus tied the intruder up to a bar stool on the ground.

"Quick thinking back there, but you should've stayed put," Marcus admonished.

Aria rolled her eyes despite his concern and replied, "Please. I only came down to make you

take me to the doctor. Besides, you totally had that under control back there."

Marcus didn't appreciate the sarcasm, "He caught me when I was pouring the broth. Regardless, that's not the point. Are you okay? Is the baby alright?"

"What do you think?! I can't even breathe without puking! I'm apparently not getting to go to the clinic so I'm going to go in the other room to call the doctor and try to convince him to call me in a script. Deal with this douche."

She didn't even wait for a reply before she turned around and stormed into the other room, leaving Marcus with whiplash from her constant mood swings. She really was unstable!

-- --

"Who sent you?" Marcus ordered.

The man laughed as best as he could and rhetorically questioned, "Do you really need to ask?"

No, he already knew, he just hoped he was wrong.

"Call Mason up. Tell him the job is a bust, she's dead. Got it?" Marcus insisted. He pulled the cell out of the man's pocket, copied Mason's alternate number and began dialing.

"You and I both know it doesn't work like that. I might be the only one who knows your location now, but I wouldn't be surprised if by this time tomorrow Mason has an entire army of men breaking down your door. Give up."

Marcus had heard enough, this man obviously wasn't going to help him out any. He reached over for the butcher knife , and in one smooth motion stabbed it through the man's chest, knowing it would kill him in minutes.

"Seriously, Marcus?! We cook with that knife!" Aria screeched. "You need to take me to the pharmacy, please."

Marcus was baffled. She had just shot a man who came to kidnap her and she threw a fit over a knife? He didn't know what was worse, an army of kidnappers or Aria's mood swings! This woman was bound to be the death of him. Good thing he loved her.

------*------*------

Sorry guys! I literally had to rewrite this SEVEN times! Every time I would try to save it or just submit, the entire chapter would disappear UNSAVED!

There are probably errors, I'm sorry but I'm lucky to get anything posted.

XO- Carly