Pawned Virtue - #wattys2015 BK4 TPBS - Completed 1st draft

-12-

Not edited.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!"

Tara fell back against the kitchen door. Maggie, Jones, Adam and a young trainee called Scott were standing behind the table with a birthday cake sprouting seventeen burning candles on it. Sitting all around it were brightly wrapped parcels and a vase full of pink roses.

Tara started crying. Burying her face in her hands she was totally overwhelmed with the attention.

Maggie walked over to her while the guys shuffled their feet awkwardy.

"Come here ducky."

Maggie pulled her hands off her face and used them to pull her into the warmth of a loving hug.

"Haven't had a birthday cake in a while?"

Tara shook her head and continued to sob. She had vague recollections of her mother doing something similar.

"Come on! Let's eat!"

Maggie started to chuckle while Tara gave a soft giggle and they both looked over at Jones just in time to see Adam giving him a clout up the back of the head. Jones looked at him in a wounded fashion.

"What? It's cake! One of Maggies cakes!"

Adam looked at him for a moment before looking back to Tara.

"Let's eat!"

"Boys!" Maggie scolded.

"I'll wait till you're ready." Scott said with a grin.

Jones and Adam looked at him with a horrified expression before they started mock mimicking what he'd said.

Maggie and Tara looked at one another and burst out laughing. They'd both seen the reaction to Maggie's cakes before so this was just the next step up for these guys.

Tara had a mishevious thought and grinned a wicked grin at Maggie.

"You know, I think I'll wait till morning tea. You can't really eat cake for breakfast."

Adam and Jones looked at her as if she'd grown two heads.

"Yes you can!" Jones yelled out.

"No you won't!"

Lucas sat laughing. The expressions on Jones and Adam's faces were priceless and watching them now as they each had an arm of Tara's and pulled her to the table was hilarious. She protested all the way and it wasn't until Adam held out a knife for her that she finally gave in to ber teasing.

He clicked over to another screen and watched as Tara closed her eyes to make a wish before blowing out the candles. He'd give anything to know what she was wishing and he'd nake sure that it happened for her.

What if she was wishing she wasn't married to him?

The thought didn't sit well within his mind. He didn't know if he could give her that. He'd spent seven months watching her from afar and each day he found himself caring more and more for her. She was an amazing young woman.

To this day he cursed her father but he had to thank him too. He'd never have known Tara any other way so some good did actually come out of his deceitful nature. He still deserved to be dead.

Flicking a switch he felt a hard grip wrap around his heart. Her laughter. Laughing at Adam and Jones as they fought for the first piece of cake. Neither willing to wait and Tara stand and grabbing the slice she had in front of her and breaking it in half.

As the guys were fighting he watched as Scott stepped aside and Tara moved closer to the two older men. Neither suspecting anything until she said their names and they looked at her in anticipation. He saw Maggie place a hand over her mouth trying not to laugh as Tara raised her hands and firmly wiped cake down their faces and onto their chests as they yelled in shock then looked at each other and started chasing Tara around the kitchen.

His vision went to look at Scott and his expression quickly hardened. Scott didn't know that there were cameras placed in the house and at that moment Maggie was fully aware that this small get together was being watched.

Scott was a young man who wasn't that much older than Tara and by the looks of things he appreciated the looks of a beautiful woman but the fucker didn't have to look over his wife! Fuck no! He'd have to be moved! Immediately!

His hand reached for the phone and he barked out orders to Simeon. Could he kill the kid? No, he really was a natural in this business. Time to train him in something else.

Finally calmed down he looked back at what was happening in the kitchen. Tara was opening presents. One by one, some from the guys who only spent a few hours a week there but most were from Maggie and himself under her name.

She was blown away. A birrhday was just another day. At least the ones she remembered properly were. All these presents were a surprise and as she sat down the last present Maggie handed her a card on it's own.

"Thia goes with the roses" was all that Maggie said.

Tara opened the card curiously and froze when she glanced down at the name atte bottom.

Lucas

Her eyes drifted up to read the words he'd written and she couldn't stop the tear that fell as she read them over and over again.

Lucas found his hands gripped onto the edge of the desk in front of him.

What was she thinking? Did he make it worse?

He watched as she looked at Maggie. Everyone was silent as they waited for her reaction. He couldn't sit still. He stood up and went to the window and pulled the curtain apart with jerkiness.

He heard her voice and closed his eyes.

"Maggie. I think I'm ready."

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Bahahahahahahahaha... *sigh* cliff hangers... damn!