Snatching the phone back, I retreat as far as I can into my chair. Bringing my knees up, I wrap my free arm around them.
“Xenia, I need you to listen to me. The doctor is telling the truth. I am so sorry.” Serena’s voice cracks. “I was supposed to take care of you, but instead,instead—” She hiccups. “But we’ll figure this out.”
An icy bucket of salt water spills over me.
A burning shock to my system.
I want more than anything to scream. To argue. To fight her.
“I’m…I’m…”
My attention finds the doctor before me, she sets the paper on the desk face up.
There is a single large bold word that stares back at me.
“You are,” Serena purrs in my ear. She attempts to comfort me through the phone as she confirms my worst fear.
Pregnant.
six
Xenia
White-knuckling my steering wheel, I shake as I make my way up the largest hill in Florida. I am further from civilization than I expected, and the singular can of mace in my passenger seat seems nearly laughable.
What am I going to do with that?
I want more than anything to turn the heat on in my car, but it doesn’t work. This car was all I could affordafterTony passed, and while Serena offered to let me borrow hers, I didn’t want to do that.
My phone rings, causing me to jump nearly out of my seat.
Looking at the caller ID, I curse. I had managed to keep him at bay for the last month by staying with Serena, but I know better than to not answer his call. He would just show up here.
“Vinny,” I acknowledge, bringing the car to a halt. Both of my feet are on the brake pedal and I am inclined half-way up the hill.
I need to get off this call and look down at the directions to figure out where I am going.
“Xenia,” he growls.
He doesn’t speak for a few beats, and my impatience teeters me towards annoyance. “I need to go.”
That isn’t the right choice and Vinny immediately barks. “Where. The. Fuck. Are you?”
My mouth opens on its own to answer him, but I force it shut. Counting down from three slowly, I respond, “Serena and I are going to get some fresh air today.”
“There’s asnowstormcoming.”
I scoff into the phone. “It’sFlorida.It doesn’t snow here.”
“Put Serena on. Let me talk to her.” Vinny is seething, and I don’t want to deal with it.
I have too much on my mind to also deal with my dead mate’s obsessive brother. “We’ll be fine. I have to go. I’ll call you when we make it back in town.Promise.”
The snarl coming through the phone is my sign to end the call. And I do just that. I send off a quick text to Serena before shutting my phone entirely off.
I wouldn’t put it past Vinny to track me.
Thankfully, I had the foresight to print the directions to where I am going, and I examine them once more before letting off the brake. I roll back nearly an entire car length before I am able to hit the accelerator enough to jump me forward.
