Raptor (Fury Vipers MC: Dublin Chapter #2)

11. Mallory

Chapter 11

Mallory

I 'm exhausted. Every piece of my body feels tired. But looking at Shay, I can't help but be grateful that I feel that way. I love my son, and it's hard to believe that he's finally here. It's been almost twenty-four hours since he was born and we're being discharged. I get to take him home with me and I'm so damn excited. Ma's taken time off work to spend with us and help me if I need it. I also love that she gets that time to bond with Shay also.

"You ready?" Ma asks as she comes to stand next to me. She's been really good. She's not taken over like I thought she may have. Instead, she's standing back and following my lead. I struggled with breastfeeding, and instead of letting me wallow in self-pity at failing, she told me about how she, too, couldn't get into it and that as long as the baby is fed, that's all that's important.

"Yeah. Is he strapped in okay?" I ask, looking at Shay in his car seat.

"Mallory," she whispers, placing her arm around my shoulders, "the midwife checked and assured you he is. He's perfectly strapped in. You're doing great. Don't doubt yourself."

This is why she's the shit. She's so supportive. I wish I had spoken to her years ago about the neglect that I had felt due to her working all the time. Had I done, maybe things would have been different a while ago. But I'm glad that she's here and we've been able to grow our relationship. I have no doubt that she's going to be the best granny ever.

It takes a while longer before we're discharged, and the moment I'm in the car with Shay strapped in beside me, I feel at ease. I can't wait to be home with him and just take the time to bond.

"You hungry, love?" Ma asks. "I can stop off at McDonald's drive thru, if you'd like."

I groan in happiness. "Yes, please."

Ma laughs. "Okay. Same as usual?"

"Like you have to ask."

Ma orders me a chicken burger, fries, and a chocolate milkshake, while she has a beef burger, fries, and a diet coke. Shay's fast asleep. He seems to like the car. Within minutes of Ma driving, he was drifting off. I tuck into the food, my gaze focused on my boy, who's snoring softly. I wonder if he could get any cuter. He's got dark hair that covers the majority of his head. Ma and the midwife told me it could fall out as he gets older but not to worry as it'll grow back.

"Is there anything you need before we go home?" Ma asks as she nears the edge of the city.

"I don't think so, do I?"

She laughs softly. "We'll do an inventory when we get home. I think we may need to get some formula. The little you have will probably only last through the night.

"Oh, and probably some more nappies," I groan as I lean my head back against the rest.

"Don't worry. Once you're home and settled, I'll run to the shop and get the bits we need until it's time to do the full shop. That gives us a little time to think if we need anything else."

I continue to eat as Ma talks about getting a photo shoot done for newborns, and while it sounds amazing, I have to make a call first. It's time for Raptor to know he has a son. It's going to be a hard conversation, and I have no doubt that he'll be mad, but I did what I thought was best. Though now I'm regretting it. I should have told him from the get-go. He deserved to be with me at the hospital. I hate that I've not let him have that experience, and I understand if he never wants to speak to me again. I just pray that he'll want to know his son.

We arrive home and Ma helps me out of the car and carries a sleeping Shay into the house. I manage to get him out of the car seat and into the crib without waking him.

I lie down on the bed beside the crib and watch him sleep. He's so peaceful. I love watching him sleep. I adore that contented sigh he gives when he's snoring. I reach for my cell and search through the contacts, the ones I saved before I left my original cell at our home. I hit call on the number, my heart racing, my stomach clenching. God, I hope he answers. I really hope he does.

"We're sorry; you have reached a number that has been disconnected or is no longer in service."

My heart shatters at the message. Why isn't his number in service? Crap. What have I done?

Tears gather in my eyes and I shut them tight, not wanting them to fall. Damn it. Why did I push him away? I turn over and cry softly into my pillow, careful not to make too much noise and wake Shay. I feel heartbroken. I feel as though I've lost Raptor, and I have no one to blame but myself. Had I been open and honest with him from the beginning, we may not be in this mess.

God, I'm such a bitch. I fucked up. Majorly. I just pray there's a way to fix it.

A weird sensation falls over me and I wake with a start. My eyes adjust to the darkness, and my heart starts to race as I see a tall figure standing over me. He's right beside Shay's crib. I swallow back a scream as I feel the sharp edge of a knife at my throat.

"I know who you are." I hear the thickness of his voice. "Mallory Reagan, I've been watching you. Waiting for the right moment to get my revenge."

I stare into the white orbs of the man's eyes, and I know instantly who it is. Micah O'Leary. "What?" I breathe.

"You were there," he snarls, his breath hot against my face, the knife pressing deeper against my throat. "You watched as my brother was murdered, and you did nothing. You just stood back and watched that animal kill him."

"What could I do?" I ask, my entire body trembling with fear. "What should I have done?"

I froze that night. I was rooted to the spot and I froze. There was nothing I could have done other than try to pull Stephen away from him. But Stephen outweighs me and is a hell of a lot taller than me. What would have happened had I tried to intervene?

"You did nothing," he snarls. "Not a fucking thing. And because of that, we had to bury my brother."

I hate that he's angry. I completely understand his anger, but there was nothing I could have done. I was never going to help. Stephen was always going to kill Jarlath for touching Jess and nothing anyone did would have stopped it. Nothing.

"He's dead, and it's because of you and that bastard Maguire. I'm going to enjoy toying with you."

His knife slices through the skin at the base of my neck, and then he drags the blade down to my chest. I whimper, tears falling thick and fast. My mind is focused on making sure that he doesn't get to Shay. I can't—won't let him hurt my baby. I'll endure anything if it means he'll stay the hell away from my son.

The knife gets deeper as he slices through my shirt and into the skin on my chest, before pulling the knife down to my arm. I feel my blood soaking through my clothes and onto the bed beneath me. "Stop," I plead, my voice coming out in a hiss.

"You never said that to Maguire, not until it was too late," he growls as he continues to slice along my skin. "I'm going to break you, Mallory. I'm going to ensure that you're a sobbing mess before I kill you. You can call it karma for what you've done."

"Nothing," I cry. "I did nothing."

He lifts off me, the knife moves away, and I'm able to take a deep breath. The pain from the cuts is painful, but I'm so focused on him that I push it from my mind. I need to keep my focus elsewhere, otherwise I'll lose it.

"Exactly," he sneers. "You did nothing."

I hear Ma’s bedroom door open, and I watch as Micah gets a sinister smile on his face. "I'll be seeing you soon, Mallory. I'd keep one eye open at all times."

He thrusts the knife into my stomach, and just as quickly as he stabbed me, he withdraws the blade and rushes from the room. I'm in shock, unable to move as blood pours from my wound like a fucking river. I slap my hand over the wound to try to stop the blood, but it's no use. The liquid gushes through my fingers.

"What are you doing here?" Ma screams. "Mallory? Mallory?"

She rushes into my room, flicking on the light. She releases a horrified cry as she moves toward me. "Oh Mallory," she cries. "It's going to be okay. I promise it'll be okay. I'll get you to a hospital."

I shake my head. "No, we have to leave. He'll come for us," I say through ragged breathing. "He's nowhere near finished with me, Ma."

She's sobbing as she tries to help me stop the bleeding. Shay's cries fill the room.

"Ma, help Shay," I whisper as my body begins to sink into the darkness. "No hospital, Ma."

"No hospital, baby," she cries. "I'm going to get help, okay?"

I nod, praying she'll take care of Shay as I'm pulled into the abyss.