Extraction (10 page)

WOW.

“That was from one of our listener’s and man if you’re listening, know that we are here for you. We pray that everything works out with the woman, who seems to be a positive influence on your life. But you said it, she can’t save you. That needs to start with you and you’ve sought the help, so kudos. Here’s
Down
for you.”

Baby when all you see is darkness

It's coming down now

We all need forgiveness

Coming round now

The familiar song started to play and I swear tears started to come down from my eyes. A while ago, when I heard that song and a guy’s story that was in the Army, I started to cry then as well. What a coincidence.

The next day, I left to go my doctor’s appointment. When I walked out my door, I saw Goliath standing there, pacing back and forth.

Crap.

“Goliath,” I called.

He whipped around and his clear eyes met mine. His hair was cut, his ‘V’ neck shirt fit perfectly and the cargo shorts were new because I’d never seen them before.

“Phoebe,” he smiled.

“What’s up?” I adjusted my purse on my shoulder.

“Everything,” he laughed nervously. “I needed to talk to you for a little.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I said automatically. “I told you this.”

“I know what you said, but I disagree with you.” He placed his hands behind his back. “We should talk.”

My head was shaking no, as I closed and locked my door.

“No, Goliath. We shouldn’t because all that was needed to be said, has already been said,” I explained and turned around to leave but he was in my way.

“No, you uttered some bullshit my way, didn’t give me a chance to speak, broke up and left me. That’s what happened and that’s not the Phoebe I know. Which makes me think something else is going on that you’re not telling me or you and your body have been lying to me this entire time.” He folded his arms.

“You mean lying as in the same way you kept everything from me. The way you don’t talk about your past, refuse to face the future and don’t even get me started on the parents thing,” I said. “Now, I have an appointment and you need to move.”

“Want to know about my past?” he asked. “Fine. I’ll tell you. I’m a veteran. Okay. I was in the Army from six long fucking years. Gave my everything to have it all plucked away from me, piece by fucking piece. I gave up any friend that I had, any hope of living a normal life, every fucking thing. I’ve seen babies being eaten, shot people in the head at point blank range and had friends die in my arms. I’ve been shot four times, was in a convoy truck that was overturned by an IED, and blew up buildings that contained women and children. Then I was honorably discharged to come back and live my life here in America. How does someone come back from that nightmare?” he said. “How do you live a normal life after seeing that type of shit, after living it? How about after drinking your own distilled piss and eating like a savage? How the fuck does one resume their life? What life? Right. I thought you were the answer and for a time, you gave me hope but I was still living in fear. If I loved you the way I should have, I was certain that you would have learned about this shit and run as far away as possible. You are the most carefree person I know. You purposefully made your life that way because of all the shit that you were dealing with. I didn’t want to bombard you with these facts and that I suffered from depression and withdrawal. I didn’t feel like I belonged until you.”

Holy mother.

“When you left me, I had to face my parents. They were so happy you were in my life, but you were a Band-Aid, not a cure. So, I stared to see someone. I’m still seeing them and life seems clearer now. Much clearer. I just wanted to thank you for having the courage to do what you did because I’m not sure how long I would have just taken from you and not been able to return anything to your beautiful soul.”

There were no words that could describe my feelings at that moment. He was a vet, depressed and seeing someone.

Wow.

And I was pregnant, moving and feeling like a cruel joke had been played on me.

“Well, that is, wow,” I started to say. “Awesome news. You know. Congratulations! I’m glad everything is working out for you. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go.”

“Thanks. Hey, how about I come with you?” he asked.

“No, Goliath. That’s not a good idea. Okay?” I answered.

“Phoebe, I told you what happened. What else do you want?” he pleaded with me.

“Nothing. That’s the thing, I don’t want anything from you.”

He nodded his head and said, “I see. I have more work to do to regain your trust.”

“No, actually you don’t. Things are settled between us.” I gestured towards him. “We’re good and plus, I’m moving at the end of next week.”

The look on his face would have made a lion pee on himself.

“Moving?” he growled.

Oh boy.

“Yeah, I’m moving to Savannah, Georgia.”

“The fuck you are,” he snapped at me and shook his head. “No, you’re not moving anywhere and you’re damn sure not moving out of this state without me.”

“Goliath,” I snapped back, “you have no right to tell me anything about where I will and will not go.”

He leaned into me and said, “You think so?”

“I know so,” I glared at him.

Our noses were nearly touching when he leaned in even further. “Babe, I’m telling you now, you’re not leaving without me. So prepare for that. You’ve been warned.”

Then he turned around and jogged down the stairs.

Warned.

What was he going to do? Tie me up?

G
oliath
:

A
pollo’s words
came back to me and never did I think I’d see the day when my light would stand against me toe-to-toe and tell me I had no rights. I had fucked up more royally than I thought.

Hopping in my truck, I drove back to
Peppers
and texted Apollo ahead of time to make sure he was there.

When I arrived, I saw a cute brunette glaring at him from across their table. As I got closer, I was able to hear the heated exchange.

“You think because you make some declaration of love, that’s all it takes. All things are forgiven? No, Connor, it does not work that way. You utterly humiliated me and for what? Yes, I was over the top, as you say. Yes, I needed a wake-up call and I got the help I needed. But you think all is well and forgiven. You think because I’m engaged now and haven’t thought about you,
not one goddamn bit
, that you can come in and sweep up the roadkill you left in your wake? Well,” she leaned in, “fuck you and the bike you rode in on.”

When she went to stand up, he grabbed her wrist and said, “Sweetness, you can be mad as a rattlesnake but I’m telling you, as the sun is yellow and the sky is blue, you’ll be mine. Every goddamn inch of you. For keeps. Want to know how I know, because we’re just right for each other. Fucked up in many ways, but we understand that shit better than anyone. Baby, you’re brave and I commend you for that. I’m a dick but I swear to you, I’ll spend my life fixing that shit. I won’t rest till I do.”

The woman shook her head, snatched her arm from him and said, “Well, don’t rest. See if I care.”

Then she walked off.

She nearly bumped into me and said, “I’m sorry,” then stormed out.

Apollo looked up at me and said, “Now, tell me you got some wisdom on how to tame that.”

He laughed.

I shook my head and said, “Fuck, I came here looking for some wisdom from you.”

He raised an eyebrow and said, “Well, I’ll give you this. I did what you said and that’s the first time she’s spoken to me since the incident last year. So, I made her hear me.”

“Well, damn.” I nodded.

“Yeah, damn.” He took a sip of his beer. “She’s mine, though. I feel that shit in my bones. It’s hard to explain.”

“No need for explanations. I know exactly what you’re talking about. Mine won’t give me the time of day. I guess I didn’t take your advice because she said I didn’t have the right to tell her a goddamn thing. Thought about what you said. How you fucked up with your lady and can't even be in a room with her. Now my Phoebe is moving.”

“Holy shit, brother.” He whistled. “I thought I had problems. Well, mine thinks she’s getting married but I’m about to break that shit up.”

I’m not sure why I laughed as hard as I did, but that shit was funny.

“Break it the fuck up,” I said as I kept laughing.

Apollo joined me and we hung out for hours as he began to tell me the stories of his fallen brothers from war. I shared some of mine and even told him I was now getting help. He said he had to do the same for a while because he was not coping well. We even talked about Phoebe for a little and he actually did give some tangible advice that I planned to implement as early as tomorrow. Razor came in a little later and so did Bronx. Their women were all together at some mall in Lancaster talking about Apollo’s latest incident with the brunette.

“Shit, they meeting up now? Wait until I implement phase three on her ass.” He laughed. “They’re really going to have conferences and shit.”

“Man, you fuck up my marriage because of your bullshit, I’m fucking you up,” Razor said but he was laughing.

“Same goes for me,” Bronx added. “The day Shay comes home mad about what Apollo did to Lori and can’t give me what I need. It’ll be me and you in the ring.”

“We can do that shit, man. I don’t give a fuck. She’s going to be mine, one way or another.”

“Well, you can’t be mad at him,” I chimed in. “A man who knows what he wants is a dangerous man.”

They looked at me, then nodded their heads. “Fact is, we were both just there a year or two ago. So we understand, but these women are tight, brother. I’m telling you. Thick as thieves, the three of ‘em. Whenever you decide to join us Guardians, I’m sure yours will be a part of that crew too. Then we will hear your take on what it is going to take to get your woman to spread her legs after she comes home mad about something either Apollo or Bear did to their woman.” Razor nodded. “Then we’ll talk.”

“Man, sounds like you talking from experience.” Bronx laughed.

“Because I fucking am,” he snapped. “I had to literally give her something else to concentrate on after the first time Apollo fucked up with Lori. Kylie had just got cleared for sex from the doctors after her incident. Man, I would have fucked you up myself.”

We all laughed at Razor’s pain.

They were a good group and as soon as I could get Phoebe to talk to me, I’d have her come down to meet everyone. After a while, I left them and came back home to implement my plan.

* * *

“
O
h my God
,” she screamed. “Goliath, what in the world are you doing here? You scared the hell out of me.”

I was sitting on her couch in the living room watching television when she walked out of the bedroom.

“Hey sweetheart, your breakfast is in the oven,” I called. “Also, you ran out of milk and yogurt, so I restocked for you, along with some other things.”

I rose off the couch, walked to her and kissed her forehead.

“Come on, let’s eat.”

“Goliath, what are you doing here? How did you get in?” she asked but continued to follow me into the kitchen.

“I’m here because it’s breakfast time and you need to eat.”

“You know?” she asked.

“Know what?” I raised an eyebrow.

“Nothing, just why are you here?” she asked again.

“Already told you,” I said as I placed the hot plate in front of her. “Eat.”

Her face turned a shade of green and then she bolted out of her seat and ran towards the back. I looked at the food to make sure there was nothing wrong. It was all of her favorites.

What the fuck?

I followed her in the bathroom and sat down to hold her hair as she continued to wretch. It was then I noticed the pre-natal vitamins on the counter along with a can of ginger ale.

What the fuck was going on?

“Phoebe, you got something you want to tell me?” I asked when she was finished.

She stood up, brushed her teeth and turned to me.

“I’m pregnant.”

Oh my God.

“I gathered as much.” I nodded. “Were you going to tell me we are having a baby?”

“Yes,” she said.

“When?”

“After I had left.” Her eyes met mine. “Thought it would be easier to deal with your rejection.”

My head felt as though all the progress I had made in the past few months was being erased by the ever present darkness in my soul. Any anger fed this dimness and I was still working on that issue.

“My rejection, huh?” I shook my head. “You got a lot of fucking nerve. You break up with me, deny me a chance to fix what I’ve broken, won’t hear me out, but I am the one that rejected you. You think I’d reject our child? Phoebe, that’s bullshit and you know better.”

“It’s not. I didn’t want to disrupt your relationship and be a ‘baby mama’. So, I just figured I’d let you know after I moved so you could decide without any pressure from me.”

“My relationship? What the fuck are you talking about?” I asked.

“Your relationship. You said that you were seeing someone and you were happy about it. So, I didn’t want to come in between that.”

I thought back to what she could have been talking about, then it hit me.

“I’m not seeing anyone romantically. I meant my therapist. I’m seeing someone for my depression. He’s a war veteran too.”

Her mouth opened wide enough that a fly could have flown in there.

“Oh,” she said.

“Yeah, oh.” I shook my head. “How far along are we?”

“Two months.”

“You’ve been to see a doctor?”

“Yes.”

My hand rubbed her stomach and I said, “We’re having a baby.”

“No, I am,” she clarified.

“No, we are. You and me are having this baby. This is the best news I’ve had in a while since you left me.”

“Goliath, I’m moving.”

“No, you’re not,” I said.

“Yes, I am,” she emphasized and moved back. “I really am. This is not Goliath’s world and everything goes his way. He wants me, I’m his. He doesn’t, I’m not. I will not dance to the beat of your drum anymore or anyone else’s. I’ve tried to be what you needed but what about what I need?”

She was angrier than I’d seen her. My Phoebe didn’t get angry and upset. She laughed things off and ignored reality. This Phoebe was livid.

“Babe, I fucked up,” I said with my hands up and elbows bent in surrender. “Fucked all the way up, but never meant to hurt you.”

I moved in close to see that her tear ducks were full and her face was splotched red.

“I need you, Phoebe. Sweetheart, more than I ever knew but I’m telling you, I need you. You were made for me and that’s just the God’s honest truth. In every way, you’re mine. I’m not leaving you here and I’ll go where you go and move where you move but you know what I’m saying is true.”

Her head was shaking and she said, “You don’t know me. You don’t really know me, Goliath.” The tears had spilled over. “You don’t.”

“Oh, I do.” I lifted her head up towards mine and wiped her cheeks. “Why are you the one fighting this now? You fucking ran me down but now, what? We’re pregnant? Things changed. We got into an argument? Come on Phoebe, what the fuck?”

She tried to lower her head but I wouldn’t let her. There was no easy way out of this because we were fighting for matters of the heart. War was one thing. Love was another. Though there were often causalities in both, nothing would die tonight. I was prepared to fight until I had the victory with Phoebe.

“You just don’t get it. Okay?” Phoebe exhaled. “I used to acquiesce to the beat of other people’s drums. I stopped. I came here and stopped. Okay? I have to be this person and I won’t be that one anymore and I’m never turning back into that woman. I just won’t let that happen again, even if that means losing one of my best friends.”

“Come with me, tonight,” I asked her. “I want to take you somewhere with me and I want you to meet some folks.”

“What?” she asked.

“Come with me. I want you to meet some people. Okay?” That caught her off guard, so I went in for a minty kiss.

At first, she paused, then her arms wrapped around my neck as she began to pull me down to deepen the kiss. Then I picked her up by wrapping my hands around her thighs and placing her on the counter. I moved her tank top straps out of the way and began to feast on her nipples. Her moans spurred me on as I removed her bottoms.

Phoebe was not timid as she ripped my shirt off and pulled my shorts down. Once I lined my hard cock up outside her wet center, I held onto her hair and back, while she dug her nails in my neck. The connection was made and I rocked in and out of her until my legs grew weak.

“Phoebe,” I growled and bit her neck.

Her nails dug deeper which spurred my release into her tight channel.

She sighed in my ear and I knew without one doubt, I always wanted her satisfied.

* * *

“
S
o
, I’m not moving?” she asked me as I fed her yogurt in bed.

“Nope.”

“How can you be so sure?” She swallowed a spoon full of yogurt.

“I won’t let you and you don’t really want to.” I licked the spoon. “You were mad at me. I get it.”

“I was not moving because of you,” she said.

“Did you decide to move before or after you found out about the baby?” I asked.

I knew what the answer was, but since she was being difficult, I felt it was only right to return the favor.

“Before.” She challenged me with her eyes.

“Yeah, but was that because you thought I wouldn't want to be a part of my child’s life or you didn't want me to be a part.”