"You have got to be kidding me." Paul looked over at Punk who sat behind his desk in his office, "She's pregnant?"
"Look, you're acquainted to the idea just as much as I am." He looked over at his boss, running his hand over his tired face. It had been a rough twenty four hours. Too much had been going on, and he didn't need his boss getting all up in his face about everything.
"You're lucky that I have a little bit of good news then." Paul said as Punk sat up, intrigued.
"What? Tell me." He said impatiently.
"Seth and the guys over in Albania found one of the men we're looking for." Paul said as Punk nodded.
"So what now? Has the guy they've found shed any information?" He asked, "This could be it. This could be the start of shutting these guys down." He said.
"Oh, Phil. Enough of the false belief." Paul said, "You know as well as I do that there are much more of them, and they're spread out." He said, "Yeah, it helps. We've found one. But things are going to get worse before better." He said as Punk sighed, collapsing back against his chair.
"Well then tell me what to do! Because I feel hopeless here." He said, "My girlfriend is on the line. My..." He looked down, quietening his voice, "My kid is on the line here." He said.
"I wish it was simpler than this, Phil. You know if it was I would do it." He said, "I think we gotta talk to Jamie. I'll keep you updated if Seth gets back to me. He's been talking to the Albanian all morning. The bastard isn't saying anything." Paul said, "I gotta go, but you can go work from home today. Be with April." He said.
"I hope this doesn't get to the point where I have to go find all of the fuckers myself, Paul. Because you know I will. I'm not letting my innocent girlfriend die over something she has nothing to do with." He stood up abruptly, "If you haven't got back to me in twenty four hours, I'm getting my gear, and I'm going to find the boss for this shit." He said, walking by Paul and out of the office.
"How are you feeling?" Punk asked whilst walking into he and AJs bedroom where he had left her this morning, a blueberry muffin in hand. He had left her throwing up this morning at 6am, standing half asleep whilst holding her hair back as she leaned over the pan.
"Better." AJ smiled. She had spent her day in bed, hugging into the duvet, throwing up from time to time, having faded back to feeling normal after her unwell. Morning sickness at its finest.
"Here." He sat down on the edge of the bed, shifting her legs slightly as he passed her the muffin.
"Oh, what did you get me?" She looked in the brown paper bag, "My favourite." She smiled, about to take it out when she noticed he looked down. Not that he had been looking full of happiness recently anyway, but he looked sad, and she hated seeing him this way.
"Hey, you ok?" She asked, sitting the muffin on the bedside cabinet watching him just shrug.
"I'm gonna have to go over and join Seth in Albania, April." Punk said as she shook her head immediately, "Yeah, I am. This shit needs to stop. I won't… I won't let you get hurt because of this. Not when we have so much to lose." He said, "I've told Paul that if he doesn't get back to me in the next day, I'm going out." He said.
"What if you get hurt, Phil?" She shook her head, "I can't lose you either." She sighed, "What if they come back here, to the house?" She asked with fear trembling in her voice.
"I'll have cops surrounding the house around the clock. Don't worry." He told her, "You gotta let it sink in that this is happening, baby. I know that you're saying it'll be alright, and I love how strong you're being, I love it. But you're in a lot of danger, you and our baby." He said, "And I can't let anything happen to you. Either of you." He said.
"I know I'm in danger, Phil. And I am even more terrified than you are. But I am being strong for our baby." She told him as he nodded.
"I know you are. And that's great, but this is getting serious. It isn't just my job to protect you, it's my job to protect others too." He said.
"How long will you be away for?" She asked quietly.
She supposed she had been avoiding the subject in the past twenty four hours. The shock of the baby, and still the shock of still being in danger hadn't quite faded, and she hadn't came to terms with the fact she was still in danger, and was still a target to these dangerous men. She supposed she had to be realistic. This couldn't go on forever.
"A few weeks." He said.
"A few weeks?!" She shrieked as she nodded.
"I'll call every night. You will be safe here. Cops will guard the house around the clock, I'll get some looking on at the school. I'll get my brother and Kerry to come over to keep you company." He said, "I know who I'm after and I know what I'm doing." He told her as she rolled her head back against the headboard.
"Please don't get hurt." She sighed, closing her eyes at the thought, "Our baby needs its father." She placed her hand on her stomach as he smiled, placing his hand atop of hers.
"I'll be fine." He smiled, leaning down and pressing a kiss on her stomach through her t-shirt, transferring the kiss up to her lips where she placed her hand at the back of his head, enjoying the warmth and feel of his lips, not knowing what she was going to do without those lips for the weeks he was planning to leave home for.
Punk headed off bright and early the next morning. AJ decided that she'd go back to work, to keep her occupied. Punk really did have cops circling their house and the school she worked at to keep an eye on her. It didn't make her feel completely safe, but it was better than nothing.
Kerry and Punks brother had been coming over to visit her, to keep her company. Punk had let his brother know what was going on, and asked him privately to make sure AJ was ok whilst he was over in Albania.
"I had all the weird cravings in the book." Kerry laughed whilst standing in the kitchen with AJ, "But I did go off red meat which was a killer." She said as AJ just smiled, pouring a drink whilst staring into space, not even realising the glass was overflowing.
"Shit..." She realised quickly, coming out of her daze and wiping the counter.
"You alright?" Kerry asked as AJ just nodded.
"I'm just really tired." AJ admitted to Kerry who nodded.
"I'll go get TJ, he was having a nap upstairs. Me and Sean will get out your hair." Kerry said as AJ nodded. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy the company. She did. She just wasn't up to making flowing conversation and pretending everything was all fine and dandy. It was too hard to do that.
Kerry exited the kitchen to go get her son whilst Sean passed her, coming into the kitchen as AJ wiped the counter which was sticky from the juice she had spilled on it.
"How you holding up?" He asked her as she just shrugged.
"Ok." She nodded from side to side, not really knowing what to say to anyone who asked that. She was in danger, pregnant, boyfriendless and scared. But apart from that, she was great.
"Phil knows what he is doing." Sean said, "He's been doing this since he was practically a kid. He'll put an end to all of this." He said as she shook her head.
"There's only one of him." She reminded him.
"Yeah, but he has a team. Doesn't he?" Sean smiled, "Try not to worry, alright?" He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, giving her a small hug as she nodded gratefully. She appreciated his and Kerry's support and help, their reassuring words meant a lot, but she just wanted to head to bed and pray that the next few weeks would go in quick and successfully.
Punk was already on the ball in Albania. They had gotten word out of the Albanian man Seth had caught, and they had managed to figure out where the boss was, and planned to track him down.
"You packing?" Seth asked Punk whilst driving on the road, Punk sitting beside him in the car as they drove.
"Yeah." Punk nodded, patting his trouser pocket to make sure he had lifted his gun.
"We gotta be careful with this one. We fuck it up then we're back at square one. He is our only hope to where the rest of the guys are at. He's gonna play dirty, and he's gonna be a right prick, but we know how to handle this, alright?" Seth said as Punk nodded.
Seth drove to the warehouse where the man they were after was located, parking outside and getting out with Punk. There was no two better coppers to handle this sort of business. They were both trained in all aspects that a police officer had to be trained in, and they were both very smart. They had this under control, and they did have back up not that far away if anything were to happen.
Punk was determined to come home to AJ, and tell her it was all over. He had to start somewhere, and getting information out of this guy they were about to meet was the start of finishing all of this.
"You ready?" Seth asked.
"Yeah, lets do it."
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