Chapter 9. Monaco Bling

It is the buzz of her phone that wakes Lara up from her fitful slumber, the growing child in her womb beginning to make her irritable. Her otherwise calm demeanor has become irate. She glances drowsily at the phone and immediately sits up when the caller ID indicates that it is Claire.

“Claire!” She exclaims with a hushed tone of voice, since subconsciously a part of her fears that she would hear a man over the phone growling out details for a ransom or threatening to call the cops. This is the only reasonable explanation for Claire going off the grid for this length of time without a trace.

“Darling…” Claire draws, her sultry voice filling Lara’s ears, as though the last time they spoke was yesterday, or perhaps she had just come back from a walk in the park.

“Where the hell have you been, Claire?”

There's nervous laughter at the end of the phone, followed by forced coughs to clear the uneasy energy. The thing is, Lara’s usual response would have been a