Chapter Twenty #2
With that ominous warning, Nikolai turned and left the room, his bodyguards surrounding him.
Seth let out the breath he’d been unconsciously holding before he hauled ass to the nearest bank of elevators, frantically stabbing the Up button with his finger. He needed to lay eyes on Heavenly—ASAP. “Come on!”
Finally, the car arrived, blessedly empty. He sprinted in, trying not to climb out of his skin.
When he reached their floor, he heard voices from inside their suite.
“…Big, scary Russian guy stopped me in the lobby. Expensive suit. Lots of tattoos. His eyes were dead.” Heavenly’s voice trembled. “He knew my name, Beck. He knew Seth. And Seth knew him.”
“Who was he?” Beck demanded.
“I-I don’t know, but when Seth showed up, he looked ready to kill the guy.”
Cursing under his breath, Seth used his key card and opened the door. They both looked up when he entered, Beck pacing while Heavenly sat on the edge of the sofa, her face pale.
Beck’s eyes locked on him before the door had even shut. “Who the fuck cornered Heavenly in the lobby and what did he want?”
Seth glanced at Heavenly, silently assuring himself that she was merely rattled before he faced Beck. “Someone I used to know. I told him in the politest way possible to back the fuck off.”
“There’s more to that story, and you’re going to give it to me.” Beck’s voice was dangerously low. “Heavenly is my fiancée and my responsibility, too. Start talking.”
“The less you know, the safer you both are.”
Beck growled, lunging into Seth’s personal space. “If you think I’m just going to let it slide that some motherfucking Russian mobster—and don’t tell me he isn’t—not only approached our woman in the lobby, but also knew her fucking name, you’re out of your goddamn mind!”
Seth ran a hand through his hair. “Nikolai Volkov is an old friend who helped me track down Silas eight years ago. We haven’t spoken since.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Beck bellowed. “You’re snooping around the dangerous shit that got Autumn and Tristan killed?”
“No!” Seth barked. “It’s not my fault he showed up. I sure as fuck didn’t invite him.”
“Then how did he know you were here? And how the fuck does he know Heavenly’s name?”
“We’re on his turf. It’s his job to know.”
“I don’t give a flying fuck about his job,” Beck bit out. “I want to know how the motherfucker has so much information about her. Did he shove a tracker up your ass eight years ago?”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” Seth scowled. “He wanted information. I made it crystal clear that I didn’t have any. Honestly, I don’t expect to hear from him again.”
“You better be right,” Beck warned, pulling Heavenly protectively into his arms. “If your past gets her hurt—if it gets our baby hurt—I will end you myself.”
Though Beck’s threat made Seth’s blood boil, the mention of their potential child had his chest tightening. “I would never let anything happen to either of you. You should know that.”
“You can’t control this.”
“I can, by not getting involved again. I made it clear that I’m out. What the fuck else do you want me to do? I can’t change the past.”
“Just don’t fucking drag it into our future. If you start that shit, we’re done.”
The realization that a cop had probably murdered his loved ones made Seth seethe. Made him crave revenge. But… “I’ve already lost too fucking many people. Do you really think I’m reckless enough to risk you and Heavenly? To risk Hudson, too?”
Beck hesitated, then grimaced and rubbed at the back of his neck. “Fuck. Point taken. I’m just worried.”
“I know. And I’m glad you want to protect her. I can’t be with her every minute, so it’s good she’s got you watching out for her, too.”
Beck relaxed slightly but kept his arms around Heavenly. “What did he want to know?”
“If I had any information about the organization Silas probably worked for. Apparently, it’s grown since I killed him, and now they’re infringing on Nikolai’s territory. But I didn’t have anything to give him. So that was that.”
Relief skipped over Beck’s face. “Make sure it stays that way.”
Seth intended to, but…the organization knew he was in town. They were watching. Despite his best efforts to leave the past behind, the worry that history would repeat itself in the worst possible way buzzed through his brain.
Seth shoved down rising apprehension. As much as their spying pissed him off, he couldn’t fall back into old patterns. He’d made his choice to move on.
Life and love, he silently pledged.
“I’ll do everything I can.” He cradled Heavenly’s crown.
“Are you two good now?” Heavenly asked. “I hate it when you fight.”
Seth caught Beck’s gaze. When the doctor nodded, Seth smiled her way. “We’re done. I’m sorry Nikolai scared you. He should never have approached you. I’ll die before I let anyone hurt you.”
Heavenly sat cross-legged on the hotel suite’s sofa, accepting the paper plate Beck handed her before he distributed napkins.
The pizza box from the takeout place around the corner sat open on the coffee table, grease already seeping through the cardboard, the scent of pepperoni and Italian spices filling the room.
She grabbed a slice and bit in, the cheese still hot enough to burn the roof of her mouth.
Seth finally stopped pacing near the window long enough to snag two slices, though he remained standing, eating mechanically while staring out at the city skyline.
The last two hours had crossed from tense to unsettled. He had apologized for his encounter with Nikolai, but Beck was still furious. Heavenly saw both sides. Yes, she’d been shaken, but Seth had been ambushed by the big Russian. That wasn’t his fault.
He’d also sworn he wasn’t getting involved in the past again. Heavenly believed he meant that—in the moment. But she was less convinced he’d be able to refuse if his past came for him again.
Even now, hours later, Seth was still on edge, his usual easy confidence replaced by something coiled. Watchful. Dangerous.
“Hey, um…” Seth reached for another slice of pizza. “I have a meeting with a Realtor at four-thirty. To sell my house.”
The one he’d shared with his late wife and son. Heavenly’s stomach tightened. Seth had already been through a lot today. That would only heap more trauma on his shoulders.
“I shouldn’t be long.” He didn’t quite meet their eyes. “Stay here and…enjoy the room.”
She caught his subtext immediately: make love, try to conceive, stay in this safe cocoon while he faced his demons alone.
She met Beck’s stare across the room and saw instant agreement.
Absolutely not.
“We’re coming with you,” Heavenly insisted, shoving her plate onto the table and rising to her feet.
Seth’s lips tightened. “Angel, you don’t have to—“
“I want to.” She crossed the room to him, cupping his hard shoulder with a gentle hand. “After what you went through the last time you were there, we’re not letting you do this alone.”
Beck approached, nodding. “We’re not. So stop that bullshit now.”
Seth’s throat worked, seeming to struggle against emotion. “Thank you.”
He always tried to protect them, insisting he was strong and capable enough to handle anything without help. The relief on his face now told her he was glad he didn’t have to face this tragic remnant of his past alone.
They finished eating, the weight of their earlier argument and the upcoming meeting stifling their usual banter. When Heavenly began cleaning up, Beck took the empty box from her and discarded it before pulling her against his side.
“This afternoon is going to be rough on him,” he murmured against her hair.
“That’s why I insisted on going.” For the men she loved, she would walk through fire.
Beck kissed her nose. “And that’s one reason we love you.”
Forty-five minutes later, they climbed into an Uber, the silence so thick it felt choking.
Heavenly sat between her men, holding both their hands as the city passed, a blur through the windows.
Seth’s shoulders were tense, his mouth a flat line as he gripped her almost too tightly.
She gave him a supportive squeeze and refused to pull away.
As they drove toward the suburbs, skyscrapers gave way to strip malls. The trees here were more plentiful, their branches creating tunnels of green overhead.
The driver stopped at a red light. Without the forward motion, the strain in the car somehow felt even more uncomfortably tight. Heavenly wished she could think of something to say to break it and make Seth smile.
Suddenly, Beck pointed out the window. “Hey, Seth. Look.”
He glanced over. “Yeah?”
“There’s a White Castle. Want to stop?”
Seth scowled. “Why? We just ate.”
“You could have a quickie in the men’s room and…reminisce.” Beck’s grin turned both teasing and wicked. “Maybe reenact your first time with Mary Jo Bartkowicz.”
Seth rolled his eyes, then burst out laughing—a genuine ripple of mirth that lightened the weight on her chest. Beck joined in, and within seconds, all three of them were shaking with it.
“You’re both disgusting.” Heavenly tsked. “That poor girl. It must have been horrible.”
“Hey! She left with a smile on her face.” Seth glared indignantly, but she caught the grin curling up his lips.
“More likely, you did. Nothing that happens in a bathroom stall is sexy.” Heavenly shook her head. “Besides, you were only fourteen.”
“So? I was precocious.”
“And lasted…what, all of ten seconds? You were just a horndog,” Beck corrected.
“Says the man who lost his virginity to a—“
“Shut it! We’re not talking about Gloria,” Beck cut in.
Thanks to the levity, Seth’s grip on Heavenly’s hand had loosened, his breathing smoothed out. The joke had done its job. By the time the Uber pulled up in front of a modest ranch-style house with cream siding and hunter green shutters, Seth looked…not calm exactly, but steadier.
Seth climbed out, then extended his hand to her. She took it and eased from the back seat as his gaze swept the empty driveway before lifting to the house.