Chapter 10
Ten
WALKER
As soon as the ringing started, I was awake. My time in the military had trained me to be a light sleeper, to jump into consciousness at the drop of a pin.
Light filtered into the room through the cracks in my window blind, and I turned in my bed to grab my ringing phone off the nightstand.
Brodan’s name flashed on the screen. I noted it was five minutes to six, and my alarm was about to go off.
I didn’t work Saturdays, but I didn’t like sleeping in for too long, and Brodan knew that.
“Morning,” I answered, shoving my duvet off and sliding out of bed.
“Aye, and it’s a good one,” Bro answered.
I froze at the emotion in his voice. “Oh?”
“I’m officially a dad, Walk. My son was born this morning. We’ve called him Lennox.”
I was sincerely happy for him as I wandered into my kitchen. “I’m chuffed for you, Bro. Congrats, man.” But something occurred to me. “Isn’t Lennox a bit early?”
“By a week. The doctors think stress caused Roe’s water to break, but they’ve assured me both Monroe and Lennox are doing well.”
“What stress? Physical stress?”
“Ah … no. Not exactly. It was Sloane.”
My hand stilled on the coffee pot. “What about Sloane?”
“She was in Inverness last night, walking back to her car, and she was attacked by what she thought was a mugger. But he didn’t go for her purse, Walk, so I’m worried this is a retaliation from Hoffman.”
Anger churned low in my gut. “Is she all right? Did he hurt her? Where is she?”
Brodan was silent for too many seconds. Then, “She’s fine. She pepper-sprayed him in the eyes and he took off.”
“Good girl.” I relaxed marginally.
My friend snorted. “I beg you not to say those words to her. No, on second thought, do it. Preferably in front of me.”
“Short of entertainment these days? Is becoming a father not entertaining enough?”
“Aye, all right, you moody bastard. Sloane and Callie are fine. Sloane came to the hospital with us and stayed for the birth, but I had one of the men come from the estate to escort her home.”
“Why didn’t you call me to come get her?”
“Well … she asked me not to.”
I jerked back like the fucker had hit me. That stung. I didn’t know why since I’d made up my mind to stay away from her.
“Anyway, she’s fine. She’s home. Lachlan is going to look into whether Hoffman might be behind it.”
“Why do you think it wasn’t a mugging?”
Brodan sighed. “Walk … any other day, I’d want to discuss this, but Sloane is fine, my brother’s dealing with it, and I want to celebrate the arrival of my wee boy for today. Just for today. So I’m going to get back to my wife and son. He’d quite like to meet his uncle Walker soon.”
Uncle Walker.
Fuck.
Agitated but touched, I replied, “Text me when Roe’s up for visitors. I’ll be there.”
“Uh, wait a second. Roe wants to talk to you.”
Frowning, I waited as Brodan passed his phone to her.
“Walker?” Monroe’s voice filled my ear.
“Congrats, Roe. Happy for you.”
“Thank you.” I could hear the smile in her voice but also the exhaustion. “Lennox is eager to meet his uncle Walker, so why don’t you pop by the house this evening?”
“You’ll be home then?”
“Lennox and I are doing well so they said we can go home this afternoon.”
“Are you sure you don’t need rest?”
“No, I want my son surrounded by his family as much as possible. That includes you, you know.”
Emotion thickened my throat. “Aye, okay. I’ll be there.”
“Great. We’ll see you soon.”
She hung up and I stared at my phone, my mind already racing to Sloane and Callie. If Hoffman had sent someone after her, I’d kill the prick. But maybe it was a mugging. What the hell was she doing in Inverness on a Friday night, anyway?
I itched to call her.
“Why didn’t you call me to come get her?”
“Well … she asked me not to.”
Fuck.
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d held a baby in my arms, but there was no getting around it when Brodan planted his son in mine and left him there.
Lennox Adair was a big baby, and I wondered how Monroe could have been carrying him inside her wee body for so long.
He had the chubbiest cheeks I’d ever seen and blue-gray eyes the size of marbles.
He wriggled restlessly in my hold, his wee fists curled, arms stretching, his legs kicking beneath the blanket he was wrapped in.
I bent my head to his and his eyes widened as I commanded gently, “Settle, wee yin.”
He immediately stilled in my arms.
“That’s some trick.” Brodan snorted from where he sat on the arm of his sofa. Monroe was curled up on the couch under blankets, resting her head on his thigh as she watched me with her son.
“It’s all in the voice,” I said, holding out a finger to Lennox.
He grasped onto it and showed me his gums.
“He likes you.” Monroe beamed. “He likes Uncle Walker.”
“Well, who wouldn’t?” I said dryly.
After a few more minutes of holding my “nephew,” walking him around the large living room of my friend’s home, the doorbell rang.
Soon the room was filled with Adairs, and Lennox was slowly passed from aunt to uncle.
I could admit only to myself that I’d hoped to see Sloane and was worried when she wasn’t there.
Not long after the arrival of their family, I’d left the room to use the downstairs loo and when I came out, Monroe was blocking my way.
I frowned, concerned. “Should you be up?”
She waved off my worried question. “Forget about me for a second. I need a big favor from you.”
“All right.” I nodded.
“I need you to look out for Sloane.”
I stiffened. “Monroe—”
“Last night wasn’t a mugging. He didn’t go near her purse. She dropped it on the ground and he still attacked her, Walker.”
Anger rushed through me. “Hoffman.”
“Possibly. She said he was too tall for Hoffman, but you know he’d hire someone to do his dirty work.” Roe nibbled on her lip and took a step toward me. “But it might not be Hoffman. I … I can’t go into it because it’s not my story to tell, but there is someone else who might want to hurt Sloane.”
“Who?” I demanded roughly.
Her eyes widened. “I can’t tell you. But I need you to promise me you’ll watch over her. She won’t accept help. I wanted to hire someone to protect her, and she said no because she can’t afford it. But she’d accept your help, Walker, if it meant protecting Callie.”
“I can’t protect either of them if I don’t know who I’m protecting them from.” Frustration churned inside me. I’d always known, hadn’t I, that Sloane was running from something? That the Howards had something to do with it.
“I can’t.” Monroe scowled, her chin setting stubbornly.
“I won’t betray her confidence. But maybe she’ll tell you.
I just need to know you’ll look out for her.
” She ran a shaky hand through her hair.
“I’m going to be so exhausted and preoccupied with Lennox, and I don’t want her to feel alone. I need to—”
I waved away her worries. “Stop stressing. Look after yourself and your son. I’ll look after Sloane and Callie.”
It was a dangerous promise. But I knew that I would have gotten involved even if Roe hadn’t asked. I couldn’t leave Sloane out there unprotected. Even if I also couldn’t let myself dwell on the real reasons why.