Chapter 13
Denver
Ihug my knees and stare out the balcony windows, watching the snow fall. This is all I’ve done for the past three days, holed away inside this hotel room, too embarrassed and exhausted to leave. I haven’t dressed. I haven’t showered or brushed my teeth.
I sit, and I think.
My regrets pile around me. Killing Wyatt. Walking away from Ethan. Choosing Ranger and thinking he could make me happy. Sending Axel away. Letting Colt hold me. Saying those things I said.
My choices led me here. To the city where my parents grew up, to a restaurant where I made a decision, to a moment with Colt that made me rethink the last year of my life. My focus has been working and Wilder. Now, both of those things have been stolen from me, and I’m floating. Adrift. Lost.
The door beeps, but I don’t look over as Lewis lets himself in.
“Okay, I have chocolate and a new phone. Same number, too, and you’ve probably got a fuck ton of messages from your charming husband.”
I nod quietly. “Sure.”
I hear him place bags down on the coffee table, and he crouches before me and takes my hand. “We should go for a walk.”
“No,” I say. “It’s dangerous. The Capellis probably know what I did.” An excuse. A pathetic one.
“Denver, Finn McEwan’s men are pretty much lined up around the block.”
I meet his eye. “Are they?”
“Yep. And luckily, I know one of them, so I know they’re here to protect you and nothing sinister.” He squeezes my hand. “We can go for a walk. They’ll watch out for us.”
Finn McEwan is protecting me. Likely as a thank you for saving his life, or Colt’s, but it’s still good of him. I think of his expression at the restaurant, and how he’d called me by my mom’s name. He knew her, and I wonder how close they were. He probably knew my dad, too.
“I want to stay inside.”
Lewis stares at my hand, running his thumb across my knuckles. “When I do what I’m about to do, remember how good a cook I am, how much I make you laugh, and the fact I bring you chocolate without you having to ask.”
I frown. “What do you—” He scoops me up, and I squeal. “Lewis, put me down!” He marches into the bedroom and kicks open the bathroom door. He switches the shower onto the coldest setting, and my eyes almost bulge out of my head. “Don’t you fucking dare!”
He steps under the shower with me in his arms. I scream and writhe as the icy water beats down on us, soaking my pajamas and his clothes.
“Lewis!”
“This stops,” he says, water spilling over our heads. “You’ve moped enough. This isn’t who you are.”
“I don’t know who I am!” I shout, shoving him until he puts me on my feet.
He grips my shoulders before I can dart away. “Yes, you do. You’re Denver fucking Luxe.”
“Am I?” The water runs through my hair, and I try to wrestle myself from his grip, but he’s too strong. “I’m not Deluxe. I’m not a DeLuca. I’m Ranger’s wife and that’s it.”
“Ranger is a shit! It doesn’t matter if you’re Deluxe, a Luxe, a DeLuca, or whatever else! You’re Denver. You’re always fucking Denver. And the Denver I know doesn’t sit around crying and moping because things changed.”
Anger heats my skin, even against the bitter water. “Things didn’t just change. I lost my chance to avenge Ethan.”
“Listen to yourself!” he cries, switching off the shower.
“Avenge Ethan? I didn’t even know the guy, but from what you’ve told me, revenge would be the last thing on his mind!
He loved you. He wanted you to get out. So why the hell would you burrow yourself deeper to avenge a man who wanted better for you?
” I stare at him, tears burning my eyes and mingling with the water.
He squeezes my shoulders again. “Worse things have been put aside in the interest of peace.”
“Wilder doesn’t deserve peace.”
“But you do.” He cups my face. My friend. My best friend. The anchor keeping me from floating further out to sea than I already have. “Why are you dying for someone who died long ago?”
My throat is too tight, and the ache in my heart seems to double. “Ranger doesn’t want me to be who I am, but I can’t be who he wants me to be.”
“Who the fuck cares what he thinks?” he asks. “What do you want? What does your happiness look like?”
“I—” I heave in a breath and say the only thing I can think of. “I don’t know.”
“Is it sitting in this room? Not showering? Barely eating?” I shake my head.
“Is it waiting for Ranger to come and take you so you can pretend you didn’t have a choice?
” I open my mouth to argue the point, but he knows me too well.
A part of me was waiting for that to happen.
If Ranger dragged me home, I could pretend that I had no say.
I shake my head. “You’re happiest when you’re working, Denver.
So wash your hair. Brush your fucking teeth. And turn your phone on.”
I run my tongue across my teeth. “You’re right.”
“Nine out of ten dentists would agree your breath stinks.”
I punch his arm. “Asshole.”
“Shower. Get your head straight. Then get to work.”
An hour later, I’m clean, my hair is blow-dried, I’m wearing makeup, and I’m picking an outfit. I turn on my new phone, and notifications buzz through, mostly from Ranger. I ignore them and focus on the ones from Samuel. Most are asking about the land the McEwans have. Some are asking how I am.
But there are a few missed calls from a number I don’t have saved. No texts, but a voicemail. I tap to listen, putting the phone on speaker as I slip on my skirt.
“Denver, this is Finn McEwan.” I freeze in place, and Lewis almost falls into the bedroom to listen.
“I’ve tried to call to arrange a meeting with you but haven’t been able to get through.
I’ll be at Sleek restaurant on Wednesday at lunch.
” I look at my watch. Today. In ten minutes.
Fuck. Shit. “It’s extremely important we meet.
I’m sure you’ve noticed my men are close by, so they will accompany you. ”
The message ends.
“Fuck, what do I do?” I ask Lewis. “Ranger will lose his shit if I go.”
“What if it’s about the Capellis?” Lewis asks. “There’s a reason Finn has men everywhere. If the Capellis have threatened you, then you need to know. Ranger doesn’t have the range out here to get that information.”
I chew my lip. Lewis is right. Ranger doesn’t even know what happened the other night, because if he did, he’d already be here. I need to know what’s happening.
I guess I’m going to lunch with Finn McEwan.
I’m striding through the hotel lobby when I spot the men Lewis mentioned. Two are sitting on couches reading newspapers, and one tracks me as I leave. Another is by the door, and one more is across the street.
How many more are there that I’ve missed?
I’m embarrassingly late when I stroll through the doors of Sleek. It’s a bright, airy place, with white tablecloths, large windows, and mirrors that give the illusion of an even bigger space. I look over my shoulder to speak to Lewis. “Can you wait by the—”
I slam into a brick wall. But the wall has hands, and they’re on my upper arms, keeping me upright.
“You’re late, Del.”
I blink up at Colt. He isn’t smiling, but amusement dances in his eyes as he keeps hold of me. He’s in a white shirt, the top button loose, tattoos peeking through. His sleeves are rolled up, his signature ink on full display. A man no longer in hiding.
The last time we were this close, he was holding me as I sobbed, and the memory has my skin flushing painfully hot.
“You’re here.”
He tilts his head. “I am. And Finn is waiting.”
Right. Finn. I lean to the side, and that’s when I notice the restaurant is totally empty except for Finn and one other person. He’s sitting with a woman at a round table in the center of the room.
“I thought it was just him,” I whisper.
Colt smiles. “Where’s the fun in that?” He finally releases my arms. “Go on.”
“Wait, are you not coming?” I shove aside my pride and relative dislike of him in favor of knowing at least one person at the table.
“I need to make a call.” He leans close, his lips by my ear. “Knock ’em dead, Del.”
Not the advice I need, given what happened last time I was in a restaurant.
Lewis tells me he’ll wait at the edge of the restaurant and gives me an encouraging nod as I walk over to the table. Finn stands, and the woman I saw Colt with the other night stands, too. She must be Helena McEwan.
“Denver. It’s been too long.” She yanks me into a bone-crushing hug, and it takes a lot of effort not to wince.
“Long?” I squeak as she pulls back. “We’ve met before?”
She laughs, but her smile fades when she realizes I’m not joking. “Yes, we’ve met before,” she says and places her hand on her chest. “Elephant.”
I wait for her to elaborate, but she doesn’t. “I’m sorry, I don’t understand.”
“We sent you cards every year. Birthdays, Christmases … ever since you were little. We even came to see you a few times, didn’t we, Finn?” Finn nods silently. Helena continues. “Your mom always called us Hel and Finn, but you were little, and you heard—”
“Elephant,” I say quietly. “I remember, but … I didn’t know that was you.”
I have vague memories of meeting my parents’ friends. Of cards signed Elephant. But it was so long ago.
Finn clears his throat and leans over to kiss my cheek. “Either way, it’s lovely to see you. Despite the circumstances.”
Is this a business meeting? I doubt he kisses other people on the cheek. There’s a chance he’s not used to working with women, as is the case with most men in this life, or maybe this urgency has nothing to do with what happened at the restaurant.
A hand is placed on my lower back. Colt has returned and says, “Shall we order?”
It’s more than a little surreal that I’m having lunch with the McEwans and Colt Harland.
A few weeks ago, hell, a few days ago, if someone had told me this would be happening, I’d have laughed my ass off.
But here I am, discussing chicken or fish with Helena McEwan, trying my best not to vomit from anxiety.
“So … when did you last see me?” I ask.