CHAPTER SIXTEEN
– LINA –
Hope. The relief I feel ignites hope for the future. I didn’t expect Heart’s reaction. The disappointment I felt when he mentioned Karev made him handle the shit I was wrapped in, in exchange for having me hit a nerve.
Another reminder of how I’m a burden to everyone in my past, and basically why Karev advised me not to have any relationships.
Maybe he knew Heart would be different, forcing him to claim me.
I squeeze our joined hands as we walk down the hallway.
A smile tugs my lips as I glance down and see his fingers squeeze in return.
The movement is one I feel inside my chest; Heart makes my heart skip a beat.
The line makes me smile wider while I simultaneously wonder, “Is Heart your given name?”
“Nope, it’s Ted,” he rumbles.
I blink a few times and ask, “It’s not short for Theodore, and your middle name isn’t Robert, or a last name somewhere in the lines of Bundy or so much as rhymes with it, right?”
Heart barks out a laugh and stops to take my face in his hands. “No, Lina. My name is Teddy Axel Nichols.”
“Then why don’t they call you Axel? Or Nic? Why Heart?” I ask while my gaze drops to his lips.
Screw getting the answer, I want his mouth on mine.
My question is suddenly harshly answered by my annoying half-brother.
“The fucker always goes for the heart of the matter. Cuts straight through the bullshit and goes for the core without any emotional attachments. He’s a loyal fucker, is dedicated, and easy to be around.
If any man would tolerate you, it’d be him.
It’s why I demanded he’d claim you, and he did.
Now, are you two done fucking around? Because I didn’t think you had a tender side to you.
Protective and possessive, sure...having actual hearts in your eyes? Fuck no.”
“Fuck off, asshole,” Heart growls. “She’s not an item you throw at someone and be done with it.”
Karev shrugs. “You caught her fast enough when I threw her at you.”
“What the actual fuck?” Heart snarls and lunges for Karev.
“Nooooo,” I scream and hear the hard sound of a fist hitting a face as Heart throws a punch.
Karev gives Heart a shove against the shoulder. “I’ll give you a free pass because I’m in a piss-poor mood and was taking it out on you, keeping me waiting while getting your damn dick wet.”
“You’re an insensitive prick who should be neutered,” Heart grits through his teeth. “We had an important discussion, something two people do when they have a damn relationship.”
Karev snorts. “Right. Throwing words out while you’re fucking isn’t considered a discussion. Though, I could see the importance of it if it’s dirty talk. Speeds things up.”
“I give up,” Heart grumbles and walks back to me and says on a whisper, “Good thing you two are only half related because he’s missing more than a few working brain cells.”
“Heard that,” Karev snaps.
Heart flips him off and that’s when Fatal grits, “Cut it out you two. Fucking hell, it’s like watching two kids go head-to-head instead of two vice presidents. Church. All of you.”
I reach out and grab Heart’s wrist to give a slight squeeze. “I’m going to find Norie.”
Heart winces. “Sorry, darlin’. You’re in church with us. There have been some developments we need to discuss.”
He places a hand on my lower back and guides me inside the room. Most, if not all the bikers of Heart’s MC are already inside.
I glance at Karev. “None of your buddies joined your five-hour ride?”
Karev grimaces. “I came straight from Valentinius Calvania, the one who sent Rob your way around three months ago. No one knew the coins were stolen way before that date. Not three months, but a little over six months ago. Calvania knew the tray of watches was missing as well, but couldn’t care less.
Those three golden Roman coins, though? Yeah, he needs them back.
Any chance you know where those fuckers are stashed so I can get out of a marriage? ”
“What?” I squeak and gape at my half-brother.
Did he say marriage?
Heart barks out a laugh. “Did you really just say the man ruling the Maryland underworld is forcing you to marry? Like an arranged marriage? As in Mafia style?”
Karev shoots Heart a glare. “Fate or forced marriages. In my world you don’t have much choice either way.”
I frown at the weird statement while Fatal claps a hand on Karev’s shoulder. “Fate is better than forced in any situation. Besides, there’s only one world, brother...one we all share.”
“The chick you’re being forced to marry, is she pretty?” Remus asks and wiggles his eyebrows.
My half-brother saunters to a chair and plunks down. “Fuck if I know. The fucker has three daughters. He mentioned something about the oldest. I didn’t pay attention ’cause I don’t care.”
“Nice, not caring about your future wife. It definitely shows potential for the marriage.” My voice holds all the judgement I feel.
He flips me off. “Did you care about the fucker who claimed you because I told him to?”
“Hey,” Heart snaps. “She held my interest the second I met her.”
Karev snorts. “Watching a woman kill before your eyes sparks interest? Thanks for giving me your two cents. I might need to put it to the test...who knows, she might kill me. I haven’t met the woman yet, so we still have options.”
“For fuck’s sake,” Fatal grumbles. “Let’s solve this shit and get the coins back. That way you won’t have to marry anyone.”
Karev rubs the back of his head. “We have forty-eight hours or wedding bells are going to give me a fucking headache for an eternity.”
“How in the hell are we going to find three golden coins that have been missing for months and no one has seemed to find them yet?” I glance around to make sure everyone is paying attention because this is a huge damn issue.
Heart faces me and says, “The timeline is all screwed up. We need to check your warehouse again, maybe even the store. Digby said he saw a clock and a statue in your store, the ones that were in the house of the man who stole the coins from Calvania.”
My eyes go wide. “They thought I had the coins because they saw the man’s stuff.
” One thing doesn’t add up, though. “If Rob was sent here three months ago to find the coins...why didn’t he find them?
He had the tray with all the watches. I didn’t even know that existed in my inventory.
He must have gone through all the stuff already. ”
“Then we’ll go through everything again. Check your little book with details and let me know what items you bought through a whole inventory six months ago. I’m not leaving here until we have those damn coins,” Karev growls.
I hate the thought of Karev being forced into marriage. Even if he threw me at Heart. At the time I hated him for forcing me on Heart, while we do seem to get along perfectly.
Feeling somewhat sorry for my half-brother I ask, “Can’t you just reimburse him or something? If you don’t want to get married, I might be able to get some money.”
Karev gives me a look as if I’ve lost my mind.
“The coins are priceless, Lina. Centuries old, Lina. If there would be a price on those fuckers we’d be talking millions.
Again...priceless. We only have forty-eight hours to find them, or my balls will be shackled to fuck knows what the name of one of his daughters is. ”
I wince and hate the situation we’re in.
Well, I was clearly unknowingly pulled into something.
How the hell was I to know buying an inventory of a house would mean I’d obtain something I have no damn clue about.
Something stolen. Now Karev is being pulled into it... possibly ruining the rest of his life.
All while this mess led me to Heart, giving a new spin on my life and a future I didn’t even know was possible. Heart showed me my body reacts to him, he makes me feel things...things I can’t explain.
Love is a huge word after only knowing a person for a few days. Yet, I’m definitely fond of this man which means our relationship holds a promise of long term where it might ultimately strengthen to love.
Such heavy thoughts spin inside my head. We only have two days to find the coins and get Karev off the hook. He was there to help me, which means I need to return the favor. I get to my feet and with it draw the attention of everyone around me.
Pulling the keys out of my pocket, I hand them to Heart.
“Let’s go. We need to go to the store and the warehouse to look at everything again.
Well, after I check my book because it will give us the right space to search for the items I bought six months ago.
There aren’t that many complete inventories I buy. So, that does narrow things down.”
“What if the one who put everything into the boxes, or the truck driver who transported the boxes stole the coins?” Quint asks.
I shake my head. “If this happened six months ago? I would have been the one to oversee things. Let’s see if we can find the inventory I listed, and if so? We could also check the name who I bought it from.”
Everyone else gets to their feet and I head for Heart’s room to get my book.