by Shayla Black
People honked. The surgeon flipped them off and kept going.
“You’re a crazy son of a bitch,” Seth remarked with total admiration.
“Got a better idea?”
“Nope.” He grabbed on to the door handle. “Just don’t mind my ass puckered in the seat over here.”
“I know how to drive, asshole. You can unclench.”
“Said one control freak to the other,” Seth muttered. He might even have laughed if he hadn’t been strung so tightly.
When he checked her location again, he realized they were almost on Heavenly’s ass. But would they find her alone…or Pike forcing a gun in her ribs and forcing her to go somewhere isolated so he could rape and murder her?
“Are we close?” Beck asked.
“Yeah. Get back over. She should be less than fifty yards ahead.” And thank fuck Beck was in a convertible because Seth flung off his seat belt and stood, grabbing on to the frame to get a better vantage point.
“See her?”
He scanned the multiple fucking lanes of traffic. How was it possible this city had so much road and yet was still so snarled with cars all the damn time? Lack of mass transit, backward fuckers. New York knew how it was done…
Finally, he spotted his SUV because his Empire Gold license plate stood out in the sea of California white. “Two lanes left, three cars up. Get there.”
“How the fuck…” Beck sighed. “Is she alone?”
“I can’t tell.”
“I hope so.”
No shit.
“Sit your ass down, daredevil, before we get pulled over and I lose her.”
Seth glared. “Oh, because your sidewalk stunt was totally legal.”
“Hey,” Beck yelled. “We caught up to her, didn’t we?”
“Almost. Get your ass over two lanes.”
“I’m trying.” The surgeon darted in front of another car and managed to squeeze in an empty pocket on his left. “I see her now.”
“Fucking sun. It’s blinding me. I can’t tell who’s in the car.”
The truck directly in their path wanted over in the right lane. Beck motioned at him, and they switched places.
Now they were one car behind Heavenly.
Beck honked at the vehicle in front of him, who shot him an obscene finger gesture and turned left at the next green light.
Now they were directly on Heavenly’s bumper.
“Looks like she’s alone.” Seth let out a sigh of relief.
At least he could rule out death or kidnapping…but that didn’t mean she didn’t have a whole lot of explaining to do. His palm began to itch.
When they stopped at the next light, just before the entry to Beck’s subdivision, she glanced in the rearview mirror. Seth saw the exact moment she realized they were on her ass. She froze, and when the light turned green, people behind them had to honk before she found the gas pedal.
For a moment, he wondered if she’d try to make a run for it. But she did them all a favor—especially her ass—and turned like a good girl into their neighborhood, heading straight for Beck’s house.
She pulled into the driveway and exited the car just as Beck squealed to a stop next to her. “I can explain.”
Seth didn’t bother with the car door. He hopped out and stormed in her direction, feeling Beck right behind him. “Not in any way that doesn’t end with you having the reddest ass in history.”
“She already does, man,” Beck reminded.
He turned to the surgeon with a growl, then grabbed the keys from Heavenly’s grip, squeezed his fingers around her elbow, and hauled her to the door. “Inside.”
Beck pressed the button to close the garage door. “Now.”
Her fingers shook as she made her way into the house. When they slammed the door behind her, she jumped and turned. “Were you following me?”
“We’ll get back to that. Right now, we’re asking the questions, angel.” Seth cocked his head. “What were you doing at Pike’s?”
“How did you know I was there?”
“You mean why weren’t we fooled into thinking you were home since you intentionally left your phone here to deceive us?” To prove his point, Seth dialed the device. It rang from the kitchen. With a sharp press of his thumb, he cut the sound and pinned her with a stare. Silence fell again. “Guess you didn’t consider that I have a tracking device on my SUV.” Not that he’d used it today… “So are you going to lie again and tell us that you ‘forgot’ your phone, just like that last lab bill of your dad’s?”
“That’s not the same thing. I really did forget that bill.”
Seth couldn’t rejoice that she’d stepped right into his trap. “But you didn’t really forget the phone?”
Heavenly swallowed, stalled for time by setting her purse on the couch, and sidestepped to put distance between them. “This discussion is pointless until you calm down. Pike and I just had a conversation I promised to keep private. That’s all I can say. Now I’m going to start my homework.”
When she made a mad dash for the stairs, Beck snagged her arm with one hand. He wrapped his other in her hair and hauled her back. “Not so fast, little girl. We’re as calm as we’re going to be. Do you want out now?”
“Out?”
It looked as if the words pained Beck, but he said them. “If you’ve got one foot out the door, we’ll make good on that written promise we gave you in Wisconsin right now.”
She looked horrified. “I don’t want a plane ticket or money. I don’t want to leave now. I just…”
“What? If you want to stay, you better explain exactly why you were at Pike’s…or all those kinks you enjoyed so much this week will become your worst nightmare.”
She bit her lip, seeming to fight both tears and panic, then cast her gaze Seth’s way. Did she think for one moment he was going to save her? He absolved her of that notion by prowling closer and leveling a hard glare her way.
Then he circled around her and inspected her.
“What are you doing?” Her voice trembled. She tried to shuffle away.
“Did he hurt you?”
“No. Pike didn’t touch me,” she insisted. “Really, we just talked.”
“In the middle of a Thursday afternoon for twenty-three fucking minutes?”
“You tracked and timed me?” She slung her hands on her hips.
Did she think she was going to argue with them? Bad move, angel…
Her eyes narrowed. “I understand you being worried about my safety. The world can be a dangerous place. But that doesn’t give you the right to stalk me—”
“Don’t change the subject,” Beck snarled. “We asked you a fucking question. Answer it. Why were you at Pike’s place after deliberately leaving your phone at home? What could you possibly have to talk about?”
Heavenly swallowed…and Seth saw the moment she decided to lie. It was like a knife through the fucking heart, but he waited—giving her enough rope to hang herself.
“H-he asked for my help with his girlfriend.”
What the fuck?
Seth turned to Beck. The surgeon hadn’t expected that excuse, either. He’d give her points for creativity, but that wasn’t going to save her.
“How did he want you to help him?” His silky question should have been her first clue that he wasn’t buying her BS.
“He wants me to talk to her, convince her that he’s really a good guy and—”
“Are you fucking serious? Pike called you—by the way, how did he get your number?—and said, ‘Hey, come on over because we’re such good friends’”—Beck snorted—“‘so I can convince you to lie to my girlfriend?’”
While she gawked mutely and tried to formulate her next line of crap, Seth stormed to the island and swiped her phone. “She got a text from Pike twelve minutes ago.”
“What does it say?” Beck looked ready to rip someone’s head off, preferably Pike’s.
“‘Here’s my number. Call me when you need me.’”
Beck’s hand in her hair tightened. “You said he needed you. Why the fuck would he think you need him for anything?”
She met their stare straight on. “Nothing about my intentions are negative or deceitful. In fact, I’ve gone out of my way not to hurt you. I can’t say more than that.”
When her words hit Seth’s brain, his temper snapped. He told himself to fucking count to ten and get a grip, but nothing inside him wanted reason or logic right now. He wanted Pike’s blood and her honesty, preferably in that order.
In his pocket, his phone rang.
At the unexpected noise, Heavenly jumped.
Seth didn’t answer it; nothing was more important than him and Beck prying the truth from their girl. Without it, they had no fucking future.
Before he could remind her of that, the damn device rang again. With a curse, he yanked it free and glanced at the screen. River.
He stabbed at the device to answer. “This better be life-or-death.”
“Sorry. I hate to interrupt your…whatever. Please don’t give me details. But this guy just left. He talked like he was from another time or something. He was both creepy and insistent as hell. He sent my ick meter off the charts, so I thought you should know.”
“Potential client?”
“No. He acted like he knew you. He said to tell you to give your friend Gideon—and I’m quoting here—this message: ‘They’re coming for you. They’ll make what they did to that whore in Vegas look like a picnic.’ Any idea what that shit means?”
Seth scowled. Gloria? “No. Did this dude leave his name?”
“He refused. No name, no number, no address. But something wasn’t right about him. Actually, a whole lot wasn’t right about him.”
“He’s probably some whack job, then. I don’t know anyone named Gideon, so I certainly can’t tell the guy that anyone has found him and all the rest.”
“What?” Beck barked, releasing Heavenly and grabbing for the phone. “Give it to me. Give me the fucking phone.”
Seth scowled and handed the device over. “What crawled up your ass?”
Beck ignored him and pressed the phone to his ear. “Tell me exactly what this fucker looked like and what he said.”
He couldn’t hear River’s reply, but as his junior PI rambled on, Beck grew pale. Blindly, he groped for a chair, looking weak-kneed. “Jesus. Oh, shit… Get out of there. Right now.”
“We’re supposed to be open for another forty-five minutes and—”
“You want to live? Get out.”
Beck’s tone alarmed the hell out of Seth. “What’s going on, man?”
Even Heavenly approached and laid gentle fingers on him. “Beck?”
Nothing shocked Seth more than when Beck shoved her hand away, then turned to him with wild eyes. “Get her out of here. Take her somewhere safe. Anywhere.”
“Dude—”
“There’s no time to talk. I need cash, a few things, my passport…” He handed the phone back to Seth, then ran for the stairs. “I don’t know when you’ll see me again. Take care of her.”
Seth had no idea what the fuck was going on, but this wasn’t happening. He was going to fix it.
“River, do what he says. Get out and go to your sister’s place. Warn them trouble might be coming. And make sure you’re not tailed. We’ll contact you.” Without waiting for the other man’s reply, he hung up, then pinned Heavenly with a stare. “Follow me. Don’t leave my side.”
Then he pulled the gun from his shoulder holster and trailed the surgeon up the stairs, hearing her soft footsteps blessedly behind him.
In the bedroom, he found Beck wildly shoving shit into his suitcase. He grabbed the doctor by the arm. “Stop. Tell me what’s going on.”
Beck pinned him with a stare so serious Seth’s blood ran cold. “It’s my biological family. They’re ruthless. They’ve killed before.” Then he glared at Heavenly. “Get her the fuck out of here now.”
Seth squeezed his shoulder, putting pressure in just the right spot to render Beck’s arm temporarily useless. “We can face them together. I’ve got years of experience, and you saw my arsenal. Tell me what you need—”
“To know that you two are all right.” Beck shrugged him off and slammed the lid shut on his suitcase with his good arm. “These people are way above your pay grade, Captain America. If you stay with me, you’re dead. And what they’d do to Heavenly would be far worse. Go!”
“No. Tell me why they’re coming for you…Gideon.”
How the fuck did they find me?
Beck didn’t know—just like he didn’t know if the message River had conveyed had been a threat or a warning—but some mysteries were suddenly not so baffling, like who the hell had beaten up Gloria a few months back and why.
They’d been looking for him.
He scrubbed a hand through his hair. He’d left twenty fucking years ago. He’d thought he was free. He’d barely given those cocksuckers a second thought in over a decade. He’d believed he was untouchable.
He’d been wrong. And God knew they had the power to hurt him.
He whirled on Seth. “Don’t ever call me that fucking name again.”
“Okay, calm down.”
“You don’t get it. People will die.”
“Not with me here. You need a safe house, right?”
“Yeah, one I can be in for a while.” Weeks, maybe even months.
“Fine. I’ve got one in mind. Heavenly and I will come with you and watch your—”
“No!” Beck clenched his fists. “You don’t understand. These people are a law unto themselves.”
Seth snorted. “I’ve been the law. I can take people down. I can sure as fuck keep us safe. You’ve got to trust me.”
“I do.” Beck shifted his gaze to Heavenly, who looked afraid but composed. She was smart enough not to interfere or panic. And despite everything, she still looked as innocent as her name implied. He ached to grab her, press her against him—in case it was the last time. But he couldn’t risk her because he couldn’t stand the thought of living in a world where his past robbed her of the future she deserved. “I trust you to take care of our girl, to love her enough for both of us, and to give her the happy life we planned on giving her together.”
“Like hell.” Seth sighed in exasperation. “You’re not equipped to protect yourself.”
“You don’t know what I’m capable of.”
“Got a gun?”
He didn’t.
“That’s what I thought. Have you also thought about the fact that Heavenly is safer with two protectors than one?”
“Danger will follow me. I’m sure you’ve taken out tons of bad guys, but to fight my family we’ll need a goddamn army.”
“You know I have the firepower to do that. How many of them can there possibly be?”
Beck just shook his head.
“Damn it, listen to me. We have resources.”
“You’re not getting it. Even if you take out a ton of these fuckers, there will always be more. And you two would have zero life constantly looking over your shoulders.”
He had to deal with this insanity alone. It was the only way he could keep the people he loved alive.
“I see your point.” Seth nodded, and Beck had the distinct impression the big guy was humoring him. “How about this? We can’t stay here now, right?” At Beck’s nod, Seth went on. “Let’s find someplace safe—temporarily. We’ll buy some time, some supplies, and hopefully some clarity. Then we can come up with a long-term strategy once we know precisely what we’re dealing with.”
As plans went, Seth’s made more sense than his own, which had simply been to hop in his car and drive away to who knew where. “Where did you have in mind?”
“Let me call Liam. It sounds like you need to call Gloria, too.”
“Yes. Fuck. Right now.”
“Do that. Heavenly”—Seth turned to her—“pack yourself a bag. The bare essentials. Hopefully, we can come back for the rest of our stuff la
ter. I’ve already got a bug-out bag together, so I’ll call Liam.” He glanced at his watch. “We need to be out of here in less than five.”
As Seth took his phone in hand, it rang. He glanced at it. “Speak of the devil.” He slid his finger across the screen with a grimace of a smile. “Liam…”
To Beck’s relief, Heavenly didn’t argue. She immediately began gathering clothes and toiletries. When she wandered from the room, the PI trailed her. He couldn’t speculate about what she’d been up to with Pike. He had to make a call—and screw up Gloria’s life.
Bag packed, he sank to the edge of the bed and raked a hand through his hair, pressing the device against his ear. She picked up on the third ring.
“Ken! I’ve been getting ready for work and thinking about you. Our divorce is final tomorrow and—”
“They found me,” he cut in. “You and Buddy need to get the hell out of there now.”
All hint of jubilation left her voice. “You’re sure?”
Her shaking question nearly killed him. “Yeah. I hate to do this to you, but you’re not safe. I’m almost sure they’re the ones who beat the hell out of you in January, so you know they’re serious. I’m leaving LA, and I don’t trust that they won’t hurt you again to find me.”
“What about Seth and Heavenly?”
God, he didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t fathom leaving them, maybe forever.
Seth walked back in the room then, shepherding Heavenly in front of him. She clutched her father’s picture and the guest book from his service against her chest.
The big PI pocketed his phone, retrieved a bag in the closet, then set it at their girl’s feet. “Liam called to offer us the lodge. While we were talking, River arrived. He caught them up. They’re going to follow us up there and give us more eyes to watch our six.”
That news gave Beck some hope. “Okay, Gloria. Head to Big Bear. There’s room for everyone until we figure out our next steps.” And kink equipment for days that would make his ex-wife roll her eyes. “I’ll text you the address once we’re on the road.”
He heard some shuffling and some scrambling, then Buddy answered him. “I know what’s going on, Ken. I’ll keep her safe. We’ll be out of here PDQ.”
