Pros & Cons

by Sydney Logan

  “I’ve prayed every night for you to meet someone who could convince you to leave this life behind,” Jillian says, smiling at me. “I have to admit I wasn’t thrilled when I found out he has feelings for someone who is just like him.”

  I laugh, because I love her honesty.

  “But maybe,” she says, looking between the two of us, “maybe you’re exactly what each other need. Perhaps you can lead each other down a new path. A path where you can protect each other.”

  Stephen smiles. “A new path for a new life.”

  I once again protectively stroke my stomach.

  A new life.

  The porch swing creaks. It’s really beginning to grate on my nerves, but Jenna’s dad seems to like the sound. To Hank York, it’s probably comforting, but for a man meeting a father for the first time, it’s pure torture. I think he knows it, too.

  “You seem tense, son.”

  “I’m fine, sir.”

  He chuckles. “You can call me Hank. Now relax. I haven’t shot you yet, have I?”

  Yet.

  A soft rain begins to fall. We’re definitely deep in the hills of Kentucky. These mountains aren’t like the Smokies, but they’re beautiful, too. No wonder Jenna’s so comfortable at our house in Tennessee.

  Our house.

  The thought makes me smile.

  “It’s risky—the two of you being here. It wasn’t necessary.”

  “I know. Jenna wanted to make sure you were safe.”

  Hank nods. “I heard about your folks. How are they?”

  “Good. Mom’s getting discharged today.”

  “And you think this Greek guy is to blame?”

  I tell Hank about my heated meeting with Stavros. I try to forget that I’m talking to a retired member of law enforcement. This is Jenna’s dad, and I’m going to need him on my side for what I have planned.

  “Where was my daughter during this meeting?”

  “I left her back at the house.”

  “Oh, I bet she loved that.”

  I grin.

  “She wasn’t happy with me. But I just couldn’t let her within a mile of that place, especially once we found out he’d beefed up security and gave orders to shoot if anything looked suspicious. He wants to talk to her . . . convince her to come work for him. She wouldn’t, of course, but I refuse to give him the chance.”

  Hank regards me carefully. “Don’t think I’m not grateful that you’re protecting my daughter, but Jenna’s been in this business a long time. You don’t think she can handle him?”

  “It’s not that . . .” I bow my head as my voice trails off. “I can’t take the chance. He killed our best friends. He tried to kill my parents. I refuse to let him get close to her. I won’t do it.”

  A few moments of silence pass before Hank finally nods.

  “I understand, Ethan.”

  “You do?”

  “I do,” he says. “So tell me something. Have you told my daughter you love her?”

  I exhale a shaky sigh. I’m apparently completely transparent when it comes to my feelings for her.

  “No, I haven’t.”

  “Don’t you think you should tell her . . . before you run off to Greece without her?”

  My head snaps up. His eyes—the same piercing shade of his daughter’s—are looking at me with a mixture of pity and pride.

  “That’s really why you’re here, isn’t it? You brought her to me so that you can leave her here and fly off to Greece to kill that man.”

  I glance over my shoulder and peer through the window. Jenna’s sitting on the living room couch, watching television.

  “That’s the plan, yes. Sebastian’s staying with her, too. I’m hoping between the two of you, maybe she’ll stay safe and out of sight.”

  “And how do you suggest I do that? Lock her in her room?”

  “Won’t work. You’ve obviously never seen your daughter scale the side of a building.”

  Hank laughs.

  “I’d leave Gabriel, too, but I need him to fly the plane.”

  “We’re gonna need more security. I can contact Shane. He’s the sheriff. Maybe he can spare some officers to patrol 24/7 around the house.”

  I sigh with relief. “Hank, I don’t like putting you in danger.”

  “You’re not. You’re protecting my very headstrong daughter. Son, I know what she’s like. I wish I could sit here and promise that everything will be okay and she’ll stay put, but I think we both know the minute she finds out you’re gone, I’ll need a rope to keep her tied down. And that’s fine. I have lots of rope.”

  I laugh nervously. Jenna’s going to hate us both.

  “What happens after?” Hank asks.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Once you take care of this guy, are you two off to the next job? Because I won’t lie. I’m sick of worrying about my daughter, and I’m betting your parents feel the same way. If you love my daughter like you say you do, don’t you want something better for her? She won’t listen to me. But maybe the promise of something normal with you could convince her to leave this crazy bullshit behind.”

  I try to imagine it. I have imagined it. A regular life, with regular jobs. A year ago, I would have immediately dismissed the idea as boring. Repetitive. Monotonous. But now? Boring, repetitive, and monotonous sounds perfect . . . as long as I can be with Jenna.

  “That’s all I want, Hank.”

  He nods. “I’m glad to hear it. But do me a favor?”

  “Sure.”

  “Before you leave? Tell her you love her. She needs to hear it. You know better than anyone that there are no guarantees in this life. You may not get another chance to tell her how you feel.”

  I know he’s right. My mission is a dangerous one. If something goes wrong, I don’t want to die with the regret of never telling Jenna York how I feel about her.

  “I’ll tell her.”

  “Can I get you anything, Miss York?”

  I stare blankly at the TV and nibble on another cracker. Now that Sebastian suspects I’m pregnant, he’s hovering even more than usual.

  “No, thank you.”

  He turns his attention back to the television. The Wildcats are playing somebody. I’m too anxious to care. Glancing down, I notice the saltines are nearly gone. My stomach’s not happy, and I’m not so sure I can blame the baby this time.

  Ethan and my dad have been on the porch for over two hours.

  I thought the initial meeting had gone well. When I’d called to let him know we were coming to visit, he wasn’t thrilled to hear that we included a guy, and he’d been even less thrilled to hear the guy’s name was Ethan Summers. After introducing the two of them, my father had simply pointed at Ethan and then nodded toward the porch swing.

  Clearly, I wasn’t invited.

  My stomach flutters, and I rest my hand against it. There’s nothing there. The gesture has just become oddly comforting to me.

  I need comfort.

  As if my life isn’t crazy enough, now I have the added pressure of telling Ethan he’s going to be a father. Will he even remember our conversation back at the cabin, when we’d finally come up for air and realized we hadn’t used protection? He’d promised we’d be okay, no matter what. Did he really mean that? Did he really believe it? Or were those just words?

  I have no idea how he’s going to react.

  But the baby isn’t my only news. I also have to find a way to tell him that I’m not going to Greece.

  I want Stavros Peri dead. That hasn’t changed. And if I only had myself to think about, I’d be the first person on the plane. But it’s not just my life anymore, and I refuse to put our baby in danger.

  So much to think about.

  Suddenly very tired, I lean my head back against the couch and close my eyes.

  “Do you think she’s sick again?”

  “I don’t know.”

  Am I dreaming? Or are Ethan and my dad really talking about me?

  “She’s b
een sleeping a lot,” Ethan says. “Maybe I should carry her upstairs.”

  “I can walk,” I mutter, opening my eyes to find the two most important men in my world standing over me. I look over to find Sebastian still sitting in his chair, trying hard not to smirk. He knows how much I hate hovering. My eyes narrow, and Sebastian covers his laugh with a fake cough.

  “Are you sure? You’re awfully pale,” Dad says.

  “I’m sure. I just need a good night’s sleep.”

  Dad doesn’t seem convinced, but I say goodnight and head upstairs while Ethan gives instructions to Sebastian. When I get to the bedroom, I change into one of Ethan’s shirts before pulling back the blanket and climbing into bed. Closing my eyes, I try to take deep breaths and get comfortable, but my mind races with one anxious thought right after the other.

  I have to tell him.

  I hear my door close and the sound of footsteps on the hardwood floor. The bed dips beside me, and Ethan climbs in and pulls me close.

  “Baby, I have to talk to you.” he whispers.

  With a sigh, I slowly turn around in his arms. It’s not quite dark outside, and I find him staring down at me. Concern is etched across his face.

  “I have to talk to you, too.”

  “Can I go first?”

  I nod.

  Ethan gently traces the outline of my mouth with his fingertip, and I pucker my lips, placing a soft kiss there. I hear him take a deep breath.

  “I love you, Jenna.”

  My eyes widen.

  “You don’t have to say it back. I just had to tell you because . . . well, because it’s true, but also because I thought maybe if I told you, then you won’t totally hate me when I also tell you that you can’t go to Greece with me. I want you to stay here with your dad and with Sebastian. You’ll be safe here. They’ll protect you. You can’t go with me because I can’t guarantee you’ll be safe. I’d be constantly worried about you, and I won’t be able to focus on what I need to do if I’m worried about you. I have to finish this, Jenna. I have to finish this for Coop and Abby. I have to finish this for us. Then we can go back to Tennessee and hide in the hills until we’re old and gray. That’s what I want. I want you. I want us.”

  Teardrops flow down my cheeks. I bury my face against his neck.

  “Sweetheart, why are you crying?”

  I lift my head. “Because I love you, too.”

  “Thank God.” My face is streaked with tears, but that doesn’t stop him from kissing every inch of it. “Don’t cry, baby. This is a good thing.”

  Baby.

  “Ethan, I—”

  “I know. I know you want to go to Greece, but you can’t. He wants you, Jenna. Stavros wants you.”

  “He wants both of us.”

  “I think he wants you more . . . since I said no.”

  I frown. “I don’t understand.”

  “Stavros knows we’re a package deal now. He knows how I feel about you.”

  “And how does he know that?”

  Ethan smiles sheepishly. “I made it pretty plain when I told him I’d kill him if he even tried to get close to you.”

  “Oh. You didn’t tell me that part.”

  “I know. Sorry.”

  “That explains why Sebastian is my shadow.”

  He nods.

  “And now, Stavros knows if he can get to me, he can get to you, too.”

  “He knows I’d take your place in a heartbeat . . . if it came to that.”

  “It can’t come to that, Ethan.”

  “I know. Which is why I’m going to Greece without you,” he says softly. “I’m going to do something I never thought I’d do. I’m going to kill someone.”

  He bows his head, and I pull him close. We aren’t murderers, and it pisses me off that we’ve been placed in this impossible situation. Stavros has to die. If he doesn’t, we’ll never truly be free.

  A fresh wave of nausea washes over me.

  What if Ethan doesn’t come home to me?

  This is dangerous—more dangerous than stealing from an art gallery or double-crossing a card shark. We are killing a man to avenge our best friends’ deaths and to ensure that we can live our lives without constantly looking over our shoulders.

  But can he accomplish that without getting himself killed?

  “We’re leaving tomorrow morning,” Ethan says. “I’m leaving Sebastian here with you. Your dad knows everything, and he’s going to call your sheriff friend to see if he can get more security for the house.”

  “Couldn’t we hire someone to kill him?” My voice shakes. “Do you know any assassins? Hit men?”

  Ethan shakes his head. “It has to be me, Jenna.”

  “But what if something happens to you?”

  “Nothing’s going to happen to me.”

  “Don’t do that!” I struggle out of his arms and climb out of bed. He watches as I begin to frantically pace the room. “You can’t make me a promise like that. You can’t promise because you don’t know!”

  He sits up on the edge of the bed and reaches for me, pulling me close.

  “Jenna, listen to me—”

  “No. You don’t get to make me promises like that. Especially now.”

  I take his hand and gently place it against my flat stomach.

  His eyes narrow. “What’s wrong? Are you feeling sick again?”

  “No, I’m not sick. I was never sick, Ethan.”

  “But you were throwing up all the—”

  “I’m not sick, Ethan.”

  His baby blues flash with understanding.

  “It’s okay that you don’t want me to go to Greece. I’m going to stay right here with my dad and Sebastian. You’ll get no argument out of me.”

  “How very . . . uncharacteristically cooperative of you.”

  “That’s me. Uncharacteristically cooperative. For the next nine months.”

  I hear his quick intake of air. It’s the only sound in the room.

  “You’re pregnant,” he whispers.

  “I’m pregnant.”

  “With our baby.”

  I roll my eyes. “No. It’s Gabe’s. Sorry to break it to you this way.”

  He grins and pulls me down to the mattress. After kissing me senseless, Ethan trails his hand along my stomach.

  “Mine.”

  I laugh. “I’m afraid so.”

  “That’s why you’ve been so sick. And tired. And moody.”

  “Moody? Who said I was moody?”

  “Umm . . . one of the guys might have mentioned it.”

  I narrow my eyes. Sebastian.

  “When did you find out?”

  “When we were in Nashville. So see, you have to come home to me. Not only because I’m in love with you, but because I can’t raise this baby by myself. You promised me we’d be okay if this happened. Do you remember?”

  Ethan swallows and nods.

  “I do remember. And I meant it.”

  He gently wipes away my tears before lifting my face toward his.

  “I love you, Jenna.”

  “I love you, too.”

  He kisses me sweetly before leaning down and lifting the hem of my shirt. I smile down at him and run my fingers through his hair as he presses a reverent kiss to my stomach.

  “And I love you, baby.”

  Tears well in my eyes again. Am I going to be a bawling mess for the next nine months?

  “Promise you’ll come home to me. To us.”

  “You told me not to promise.”

  “Do it, anyway.”

  His blazing blue eyes look up at me with so much love that I’m not sure I can take it.

  And tomorrow he’s leaving me.

  “I promise, Jenna.”

  Ethan tugs at my shirt and lifts it above my head. The cold air causes goosebumps to erupt on my skin. I reach for his shirt and unbutton it, letting it fall down his shoulders before tossing it onto the floor. So what if we’re in my father’s house? This man loves me. I love him. We’re hav
ing a baby.

  And tomorrow he’s leaving me.

  His lips find mine, and we make love until dawn.

  I don’t care that every eye in the house is on us while I sit in his lap. It doesn’t bother me that my dad is watching us intently as he drinks his morning coffee. I don’t mind that, somehow, Ethan has managed to hire even more bodyguards. I don’t even care that Shane Barnes, my ex-boyfriend and the town’s new sheriff, is sitting with us at the table, eating my dad’s scrambled eggs.

  None of that matters right now, because my eyes are on Ethan, and his are on mine.

  “Eat, Jenna,” he says, lifting a forkful of eggs to my lips. I take a bite, but he can tell my heart’s not in it. His eyes remain on me when he calls Sebastian’s name.

  “Yes, Mr. Summers?”

  “Will you please make sure she eats three meals a day, every day?”

  “Of course, sir.”

  There’s a flood of activity around us. Jason and Cara are both here, checking the surveillance cameras that were installed just this morning. Gabe’s giving last minute instructions to the security teams, both the ones traveling to Greece and the ones staying here. I haven’t counted, but I’m pretty sure we’re into double digits now. My dad and Shane are talking with the local policemen who’ll be taking up permanent residence inside and outside the house.

  So much commotion, but it’s all easy to ignore when Ethan’s holding me as tightly as he is right now.

  “Don’t leave the house without your bodyguards,” he says. “At least four at all times. Do you understand?”

  I didn’t think it was possible, but he’s even more protective now that he knows I’m pregnant.

  “I understand.”

  We promise to call, text, email, and Skype as much as we can, and as long as it’s safe to do so. We have to be careful not to give Stavros a chance to track Ethan’s movements, but Cara promises to do her best to keep us as connected as possible.

  “It’s time to go,” Gabe says.

  Splintering fear rushes through me, causing me to tremble.

  “Hey,” Ethan says, tilting my face toward his. “I love you.”