Vow of Honor (Vow Series Book 3)

by Emma Renshaw

  When I take it and look down, my stomach grumbles. Cake. Harper makes the best desserts, especially cake. I open the lid to find a perfectly round cake with white frosting and sprinkles all over the top. It’s small, meant for just one or two people. I won’t have any issues finishing this off. I close the lid, looking back up at Roman and Harper. Roman’s arm hangs over Harper’s shoulders, and he’s staring down at her with a sappy look on his face that makes me want to laugh.

  “It’s a protein cake,” Harper says and hands me the other bag. “This is a normal, non-strong person cake for Tate.”

  A chuckle breaks free from my chest. “Thanks, Harper.”

  “Want to go get a beer?” Liam asks. “Or dinner? Our treat.”

  I shake my head, a smirk pulling at my lips. “Not tonight.”

  “Why?” Savannah asks.

  “Have plans with Tatum,” I say, turning away from them and snagging a water bottle from the nearby refrigerator.

  “She can come,” Hudson says, laughing to himself and enjoying his dirty mind.

  “Fuck off,” I say dryly.

  “She’s always welcome to join us,” Savannah says sweetly.

  “Not what he meant, gorgeous,” Liam says quietly in her ear.

  Savannah pushes Hudson’s shoulder. “When you meet someone, I hope they knock you on your ass.”

  I glance at the large clock above the entrance of the gym. It’s later than I thought. Tatum will get out of work soon, and I want to have dinner started by the time she shows up.

  “See y’all later,” I say waving to the guys and dropping a kiss on Savannah’s and Harper’s cheek.

  “Have fun with your girlfriend,” Hudson calls after me.

  I flip him off over my shoulder.

  Chapter 33

  Tatum

  Butterflies buzz around in my stomach as I pull up James’s long driveway to his house nestled in the center of his property. This isn’t a relationship, that’s fully established by both of us, but I can’t deny that every time I even think of him, my stomach flips over itself and my heart takes off at a gallop.

  The butterflies are worse right now because of what I have to tell him.

  My knuckles tap on James’s back door.

  “Come in,” he calls.

  I walk through his mudroom into his kitchen and stop breathing, every thought flying out of my head. Right now, it doesn’t matter what I need to tell him, right now the only thing that matters is what’s in front of me.

  Sirius is perched on James’s broad shoulder, easily curled up there. I have no clue how he’s balancing, but he is. My heart squeezes tightly when a tiny puppy snore escapes Sirius with his face pressed into James’s neck.

  The tight, white shirt hugging James’s body showcases his muscles. The material is so thin I can see each muscle flex as he moves in front of the stove. His jeans are low on his hips, showing off his amazing ass. This image would be perfect for one of those Hot Guy With Dog pictures.

  His head turns over his shoulder as he raises one eyebrow. I release my pent-up breath, my heart restarting before he turns around slowly, keeping a hand on Sirius. James crosses his arms over his chest, and the corner of his lips twitch. My eyes roll over every inch of him. The bright and bold tattoos on his arms look even bolder against the stark white of his shirt.

  “Hi.” My voice comes out squeaky and unsure as my twitching hand curls my hair behind my ear, and I bite down on my lower lip.

  James takes three long strides toward me, pulling my lip from my teeth and raising my chin using one of his knuckles. His gray eyes are melting. I reach up, taking Sirius from James’s shoulder and put him on the ground. My arms circle around James’s hips as I press up on my tippy-toes and lean into him.

  He doesn’t hesitate. Full lips cover mine in a searing kiss. My hands fist in his shirt, trying to bring him closer to me, trying to mold my body into his impossibly hard one. James wraps one arm around my lower back, pressing me against him and lifting my feet slightly off the ground; his other hand tangles in my hair.

  I gasp from the slight pull, and he takes the opportunity to plunge his tongue into my mouth. My feet fall back to the floor, and the hand anchored on my back slides down, cupping my ass as James leans into me. His clean, masculine scent surrounds me, every inch of me is touching some part of him, and I still need more.

  Sirius’s barking breaks our kiss. James places one more soft kiss against my lips before resting his forehead against mine, breathing heavily. My senses slowly come back to life, taking in everything that isn’t James.

  “Spaghetti?” I ask, smelling the marinara simmering and garlic bread baking.

  “Yeah.” James’s voice is gruff. He steps back from me, coughing. “That okay?”

  “Of course,” I answer. “I love spaghetti. Or anything with carbs, really.”

  James shakes his head, bending down and scooping up Sirius to place him back on his shoulder as he turns to the pots on the stove.

  I smirk, biting my tongue to keep from laughing. “I have some good news.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Yeah. I talked to my landlord,” I lie. “He’ll make an exception since Sirius is so small. I can take him home with me.”

  James spins around with one hand holding Sirius in place. His face is a mask of outrage and confusion while Sirius’s small, pink tongue is hanging out with his head tipped to the side and his tail wagging madly.

  “No,” James says.

  “No?” I force a frown to my face.

  He swallows, looking out the window over the sink before meeting my eyes again. “I just mean…I don’t want to put you out. Your landlord doesn’t want animals. What if he changes his mind? Best if he stays here.”

  “I’ll take him. I know you didn’t want a dog.”

  James brings Sirius from his shoulder to cradle him against his chest like a baby.

  I roll my lips between my teeth, struggling to keep the laughter at bay, but my shoulders are shaking slightly. “I’ll take him,” I repeat.

  I swear James clutches Sirius even tighter to his chest. “You don’t have a yard.”

  “There’s a dog park around almost every corner.”

  “That’s dangerous at night.”

  “I have a small enough patch of grass for him to use at night.”

  “I read on the internet that dogs shouldn’t be disrupted and moved from home to home. They could get sick.”

  “What else did you read on the internet?” I ask, covering my mouth with my hand to hide my twitching lips.

  James is petting Sirius’s head, his hand almost as big as Sirius’s whole body. A spark lights in James’s eyes and his lips tilt up. I’ve never seen him vibrate with this much energy.

  “Watch this,” he says, setting Sirius on the ground.

  Sirius runs around James’s feet, his whole body wiggling with excitement when James grabs a canister from his counter that I’ve never noticed before. He opens it and reaches inside. “Sirius. Sit.”

  Sirius plops down immediately, staring up at James with his mouth open. James tosses a treat from the canister in the air, and it lands perfectly in Sirius’s waiting mouth.

  “Do you want a treat?” James asks.

  Sirius raises his front arms, balancing on his butt and waves his tiny arms in front of him. As soon as he drops his feet back on the ground, he opens his mouth with his face tilted up, and James tosses the treat in.

  James looks at me out of the corner of his eye then focuses back on Sirius. He makes a gun with his fingers. James creates a shooting noise with his mouth, and Sirius shakes then spins in a circle before dropping dramatically to the ground with his eyes closed.

  Sirius pops one eye open, looking up at James. “Up.” He tosses two treats in the air that Sirius happily catches.

  James faces me again with his eyebrows raised.

  “You should probably keep him,” I say with a broad smile and start clapping frantically. “That was fantastic.
”

  I rush across the kitchen to James, reaching for his lips on my tippy-toes. “You’re something else.” After a brief kiss, I bend down rubbing Sirius on his head cooing about what a good boy he is.

  “If it helps you out, I’ll keep him here,” James says, shrugging. I don’t miss the grin that he tries to hide by spinning back toward the stove. “Dinner’s ready.”

  James picks up his fork once he sits down, ready to dig in. I take a deep breath, knowing I need to tell him about the rest of my day. His fork is halfway to his mouth when he pauses, glancing at me. The fork slowly lowers toward to the plate and hovers as he lifts his eyebrows and his jaw tightens.

  “Tatum.” The one word, my name, is a warning. One to which I heed.

  “Simon reported me to his uncle, my boss. Well, reported us, I guess.”

  “What?” James half-shouts, his fork clattering to the plate. “Fuckin’ prick. What happened?”

  I rub a hand over my heart, feeling my chest rise and fall with my deep breath. “Thankfully, nothing too bad. It really freaked me out, though.”

  James cups my cheek in his large hand. I lean against his hand, closing my eyes for a moment before opening them and meeting his worried stare. “Sunshine,” he whispers.

  I give him a tight smile. “I was pulled into the director’s office this afternoon. I’ve never been pulled into the principal’s office or my boss’s office.”

  James’s lips twitch. “Of course, you haven’t.”

  “They reminded me that a relationship with a patient is frowned upon, but since you’re technically no longer a patient, they wrote me up instead of firing me.”

  James’s body tightens, the hand still cupping my cheek twitches, and his eyes fill with anger. “That fucking weasel. I’ll—”

  “No,” I interrupt. “You won’t do anything. If you ever need more physical therapy, you can’t do it with me, but it’s over. I’ll continue to ignore Simon. After I was pulled into the office, he started to ignore me, anyway. He got what he wanted after I rejected him.”

  “He wanted to get back at you.”

  “I know.”

  “I’m sorry, sunshine,” James says. “Really I think he wants to get back at me, but he has no opening for that.”

  “It’s okay,” I respond, releasing a shaky breath. “It sucks, but it’s no longer an issue. It’s done. Let’s eat.”

  “If I need more physical therapy, we’ll do it at home,” James states, his thumb caressing my cheek one last time before dropping his hand. He picks up his fork and begins digging into his food as if he didn’t just rock my world.

  We’ll do it at home.

  Home.

  Chapter 34

  Tatum

  James and I are sitting on his huge, brown leather sofa in front of the TV with steaming cups of coffee. Sirius is curled on James’s shoulder, sleeping and snoring tiny little puppy snores. My side is fully molded to his with my head resting on his free shoulder. He has an arm wrapped around me with his hand on my hip, tracing tiny designs on the patch of skin showing.

  “I can’t believe Savannah is going to be on the news,” I say.

  “Yeah,” James says with a tiny, proud smile.

  “This is going to be huge for her company.”

  “It is,” James says. “No one deserves it more.”

  James hasn’t told me anything about their relationship, but I know they have an incredibly deep bond, and he helped her out with something from her past. I haven’t wanted to pry, but I really want to know the story.

  Savannah’s stunning face appears on the screen. She looks fantastic in a dress that shows off her adorable baby bump. A startup tech company in Austin hired her to do all their marketing. When the company exploded and reached a high level of success, they accredited it all to Savannah’s efforts. Her phones have been ringing off the hook with potential new clients.

  James and I watch the entire segment. I’m almost jumping in my seat, I’m so excited for her. I know both of us will need to leave for work shortly, but I love that I’ve met this crazy group of people, and I get to share in their success. Savannah gives Harper’s boutique a shout-out, which I know Harper will love. I’m so proud of these friends of mine.

  When her segment is over and the news channel starts talking about breaking news out of Chicago, James tenses next to me. I reach for the remote on the coffee table, but he stops me. “Don’t.”

  “Recently, Texas Congressman Phillip McKay’s son, Phillip McKay Junior, was arrested, suspected of arson. While the police searched his home with a warrant, they found video evidence of six fires and explosions from around the country for which he is now being investigated. An explosion at a restaurant in Chicago several years ago is the first incident in the video evidence retrieved from McKay’s home. As far as police have gathered, they suspect McKay set up video surveillance and then watched from somewhere remotely. In each fire, a state representative died.”

  “Oh my gosh. We just saw him. He was at the gala, do you remember?” I ask James, but he doesn’t answer. His entire body has turned to stone as he stares at the screen with huge eyes.

  A video appears on the screen of an upscale restaurant in Chicago. The camera looks like it was set up on the ceiling in the corner of the room. Nothing distinct in the video can be heard over the chatter of the restaurant. All of a sudden, an explosion happens, sending the entire restaurant up in flames, and the video goes black.

  “Oh, my God,” I whisper. “That’s terrible.”

  Chapter 35

  James

  A vise squeezes my chest and throat. I can’t breathe.

  The news station is playing the video of the explosion on a top-floor Chicago restaurant. Sitting in the middle of the frame near a set of windows is a table with a man in a suit and an empty seat across from him.

  Even though this video is about a decade old, it’s pretty clear. The faces are easily recognized. And there he sits—Dennis Moore, a senator of Illinois. Unless a person was paying close attention, no one would be able to tell he’s irritated and anxious. My eyes don’t stray from that table, though. He glances at his watch and looks around the room, his eyes fixating on the elevator while his leg bounces and fingers drum on the table.

  And just as quickly as the flames engulf the restaurant, the feed goes black.

  My eyes are still seeing the flames taking over everything, leaving people to burn alive on the top floor of one of Chicago’s skyscrapers, where a senator sat waiting for someone.

  Waiting for me.

  I shove off from the couch, my heart racing out of my chest and panic clawing up my throat. Tatum needs to get out of here. I can’t even look at her right now. She’ll ask too many questions I can’t answer.

  “I need to get ready for work,” I grumble, picking up my coffee cup and snatching hers out of her hands.

  A surprised gasp leaves her mouth.

  “You should go,” I say, walking away.

  “Are you kicking me out?”

  I don’t turn around. “I need to get ready, Tatum.” Moving toward my bedroom, I head into the bathroom, closing the door.

  “James?” she asks through the door.

  I close my eyes, hating the hurt in her voice, but this is something I can’t handle right now. I feel like I’m crawling out of my skin. Turning the knob to open the door a crack, I lean out, placing a quick kiss on her lips. “I’ll call you. I need to leave quickly. See you later,” I say before closing the door, effectively kicking her out.

  A moment later, I hear the front door close. Shaking my head, unable to process the emotion I saw in her eyes, I leave the bathroom and walk to the front of the house, checking to make sure she’s gone before I lock the door and head into my room again walking straight into my closet and through a door hidden behind my clothes.

  I cover my mouth with my hand and take a few breaths before bringing the monitors of my computer alive.

  In the past several years, I’ve tau
ght myself how to hack, code, and gather information I need without being detected. Before I left Chicago, Luca talked about bringing the mafia online, modernizing the game. When I successfully found and hacked into the system he created, I made it a habit to check weekly, if not daily, for any mention of my name. I skim and ignore any business dealings, that’s shit I don’t need to know.

  I only look for my name and Callan’s. Reading information about him is the only way I know he’s safe.

  The monitors light up the dark room. My fingers fall on the keys of the keyboard. I grit my teeth as I get down to work.

  I need to know if my time is up.

  Chapter 36

  Tatum

  Busy.

  That’s the only word I’ve heard from James in a week. My texts and calls went unanswered until I stopped texting and calling—when I finally got the point he was trying to make.

  He’s done.

  He’s done with me.

  I’m not going to walk out on a limb and embarrass myself even more. I know he’s said from the beginning that this can’t last, that this will eventually be over. One word, though. I didn’t think it would end with one word and then nothing.

  I thought he’d at least talk to me, try to stay friends for the sake of the rest of the group. The group I’m supposed to meet up with tonight. There’s no way that’s happening. I can’t see him right now.

  I can’t hear in front of the group how or why he’s done with me. Things changed between us after the gala and now this? It’s over this quickly? He’s removed me from his life that easily?

  I’ve broken down several times this week, but I’m trying to stop. I read too much into his words and situations. It wasn’t going anywhere. I force myself to replay the way he kicked me out of his house while barely even looking at me.