Page 42

The way the coalition operated was the antithesis of how Unit 23 performed their missions. Then again, we didn’t do yearslong investigations, and with the exception of Oleander, none of the task force members were assassins.
“You must have called for more than to ask how I’m feeling,” Kima prompted.
“I’m driving up from Alfriston and may need to return there tomorrow.”
“If you need a place to stay, I’ll leave the door open. I’m tired, so I may not be awake when you arrive.”
“Much appreciated. I’ll try not to wake you.”
She chuckled. “Sure you will.”
I valued the invitation. I’d rather not have to interact with anyone other than Kima while there. I did have to touch base with Oleander and Verity, but I could schedule a time and place for them to come to me.
13
ELIZA
“Stay the hell away from her. If you don’t, I’ll fucking kill you.” My cousin’s words haunted me, mainly because I didn’t think they were said as a figure of speech. What I found most curious was Levi covering for him.
Their apparent abhorrence wasn’t weighted on one side or the other. Sadly, I doubted Niven would’ve been so quick to defend Levi if the situations were reversed.
While I was as close to him as I would be if he were my brother, I wasn’t blind to his flaws. Until he met Harper, I’d worried about his self-destructive behavior constantly. His liquor consumption had been a matter of contention between us, as was his “playboy” lifestyle.
Yes, meeting his wife had changed much of that, but when he spoke about Levi, I saw glimpses of the boy, then man, I’d known all my life. He harbored anger much in the same way his father had. He’d been on a dayslong bender the night he got in a car, smashed it into a tree, and died. Thankfully, no one else was hurt. At least not in the crash. For Niven, it was another tragic loss on top of his mother’s death.
He sat beside me, and I rested my hand on his arm. “They’re going to be all right. The doctor said the surgery was a success.”
“I know,” he muttered, moving his arm away. “If anything happened to her or the baby, I don’t know—” He leaned forward and put his head in his hands, and I rubbed his back in comfort.
Once again, I was reminded of my conversation with Miss Bardwell and our mutual worry about what would happen if Harper broke Niv’s heart. That alone would result in him spiraling downward. If Harper lost the baby, both she and Niven would be devastated, but they’d grieve together. If Harper died, I had little doubt my cousin would give up living as well.
Now wasn’t the time to address what I’d overheard him say to Levi, but I would eventually. I had to. While earlier tonight I doubted I’d see him again, after he showed up at my building with flowers, insisted on driving me here, and the kisses we’d shared, my mystery-man obsession returned full-force. I knew Levi and I would continue seeing each other, and I had no doubt it would turn serious quickly.
That didn’t mean I was thinking of marriage and babies. More, a torrid love affair.
“Mr. St. Thomas?”
Niven bolted from his seat and approached the woman who’d called his name. “Yes?”
“You can see your wife now.”
He followed her through a set of doors. I wasn’t offended that he didn’t look back at me. I, more than anyone else, knew how important Harper was to him.
Instead, I swiped the screen of my mobile and saw I’d received a message from Levi.
I’m not far if you need me.
I swooned. How many times in my life had someone either said those words or expressed the sentiment? Penelope Ramsey had in our recent conversation—a woman I hadn’t seen in years. We spoke occasionally, but both agreed that too much time passed between calls.
I doubted my parents had ever suggested I reach out to them. My relationship with them was one of the reasons I’d bonded with Pen and the other four women—who called themselves the tribe of five—the year I spent at the Emma Stanley Academy in the States. The boarding school was quite posh and filled with students who had parents like mine, whose social lives and careers were far more important to them than their offspring.
I only spent a year there. When the next term rolled around, my mother had announced I’d be transferring to a similar school in Switzerland. I’d begged and pleaded to be allowed to remain where I was. It wasn’t unusual that anything I wanted would have no bearing on the decisions my parents made.
Niven would always be there for me if I needed him, but I couldn’t remember a single instance when he’d made contact just to see how I was. I suppose I thought all men were like that. Maybe most were.
Levi’s simple text made me happier than it should. Only a few hours ago, I’d decided a relationship with him would be toxic. Now, I was feeling elated that someone cared about me. Wasn’t that what manipulative people did? They made you believe no one else in your life cared the way they did.
I so wanted to believe Levi wasn’t that kind of person. Which meant if he was, I would be crushed. Knowing full well I should be more guarded, seeing him was akin to not eating the last piece of chocolate. I knew I shouldn’t, but it would be so good. Then again, how would I feel once it was gone?