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Then she turned to me, the light of triumph in her eyes and a smile on her lips. I smiled back. How could I not? “Aww, there it is!”
“There’s what?”
Stef reached over and grabbed my chin. “The dimple. I live to see this dimple. Isn’t it the cutest thing you’ve ever seen?” She looked at my brothers for confirmation.
“Jesus fucking Christ. Is there bourbon around here somewhere?”
“It’s adorable,” Wolfe confirmed.
“Fuck you.” I’d take it from Stef, but there was no way I was taking it from Wolfe.
“He doesn’t like it when you call him adorable. Or a big teddy bear.”
“Of course not. It’s bad for his image.”
“Well, it’s only the truth.”
Rhett got up and went into the kitchen, searching through the cupboards, muttering about bourbon.
My phone vibrated, and I grabbed it from my pocket, staring at the notification. My mood instantly plummeted. The guards had arrived to collect Stef. I let out a heavy sigh. “It’s time.”
Her face drained of all color and her eyes clouded with anxiety as she cuddled Patti close and got to her feet. Moments before, she’d been laughing. The life of the party. And I had to go and fucking ruin it.
Wolfe stood up and moved forward to give Stef a hug. “Take care of yourself.”
“I will.”
Then Rhett came in from the kitchen. “See you soon.”
Empty words. None of us had any fucking clue when we’d see Stef again. When this nightmare would be over. With my hand low on Stef’s back, I led her into the entrance hall.
We stood there for a long moment, holding each other tightly. “Sort this out fast, yeah?”
I swallowed heavily. “I’ll try my hardest.” Pulling back, I cupped her face in my hands and brushed a soft kiss against her lips. When I raised my head, I was caught in her whiskey gaze. I wondered if I was making the right decision. Letting her go was impossibly hard. Making me toy with ideas I shouldn’t. Like, maybe I could whisk us both far away from here, to an island or something, where we could live out our days in peace. Stupid, I know. It wouldn’t be fair to Stef. She had her music, her career, her family. She couldn’t just give it all up and run away with me.
“Here. I need to give you this.” I handed over a burner phone. “Since we have no idea what this guy can do, or track, only use it in extreme emergencies. All my details are already in there.”
Her only reply was to take the phone with a nod, letting her head fall forward onto my chest. I pressed a kiss into her hair, then moved back when the elevator dinged. Farris had got the memo. Two of the biggest guys I’d ever seen stood there in dark suits and cheap shoes. “Her bag is just here.”
One guy stepped forward and took it from me. “Thank you, sir. This way, Ma’am.”
Stef walked into the elevator and stood at the very back, turning to face me. Clutching Patti and the phone to her chest, her eyes stayed on mine until the doors closed with a soft thud.
Returning to the living room, I walked over to the window, looking down on the street far below. I pictured Stef beingescorted into a dark vehicle and driven away. The ache in my chest was fiercer than ever now.
“Here we have a gorgeous young woman, with the body of a Roman goddess. With more wit and flair in her little finger than most people have in their entire bodies. Who lives to see you smile.” Wolfe’s voice was quiet.
“Yeah. She makes me feel…turned inside out. Like I don’t know which way is up. And like I can’t breathe properly when she’s around.”
“I just threw up in my mouth.”
Ignoring Rhett’s input, Wolfe went on. “What the fuck are you doing, brother? Why haven’t you sealed the deal?”
Rhett agreed. “Yeah, what the fuck? You better make a permanent move, and soon. Otherwise, you know, the field’s open. Maybe I could…”
I turned around in time to see Wolfe shooting him a warning look. “Woke up this morning with a death wish, did you?”
“You do that, and I’ll break every bone in your body,” I snarled.