Page 100 of Romancing His Heart

“Why would Loki know where this girl is?”

“This girl,” Luca rumbles, “is my fiancée. She’s pregnant, and is Mikhailov’s only daughter.”

“You knocked up a mob princess?” I can’t help myself. This is the stuff that makes romance novels so great.

“When I first met her, it was under the pretense of also being the son of a mobster. Things were never supposed to become real, but Nadja had a way of getting under my skin. We were spending every minute together so I could learn how Mikhailov operated, but the more time I spent with her, the more I realized she was just like me. We were both victims of our circumstances, and … well, things just happened. When we found out she was pregnant, I knew I had to get her out. I hadn’t accounted for Loki being as good at his job as he is, though.”

Loki’s hand is clammy. A quick peek to my right, and I see beads of sweat forming on his brow line. I tighten my grasp on his hand, then watch as his self-awareness slowly returns.

“Nadja is safe. She’s with Claire.” Loki’s voice crackles, like speaking physically pains him.

“She needs prenatal care, though,” Luca pleads.

“Claire was my nanny as a child. When I moved in with the Westbrooks, she returned to school. She’s an Ob-Gyn nurse-practitioner now. Nadja is in excellent hands, and I guarantee she is receiving all the prenatal care she requires.” Loki’s voice is eerily monotone.

Luca’s shoulders slump as he gasps for air. “Thank fuck,” he mumbles.

We sit in silence for a while. Everyone seems to understand that Loki needs time to place all this new information before making a plan.

“They were never after Red.” His voice cuts through the cabin, making me jump.

“I don’t think so, no,” Ash confirms. “But that doesn’t explain your note.”

“Nadja is in Sutton, on Red Sawyer Way with Claire,” Loki reveals.

“What about the four months’ part?” I ask, remembering his note.

Four Points West-Sutton. They know she’s with me. They’re watching her. Four Months. Get Sawyer out.

“Nadja was four months along when Loki hid her,” Luca explains.

Jesus. Things slowly fall into place as I glance around the room.

“I’m sorry we wasted your time for so long, Sloane.” Loki won’t make eye contact with me, and I feel sick to my stomach.

“You didn’t waste my time, Loki. You—”

Luca speaks at the same time, cutting me off. “We’re running out of time, man. It won’t be long before Vic figures it out. He’s already gunning for us. Once he learns about Nadja, he’ll have no qualms about destroying everything in his way.”

Loki reaches behind me for a laptop. Opening it up, he starts dragging file after file to the screen. “We need to make a timeline and make sure we haven’t missed anything. Then, we make our plan of attack.”

My loveable caveman has turned into a military machine right before my eyes, and I can’t handle the change. Standing abruptly with no plan, I glance around the room until my eyes land on Seth.

“Want to come to watch my target practice? You won’t believe how good I am.” It’s a little boastful, but I need the air of confidence so I don’t crumble in front of everyone. I don’t know what I expected the outcome to be with Loki, but having it end so abruptly isn’t what I’m prepared for.

“Ah, right now?” Seth asks, his eyes darting between Loki and me.

“Go ahead, she’s a really good shot.” Loki throws a half-smile in my direction, and my stomach clenches painfully.

What the fuck is happening?

“Okay, Sloane. Let’s see what you’ve got,” Seth says, dragging me by my elbow as a big brother would.

“We’ll be back in a bit,” I tell no one in particular. Watching the table as I walk away, I realize no one was listening anyway.

* * *

“Holy shit,Sloane. You weren’t kidding. You’ve hit bullseye nearly every time,” Seth calls as he walks toward me with the paper target in hand.