Page 104 of Romancing His Heart

“Loki, now.” Ashton bangs on the door, and she peels herself away.

“Sloane, I lo—”

The door bursts open, and Ashton appears. “Now, Loki. You have to leave now. They’re closing in fast.”

We follow him out of the bathroom, but I grab the gun from the table and hand it to Sloane. “Keep this with you at all times, do you understand? You know how to use this. You’re a natural shot. Keep it with you and use it if you have to.”

“Are you sure about that, Loki?” Ashton asks nervously.

“She’s a fucking good shot, Ash. If there’s trouble, she’s who you want on your side.”

His eyebrows raise, but respect is written all over his face.

Turning back to Red, I say, “If you can’t believe in yourself, then believe in the confidence I have in your ability to protect yourself.” I lean in and place a chaste kiss on her lips. “I believe in you, sweetheart. I’ll call you soon.” The sadness that washes over her beautiful face kills me.

Ashton must sense I’m warring with leaving her because a second later, he is at my back pushing me toward the door. Grabbing Sloane’s kink kit, I carry it out the door and place it in the trunk before climbing into the helicopter.

The last vision I have is Sloane standing on the porch of our cabin with a tear-stained face. I hate myself for not knowing how to fix this for her. Fuck, I don’t even fully understand what upset her in the first place. But leaving her like that was like leaving an enormous piece of my soul behind.

“She’s lost,” Luca’s voice comes over my headset.

I want to fucking punch him in the face, but he’s right.

“She’s been off since I found her on the porch,” Seth adds.

“What the hell happened on the porch?”

Seth shrugs. “Did she hear something she shouldn’t have? We all know she doesn’t have a problem eavesdropping.” He means it as a joke, but it makes me murderous in my defense of her.

“She only listened to my and Sylvie’s conversation because you pricks were too chicken shit to come get us yourselves,” I hiss.

“Holy shit,” Seth mutters.

“He’s committed.” Luca laughs.

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“You love her. You’re in love with Sloane.” Seth turns in the bucket seat to stare at me. “I’m happy for you, man. It’s about fucking time you lived your life for you, not your responsibilities.”

“Oh, shit.” Luca’s stifled voice echoes in my ears while Seth’s words run circles in my mind.

“What?” Seth asks.

“You were pretty adamant about never finding anyone worth the risk right before Seth walked in.”

“Jesus, Loki. Is that what you said?”

“I wasn’t necessarily talking about me. I was trying to feel Luca out to make sure it was worth the pile of shit it will take to get them out of this mess.”

Fuck me. Red can’t possibly think I’m not serious about her. Can she?

We hear the explosion from the air, and my chest constricts with a brutal, stabbing pain. The three of us turn to look over our shoulders at the smoke rising through the trees.

“That was too fast. That was too fast,” I scream. Grabbing the door handle, I fight to control my reactions. Everything is closing in on me. I feel like I’m choking and cannot get enough air. The overwhelming sense of dread takes over my entire system as adrenaline rushes through my veins.

“Fuck,” I hear someone yell right before they thrust a paper bag into my hand.

“Breathe, Loki. For Christ’s sake, breathe.”