Page 3 of Romancing His Heart

“I’m more worried about his spawn coming after the Princes of Waverley-Cay,” I grumble without thinking.

Mr. W lets out a low whistle. “How about if we start there, huh? Your mom told us you’ve been having nightmares and yelling at someone in your sleep about the Princes since you returned from Boston last month.”

“Am … will they … will they force me to visit him again?”

“Not if I can help it, son.”

“My mom and dad couldn’t stop it,” I say as a lead weight lands firmly on my chest.

“I know,” he mumbles. “But with the recent information and the FBI coming for you, we now have a bargaining chip. They won’t speak to you until I have it in writing from the judge that Black-hole’s parental rights have been revoked. You may need to put your wishes in writing or speak to the judge with me, but I don’t think they will ignore your request this time. Just leave everything to me, Loki. I’ve got you.”

Over the next two hours, Clinton Westbrook does as he promised. He takes the signed letter acknowledging all parental rights belong to him and Mrs. Westbrook, and the letter that releases Black-hole from any obligation to me, and locks them in his safe with the rest of my documents. Then we sit down and wait for the agents to come in. Surrounded by my best friend’s parents, I learn what my government wants from me. I was right, though. This one moment in time changes the trajectory of my entire life.

Chapter 1

Sloane

Present Day

Following Seth down the long corridor, I want to slap myself for being so careless.Again. It’s stupid shit like this that causes my sister, who raised me, to question my ability to adult.

“I don’t do this stuff on purpose, you know?” I try to reason with Seth, who glares daggers at me while also scanning our surroundings. A real-life super spy, his instincts are always on. “The least you could do is slow down, geez. You’re almost twice my size. How do you expect me to keep up with you?”

A low growl emits from his body, and if I wasn’t ninety-nine percent sure he had someone waiting for him at home, I would have found the sound excruciatingly sexy. Oh, who am I kidding? Single or not, the man is delectable! Seth is a big man—a big man with big secrets,thatI’m sure of.

What are you hiding, Seth?I’ll figure it out. I always do.

We were just upstairs at my sister’s condo with her new husband, the once infamous playboy Preston Westbrook.Crazy!He’s a billionaire, and I still don’t know how to handle that sometimes.It’s their first Christmas together, and Preston went a little overboard to welcome us all into his life.

Of course, I would be the one to do something stupid and leave my front door unlatched while everyone else in my new brother-in-law’s family is on a manhunt to find one of their best friends.

“Sloane!” Seth hisses. “Did you hear me?”

I glare at him, about to fib my way out of another daydream, when I notice the latch on my apartment door is ajar. Not only is it open, but covered with what looks like blood. Suddenly, all I can hear is my heart beating in my ears.

“Ah, no. No, I didn’t hear you,” I whisper yell, slightly hysterical.

Straightening his shoulders, Seth repeats himself. “You. Stay. Here.” He says it as if talking to a toddler. I’m about to roll my eyes when he continues, “If anyone, and I mean anyone, enters this hallway, you scream as loud as you can. Wake up this entire damn building. Got it?”

Wait, he’s leaving me out here? Alone? Is he in-fucking-sane? I can’t even sleep alone, and he thinks I can stand out here while he checks out my apartment?Before I realize I’m lost in my head, Seth has slipped out of his coat. As it drops to my feet, he draws a gun he had stashed in his backside.

Nice ass.

Focus Sloane, Jesus.I’ve never seen a gun up close before, though.Will he let me hold it later?That would be fantastic research! Maybe my next villain could be a gun-toting mobster?Hmm, that would probably be insensitive considering my new in-laws’ current situation with their friend?But maybe down the road …

Oh, shit. Seth’s gone. Jerking my head left then right, my hair slashes across my face, and I almost scream.Why do you get so lost in your stories, Sloane? Geez!Hearing a clanking of pipes, I jump, and it’s the last push I need to rush through the door.

What if someone is stealing my computer?

I can’t write without it, and I can’t support myself without writing. I really think about the stupidest shit when I’m scared. Without even realizing I’ve moved, I find myself at the entrance to my bedroom, and still no Seth.Crap.

His stern voice stops me just as I’m about to step inside. “I told you to stay put. Goddamn it. Can’t you follow one simple direction?”

I’m so sick of everyone treating me like an imbecile, so I elbow him in the gut and slam my hand against the wall to turn on the light.

“Sloane, I haven’t cleared that room,” he hisses.

Glancing over my shoulder, I whisper back, “Then why are you out here yelling at me, superspy?”