Page 36 of Romancing His Heart

“This is asking a lot of you, Seth. You have an obligation at home you have to consider,” I remind him. “You’re all Sadie has.”

His eyes soften as he lets down his guard. Sadie is and has always been his weakness.

“Loki, when Vic first listed you as AWOL, Ash and I laid everything on the line. Your family has taken me into their lives, their homes as one of their own. He and Sylvie have already made it clear that they are on my side no matter what happens. Sylvie even took Sadie overnight so I could be here helping Ash.”

That grabs my attention. “She did? How did she know? I thought you kept Sadie separate from everything.”

“I do, but those Westbrooks have a way of getting what they want,” he says warmly. “What they wanted was to make sure I had all the tools necessary to help bring you home. Along the way, Sylvie found a soft spot for me, I guess.” His eyes are downcast as if that news embarrasses him.

“She has a way of doing that,” I agree. “But how does no one else know?”

“Ash said he understood why I kept her a secret. It’s all about safety. Until I walk away from SIA, I’ll protect that secret with my life if it means keeping her alive.” He grins. “And Sylvie said it wasn’t her story to tell.”

Freaking Sylvie. “She might just be the true mastermind of this fucked-up family.”

“For sure, that woman has eyes and ears everywhere.”

“You know, our time at SIA might be coming to an abrupt halt sooner than either of us anticipated?” I don’t know what the future holds, but for me, for the first time in ten years, I’m feeling okay with walking away.

“I know, man. I’ve been thinking the same thing. I’ve stayed this long because of you. I owe everything I have to you, but when you’re done, I’m out. I don’t know what I’ll do, but the time is coming.”

I hate that he’s stuck with this wretched life because of me. I’m also eternally grateful.

“I wouldn’t be alive without you, man. I have a feeling Ash might have something up his sleeve for us when this mission is over. He’s hinted at it before. I think he’s just been waiting for us to be ready.”

Choking on a laugh, Seth says, “That man is one scary fucker dressed in a million-dollar suit.”

I grin because Seth has no idea. Ashton has been my secret weapon since I was fifteen, and I know that someday, the three of us will do great things. But first, I need to put the past behind me, once and for all.

“Let’s get Ash down here. We’re going to need him to wipe every piece of technology we own, maybe replace some. Then we’ll gather whatever troops we have at our disposal to vacate the premises.”

“The only troops we have right now are your family, Loki.”

“Apparently, they’re our family now.” I give him a stern look. “Once Sylvie adopts you, she never let’s go. The family is big enough now that they’ll work as a diversion, and Preston has enough cars in the garage to pull it off.”

“Yeah, but explaining this to them is going to take some work. Sloane and Emory are going to freak the fuck out. And Sylvie? She’s just getting used to you being home. This will break her heart.”

Swallowing razor blades before I speak, I say, “I know that, Seth. But what choice do we have? You, Ashton, and I will have to make them understand. There is no other way right now.”

Chapter 12

Sloane

“Ash went down there over an hour ago. What the fuck could they be doing? And why aren’t they giving us any updates?” Preston grumbles.

Sylvie is across the room but shockingly says nothing about his cursing.I guess she’s probably more worried than all of us. Those are her boys.

“Hey, luv. Are you doing okay? I can’t imagine how scary this is for you,” Lanie asks softly.

“Yeah, I mean, I didn’t see anything, so I don’t know any more than the rest of you. I guess I’m just scared for Loki.”

The elevator chimes and everybody turns toward the sound. Seconds later, Loki walks in, flanked by Seth and Ashton. Loki’s demeanor is stern, determined, and laser-focused solely on me. My body heats under his scrutiny, but he stops halfway into the room.

“Someone gained access to our apartment,” Loki tells the room. With his gaze on me, the rest of our audience fades into the background. “They trashed the place, and … and they left a message.”

“What kind of message? How the fuck did they get past security?” Preston demands.

“I watched the footage. They had a bypass code and entered through the fire escape,” Ashton says while moving about the room. “I’m not sure how that’s possible, but I’ll figure it out.”