Page 95 of Romancing His Heart

“That’s why you and Miles are only five months apart?”

“Yes,” he bites out. “Miles is a mean fucking bastard.”

“Yeah, we know. What else?”

“I never fit in with them because I was a bastard. The only time our siblings ever accepted me was when Loki would visit. As soon as he arrived, the target was off my back. I’m not proud of using him as a scapegoat, but sometimes you do what you have to do to survive.”

I don’t answer because I can’t imagine growing up like that. My brothers and I had our shit, but we’ve always had each other’s backs. I nod to encourage him to continue.

“Shortly after Loki left our house the last time, there were rumblings of things to come. It was the first time I truly understood how sick and twisted my family was, especially my father. After my brothers told me what he planned to do to Loki’s parents, they assumed Loki would have no alternative but to return to Boston. That’s when they started making plans to come after all of you.”

“They hadn’t counted on my parents stepping in,” I offer.

“No, and it sent my father into a tailspin. It’s one of the few times I saw him make mistakes. But it was in his rage that I found an escape.”

That has my attention. “How so?”

“Your father called Antonio Black the day Loki’s parents were killed in the car accident. He let him know that Loki’s mom had left custody to them, along with all the documentation she had saved on him over the years. Your father told Antonio under no circumstances would he ever get his hands on Loki, then he hung up,” Mr. Anderson fills in.

“My father erupted into a fit of rage I’d never seen before. He made us pack our bags that night, and we touched down in Waverley-Cay shortly after. He didn’t have a plan, just a lot of guns, and he was coming for you. Somehow, in the early morning hours, I talked him into letting me go alone to speak to Loki. He dropped me off on the other side of the bay, and I swam to your shore. I sat there for hours waiting for someone to come home.”

My stomach rolls as I remember that day. “You met Colton on the beach,” I say, remembering how Colt had come running inside shortly after Mr. Anderson arrived to say he had made a friend on the beach. We were both young at the time, and Colt had a habit of imaginary friends, so no one thought much of it. Knowing now that Luca could have shot him dead but didn’t, does nothing to ease the unsettled feeling in my gut.

“Yes. He told me Agent Anderson was at your house, and I knew then that was my only chance. I waited at your gate for them to leave and then jumped in front of their car. I joined the FBI as soon as I turned eighteen.”

“What the fuck?” Seth screams. Rounding the table, he lifts Mr. Anderson by the lapel of his jacket. “Why the fuck wouldn’t you tell us? All this time, Loki has been living half a life, thinking he was doing this all alone, and you had his goddamn brother in the ranks this entire time. Why?” Seth’s voice echoes in the confines of my office.

“Release me, Special Agent Foster.”

Years of training have Seth following orders, and taking a step back. I watch Seth fight a war within himself.

“Why?” he bites out through gritted teeth.

Straightening his jacket, Mr. Anderson replies calmly, “We needed Loki, but we also needed a man on the inside. It’s a good thing, too, because we wouln’t have known how complex Antonio’s operation really was. If we hadn’t had Luca on the inside, I fear Loki wouldn’t have made it as far as he did.”

“You don’t know shit about Loki,” Seth defends.

“Seth,” I say, trying to rein in my own emotions, “let’s hear them out.”

For the next hour, we hear the back story of how Luca aided us in all our missions for the last eight years. It’s an eye-opening, exhaustive breakdown, but it leaves no doubt in my mind that I need to bring him to Loki. If we have any hope of clearing his name, we’ll have to rely on his half-brother.

Chapter 31

Loki

Loki: Update?

I grab my phone and recheck it. It’s been three hours since I sent that message, and I have no response from Ashton or Seth. The messages aren’t even showing as read, so I have no fucking idea what’s going on.

“You okay?” Sloane asks over the top of her computer.

No, I’m not okay, but I don’t tell her that. Putting a voice to my concerns makes them real, and I’m not ready to go there yet.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I lie. “I’m just waiting for an update from the guys. What are you working on today?”

Sloane eyes me skeptically, and I know she doesn’t believe me. When she looks at me like this, I see my future so clearly—running EnVision with Ash and Seth, living in a house that she’s turned into a home. Her. I see my future clearly, and it consists of Sloane.

“Ugh, social media,” she groans. “If I had known how many hats I would have to wear when I first started publishing, I may have chosen a different career. Social media is the worst, but it’s a necessary evil if I want to sell books.”