by Leslie North
Olive’s posture slumped and she sighed. “We haven’t. Not yet. Up until the day he returned to town, I was prepared to do this alone. I still can, if necessary.”
Eyes narrowed, her mother leaned closer to the screen. “You know we’ll back you, honey, whatever decision you make, but single parenting is harder than you imagine. In our travels, we’ve seen many mothers raising families on their own and no matter what your location, kids are hard work. If Levon’s willing to chip in and help, let him. Do you trust him?”
She thought about that a minute. If anyone had asked her that question seven months ago, Olive might have said no. Even a few weeks ago, she hadn’t been sure. But now, she felt closer to Levon than she did just about anyone, other than the two people on her computer screen and the baby growing inside her. She nodded. “Yes, I trust him.”
“Then talk to him,” her father urged. “Get all this out in the open, then decide the future. You can’t make plans based on only half the information. You’re smart enough to know that.”
“Yes, honey.” Her mother laughed. “Maybe too smart. Sometimes your brain can get in the way. Be sure to consult your heart in this too. I haven’t seen Levon Asher in years, but from what I remember when I met him back when you two were in high school, he seemed like a decent boy. And his parents were wonderful people. Simple folk, but good and kind. If he’s turned out anything like them, he’ll be a good partner for you. Your father and I look forward to seeing him again the next time we’re in the States. You’ll have had the baby then too.”
“Yeah.” Olive’s father told one of his bad dad jokes, but she was only half-listening, her mind still stuck on Levon. Finally the connection grew fuzzier and it was time to go. “I love you both. Be careful!”
“You too dear,” her parents said. “And be sure to have that talk with Levon.”
The computer screen went black as the connection severed, leaving Olive to stare at her own reflection. Usually, hashing things out with her parents put her fears at ease, but today, they’d only added new tension to her already overloaded system. The fact that they were right about her need to talk to Levon about his plans for the future didn’t help either.
Olive didn’t like uncertainty. She was a woman of facts and figures, a scientist. She liked things cut and dried and clear as crystal. Levon was nothing but a big walking question mark to her at the moment. The only place they seemed perfectly synchronized was in bed, but fabulous sex didn’t a relationship make.
She snorted and turned away from the computer to get up and walk into the living room. Could she even call it a relationship? Not really. They were partners in solving this case, that was all. And with the baby, of course.
Absently, she placed her hand over her tummy and sank down onto the sofa to stare around at all the unfinished baby items around her that they’d brought over from her place. There was the crib, the highchair, the playpen, even the mobile she’d bought. All just sitting there in pieces waiting to be assembled into what she hoped would be working order. She’d hoped to have more time to get it all together, but time was quickly running out.
And if that wasn’t a metaphor for her life presently, she didn’t know what was.
Olive took a deep breath and let her head fall back on the cushions to stare up at the ceiling. Her parents were right. She and Levon needed to hash this out, once and for all. It was scary, yes. Not just because she loved him, but also because she wanted to do the right thing for their baby. But the scariest thing of all for Olive was not knowing.
They had been lab partners once. Bed partners too.
But could they be a forever family?
16
Levon returned home that afternoon feeling like he had a belly full of cut glass. After going over the footage with the local PD and Principal James, he was left with the awful task of telling Olive the truth about her favorite student. That Franklin Monroe was, in fact, working with the Reapers. Then there was the fact that after the trashing of her classroom and the threatening note the gang had left behind, both the PD and Principal James had agreed that Olive needed to be put on an immediate leave of absence for her own safety until after this whole mess was resolved.
He hated that he’d been right about this. It was almost enough to make him long for his academic days, back when he had been wrong so often. He hesitated on the porch of the rental house, exhausted down to his very bones. He knew telling her was the right thing, but it was hard. Harder than pretty much anything Levon had done so far in his life, and that was saying something. He’d faced down dictators and homicidal militias, but seeing Olive Owen hurt and disappointed might just kill him.
Given her condition, he’d have to break the news on both counts to her gently, but he’d have to be clear. Levon was determined to resolve the case as quickly as possible, but he still needed to be thorough and that would take time. Olive would have to remain here at the rental house, and under his protection, until the Reaper presence was permanently eradicated from Harper’s Forge.
Dammit. Levon tried to rehearse the words in his head, but they kept getting muddled. He screwed his eyes shut in concentration, taking deep breaths to calm his pounding pulse, but nothing seemed to help. Finally, there was nothing for it but to get it done.
He unlocked the front door and stepped inside to find Olive sitting in the armchair by the windows in the living room, reading one of her scientific journals. She glanced up when he entered and immediately set it aside, taking off her glasses. Levon just stared at her a second, drinking in the vision of her soft, lovely face. Her russet-colored curls were pulled back in a ponytail, but a few waves had sprung free to kiss her cheekbone and jawline.
If leaving meant coming home to a vision like this, then Levon found he didn’t quite resent getting called away on mission business.
“Well?” Olive was clearly eager to hear what he had to say, if the restless wringing of her hands and bobbing of her foot were any indications. She sat up straighter, her dark eyes shining with intelligence and interest. “What happened with the police?”
“Uh…” He raked a hand through his hair, stalling. He walked over to the sofa across from her and sat. “I showed them the note that was left in the classroom. And some security footage from the school.” He leaned forward, staring at his hands hanging loosely between his parted knees, his forearms resting on his thighs. “I got some other footage from my team in Arlington too. Video from the mall arcade where we did the stakeout the other day.”
“Really?” Olive’s tone trembled with excitement. “Did it show anything? Could you see the faces of the people responsible?”
“Yeah, we could.”
“And?” she pressed. He said nothing—forgetting already the speech he’d rehearsed on the porch, his words getting all jumbled and wrong. Fuck. He looked up at her in time to see her eager expression slowly dissolve into resigned understanding. “Oh, God. It’s one of my students, isn’t it?”
Levon gave a reluctant nod. “But don’t worry. I called Principal James into my meeting with the PD and we’ve got your situation—”
“My situation? I don’t have a situation.”
“Yes, you do. Because of the violence of the attack on your classroom and your proximity to the suspect, we can’t allow you to go back to school.” Levon avoided defining who ‘we’ was, at least for now. He knew he had plenty of backup in his decision, but he also knew he had to take all of the responsibility for it. “Not after what happened. Not until the people responsible are behind bars.”
“I know my kids. They would never hurt me.” She looked away, scowling. “Please, Levon, whoever it was, they must have been put up to it—”
“We don’t know that. Not yet. That’s why you have to stay away from the school until we figure this out.” This was not how he had wanted to tell her. Not at all. “I know you care about those kids, but—”
“I love my students!” She looked back at him and he wished she hadn’t. The pain in he
r eyes nearly gutted him. “What about my tutoring? Franklin has his scholarship paperwork due. He’s the smartest kid I’ve ever taught, and he’s so high-risk, given his home life and family situation and—”
“You’re right. Franklin is high-risk, but not in the way you think.” Levon cursed under his breath and pushed to his feet, too restless to sit. He hated this. Hated that this kid Olive had trusted wasn’t worthy of her faith in him. Hated that she was disappointed and hurt. Hated most of all that Franklin had made the mistake of threatening the woman Levon loved and the mother of his child, because now Levon was going to have to do something about that. He wasn’t a violent man at his core, but the thought of Franklin and the Reapers going unpunished made his muscles twitch with the need for revenge. If he didn’t keep control, he was likely to storm out into the gathering darkness and resolve this all. Personally. Tonight. Without any of the proper protocols and channels. Screw SSoF. Screw the Harper’s Forge PD. Screw everything except protecting Olive and the baby. “It was Franklin. He is the one who trashed your classroom. His face is all over the security footage. There’s more video of him selling drugs at the arcade for the Reapers.” His attempt to cool himself down before delivering this news failed. It felt like he'd pop a vessel from the blood pounding in his ears and the heat scorching his face. “The proof is undeniable. It was him. Once they test that note, I’m sure they’ll find his fingerprints all over it too.”
All the color drained from Olive’s complexion, leaving her white as a ghost. For a sickening moment he worried that she might pass out on him and he rushed to her side, only to be stalled by the hand she held up to keep him away. Bile burned the back of his throat before he swallowed hard to keep it at bay. He’d wanted so much to get this right, but as usual when it came to words, he’d apparently gotten it all wrong. Again.
If only he could rewind this moment, reorder his thoughts, and start again—
“Franklin?” Her voice croaked out, rough with sadness and betrayal, and her shoulders caved forward, like all the fight had gone out of her. He wanted to hold her, wanted to tell her that it would all be okay, somehow. But she kept him at a distance, with one harrowing glance. “How? Why?”
“My guess is he thought he was protecting you. Trying to scare you off so you wouldn’t keep looking into the gang and their activities.” Levon still had no evidence to back up his theory, only an instinct. But his instincts had never failed him before. Please, God, don’t let them be wrong now. He wasn’t sure how much more Olive could take. She was already under enough stress with the pregnancy and the impending birth.
“I have to get back to the school.” Olive stood, her gaze distant as she tried to move past him, and Levon’s fears tripled. She had to be in shock—she couldn’t be thinking clearly. He took her arm, preventing her from reaching the door. But that look. He’d seen that look before. Back when they’d been working together on a particularly heinous assignment in the lab. Olive was piecing together clues. She was thinking. And given the current circumstances, that could only mean more trouble. Levon hauled her back in front of him, his frown stern. “No, Olive. You’re not going anywhere.”
“Excuse me?” Olive tried to pull free, but his grip was unshakeable. Still, she was not in the mood to take any crap, especially from him. “I’m not sure I heard you right.”
“You heard me.” A small muscle ticked near Levon’s tight jaw. He stared down at her and she suspected he was struggling to find the words he wanted. She also knew she wasn’t making his progress any easier, but maybe that was the point. “Jesus, you think so loud it practically fills the room with noise.”
Olive’s own temper rose. “What did you just say?”
“Olive, your brain is not welcome in this conversation.” Levon leveled a steely stare at her. “You’re too close to this to see what’s really happening. I never should’ve let you get involved to begin with.”
“You don’t ‘let’ me do anything, Levon.” She did pull free then, rubbing her sore arm where he’d gripped her hard, her voice hissing with hurt. Pain dug deep into her core and dammit, she wanted him to feel it too. Wanted him to feel something for her. Wanted to be more than just a burden or another situation to be handled. “I’m not your prisoner. I’m a grown woman, and I think—”
“And there you go again. Thinking.” Levon shook his head and muttered under his breath. “Dammit, Olive. There are some things that you can’t think your way out of. This is one of them. Your safety and that of our baby overrides everything else, and since you don’t seem to be in the right place mentally to prioritize it, I’m doing it for you.”
Oh. My. God. Fury fumed inside her like a boiling pot ready to explode. If she wasn’t pregnant and he wasn’t so damned big, she’d have kicked his ass. The baby kicked hard as if in accord. As it was, all she could do was pace. Pace and plot painful retribution for his caveman ideas. Sure, he was a SEAL, but that didn’t mean muscle was the end-all-be-all way to handle all the world’s problems. And yes, she was close to Franklin Monroe. She was close to all her students. Took an active interest in them and their wellbeing. That wasn’t a bad thing. In fact, if Levon would just listen to her, it might be a good thing. Very good. But no. He had to act like a stubborn ass instead. “Stop treating me like a child. You’re not my boss and you’re certainly not in charge of me. I’m an adult. I have a college degree. And I thought we were partners in this case. You may think I’m too close to this, but I can still contribute.”
“No, you can’t.” He turned away, crossing his arms and refusing to budge from his spot in front of the door, blocking her exit. “And this isn’t a partnership, Olive—not really. This is still my case. Mine and the local police. That’s it. I’m sorry if you thought any differently.”
Her throat constricted so hard she thought she might choke. Where anger had flamed within her moments earlier, now ice froze her blood. She gripped the back of the sofa for support as her knees threatened to buckle beneath her. She’d wanted an answer earlier about their future and it looked like she’d gotten one. Still, she had to be sure. Lips numb, she forced herself to ask, “And what about after this case is over? Are we partners then?”
Levon looked at her as the question hung heavy between them and the air grew taut. At last he turned away, raking his fingers through his hair. “I don’t know, Olive. I can’t think about that now. There’s too much going on with the case. I have to concentrate on what’s in front of me. It won’t do either of us any good to jump too far ahead.”
He stalked off into the kitchen to grab a bottled water from the fridge, downing half the contents in one long swallow, his expression preoccupied, distracted. Olive sank onto the sofa before she fell down.
Well, she had her answer. On his list of priorities, she and the baby came after his job and his case. That was fine. Good. After all, she’d known as much going into this, right? He was here on a mission, nothing more. The fact that they’d been reunited after all these months had just been a happy coincidence. Or maybe just a coincidence—not happy at all. Because what she felt inside at the moment was anything but happy. In fact, she seriously thought she might throw up. Stomach churning with regret and self-recriminations, she stumbled to her feet and down the hall to the bedroom, closing the door behind her, then leaning back against it as tears tumbled down her cheeks.
She’d been a fool. A total and complete fool to think Levon Asher would ever be her happily ever after. The truth was, he saw her as nothing more than a nuisance, another situation to handle on the road to his future. And his future didn’t lie here, in Harper’s Forge, with her and the baby. He had bigger things ahead, like his new life in Arlington. Maybe he even had a girlfriend there. A wife, kids, a new beginning. Leaving Olive to pick up the pieces of her foolish, heartbroken life.
God. This was why she didn’t get involved in anything as messy as a romance, why she was better off in her facts and figures bubble. Love did nothing but sucker-punch you in the gut. Love wa
s irrational and stupid and heartbreakingly unfair. Love sucked, pure and simple.
Swiping the back of her hand across her damp cheeks, Olive sniffled and pushed away from the door to flop down on the bed, her thoughts whirling a mile a minute. There was no turning her brain off now. What she had feared all along was coming to pass. Levon didn’t see her as forever material. Baby or not, she was just a burden to him now, a negative variable that was turning out to be not worth the energy. One that was drawing him away from his real focus, which had never been her, nor the baby, nor the potential life they might build together.
All of the fantasies she had formed in spite of herself burned away in an instant. Olive rolled over and buried her face in her pillow, crying softly until, exhausted, she fell asleep alone.
17
“I’m going out,” Olive informed Levon two days later.
“Oh?” Dread pooled in his stomach like he’d just taken a swift gulp of ice water, but he played it cool. It wasn’t a brilliant response, but it left him room to work from.
He was seated at the kitchen table, laptop open, poring over the most recently compiled update from headquarters. Unfortunately, the case wasn’t moving as swiftly as he’d hoped. The Reapers must have caught a whiff of something amiss, and while they had no concept of the hell that was coming their way, the SSoF needed to act before they went to ground. “Where?”
He had been so absorbed with his reading that he hadn’t even noticed Olive until she spoke. Mostly it had been deliberate, since they’d been avoiding each other, practically walking on eggshells, since their argument. Still, he couldn’t help noticing she still looked lovely, dressed in a soft sea-green knit dress that draped her body fetchingly. Her hair hung in loose waves around her shoulders and framed her pale face, hiding her expression.