Chris drew a small notebook and a stubby pencil from his front pocket. “Okay. What’s the address?”
“It’s Little Gifts.”
“Leah Somerson’s store?”
“Yes.”
“Done.”
“You can secure it without her knowing?”
“I already have.”
Seth stared at him. “What?”
“Remember how I told you I looked into Leah’s background as soon as Ami started taking Adira there?”
“Yes.”
“Well, I also hacked into her surveillance system to see how good her security was, then improved it by installing some of my own equipment while she was off premises. I like to cover all bases and wanted to have eyes on the place in case Gershom decided to pop in and try to nab Ami or the baby.”
“You didn’t mention it before.”
Chris shrugged. “Beefing up security anywhere Ami goes became standard procedure as soon as Gershom came on the scene.”
Of course it had. Chris always went the extra mile for them, often without asking. “Does that security include Leah’s apartment?”
“Yes.”
Seth studied him. Then Chris must already know that Seth had been spending time with her. “Who monitors the feed?”
“A select group of men and women I would trust with my life. The same ones who monitor the security feed here. They watch it in real time from two different locations. And they report directly to me, so I’m the only person who knows what they see.”
Seth wasn’t sure how to respond to that. Just how much had they seen? If they monitored the back door of her apartment, then they would’ve seen him leave quite late the other night and might’ve assumed he and Leah were lovers.
Chris returned his pencil and notebook to his pocket, then slowly backed away a few steps. “In the interest of full disclosure, I should also tell you…”
Seth frowned. “What?”
“I viewed some of the footage myself. And after seeing the two of you dance together, I installed a special-ops team in the building across from hers that remains in position round the clock. They’re heavily armed. They all carry the same device Immortal Guardians do. And they monitor the feeds as well. But their feeds include the interior of her apartment.”
Anger instantly ignited within Seth. When he had asked Chris to provide additional security for her shop and apartment, he’d meant the exterior, not the interior! Men had been surveilling Leah in her home? They had been watching her during private moments? Did they watch her in her bedroom? In her bathroom? Had they seen her unclothed?
He took a menacing step forward.
Chris hastily backed away another pace and threw up his hands. “Don’t kill me! Hear me out!”
“You watch her in her home?” he growled, stalking Chris around the boardroom table. “They watch her in her home? Your men? Are there cameras in her bedroom? In her bathroom?”
“Hell no!” Chris quickly replied. “The cameras only show the apartment’s front and back doors and her living room. Bathrooms and bedrooms are off-limits.”
Seth recalled the way Leah’s wet tank top and pajama pants had clung to her, revealing the beautiful body beneath almost as clearly as fucking plastic wrap.
“Okay,” Chris said, “your eyes are really bright, so clearly you’re pissed. But damn it, Seth, I’m just trying to keep her safe. That’s why you came by today, isn’t it? You were going to ask me to help you keep her safe?”
Halting, Seth drew in a deep breath. He closed his eyes and fought down his anger. Chris was a good guy. He was just trying to help. “I don’t want men watching Leah when she’s in the privacy of her home.”
“I don’t either.” Some of the tension left Chris’s voice. “That’s why only female operatives are allowed to view the interior feeds of both the store and her apartment. The men view the exterior feeds.”
Seth glowered at him. “Are you saying you’re a woman? Because you just told me you saw the footage of us dancing yourself!”
Chris winced. “If the female operatives see something they believe is important, they bring it to my attention. Everyone knows Gershom is striking at you through those you care about. And it was clear from the moment you danced with her that Leah means something to you. They thought I should know you two—”
“We’re just friends. We aren’t lovers.”
Sighing, Chris rubbed his eyes as if he were suddenly weary. “I’d ask you why, but already know the answer.” Lowering his hand, he shook his head. “You and I are the same in so many ways, Seth. We both have thousands of men and women under our command. We both feel wholly responsible for the health, happiness, and welfare of every single one of them. And we’ve both lost people we care about in this war with Gershom.” His shoulders rose and fell in a helpless shrug. “I don’t want to lose any more. So I took measures I thought would reduce the chances of that even though I knew it might result in you beating the shit out of me when you found out.”
Seth’s anger receded, replaced by regret that such steps were even necessary. “Thank you.”
“I’m always on your side, Seth.”
“I know that. I’m just…”
“Feeling possessive and protective.”
“Yes, damn it, though I shouldn’t.” Such emotions indicated a far greater attachment to Leah than he should allow himself.
“We’re fighting a never-ending battle here,” Chris said softly, “trying to keep the vampires in check, trying to keep humanity from finding out about gifted ones and immortals. I’ve been doing this for thirty years. You’ve been doing it for thousands. Thousands of years of always putting the needs of others before your own, Seth. Forgive me for being blunt, but I think it’s high time you had something for yourself. It’s time you had someone for yourself. Someone who can ease the loneliness and the shitload of pain you carry around inside you every day. Even if it’s just friendship, even if you never take it further than that, I think you should explore whatever this is you’ve found with Leah. Because I have seen the footage. I’ve seen how you are with her, how much you laugh and enjoy her company. You shouldn’t deny yourself that. I mean, how often does that come along?”
It had come along only once before in Seth’s long life. That’s what scared him. He wasn’t sure he could keep a relationship with Leah restrained to friendship. “Now isn’t a good time.”
Chris snorted. “When is a good time? There is never a good time for men like you and me. And you have it much worse than I do. I’m only responsible for the East Coast. You’re responsible for the whole fucking planet.”
Seth sometimes forgot that this battle to protect humans was often as hard on the Seconds and other humans who aided them as it was on the immortals. “Is that why you don’t date? Is that why you haven’t pursued a relationship with Kate?”
Chris looked toward the closed conference room door as if he could see his assistant through it. “Yeah. That’s it in a nutshell. I wouldn’t be good for her. I wouldn’t be good for any woman.” He met Seth’s gaze once more. “But you would be good for Leah—as good for her as she is for you. She’s suffered losses of her own and is due some happiness.”
“You looked into her background.”
“Yes.”
“She said she lost her husband and baby in a car accident.”
“Yes. Twelve years ago.”
“She said it was bad.”
Chris nodded, his face grim. “It was. Did you see it in her memories?”
“I’ve not been reading her mind,” Seth reluctantly confessed. Perhaps Chris wouldn’t realize the significance of that, but David would if he knew. Seth hadn’t read his wife’s mind either, not unless she’d asked him to.
“Leah and her husband were on their way home from visiting his parents in Danville,” Chris said. “She was eight months pregnant. It was late at night. A truck driver fell asleep at the wheel, came around a curve, and hit them head-on. It not only totaled t
heir car, it pushed them off the road and into the trees.”
Seth stared at him. “Are you saying—?”
Chris nodded. “You know how people are, always driving with their heads down, staring at their damn phones. It took over an hour for someone to notice the skid marks on the road and the taillights almost hidden by the trees. The truck driver was thrown through the windshield of his truck and ended up wedged halfway through their windshield between Leah and her husband. He died instantly. The front of the car was totaled and looked like a fucking accordion. My contacts were able to pull up pictures of the accident scene for me. Leah’s husband was severely injured and crushed against the steering wheel. Leah suffered multiple broken bones and was pinned against the dash. Her water broke, but she experienced no contractions. Neither she nor her husband could move, so they couldn’t find their cell phones and call for help. Her husband lost consciousness pretty quickly. Leah was trapped in that car for over an hour—not knowing if her husband was alive or dead, not knowing if her baby was either—before rescue teams arrived. Firefighters had to use the Jaws of Life to extract them both from the vehicle. Not only had her water broken, Leah was also bleeding and paramedics had difficulty detecting a fetal heartbeat.”
Seth swore.
“Doctors weren’t able to save the baby but managed to save Leah. Her husband lingered for three days, then died of complications from his injuries. And if that isn’t fucked up enough, he died within hours of being told they’d lost the baby.”
Seth’s heart ached for her.
“Leah never got to hold her daughter. She wasn’t able to attend her baby’s funeral. Nor could she attend her husband’s. She didn’t even get to tell him goodbye because she was in such bad shape herself.”
No wonder she’d said the whole week was tough for her to get through.
“You’ve both suffered losses, Seth,” Chris concluded. “And you both deserve happiness. Which is why I plan to do whatever I can to keep Leah safe, even if it pisses you off because you think it crosses a line. You’ve done a hell of a lot for me. I want you to be happy.” His attention strayed to the sofa.
Seth glanced over his shoulder.
Cliff shifted in his sleep. His brow furrowed as he tightened his hold on Emma.
Crossing to him, Seth again touched Cliff’s forehead, infusing him with calm and guiding his dreams away from nightmarish violence. He then retraced his steps and stopped before Chris. “With Gershom out there—”
“There’s never going to be a good time, Seth. It sucks, but there you have it. Just look at the immortals who have fallen in love in recent years. When Roland found Sarah, Bastien was doing his damnedest to kill him and take down all Immortal Guardians. When Marcus found Ami, that jackass who crowned himself vampire king was raising his own army. When Bastien found Melanie, fucking mercenaries started hunting immortals and bombed the shit out of—”
Seth held up a hand. “I get it. You’ve made your point. But Gershom is a far more formidable foe than those we’ve fought in the past. And you’re forgetting one thing.”
“What?”
“Leah is human. I, on the other hand, am immortal and possess abilities that—”
“—would make most men shit their shorts. I know. Believe me, I know.”
Seth shook his head. “But Leah doesn’t know.”
Chris waved off his concern. “I’m not worried about that. I think you’ll find Leah is good with different.”
Seth frowned. “What makes you think so?”
“Let’s just call it gut instinct,” he said in lieu of a true answer. “And don’t be an ass and read my thoughts. Just take my word for it.” Only Chris Reordon would dare say such to Seth.
Jealousy rose. “Has Leah dated a gifted one in the past?”
“No.” Chris pointed at him with a knowing look. “And that right there—that overtly jealous gleam in your eyes—confirms that I’m right. You care about her. So go spend time with her, damn it.”
He wanted to. Badly. “I fear we won’t be able to keep her safe. It wouldn’t be fair to her.”
A female voice spoke softly behind him. “Let her decide.”
Seth turned.
Emma had awoken and lay watching them, Cliff still curled around her.
“What?”
“Let her decide if seeing you is worth the risk,” she repeated. “If that decision had been taken from me, I would’ve been denied Cliff’s love.” She freed an arm from the covers and rested it atop Cliff’s, twining her fingers through his. “And his love is well worth the difficulties we face.” Moisture glimmered in her eyes. “Even if I lose him, I will not regret a moment of the time we’ve had together. I’m so grateful to him for letting me decide. You should do the same for the woman you care about.”
Seth considered her words. “You knew what Cliff was when you met him. You knew exactly what you were getting into.”
“Yes. Cliff made sure I did. He even made me watch surveillance footage of one of his psychotic breaks once he realized Mr. Reordon knew about us and could provide him with it. But it didn’t change my mind. I love him and want to spend every minute I can with him, even if Dr. Lipton is unable to halt the brain damage and prevent him from going insane. I plan to be with Cliff until the end.”
Seth could hear in her voice and see in her eyes that she had lost hope that there would be a positive ending for them. “I’m sorry I haven’t been able to help him.”
She shook her head. “Don’t apologize. You could’ve killed him the day you met him, but you didn’t. You’re the reason he’s alive and holding me right now. So do what Cliff did. Tell this woman what you are. Warn her of the danger she faces. If she wants to cut ties with you, honor her wishes. If she wants to keep seeing you, then spend what time you can with her and do whatever you can to protect her. But don’t just make the decision for her.”
Seth didn’t know if her words swayed him because she was right or because it was what he wanted to hear. And what Leah herself had asked of him. But he nodded.
Emma looked down at her wrist. “If things work out, you might want to get her one of these.”
Seth looked at the device. “A watch?”
She nodded. “Aidan gave it to me. It’s a smartwatch that’s also a phone and is voice activated. If there should ever come a time when I believe Cliff might harm me, all I have to do is say two words. The watch will dial Aidan’s cell phone, and he’ll teleport directly to my side.”
Chris moved to stand next to Seth. “Actually, that’s not a bad idea. I can give you a second cell phone, Seth, one that’s just for emergency calls from Leah, then program the watch for her. That way if it rings, you won’t even have to answer it to know she’s in danger and can teleport to her instantly.”
That sounded good. Even if Gershom teleported away with her, Seth would reach the place he’d abducted her so fast that he would have no difficulty following the energy trail left behind.
“Do it,” he told Chris, then looked at Emma. “Thank you.”
“Thank you for taking such good care of Cliff.”
He smiled. “You’re doing far more for him than I ever could. I’m glad he found you.”
Chapter Ten
Leah smiled as she watched Aaron dig in the sandbox. The playground around them was deserted. She’d like to think it was because it was a school day and most children were in school. But this playground was often deserted. She didn’t know if parents were simply too busy working long hours to bring their children, too tired from the same, if they didn’t want to be bothered with it, or if the children would simply rather stay inside, playing with electronic devices or watching television. But she thought all of the above pretty sad.
When she was a little girl, every child in the neighborhood had wanted to play outside as long as they could. Playgrounds like this one had been active every weekday after school and all day on weekends. Neighborhood streets had become the sites of street hockey games. Sidewalks had b
ecome roller-skating thoroughfares and giant canvases for chalk art. And children had been so reluctant to see the fun end that when the sun went down, parents had to practically drag them inside.
She glanced behind her at the empty swing set and the large climbing/sliding apparatus beyond. The park in her neighborhood hadn’t boasted nearly this many features. Yet children had still enjoyed playing in it.
“Look.”
She turned back to Aaron and smiled as he proudly displayed the hill he had constructed. “Oh, that’s a nice hill. Who do you think should live on it?”
“Lion.”
Leah reached into the backpack she’d brought and removed a large mesh bag full of toy animals. “I think there’s a lion in here somewhere.” She dumped them all out into the sandbox just as her cell phone rang.
Digging it out of the backpack, she saw it was her brother calling and sighed. “Yes?”
“Is he there?”
“No. Not yet.”
“Maybe he isn’t coming.”
She rolled her eyes. “Don’t sound so relieved. He’s coming.”
“I just don’t think this is a good idea.”
“You told me last week that you were worried Aaron wasn’t getting enough playtime in with other children. Adira is a sweetheart. They’re going to have a lot of fun together.”
“What about the boy?”
“I’ve only met Michael a couple of times. He’s pretty shy, but he’s always well-behaved at the store.”
Ben was silent for a moment. “I don’t think this is a good idea. I think I should be there.”
“You’re being paranoid.”
“I’m being cautious. Can you blame me?”
Leah watched Aaron plunk the lion on top of the hill. “No. But you’re forgetting I used to take you to the park when you were Aaron’s age. And nothing bad happened, right?”
“Right.” Another moment passed. “Maybe I’m just looking for an excuse to come check out this guy you’re seeing.”
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