Slade wanted to get the last word in, but it was hard to top Toni’s little threat. The three of them started out of the room, and he saw that the little lasers didn’t move from the guards. As they walked through the now empty restaurant and to the door, Slade leaned forward. “Take the shot,” he said. He wasn’t going to miss this opportunity to end Thurrond once and for all.
Toni let out a little snort as she pushed through the exit, holding the doors open for the men. “Are you kidding? This is just a fun little heat-seeking contraption I made. The lasers are the kind you use to play with a cat, not blow a guy’s head off. Now let’s get the hell out of Dodge before your little frenemy finds that out.”
Liv’s stressful night was supposed to be over, but when she saw all the cars in the driveway, she realized exactly how wrong she was. She stayed in her car for a moment, debating whether she should just turn around and go far away. Thurrond had already gone after her once. It wouldn’t be unreasonable for him to be waiting for her at the house.
It was easy to think this was all about Slade, but tonight had changed everything. He had gone after her. Shot up the place she worked. Any doubts about who was behind it were washed away after the police got there.
She’d been asked no questions. Sure, the officer, David Duffy, had been very sweet. He’d given her a blanket and hugged her, saying he was happy she was okay. But then he’d told her that she needed to be more careful about who she hung out with and warned her that next time she might not be so lucky.
The warning, which would have been chilly under normal circumstances, was downright ice-cold coming from a cop. A guy who was supposed to protect her.
No wonder there had been no momentum in Josh’s kidnapping attempt. If Thurrond was behind it, who would bring him in for questioning?
Before she could worry any more about Thurrond invading her home too, she saw Melissa at the door, waving her in.
Even then she hesitated. What if she was being forced to do that? What if there was a guy holding a gun to her best friend and forcing her to wave Liv in?
Liv pulled the keys from the ignition and stepped out. That would have to be a risk she’d take. Because Josh was in that house too, and she wasn’t about to go anywhere without making sure he was okay.
Every step she took filled her heart with a sense of dread. When she made it through the door, she was sure her heart was about to beat out of her chest.
But once she was inside, she saw all of her fear was for nothing. Josh sat in front of the TV, playing one of his favorite video games. Melissa handed some strange man a beer while Slade drank from a plastic water bottle.
She glanced around at the collection of strangers and the sudden influx of testosterone. Okay....
Slade and Gage were in one corner. The two she knew. Considering they were each calm and reasonably relaxed, as relaxed as she assumed Slade got, she inferred that the other guys were with them.
There was a big, rough-looking guy with reddish-brown hair who sat on the floor next to Josh and was losing heartily in the racing game. Then there was a leaner guy on the couch, scrolling through his phone. When he looked up, striking blue eyes met hers and she found herself wondering whether a male model had gotten lost and wandered into her home.
She tore her gaze away and saw the last guy. On some level, he seemed more accessible than the rest. Maybe it was because he wore a suit while everyone else was in jeans, but it could also be because of the small blonde next to him on the couch.
They weren’t exactly cuddling, but they were close enough that Liv could tell something was going on between them. “What’s happening?” she asked hesitantly as she looked around once more at all the people inside her home.
“Reinforcements!” said Josh excitedly from the floor as he didn’t miss a beat in his game.
The excitement was what got her. He seemed... happy. Considering all the muscle in the room, she could understand that. The poor kid had probably been terrified ever since the kidnapping attempt. The bad guys could come back at any moment, and all he had was Melissa and Liv to protect him.
Now he had a little army all here for him. Liv hated to think she wouldn’t be enough to protect Josh, but after what had just happened to her, she had to admit that she was filled with a certain amount of relief at the sight of all of Slade’s friends.
“Olivia Marton?” asked the normal-looking guy as he stood from the couch. When he held out his hand, Liv met it even as she nodded. “My name is Scott Hart. I run Hart Securities and we’re here to make sure you all are taken care of.”
Well, that was all great to hear. Her gaze went to Slade before she really knew what she was doing. She didn’t say anything, but he must’ve been able to see the uncertainty in her eyes.
“I work for Hart. He took over my contract after Sterling died. So he’s kind of my boss.”
“Definitely your boss,” said the little blonde on the couch. “I’m his boss too.” She stood. “Toni Murray. Nice to meet you.” Her smile seemed genuine, but Liv wasn’t in a very trusting mood. She’d been through too much in the past few hours, and this was a lot of strangers around her at once, each one intimidating in their own right.
Toni took the lead on introductions. “The hot ginger on the floor over there is Hunter. He apparently sucks at video games.”
“I’ve never played this one before,” he grumbled as he continued with the game.
“This sleek bastard is Tristan. Don’t believe a word he says because it’s probably a lie.”
Tristan gave her a little wink, but didn’t say anything. Probably a good thing after the questionable introduction Toni gave him.
Melissa gave a hesitant smile. “They said they’re going to help us.”
Liv wanted to be happy, but immediately a laundry list of obstacles went through her mind. Thurrond still had an army of people. A hell of a lot more than the four newcomers in her home. Also, the house wasn’t big enough for them to stay at all at once. They couldn’t shadow Melissa and Liv and, most importantly, Josh during every hour of the day indefinitely. It was nice to think that they were going to be protected, but she wasn’t naive enough to think this was the answer to all of their problems.
She looked over and met Slade’s gaze. “Can I talk to you please?” As she spoke, she started past the crowd of people and down the hall until they reached her bedroom. She hated the idea of having Slade in her room, especially considering how awkward their last meeting here had been, but the house was rather crowded at the moment. Without looking, she knew Slade was coming. He didn’t make a sound even in the old house, but she could feel his oversized presence looming behind her. It simultaneously put her on edge and comforted her.
She opened the door and walked inside, setting her purse on the dresser as she turned to see Slade shut the door behind him. The second she was enclosed with him, she felt as if there were a chunk of air sucked out of the room. Everything seemed tighter, smaller next to him.
He had taken off his jacket and shoes, so he was just in his jeans and a soft-looking gray v-neck shirt. No guns, which was nice. Or not, depending on how afraid she was.
“What’s going on?”
“I’ve been honest with you.”
“You left me!” she snapped, not bothering to hide the hurt.
“You were safe.”
“You hoped I was safe. I thought we had an understanding. I thought you cared about me, however much you can care about someone. But you left me alone after someone tried to kill me.”
“I had to deal with Thurrond.”
“You left me to die yourself then. That doesn’t make any of this better. It might actually make it worse. I don’t even know anymore.”
“Do you not want me to die?”
“Of course I don’t want you to die....” She didn’t even know how to handle this conversation. She was torn between wanting to strangle the man and wanting to hug him. Maybe both at the same time.... “I thought... I thought we had somethin
g. And then you left. I thought I’d never see you again.”
He stepped closer, and for a moment, she thought he was going to hug her. She didn’t know why she wanted him to touch her so much. It was like she got the tiniest bit of affection and suddenly she was jonesing for more.
But he stopped before he touched her. “I have to focus on Josh,” he said bluntly. “He’s my main priority.”
Something seemed to snap in her mind and she reached out and slapped him. “How dare you. I haven’t done a thing to distract you and lead you on, okay? If you’re distracted, that’s on you, Slade. Now get the hell out of my room.”
He rubbed his cheek and looked down at her. She could see that there was more he wanted to say, but he was smart enough to keep his mouth shut, because next time he might get a punch instead of a slap. She didn’t know how one person could make her go from wanting to kiss him to hitting him so quickly. Men who inspired that kind of passion were trouble, no matter how she looked at that.
“Fine,” he finally bit out, dropping his hand from his cheek. “I’ll leave you alone then.”
Alone. The word hit her more than it should, considering everything that happened. “Wait!” she called out as he reached the door. “Maybe Melissa and Josh should sleep here?”
“Josh is getting moved.”
“What?” Why the hell was that not told to her first?
“I can’t take on Thurrond while Josh is still here. I can’t take chances with his life.”
“But what about mine?”
“I want you to leave too.”
“What?” She knew she was screaming loud enough for everyone to probably hear her, but she didn’t care at this point. There were too many decisions being made without her for her to keep her cool right now.
“I can’t be worried about you and keep my focus.”
“For the love of— Please stop accusing me of distracting you.”
“I’m not blaming you, but I’ve been around long enough to know that denial gets you killed. You distract me, Liv. If I want to stay alive, I need to be away from you.”
“So that’s what you want? Me to run to safety?”
“No. I want to push you back against that bed and fuck you until you know exactly how much it pains me to even ask you to leave. Liv, do you have any idea what you’ve done to me?”
Liv’s mouth suddenly went dry and words left her. Obviously he’d kissed her, so she knew there was something there on both accounts, but hearing him say it out loud made it real on a whole new level.
“So, no, Liv. I don’t want you to leave. But I know it’s better for the both of us, and I’m not going to let a stupid mistake I make get you killed. And, for tonight, if you don’t want to sleep alone, that’s fine. But it’s going to be me who is sharing your bed.” With that, he turned and walked out of the room, softly shutting the door behind him.
And Liv did the only thing she was capable of doing at the moment: she fell back against the bed, staring up at the ceiling as she tried to figure out whether she just hallucinated that entire conversation.
“I’m sorry,” said Slade as he put Josh’s bag in the back of Gage’s Jeep.
“Why?” Josh balanced his overstuffed backpack precariously on his shoulder.
Slade had seen firsthand the plethora of handheld gaming systems Josh had stuffed in there, so it was pretty certain that he wouldn’t get bored on the trip. Good, considering he wasn’t sure where Gage was taking him.
“I’m sorry I just got here and now you have to leave. I want to spend some time with you.”
Josh shrugged and looked down, so Slade couldn’t get a good read on how he felt about the idea of hanging out with his biological dad. “You might not want to hang out with me,” Josh said softly.
“I doubt that. You seem pretty cool to me.”
“Other kids don’t like me. I’m not the biggest or strongest like you. I don’t think we’re alike.”
Slade winced at the idea. He didn’t want Josh thinking he was lacking in any way. He’d been in the same position as a kid: wanting to be the biggest and baddest when his little body was only capable of so much.
“I want to spend time with you,” said Slade again. “I want to tell you about growing up with Melissa. There was a time I wasn’t the biggest or baddest. And being big and bad isn’t as important as being smart. I’ve beat a lot of baddies just by outsmarting them. Did you see that girl in there? Toni? She’s one of the scariest people I’ve ever met. She can take out more people with a cell phone than I ever could with my fists. I already know you’re smart. You can hit the gym for hours on end to get bigger, but you can’t fix stupid. So you got that going for you.”
Josh let out a laugh. “Can’t fix stupid,” he repeated to himself softly, as though storing it in his mind to use for later. “I want to see you again too,” he finally said. “There’s an arcade I go to.”
“So you can beat me at all the games like you did with Hunter?” Slade winked.
“No...” said Josh all too innocently. “I don’t play all the games.”
“I’ll play all the games you want me to play with you as soon as this is over. Promise.” Before thinking, he reached out and ran his hand through Josh’s hair. It was the same motion he always saw Liv and Melissa do. He wasn’t naive enough to think he and Josh were close to hugging, but this was one liberty he would take.
Josh was warm and his hair was soft. He figured he knew that on some level, but feeling his son, the product of his love with Lacey, the living reminder of everything good about his wife, was damn near euphoric.
And now he had to send him away. The thought burned in a way it hadn’t just ten minutes ago. Logically, he knew it was a sound idea. Josh needed to be safe and right now, safe was far away from Thurrond. He trusted Hart and his guys to take care of almost any job without him, but this was different. He knew Thurrond in a way none of them did. He knew how ruthless and deceptive the bastard could be.
And he wasn’t taking any chances with this one.
He would take care of the threat and then, after the dust settled, he could try this whole father thing out.
“You have my phone number, right?” He helped Josh into the back of Gage’s SUV.
Josh nodded. “Mel has it too.”
“I know. But I want you to know that if you need me for anything, you call me. And I want you to memorize that number. Don’t trust that you’ll have your phone with you. Be ready for anything.”
Josh nodded fervently. “Yes, sir.”
Slade winced. He didn’t know what to tell Josh to call him. He knew he didn’t like “sir,” but “Dad” didn’t seem right either. Even though he knew he had a son, he hadn’t really felt like a father over the last ten years. Maybe that would change soon.
“You two doing okay?” asked Melissa from behind them.
Josh nodded and smiled. “He’s teaching me to be prepared.”
“Like a Boy Scout?” she asked, giving him a questioning look.
“Something like that,” said Slade, knowing the Scouts wouldn’t approve of the majority of his work. Though he supposed he worked for Hart now. The things that do-gooder would have him do were of a vastly different variety than Sterling. Maybe it was the kind of stuff Josh and Melissa would be proud of.
Maybe it was the kind of stuff Liv would be proud of too.
No, he didn’t need her approval. She wasn’t his family, and frankly, she wasn’t going to be around long enough to see any of the jobs he would do with Hart. Once this Thurrond business was settled, she’d move on. It wasn’t as if she’d planned to get saddled with a kid. She was so young—she had the world ahead of her.
He looked over his shoulder just in time to see the curtains in the master bedroom swish shut, a sign that Liv had been watching him at the same time he’d been thinking about her. It was as if she knew.
Gage started up the car and Slade gave Josh a nod good-bye before he shut the door. Melissa started around the car
, and Slade reached out to stop her. “Mel.... What I said to Josh goes for you too. I want you to memorize my number. Make sure you can reach me no matter what.”
She looked him over and he could tell he’d made her upset. “That’s one hell of a change. You went from making sure there was no way I could get in touch with you at all and now all of the sudden I need to memorize your number.”
“Things have changed. More than you know.”
“Of course more than I know. For me to know implies that you’ve actually communicated with me in some way over these years.”
“Mel—”
“I have to go, Peter. Save your apologies for later. If I see you coming around and actually trying to be a part of Josh’s life, then I might actually believe the words that come out of your mouth.”
Slade let her go. She was right. Talk was cheap. He could make promises all day, but unless he actually showed her that he was serious, she’d never believe him. And she’d be right not to. He’d grown up with her. He knew exactly the circumstances that had hardened that shell of hers. They’d hardened his too. “I’ll see you soon,” he promised.
She gave him a look that was half skepticism and half hope. “Good-bye, Peter.” She crossed to the passenger seat and climbed in. Almost as soon as the door was shut, the SUV was moving. Gage wasn’t one to wait around. Hesitations weren’t good in this business.
Still, it was hard to see the family he’d only just gotten back leaving him.
“You okay?” Toni moved to stand next to him.
“I’m fine,” he said, steeling his voice so she wouldn’t hear the actual emotions he was trying to keep buried, where they belonged.
“Yeah. I’m fine too when my family is in jeopardy.”
He’d seen exactly the lengths of crazy Toni was willing to go through when it meant protecting her family. In fact, that was how they met. When she infiltrated Sterling’s organization to pay him back for killing her mother and kidnapping her sister.
Anyone else would’ve turned tail and run long before making it to Slade, but Toni never showed any fear. It was one of the reasons he wasn’t all that upset to have her as his boss. She might have different skills than he did, but she had balls of steel and he could respect that.
The Vengeful Thief (Stolen Hearts Book 5) Page 10