The Choice

by Shayla Black

  “Thanks, Doctor.”

  “You can thank me by being with your daughter for as long as possible.”

  “I promise.”

  Conversation stopped when Seth guided Heavenly into the little room. Beck cursed under his breath because he already knew that was a promise her father couldn’t keep.

  It was nearly two in the morning when Seth left I-10 eastbound and veered onto the 110. He stayed focused on the road…but his head was reeling. Until tonight, he’d had no idea that Heavenly lived with her father or that the man had such a vicious disease. What else didn’t he know?

  He purposely hadn’t investigated the angel when he’d first met her because he hadn’t wanted to trample on her privacy. He’d wanted to earn her trust. So he had only known what she’d wanted him to—almost nothing. And judging from the look on Beck’s face, she’d done the same to him.

  They’d both grossly underestimated her for the first—and last—time.

  Christ, he felt like a dumbass. If he hadn’t ignored the red flags or his gut instinct for months, he could have been lightening her load. And this night wouldn’t have been a shit show.

  Unfortunately, the crap kept coming.

  While Heavenly accompanied the nurse wheeling Abel from the emergency room, he and Beck had trekked to the parking lot. Seth had pelted the doctor with questions about the man’s disease. Since they were vying for the same girl, he hadn’t expected more than a growled “fuck you.” Instead, the smartass doctor had been surprisingly forthcoming about Abel’s condition.

  Fuck. When her father passed, it would crush Heavenly.

  The only bright ray tonight had been the moments Heavenly turned to him for comfort. After thinking he might never hold her again, having her melt against him, face nuzzled into his neck, had been a dizzying relief. All night, the pang of his empathy had warred with the slow burn of his anger and tangled with the never-ending ache of his lust.

  This woman had him tied up in knots.

  Hearing that she’d let Beck put his hands in her panties hadn’t thrilled him, but seeing her pant while she’d been between them troubled him far more.

  On the other hand, could she be terribly attached to either of them? He had to wonder…

  The GPS prompted him to exit the freeway in half a mile. From the passenger’s seat, Beck scowled and grabbed his phone.

  “This can’t be right,” he whispered, then cast a furtive glance to the backseat, where Heavenly was curled up against Abel, both in an exhausted sleep.

  “Why?” He glanced at the device again. “This is the address she gave me.”

  Beck’s scowl deepened. “Goddamn it.”

  Seth glanced at the street hugging the freeway. Pawn shops, bail bondsmen, and strip clubs lined the road. Boarded-up buildings and shady used car lots provided a backdrop for the flurry of police activity. Several squad cars with blinding light bars blocked traffic as cops contained a group of gangbangers in handcuffs, facedown on the sidewalk. A gunshot resounded nearby. The GPS told him to exit now.

  “She lives here?”

  The doctor stared at the phone again. “Point-six miles away.”

  In the backseat, Heavenly rustled and peered forward. “Exit here, take a right onto Figueroa. It’s the third street past MLK Boulevard.”

  Feeling gut sick, he followed her directions. As he passed the bus stop, he realized her place was still nearly half a mile away. She walked that distance every day, at all hours, to catch her ride? How had she managed without being mugged, raped, or murdered?

  When they turned down her street, the cracked road ran between dilapidated houses, all locked down with bars on their windows and doors, as if the inhabitants intended to ward off an imminent home invasion. In front of one rickety place, he saw a box of random trash and a ratty mattress. In front of another sat a sedan missing its rims.

  “It’s the big pink place on the left,” she murmured.

  The dive with the dumpster at the curb and “guarded” by rusted gates?

  Beck slanted him a shocked gaze Seth totally understood. Sure, he’d been in neighborhoods like this. Once upon a time, he’d been a cop for the NYPD. But he’d never come to gang turf without backup. And he’d never cruised into the hood because the girl he dated lived there.

  No fucking way he would leave Heavenly in this hellhole unprotected, but he couldn’t exactly take her to his new one-bedroom bachelor pad, either. He’d have no room for her father.

  As he eased the car to the curb and killed the engine, his thoughts raced. Maybe he should offer to sleep on her couch, gun at the ready. If he did, would his SUV still be intact when the sun rose?

  When Heavenly eased from the backseat and helped her father out, Seth glanced at Beck, who was clearly doing similar mental gymnastics.

  “If you have a couple of assault rifles, pass ’em out,” the doctor mumbled. “We might need them to make it inside her place.”

  “No shit. I can’t believe she lives here.”

  “Not for much longer.”

  Seth nodded. “You got that right.”

  As soon as he locked the SUV, he rushed to help Abel. Beck followed suit. They both wrapped a strong arm around the frail man and helped him to the wrought-iron gate. As a security feature, it was a joke. A good kick would send the decaying metal skittering across the walkway. But Heavenly dutifully inserted her key and turned the handle. The hinges squeaked as they ushered her dad into the shoddy courtyard. The gate slammed behind them with a rattling clang.

  Christ, Seth had to believe Heavenly had some reason beyond her pride for concealing her father’s health and her crime-ridden neighborhood. Neither he nor Beck had been able to persuade her to confide in them for months. He was loath to partner up with Dr. Dipshit…but would it take them both to finally get answers?

  They led Abel along a chipped pink stucco wall, following Heavenly to the second apartment on the right. As she reached the door, she faltered at the sight of a bright orange notice on the door that read RENT OVERDUE. Heavenly ripped it down, crumpled the paper in her fist, and shoved a key into the knob.

  “What’s that about, boo?” Concern laced Abel’s voice.

  “Nothing, Dad. I’ve just been busy. I’ll take care of it.”

  “Wait until tomorrow. You need rest, too.”

  “It’s fine. Mr. Sanchez’s lights are still on. See?” She pointed.

  Her hand trembled.

  Heavenly pushed the portal open and flipped on an overhead light. Cockroaches scurried to darkened corners of the painfully tidy studio apartment. A mussed hospital bed dominated the space. Water spots stained the ceiling. Paint peeled from the dingy walls. Seth feared what he’d find if he took a black light to the carpet.

  The place was a shithole. And his angel lived here.

  “Can you settle Dad on the bed? Then I’ll adjust him until he’s comfortable,” Heavenly murmured.

  Seth nodded, pressing his lips together in mute anger. It ticked up another notch when he spotted the lumpy pillow and thin, folded blanket stacked on the sagging couch against the wall. He had no doubt Heavenly slept there.

  This reality got uglier with every passing moment.

  “I know how to maneuver a hospital bed,” Beck said as he and Seth helped Abel onto the mattress. “Relax, little girl.”

  “Actually, if you two don’t mind staying with Dad for a few minutes, I’ll pop across the courtyard and deal with last month’s rent.” Heavenly’s voice shook.

  With stress? Exhaustion? Embarrassment? Seth’s gut coiled tight. Why was she paying the rent at two a.m.? He didn’t like it.

  “We’ll get your dad settled in,” Beck promised.

  “Thanks.” Heavenly’s pensive expression was the last thing he saw before she hurried out the door.

  He and Beck exchanged a concerned glance. Yeah, the doctor suspected something wasn’t right, too.

  Beck removed the older man’s shoes. “Would you like something to drink?”


  “Water, thank you. Clean glasses are in the cabinet to the left of the sink. Help yourselves.” As Beck crossed the room, Abel regarded Seth, then gestured to a battered kitchen table. “Grab a couple of those chairs, make yourselves comfortable.”

  Forcing a smile, he dragged two spindle-backed seats beside the bed as Beck returned, balancing three full cups.

  “Thank you for helping Heavenly and me tonight.” Abel took a long gulp from his glass, fighting shaky hands. “We truly appreciate it.”

  “We’re happy to,” Beck assured.

  “I wish we could do more.” Seth hoped worry hadn’t bled into his tone. The old man didn’t need more concerns, especially about the safety of the daughter he relied on.

  “I know this place isn’t fancy. It’s certainly not as big or homey as our farmhouse in Wisconsin. That’s where Heavenly and I used to live. Before I got sick, we had a cozy kitchen, a big stone fireplace that would heat the whole living room come winter, and our own bedrooms. I miss that for her. She deserves more.” Regret lined Abel’s face. “Broke my heart to sell out when we couldn’t keep up with everything. She loved living on the farm. We had three hundred head of dairy cows that made the best damn cheese in the state. When Heavenly was little, she used to name them all.”

  Seth could picture that. Her evasions aside, he’d seen her big heart. “That sounds like a sizable operation.”

  “It was. How much has Heavenly told you?”

  Not a damn thing. But Seth was determined to get some straight answers. “I’d appreciate it if you filled in the gaps.”

  “In other words, nothing.” Abel sighed. “That girl… She’s private, shy, and even more proud. You may have noticed she doesn’t trust easily.”

  “We did,” Beck grumbled. “Why is that?”

  “Well, my wife left after I got sick, said she hadn’t signed up to spend her life taking care of an invalid. Heavenly was just a teenager, in school and far too young to manage the spread by herself.”

  What kind of mother left her young daughter to shoulder such an adult role? “Heavenly must have taken that hard.”

  “She felt so abandoned after Lisa walked out. I’m afraid the experience taught her that those who should care most often don’t give two shits. Unfortunately, she’s had to shoulder most of the responsibility since. But Heavenly is a good girl. She’s taken care of me all these years.”

  No wonder she handled everything on her own.

  He darted a gaze over to Beck, who looked equally stunned by Abel’s story. Heavenly’s father was giving him more information about the girl in a few minutes than he’d managed to learn in months.

  “After I sold the farm, I rented a little house in town for us. Eventually, my medical condition forced us to move to Milwaukee, then here. I wish the doctors back home could have diagnosed me properly before we had to move across the country. But the team in Wisconsin said the VA out here had more experience with my condition. Not so sure about that, and I don’t much like LA.”

  Beck placed his hand on Abel’s shoulder. “I promise I’ll make some phone calls and set you up with the best neurologist in the city.”

  The older man smiled in gratitude. “I can’t thank you enough. If your medical friends can’t cover all the expenses, maybe we can pay some now that Heavenly got that raise at the hospital and started working so many hours. It’s the only way we’ve been able to afford that gawd-awfully expensive medicine my doctor recently prescribed.”

  Seth schooled his expression. Heavenly had even fooled her father into thinking that a nursing student volunteering thirty hours a week at the hospital made a salary. He didn’t blame her for not wanting to worry the sick man, but he also couldn’t stop wondering… Other than the tips she earned working part time at that kids’ pizza place, where was the money to pay the rent coming from? And if her cash flow was short, how was she paying now?

  As the older man rambled on about the rising cost of pharmaceuticals, the hairs on the back of Seth’s neck stood on end. Only one answer came to mind.

  She’d offered her virginity to River because she’d wanted some control over her first time. And when Raine’s brother had refused her sex… Shit, she’d been so rattled before heading across the courtyard because she’d known she would have to fuck her landlord to pay the rent.

  Seth darted from his chair and bolted for the door.

  Not a moment later, Beck scrambled to his feet, hot on his heels.

  “You’re leaving?” Abel sighed. “Well, nice to meet you boys…”

  “We’re going to check on Heavenly,” Seth shot over his shoulder.

  “Uh-huh,” Abel mumbled as he drifted off to sleep.

  Seth lurched out into the dark night. Beck followed. They peered across the shadowy courtyard. Seth tried to remember which apartment belonged to the landlord when a door along the far side slammed against a wall. He heard a cry, then caught sight of Heavenly, her pale hair whipping wildly as she ran toward them, panicked and sobbing—and frantically tugging her shirt over her bare breasts.

  “You still owe me, puta.” A guy who looked more like a beer-bellied gangbanger than a landlord chased after her, clutching her bra in his meaty fist. “You promised me that cherry pie.”

  As Seth raced to Heavenly and caught her in his grasp, rage—white and hot—enveloped every cell in his body. “Get inside.”

  She looked over her shoulder with revulsion and terror. “B-but—”

  “Go!” Beck insisted. “We’ll take care of this.”

  The moment she dashed to her unit and slammed the door, Seth charged toward Sanchez. “I’m going to fucking kill him.”

  “Not if I do it first,” Beck growled beside him.

  Here was something else they agreed on. Miracles never ceased. “We could make it hurt more if we did it together.”

  That was probably the only thing they would ever do together, and it was only happening because they both wanted Heavenly safe, protected, and sheltered. Plus, neither could wait to pulverize this shitbag.

  Beck shot him a wolfish grin. “You’re on.”

  CHAPTER THREE

  Monday, November 26

  Four Months Earlier

  “Since my shift is over, and you’re done with patients for the day, why don’t you stop making me suffer and ask me out, Dr. Beckman?”

  Beck bit back a quip that he knew a couple hundred ways to really make Kathryn Hitch, ER Nurse Specialist, suffer. Instead, he merely glared at the brunette with crazy eyes who’d cornered him outside the OR.

  He had two hard-and-fast rules: First, he didn’t date where he worked. Second, he didn’t touch vanillas. As far as he knew, Kathryn wasn’t part of the lifestyle. She damn well wasn’t a member of Shadows, the BDSM club his friend Macen Hammerman owned, which had been his second home for the last seven years. He strictly maintained rules one and two because unleashing his kinky proclivities on the gossipy female staff would do irreparable damage to his professional reputation. After all, no one wanted a doctor who moonlighted as a sadist. Kathryn’s unrelenting pursuit was strike three.

  She was out.

  “You know my answer,” he said impatiently, shouldering his way past her.

  “Your ‘rule’ about not dating co-workers again?” She followed, lower lip stuck out in a pout.

  Her childish expression didn’t do anything to soften his resolve, just his cock.

  “Yes.” He sighed. “Glad you remembered this time.”

  “I was hoping you’d changed your mind. Our conversations have been so meaningful.”

  The ones in which she’d chased him between surgeries and his office while he’d done his best to be civil but distant?

  “You think so?” He raised a brow at her, which usually made savvy subs stammer and back down.

  Once again, Kathryn proved she was neither submissive nor smart.

  “I do. I want to tell you a secret.” She leaned in. “I have a rule, too. I don’t sleep with a guy on the first date.
”

  Oh, so you and Dr. Manning were having your second date when you fucked him in the janitor’s closet. Got it.

  Slipping her hand into the pocket of his lab coat, she whispered, “But I’d bend that for you.”

  Usually, he encouraged a woman begging, but he was willing to get down on his knees to shut Kathryn up.

  Beck brushed past her again. “That’s not going to happen. I’m late. Excuse me.”

  Kathryn chased after him. “I know you’re busy. But I won’t give up on you.”

  Yeah, he’d already figured that out, just like he knew she pursued him because she wanted bragging rights as the first of the hospital’s slut squad to bag and tag him.

  Not in this lifetime.

  Determined to escape, he ducked into an empty elevator and smirked as the doors shut in her face.

  As he descended to the lower level so he could escape to the parking garage, he sighed in relief and eased a hand in his pocket. What the hell had she shoved in there? Phone number? Naughty note? Naked picture of her tits?

  He felt something silky.

  Frowning, he pulled the scrap free. A pair of her panties. Given how warm the slinky black satin was, Kathryn had been wearing them moments before slipping them into his pocket.

  He fought not to puke as he pinched the waistband between his thumb and forefinger and ducked into the first empty lab on his left. When he flipped on the light with his elbow, he spotted a red bin on his right marked BIOHAZARDOUS WASTE.

  Perfect.

  With a shudder, Beck disposed of Kathryn’s unmentionables, then scrubbed his hands raw in the nearby sink.

  What would it take to make the delusional psycho back off?

  Shaking his head, he shoved his way out of the lab and headed for his car. If he didn’t leave fast, Kathryn would catch up to him again. No idea what other blatant shit she’d pull to get his attention—and he’d rather not find out.

  As he marched around a corner, he accidentally plowed into a soft, feminine figure in pink scrubs. On impact, the little blonde gasped and stumbled.