Page 108 of The Beat of My Heart
Looking into her eyes, I see conflict in many shades.
“Thank you,” I tell her when I realize she has packed my wound the best she can.
“Eh, everyone needs a little help from their friends sometimes,” she tells me.
“That’s usually my line,” I mumble.
Suddenly, I wonder if this is how Dexter and Trevor feel? Having someone to rely on like this is something I’ve never had or wanted, quite frankly. I shake the thought from my head as quickly as it came. In my life, there’s no room for distractions of any variety.
Placing the vest around Lexi, I make sure it’s secure, then lead her from the room. “Just stay close to me,” I tell her. Glancing at my watch, I know we have another thirty seconds before my team surrounds us. Making our way down the hall, I pull Lexi into a room the maids once used. I know there is a secret passage in this room that will lead us to the underground tunnels. I just have the hidden door secured when I hear the gunfire go off. Pop. Pop. Pop. It’s like fireworks no one ever wants to see.
* * *
“Loki,we really need to get you to the hospital,” Lexi says for the nineteenth time since we boarded the plane.
“Lex,” the nickname rolls off my tongue far too easily. “Lexi,” I try again, “This isn’t over, there is always someone else waiting in the wings to take over. It doesn’t just end because you shot Miles,” I try to explain to her. “We have to get you to your safe house, and you must stay there until I tell you otherwise. You’ll all need security for the time being, but at least you’ll be close to Lanie and Julia.”
“Am I staying at Lanie’s?” she asks.
Pulling at my shirt collar, I answer, “No, but you’ll be able to see them anytime you want. That’s the silver lining in all this.” Trying to change the subject because I do not want to spend another two hours in a plane with her once she finds out her new living arrangements, I say, “Lanie’s babies are adorable.” Women and babies, I’m hoping the stereotype holds true.
I watch as a longing smile slides across her beautiful face.Bingo!I’m still not accustomed to how nearly-identical she and Lanie are.
“I saw some pictures before douche-canoe took me from Vermont,” she says wistfully. “They are pretty damn perfect, aren’t they?”
“I’m not really a kid person,” I admit, “but the few times I’ve seen them in the NICU, they’ve been amazing.”
Thankful the distraction worked, I lay back in my seat and try to rest a bit before I walk into my second firestorm of the night.
* * *
Three hours later,I’m pulling up into the apartment building where Preston and I both live. Well, where Preston lives now. I’ve sublet my apartment, knowing I’ll have to take leave from my friends to shut down the rest of the Black organization once and for all.
Ushering Lexi into the elevator, I pull out a keycard that’ll take us to Preston’s penthouse apartment.
“Ooh, penthouse! Fancy,” she says, rolling her eyes.
I can’t help but chuckle. If she only knew. Rolling my shoulders, I grimace as pain shoots through my shoulder and down my arm.
“I saw that you know,” Lexi says. “When are you going to get that looked at?” she asks.
“As soon as I drop you off,” I tell her as the elevator doors open into Preston’s foyer.
Giving Lexi a gentle nudge, I make sure she is far enough from the elevator doors so they can close before we go searching for her host. I can’t have her making a run for it, and I know she’ll try. Imagining her attempting an escape has me smiling.
We are walking down the hallway when we hear, “Loki? Is that you?”
“Oh no,” Lexi says. “You cannot be serious?”
She is attempting to back up, but I’ve blocked her path, gently urging her forward, but she comes to a dead stop the second Preston walks around the corner.
“Fuck no,” Preston yells. “You’re out of your goddamn mind, Loki.”
I can barely hear him because, at the same time, Lexi is screeching, “I am not staying with this asshole, Loki.”
“Me? I’m the asshole?” Preston asks with his hands on his hips. “You’re the one who’s had her knickers in a knot since the moment I met you.”
Jesus, Trevor was right. Preston hasn’t pulled out these sayings since we were kids. This woman is getting under his skin in a way I hadn’t thought possible. I almost burst out laughing, but for the sake of keeping my nuts attached, I rein it in.
