Page 89 of The Beat of My Heart
“That’s Preston’s story to tell, not mine. But mark my words, that boy is in for a hell of a year. You’re goin’ to want to keep a close eye on him. You’re gonna’ have to tell his heart to beat again, mark my words, he will need you.” She says it so cryptically yet so confidently, I almost go chasing after him, but she changes the subject so fast, I’m spinning.
“So, where ya goin’ to be living now? I hear your house got blown up while you were away. Not judging, but you best get thinking about that sooner than later,” she tells me.
Fuck, my life really has shattered into a million pieces right before my eyes, and surprisingly, there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.
“I’ll get right on that, GG. It’s on my list of shit to do,” I tell her, smirking.
Chapter 32
-Single Saturday Night, Cole Swindell
Julia
Running my hand over Charlie’s dirty blonde hair, I sigh. I’ve been rocking him in the rocker for over an hour, but he fell asleep the second I sat down. I’ve needed some time to myself. It sucks knowing I hurt Trevor’s feelings when I told him Charlie and I have a routine. But today has been too much, I needed some normalcy. Nothing brings you back to the present like rocking a tired baby to sleep.
After a while, I know I need to face my reality. I’ve spent this time thinking about Trevor and Charlie. Myself. GG was right, I haven’t been living. Something died inside me when I lost Trevor. I feel it stirring—I feel it knowing he is just in the other room, but I’m scared to death. What we are living through right now is not normal. As easy as it is to sweep it under the rug when I was watching Trevor with Charlie this afternoon, the reality is, there are very dangerous people out there. People who killed his mother, people who wouldn’t think twice about killing me.
I’m about to lay Charlie in his crib when there is a soft knock at the door. Expecting it to be Trevor, I whisper, “Come in.” Turning, I jump when I see Seth in the doorway.
“Sorry,” he says. “Can you come with me for a minute?”
Looking between him and Charlie, I shrug. Laying a final kiss on Charlie’s head, I follow Seth out of the room. I’m surprised by how quiet the house is until we round the corner and I hear GG’s cackles followed by Trevor’s laugh on the porch. The thought of them bonding warms my heart.
When we get to the kitchen, Seth turns and hands me a phone. “This is going to ring in less than three minutes, answer it and follow every instruction, or Loki’s blood will be on your hands.”
I’m so startled, I almost drop the phone, but Seth grabs it and places it firmly back in my grasp. “Fuck, I’m sorry. I’m not good at this shit. It will be Loki that calls. I just mean, he isn’t in a good way, and he can’t come into HQ. Whatever he asks you to do, just do it, please. I owe Loki my life. He’s an excellent agent, but he is in deep here and is adamant that he needs to speak to you.”
I don’t have time to think, I just slap the bastard across the face as hard as I can. “You fuckwad. You just scared the shit out of me. I thought you were a double agent and had turned us in. Work on your motherfucking bedside manners or whatever the hell it is spies are supposed to have. Fuck. You moron. What the hell is wrong with you?” My tirade is interrupted by the phone ringing. Giving my best glare, I take the phone and stomp off to the back porch.
“Hello?” I ask tentatively.
“Julia,” comes a male voice.
“Yes.”How am I supposed to know this is Loki again?
“You’re wondering how you can trust it's me, right?” he asks.
“Well, it had crossed my mind,” I say.
“What’s the difference between Maria and Mary Poppins?” he asks.
“Maria’s the one who stayed,” I reply. “Fuck, Dex pulled out all the stops to get Lanie, didn’t he?”
“He made Lanie his forever,” Loki responds.
“You don’t sound good, Loki, are you okay?” I ask. “Trevor said you’re shot?”
“Jules, I know you have a tendency to talk a lot, but right now, I just need you to listen, okay?”
“Okay, I can do that after you tell me you’re alright,” I say.
“I will be,” he says weakly. “First, had I known you were pregnant, I would have forced Trevor to see the light much sooner,”
“Yeah, I’ve heard you have a habit of interfering in your friend's lives,” I say.
“Little nudges, Julia. Little nudges. Listen, I’m running out of time. I’ve followed you enough these last couple of months, I know you’re thinking you need to run from Trevor, but I’m telling you, you don’t. I wouldn’t have put my life on the line if he wasn’t worth it. I’m not going to lie, it will be a tough road ahead for you guys, and you’ll have a bodyguard, but you are not in any immediate danger. With the big players taken out, everyone is scrambling. You’ll all fall off their radar as a new boss steps in.”
“Loki, why are you calling me?” I finally ask.
