Page 55 of Romancing His Heart
“Someone hurt her,” I interrupt.
“Loki?”
“Do you know anything?”
He lets out a long breath. “Not really. She freaked out about the apartment’s graffiti and asked me if I was sure it was someone after you and not a crazy ex-boyfriend, though. I didn’t realize she had a legitimate concern, so I downplayed it.”
“Find. Him.”
“Loki—”
“Do it, Seth. Find him. Ask Emory for any information she has about where Red has been for the last year. I’m betting it was recent, and then get me every fucking detail.”
“Did she ask for this? You need to be very clear that this is something she wants, Loki. Do you remember how Rebecca was after her attack?”
Seth rarely speaks of his late wife, and he never mentions that day. It’s something he will always consider his biggest failure, even though there was nothing he could have done. I know he’s bringing Rebecca up for a reason, but I saw the fear in Sloane’s eyes, and it makes the decision for me.
“Get the information.” I hang up before he can reply. Snow is falling all around me in thick, wet sheets. Grabbing the wheelbarrow, I’m about to push another load of wood to the house when I hear a smoke detector go off.
Dropping the handles, I run.
Chapter 18
Sloane
Come on!The Food Networksaid this recipe was foolproof.
The windows in this place have an old metal latch that isn’t lining up correctly and keeps me from opening it. I grab the kitchen towel and start fanning the smoke detector just as the back door crashes open.
Loki moves around me like a controlled tornado. With precision, he evaluates the situation and eliminates the dangers. First, he removes my ruined coffee cake from the counter and puts the smoking pile of shit out in a snowbank. Then, he opens the front door, allowing for air to circulate front to back in the small space, all while pressing the reset button on the blaring alarm.
In the silence, the smoke slowly clears out. I count to ten and prepare for the lecture, but it never comes. Realizing I’ve kept my eyes shut, I crack one open and find Loki six feet away watching me. Scrunching up my nose, I finally open the other eye.
He must think I’m a freaking lunatic.
“What happened?”
My eyes widen in alarm. I had hoped he would let this go.
“Here, Red. What happened in here? We’ll get to the rest later,” he growls.
Slapping a hand over my forehead, I admit, “I can’t cook. Like, I wouldn’t even make it past the first round of The Worst Cooks In America.”
“Oh-kay. So, you wanted to prove it?”
“Ha, ha. No, I keep trying. I don’t expect you to understand. I’m sorry you had to … handle my mess.”
“That’s what I’m here for, Sloane. I handle everyone’s messes,” he says gently.
“Not mine.” My voice is icy, but how else do I make him understand?
“It’s not a bad idea to have someone in your corner, Red.” He moves toward the sink, and I notice his hands.
“Oh my God, Loki. What the hell happened to your hands?” I rush to the bathroom and grab a first aid kit I found earlier. When I reach him, I grasp his arm and drag him to the table, where I make him sit down. “What did you do?” I repeat.
As gently as I can, I tend to his hands.
“They just got scraped up chopping wood, Red. They’re fine.”
