Page 38 of Inside the Maelstrom: Part Two
“Does Evan know you’re in his bed?” I whispered, snuggling into his body. I wasn’t looking a gift hot guy in the mouth.
Wait, that wasn’t how that saying went.
Sampson buried his nose in my hair. “Mmhmm. He had to go out and do… I don’t know, Evan stuff. Didn’t want you to wake up alone.”
I sighed. I should have known Evan wouldn’t know how to rest.
Sampson pulled back a little so he could see me. “I think you need to go.”
My whole body froze, but I gave my sense of unworthiness a fucking slap. He didn’t mean it like that. I knew he didn’t.
“You better explain real fast before I freak out.”
He squeezed me close. “Not like that. How’s your arm?” It ached, but it was surprisingly not too bad. More pain meds and it would just feel like a really cool glove.
“It’s not too bad. Start talking, Sampson!”
“I’ve spoken with the guys, and we all agree that it would probably be best if you finished your quest to find Nemo while this is all going down.”
I raised both my eyebrows at him. “Oh, you decided that together, did you? What if I don’t want to leave, Sampson? What if I don’t want to run away while you and Hendrick and Otto are in fucking mortal danger?” I didn’t include Evan because I had zero doubt in my mind that if I left, Evan would be coming with me.
I tried to roll away, but Sampson grabbed me, pulling me back to his chest. “Do you know what would happen if Hendrick’s fucking father had you murdered, Aviva? Hendrick would kill himself—of that I am a hundred percent certain. That’s not on you, but the guilt would tip him over the edge. As for Otto, well, Otto would go on because he loves his parents too much to do that to them, but the two great loves of his life would be gone. He would never be the same man he is today, the one we know and love. Evan would let the guilt eat him alive. He would use it as a way to punish himself for the rest of his days. And I…”
My blood was whooshing in my ears, the pain in my chest so acute that it was like a knife in my heart. “And you?”
“I would never love another person again. Not the way I love you, or Hendrick, or Otto. Or even Evan. I could never let myself be vulnerable like this with another person, never risk that kind of loss again. I would die a man without love because I’ve spent it all on you, Aviva. You’re it for me.”
I rested my forehead against his chest, because I knew that I would do it, to protect them the only way I knew how. It hurt, the thought of leaving Hendrick in the middle of one of the hardest situations he’d ever had to face, but logically I knew that if I stayed, I would make his anxiety worse.
That was what these grand polyamorous ideals never accounted for. It was a burden carrying the weight of someone else's happiness. It was so much worse to carry that burden multiplied by four. But their love made me stronger too—they propped me up when I thought I had nothing left to give.
I met Sampson’s beautiful dark eyes. “I’ll go.”
He kissed me softly. “Thank you.”
Chapter21
Evan
“Idon’t know what to tell you, man. A call went out, but no one can pin anything on your guy, or confirm that the intended victims were your little odd bunch over there. All it said was that you had to be ready to go when you got a message from an undisclosed number, and the payday, man. It was enough to go to jail for.”
“And you can’t find the source?”
“Nope. No particular date or time listed either, so I mean, hundreds of criminals must go through your courthouse, right? Could be any kind of vendetta. Plus, it was aimed toward more of a pew-pew assassin and not a ‘where’d I leave my dentures?’ kind of killer. This might have just been an accident.”
I scoffed. I wished people would stop insinuating that. “Unlikely.”
Buck sighed. “I don’t disagree, Ev.” He lowered his voice. “If you guys have money to burn on this, I know a kid who can probably take a deeper look. He’s good, but he’s a jackass. Costs a fuck-ton.”
“Do it. Tell him to dig around a little bit. Whatever he’s asking for, I’ll double it if he finds something.”
“For fuck’s sake, Evan, you don’t lead with doubling. You settle on a price, then negotiate a bonus. No wonder you’ve ended up sharing a chick with three other guys—you suck at negotiation.”
I froze. “Where’d you hear that?”
Buck laughed. “It’s my job to know things, remember?”
Fucking kangaroo bastard. “You’re lucky I like you, Buck.”
