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“She didn’t have to. She told me enough and I put the rest together on my own. Now will you please stop being so stubborn and come on? We have to get you somewhere safe…..”
“There is nowhere safe. If you know that much….”
“Are you listening to me?” he yelled. “Do you have any idea who it is that’s been hunting you down?”
“Well….no, but…..”
“It’s the Danes—Clan Dane. They’re the blood enemies of Clan Heller. The same people who murdered my dad are after my son. Do you get that now? Do you think I got hurt running into the side of the door? I went to your apartment and I found evidence that the Danes were the ones who attacked you. They’ve been trying to kill Connor all these years and the same guy that killed my dad attacked me right outside your apartment window…..you know, the one at the bottom of the drainpipe that you slid down when you ran away? Do I have your attention now?”
I gaped at him in shock as memories flooded my mind. I got to my mom’s house just a few minutes after Kingston did. I would never be able to forget the devastation…..or Layton Heller lying in pieces in a puddle of his own blood.
I would never be able to forget Kingston crying over his father’s body as Layton’s life slipped away. Layton Heller was the best thing that ever happened to my mom…..and to me. Layton was the one who brought Kingston into my life, for good or bad.
Layton was a good man. No one deserved to die like that, especially not a man as caring and protective as he was.
He left my mom, me, and Kingston in pieces, too, but at least we still had each other…..until Kingston left, too.
Kingston’s sharp green eyes sliced down to the coffee table. Connor stared up at us with his mouth open and his eyes hanging out of his head. He just heard Kingston say that Connor was his son, so that cat was out of the bag now, too.
I couldn’t bring myself to regret that, though. Maybe it would work itself out for the best.
“Listen to me, Riley,” Kingston murmured. “I can protect you—both of you—but you have to come with me right now. I’ll take you somewhere safe. I’m sorry I didn’t realize before that you were running because you were in danger. That was my fault and it was my fault for leaving you without checking that you were okay. I should have checked in on you long ago. I can’t change that now, but I swear I’ll do anything to make it up to you. Let me make it up to you now. Come with me. You and Connor don’t have to run anymore. Please. Trust me. I only want you to be safe—both of you.”
I glanced down to find Connor peering up at me. His eyes reflected the same green as Kingston’s. I would have to be blind not to see the pleading in those eyes. He needed a life. He needed safety. He needed to go somewhere safe just as much as I did.
I looked up to find Kingston watching me with those matching green eyes. “Okay,” I replied.
“Great!” Kingston took one more step and picked up my hand. The heat radiating from his skin raced up my skin and I stiffened, but I couldn’t bring myself to pull away.
This was my one chance. I couldn’t go on the way I had been. I needed to do something and now Kingston was offering me the very safety I needed most.
I had no idea how he would keep us safe, but I sure wasn’t doing a very good job of it.
He started to pull me out of the apartment. I turned back to Connor. “Come on, sweetie. Put your pencils and papers in the backpack. You can work on your drawings when you get there.”
“Where are we going?” he asked.
“We have a place up north,” Kingston replied. “It’s a long drive, but once you get there, you won’t have to leave again.”
He stood by while I helped Connor put his stuff away. I picked up Connor and turned back to find Kingston watching us with a strange expression on his face. He was smiling, but his cheeks and lips kept spasming in different directions.
He smiled at me, too, but his eyes glistened with so much tortured emotion that my throat tightened again. We were going with him…somewhere, but at least we were going together.
Did this mean we were a family? I would have to be with Kingston for that to happen.
I pushed that thought away. I couldn’t let him burrow his way back into my life. Being Connor’s father was one thing. That didn’t mean I could let Kingston sneak back into my heart and into my pants.
He turned away and led me out of the apartment. Kingston shot flinty glances at the guys gathered around and even glared at the homeless people.
Kingston stood over us in a guarding posture on our way out to the parking lot. I almost didn’t believe it when he opened the passenger door of a magnificent black Bentley parked right next to my car.
“This…..this is your car?” I gasped.
He dipped his chin once. “Yep.”
I didn’t dare to get into that car. It looked like some millionaire’s limo. “Where did you get this?”
“I bought it. I own five different businesses.”
