“On the bright side, maybe my dad will be able to make the groundbreaking after all since we’ll need to reschedule.” Blakely had clearly gone to the same school of positive reframing that James had.
“I’m sorry, Blakely.” James turned around and offered her a hug, which she gladly accepted.
“Someday this will be funny,” she promised him.
“Oh, it’s fucking hilarious right now.” Ace snorted, though Liam smacked him in the gut with the back of his hand, having no impact whatsoever on his rock-hard abs or his inability to keep his thoughts private.
The Heat didn’t waste any time. As soon as the cement truck finished doing its thing, they navigated around the oozing heap and hooked their hoses to the nearest hydrant. Efficient and serious, they began spraying down the mess and dispersing it so that it wouldn’t harden into an even worse problem. With the force of their professional equipment, it didn’t take long before they uncovered enough of James’s car to see it had been squished.
Neil pinched the bridge of his nose. “Can you just let Devon or me drive you places in our trucks? Please?”
James craned his neck to evaluate the damage. “Why? I’m short. There’s probably still plenty of headroom. It’s fine.”
Devon muttered under her breath about stubborn men but shot her husbands a rueful smile nonetheless.
“We’ll fix this,” Holden promised. “I don’t know how, but we’ll figure it out together like we always do. And when we bring your baby back next time, it will be smash-proof too. Okay?”
He clapped James on the shoulder.
But whatever James said or was about to was drowned out by a ringing in Karolena’s ears. She went ramrod straight as her instincts encouraged her to flee.
“Karolena?” Legend spread his legs and put his hand on his weapon. “What’s wrong?”
Tavish did the same, following her line of sight down the street toward Sweet & Spicy, where her vision tunneled in on an approaching figure. Even at a distance, she knew exactly who it was.
“Levin,” she whispered.
“Him?” Aven gawked. “Damn. Why are the bad boys always the hottest?”
Was he coming as her friend or as one of Vladimir’s minions, no matter how powerful he was in his own right?
“Get down.” Jordan covered his pregnant wife until he dragged their husband on top of her, then shot back to his feet, his weapon drawn and aimed in Levin’s direction.
The rest of the Shields did the same. Within moments, Levin found himself staring down more than a dozen barrels.
“Holy shit.” Quinn, like all the Hot Rods and Powertools and even the Heat, crouched as Jordan had commanded to stay out of their way. “I’m glad I’m just a mechanic.”
Levin, however, didn’t so much as flinch. He kept walking, no faster and no slower. He held his hands up, palms facing them, seemingly unfazed as he closed the distance between them. He was and always had been a badass. When he was within earshot, he said, “I only came because you insisted and this is the welcome I get?”
“You’ll understand we’re the cautious sort,” Jordan responded. “Don’t come any closer until we give you permission. And if you drop your hand so much as an inch, we will shoot you.”
“Karolena, what the hell is going on?” Levin did as instructed but otherwise ignored Jordan. He looked from her and her veritable army of protectors to the gigantic mess surrounding James’s car. “This is exactly the kind of shit I was trying to keep you away from. Well, plus whatever that is.”
Jordan shook his head. “This isn’t the place to discuss it.”
“Where do you want him, boss?” Legend asked, his chest rumbling against Karolena’s back. Levin’s eyes narrowed as he took in Legend and Tavish’s possessive stance.
“No one came with you?” Jordan verified. “Not even in town somewhere.”
“Only me. Your instructions weren’t difficult to understand.” Levin still didn’t look away from Karolena, as if asking silently if she was okay.
She smiled, hoping to give him some reassurance and deescalate the situation. But even having him there, in the midst of her newfound serenity, made her uneasy.
“Everyone who doesn’t work here is going—right now, not one single excuse—to Hot Rods until I tell them they can come back. Except for the Heat. They’re returning to their station. If we don’t call them every fifteen minutes and tell them otherwise, they’re going to open the black lockbox I put in Karis’s lower left desk drawer.” He stared at the chief, who nodded. “It has directions and contact information for people who will know what to do. Under no circumstances is anyone to enter this building until I give the all clear.”
It reassured Karolena that he had a plan, but also offended her that they were treating Levin like the enemy. She edged toward him, but Legend stopped her, looping his arm around her waist. When she tested his hold, he didn’t budge, pissing her off. “He’s not going to hurt anyone.”
“We don’t take chances with our loved ones,” Jordan said, not unkindly.