So that’s why I sat in my car in the parking lot of the diner for longer than I would have. That’s why I was distracted when I got out of the car, thinking of ways I could approach Logan and Esther tell them I was handing in my notice.
That was why I didn’t notice Robert until he was right in my space, clutching my arm, bruising my skin and yanking me into his body.
I also hadn’t expected it. It was broad daylight, the street across from the parking lot was busy, there were busboys outside the employee entrance smoking and eyes glued to their phones. Although I hadn’t expected Robert to come after me, if I had, I would have thought it would have been when I was more vulnerable.
It turns out it doesn’t matter where I was, he knew my ultimate vulnerability.
“Don’t say a fucking word or I make sure our son doesn’t make it to his sixth birthday,” he hissed, breath minty and fresh as always.
Of course, my first reaction was fear. Terror. But then, my second, irrational thought was, he knows how old our son is?
My third reaction was to do exactly as he said, to do anything to save my son.
Anything.
Even if it was getting in the car with him, knowing I had a high chance of never getting out.
Lance
He was ring shopping.
Nathan was with him.
Because he wanted to teach Nathan about being a man. Show him that sometimes that was going to a jewelry shop, buying fancy shit, not because it sparkled, but because it lasted. The expensive shit was not bought by real men to show off. It was bought because they wanted it on their woman’s skin forever.
Also, because he wanted his kid’s opinion on the ring he was planning to slide onto his mother’s finger.
Nathan was his kid.
He considered his just like Elena was his.
Not as a replacement for Nick. Never. But as something different. Something as precious.
He was planning on getting the paperwork together as soon as the shit with Hudson was sorted. As soon as the fuck was behind bars and outta their fuckin’ lives. That would be soon. Thank fuck.
He had been wild when he was put out on bail. Cursed himself for not killing him when he should. But he had been quiet. Smart. Surprising for a stupid fuck.
They’d kept tabs on him. Close fucking tabs.
Made it known that was what was happening. Hence him holing up in the McMansion, doing nothing.
He relaxed slightly after the first couple of weeks.
He would never relax completely. Not ever. Not even when the fuck was out of the picture. Because monsters didn’t need to be chasing Elena or Nathan to ruin everything. Life was big enough of a monster. A slippery road. Sickness. Accidents.
Hence him not wasting time.
“I like that one.” Nathan pointed at the exact ring he’d spotted when they came in.
It was Elena. A little showy, without being obvious about it. Classy. Unique. One of a kind.
He ruffled Nathan’s hair. “I like it too.”
Nathan looked up at Lance. “You’re marrying my mommy, does that make you my daddy?”
The punch went straight to the gut. It took him a second to handle his shit to answer. He bent down so he could be eye level with that. “Is that what you want?”
Nathan thought about it. Because that’s what the kid did. Considered every question, didn’t answer straight away. Then he nodded slowly. “Yeah, that is what I want.”
Another gut punch.
Lance kept it together.
“Good. Me too.”
Nathan smiled. Big.
Right about the same time his phone rang.
And his world imploded.
“What are you gonna say to her?” Heath asked.
They were at the offices. He’d dropped Nathan off with Karen, the second he got the call, tried to act like nothing was wrong. But she caught it. Kid caught it.
Because he couldn’t rein it in. Couldn’t mask his panic when he’d excelled at masking everything for a decade.
He broke all traffic laws driving to the city, on the phone to Keltan, Wire—the Sons of Templar’s resident computer kid—Luke, Rosie. All of whom had nothing. Nothing but Elena’s car in the parking lot of the diner and not Elena.
Nothing but Hudson’s house empty.
It took Lance a few seconds to understand the words, them having been spoken in such a calm, even tone. A calm even tone didn’t exist around here. It was impossible to be spoken with the chaos that was hurtling around his head.
The fucking universe.
How could anyone even think about being calm when his whole world was falling apart?
Again.
But he forced himself to swallow that chaos, that pain, that panic. It would do nothing to let it leech onto the false façade of calm that he was battling to keep on his face.
So he focused on Heath’s words.
On the man himself.
He respected him. He respected all of the men. But Heath had gone through shit with his wife. Some of the worst that even Lance had ever seen. And Polly was a woman that should never have even known that kind of ugliness existed, let alone have it carved on her soul.