Claim & Protect Read online

  Or in her case, Christmas Day.

  Her cheeks strained on an uncontainable smile. God, she was lucky. More blessed than she’d ever thought possible. Not only had Trevor and his family helped her turn a sour and potentially devastating first holiday alone into something positive, they’d given her a beautiful memory, too. Never—not until the day she died—would she forget Trevor telling her he loved her. Some men tossed the words around like pickup lines, but not him. He’d felt them. Had shown her the depth of his statement with the utter sincerity in his eyes and grated voice.

  Ivan sidled up beside her, his broad shoulders taking up what little room remained at the bar. He crossed his forearms on the gleaming honey counter, a move that made his muscles twice as intimidating. “Never seen a girl look so sappy at the weatherman.”

  She ducked her head, cheeks blazing. Daydreaming really wasn’t her thing. Especially not at work. But in the last forty-eight hours, she’d done enough to catch up for a lifetime of slacking. “Just taking a tiny breather while Vicky works up the drinks.”

  Vicky glanced up from the ice bin, spied Ivan beside her and frowned. “I’ll have ’em in just a second.”

  Well, hell. This was exactly what she didn’t need. While she’d never really developed any friendships with the people at The Den, she hadn’t made any enemies. The odds of her making friendship inroads if everyone was afraid to piss her off were slim to none. “I’m fine, Vicky. My tables are all caught up anyway.” She rolled up on her toes and scanned the drinks on the bar. “Anything I can do to help?”

  In the two months she’d worked there, Vicky had rarely turned down an offer for help. Even when they were slow, there was always some task to be done, even if it meant self-education on how to change out soda boxes. Today, all she got was a clipped “Nope. I’m good. Thanks.”

  Biting back a sigh, Natalie nodded and went back to waiting for the seven-day outlook.

  “They’ll adjust,” Ivan muttered beside her. “Just takes some getting used to. Once they figure out you’re not gonna rub their faces in it, they’ll level out.”

  Maybe. Maybe not. In the short time she’d worked at the hospital, she’d seen a lot of friendships and a few jobs go south because of nurses striking up work relationships. “I hope you’re right.”

  She glanced back up at the TV screen rather than meet Ivan’s steady gaze. Outside a high-end office complex, a reporter stood with mic in hand. The December wind whipped her dark hair in all directions. Beneath the image, a banner headline read Grapevine Doctor Arrested in FDA Drug Sting.

  A bitter chill skated beneath her skin, lifting the hairs along her forearms and the back of her neck. She knew that building. Had been there countless times to meet Wyatt for lunch or to drop something off he’d forgotten at home. “Vicky, turn that up.”

  As soon as she said it, Ivan rose to full height, the same tension and alertness she’d felt around Trevor firing like an electric current. “Something wrong?”

  The broadcast audio rose just as the live image cut to a video clip of Wyatt being led from the front of his building in cuffs, three men in suits surrounding him. “A little over one hour ago, Dr. Wyatt Jordan was taken into custody by special agents with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency. According to a statement issued shortly after his arrest, federal agents were alerted to Dr. Jordan’s frequent use of pharmaceuticals not yet approved by the FDA on patients. However, in an undercover operation that took place today, agents uncovered other narcotics including MDMA, also known as ecstasy, and a questionable volume of the date-rape drug called Rohypnol.”

  Ivan’s voice shot across the bar. “Vicky, get over here. Stay with Natalie.” He disappeared before his words had even died off, but Natalie didn’t care. Couldn’t tear her eyes away from the repeated video streaming on the screen.

  Her knees trembled and she fisted her hands around the edge of the bar to keep herself upright. Roofies? The injectables she’d questioned him about were bad enough, but street drugs too?

  “Hey.” Vicky squeezed her shoulder and tried to get her to look away from the TV. “It’s going to be okay. Just take a deep breath. It’s probably all a misunderstanding.”

  No, it wasn’t. She’d seen the bootleg imports with her own eyes and found the inflated charges to patients on his books. If Wyatt was bold enough to use unapproved medicines, the leap to peddling other drugs wasn’t exactly a huge one.

  Behind her, heavy footsteps pounded against the hardwood floors, mingled with the rapid-fire cadence of Ivan’s voice. Strong arms wrapped around her waist.

  Trevor.

  Even without his scent or the familiar press of his chest against her back, she’d know it was him, his presence a living, breathing strength that filled her with no more than a thought.

  His lips pressed against her temple. “Hey.” He paused long enough to check the television, but the story was long gone. “Ivan told me what happened. You okay?”

  “No.” She turned in his arms and met his worried stare. “They arrested Wyatt. They found more of the stuff I told you about, but also MDMA and Rohypnol. He could have killed someone. Hell, he may have already and just not know it. Do you have any idea how dangerous that stuff is?”

  “Yeah, darlin’. I get it. But you’re not responsible for him. You’re responsible for you and Levi. You did what was right. You got out.”

  Levi.

  The shock of everything she’d learned shook free, replaced with a single-minded determination. She tried to scramble out of his arms.

  Trevor held tight. “Whoa, what’s wrong?”

  “I need my phone. I need to call Levi.” The retro clock with its blue neon lights showed nearly five-thirty. “Wyatt’s always home by five. Maria leaves at five-thirty. If Wyatt’s in jail, there won’t be anyone to watch him.”

  Trevor frowned and eased away enough for her to hustle toward the break room where her things were stowed, but kept beside her with one hand pressed supportively at the small of her back. “You want me to call Beck? He and Knox are closer to Grapevine. Wouldn’t take them fifteen minutes to get there.”

  She shook her head and pushed through the door. “No. If Levi’s heard about this he’ll be freaked out enough.” She fished her phone out of her purse and found three missed calls from Maria. She hit the call back button.

  The phone rang. And rang. And rang.

  She was just about to hang up when Maria answered the phone, her voice just a little out of breath. “Hello?”

  “Maria, this is Natalie. You called?”

  “Oh, Natalie! I was checking to see if Mr. Jordan had contacted you. I expected him a little while ago and he’s not answering his phone. I have someplace to be tonight at six-thirty. Can you come get Levi?”

  So, she didn’t know. Which meant Levi probably didn’t either. “Absolutely. I can be there in about half an hour to pick him up. Can you stay that long?”

  “So long as you’re here by six, I should be fine.” Maria hesitated. “Do you know what’s wrong? Mr. Jordan’s never late getting home. Certainly not without a phone call.”

  Natalie bit back a curse and tried to keep her response even. “I’m sure he just had an emergency at work.” Not a complete lie. It just so happened the emergency was one of his own doing. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

  She ended the call and dropped her phone back in her bag. “Maria doesn’t know what’s happened. She tried to call Wyatt and he didn’t answer. If I’m lucky, she’ll keep Levi away from the television long enough for me to get him home.”

  She wrestled her arm into one sleeve of her jacket, tried to catch the other side and ended up tangled in her purse strap.

  Trevor tugged the purse off her shoulder, dropped it on the bench behind her and stilled her with hands at both shoulders. “Need you to calm down, sweetheart. No way I’m letti
ng you leave this worked up. Matter of fact, it might be better if I drive.”

  “No. If you’re there, it’ll give Maria more to gossip about when Wyatt gets home. I don’t need that. Levi doesn’t need that.”

  Trevor scowled but nodded his agreement and helped her get her jacket the rest of the way on. He held on to the lapels, pinning her in place. Even if she’d wanted to move physically, the intensity behind his eyes wouldn’t have let her budge an inch. “You know you can use this.”

  “Use what?”

  “Wyatt’s arrest.”

  At first, the connection wouldn’t process, but once it did, a whole different level of adrenaline kicked in. “You really think this could keep him at bay?”

  “I think it could get you full custody. Maybe even supervised visits. At least for a while. I’ve got a damned good lawyer, one that would take this on for chump change.”

  God, it was tempting. The past year battering back Wyatt’s nonstop threats and legal hassles had whittled away what little she’d managed to save for her nursing classes and license fees and left both her and Levi in a constant state of turmoil. “I can’t do that. Not until I save up more money.”

  “Not planning for you to pay, Nat. That’s on me.”

  She bristled and took a step back for breathing room. “No. I’m not doing that. You’ve done enough for us already. The last thing I want is for you to feel like you’re being taken advantage of. I’m with you for you. Nothing else.”

  One of those crooked, panty-melting smiles he always used when she’d stepped smack-dab where he wanted curled his lips. He prowled closer and cupped the back of her neck, more than eliminating the little distance she’d gained. “Darlin’, I’ve known that since the day you fed me meatloaf. Everything you give me is one hundred percent, down-to-the-bone genuine. What you’ve got to understand is I love Levi as much as I love you. Different maybe in the way that love’s built, but no less powerful. I’ve got money. Lots of it and connections to go with it. If I can’t use it for the people I love, then what good is it?”

  Words wouldn’t come. Couldn’t wiggle past the emotion swelling up the back of her throat. Trevor loved her son. Not just her, but Levi, too. Tears blurred her vision and a slow burn blossomed along the bridge of her nose.

  Before a single tear could fall, Trevor wrapped her up tight and kissed the top of her head. “Let me do this. Please.”

  Her words came out shaky, as fragile as the warmth blossoming behind her sternum. “You love Levi.”

  “Yeah, darlin’. I love Levi. Hard not to with all that he is. That he’s part of you just makes it a foregone conclusion.” He squeezed her tighter. “Say yes.”

  She nodded, the steady thrum of his heart beneath her ear calming her otherwise riotous emotions. “Okay.”

  He inhaled deep and palmed the back of her head, urging her to look at him. “Told you I’d do anything for you. I meant that. For you and Levi.” His gaze roamed her face, concern and relief marking his handsome features. “You sure you’re good to drive?”

  “Yeah. I’m sure.”

  He nodded. “All right. You pick up Levi and we’ll meet back at your place. Maybe splurge with a dinner out somewhere before you tell him what’s going on. That work for you?”

  A ragged laugh rumbled up her throat and she dashed her tears from her cheeks. Leave it to Trevor to turn something ugly into a celebration. “Yeah, that works.”

  “How long do you need?”

  “An hour? Maybe an hour and a half with traffic?”

  Normally his smiles vacillated between naughty and playful mischief, but the one he gave her in that moment was far more precious. A mix of gratitude and fragile hope. He kissed her forehead, his lips lingering with solemn reverence. “All right then. You go get our boy, and I’ll start making calls.”

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Natalie waited for Levi to strut through their apartment front door then shut and locked it behind him. If he’d been surprised to see her at his dad’s front door, he hadn’t shown it. Had just hurried off to his bedroom and packed up the essential toys he carted between his two homes and tossed Maria a wave on the way out the door. Then again, rolling with the punches had been a way of life for Levi since the day he’d been born, so maybe her showing up unexpectedly was just his version of normal.

  She plunked her purse on the coffee table and held Levi’s backpack out for him. “Go unpack and plug up your phone to charge it. Trevor said he’d be here by seven to take us out to eat.”

  Hefting it over one shoulder, he lumbered toward his bedroom. “Can we have Mexican? I wanna go to that place Bobby told me about. You know, the one with the bird on it.”

  On the kitchen countertop was a yellow sticky note with her mother’s tidy cursive centered at the top.

  Got your message. Playing bingo with some friends at the center. Should be home before you are. Love, Mom.

  Natalie ran her fingers over the words and smiled to herself. She’d bet anything her mom announced she was moving into the same retirement village as her friends within the next six months. She never said as much, but Natalie wasn’t stupid. The only reason she hadn’t already moved was Natalie’s dependence on her for childcare.

  Levi’s voice reverberated from his bedroom. “Mom?”

  “Yeah, baby?”

  “Can we go?”

  “Go where?”

  “To the Mexican restaurant. The bird one.”

  “El Fenix?”

  “Yeah! That one!” He bustled out of his room, a lock of his tousled blond hair falling halfway down his nose and his boots adding more swagger to his gait than normal. “Can we?”

  Why not? If life had taught her nothing else in the last several years, it was to take the good when you could and enjoy it to the hilt. “If Trevor’s up for it, I’m game.”

  “Cool!”

  He started back for his room, but a knock on the door halted him midway. He redirected for the door, but Natalie caught him by the arm. “Remember what I said, Levi. No answering the door. Not for anyone.”

  “But it’s just Trevor.”

  “I don’t care who it is. No answering unless me, Nanna, or Trevor are on the other side telling you it’s us. Okay?”

  She hustled toward the entrance. Sure enough, the cable box showed seven o’clock straight up, which was just like Trevor. Never so much as a second late if he could help it. She’d need to get him a key. If they were sharing I love yous and spending more time in each other’s beds than not, the last thing he needed to be doing is knocking on her front door.

  She opened the door, mouth open to tell him as much, and froze.

  Wyatt stared back at her, his face a mottled red and his whole body bristling with unspent rage. “You want to tell me why my boy’s here instead of home where he should be?”

  Cold that had nothing to do with the late December wind whipping through her door ghosted beneath her skin. This was bad. Explosive and deadly bad. Only twice in the time she’d been married to Wyatt had she seen him like this, and one of them had ended with a backhand to her face. She shifted her stance, putting herself squarely in front of the entrance and blocking Levi from sight. “Levi, go to your room. Lock the door.”

  “But Mom—”

  “Go. Now.”

  She heard more than saw his quick retreat and the door as it slammed shut. Firming her shoulders, she forced her voice into a calm and easy tone. “Wyatt, whatever’s got you so upset, you need to calm down. Maria called me. She had someplace to be and she couldn’t get ahold of you. I’m his parent, too. She did the right thing calling me.” She swallowed, terrified to utter her next words, but refusing to back down. Not this time. “I saw what happened on the news. I assumed you wouldn’t be able to come home, so I picked him up.”

  “You s
aw what happened,” he mimicked back. “I’ll just bet you did. Probably were in on the whole thing.”

  “In on what?”

  “Your new boyfriend’s setup. Bet he’ll be pissed to know my ass was barely in a jail cell before I made bail. Probably screwed up all his tidy plans. So tell me. Did you have a hand in it?”

  Tingles spider-walked down her spine and a cold sweat broke out on the back of her neck. “Wyatt, I think you should go.” She tried to shut the door.

  Wyatt blocked it and shoved her out of the way. “You gonna answer me, or do I need to beat it out of you?”

  She took two shaky steps back, her mind scrambling for where she’d left her phone. “Wyatt, I swear to God, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  His lips curled in an evil grin and he lurched forward. He grasped her upper arm in a brutal vise and backhanded her cheek.

  Pain exploded in wake of the contact, the vicious strike reverberating down her arms and legs. The only thing that stopped her from crumbling to the floor was his hand still clenching her arm. “Wyatt, just go. I don’t know what’s going on.”

  He shook her and bellowed back, “Don’t play dumb, you uppity bitch. You knew goddamned good and well what I was doing in my office and you turned me in.”

  She locked her knees and tried to free herself, but there was no shaking Wyatt’s hold. From the cable box’s display, 7:05 glowed, neon blue fuzzy but a beacon of hope nonetheless. Trevor would be here. Soon. Dear God, she hoped it was soon. “I had nothing to do with your arrest. I never told anyone.” At least no one but Trevor.

  “You think I buy that shit? Think I’d believe you wouldn’t spread your legs to get your revenge?” He shoved her backward.

  Head still reeling from the blow he’d dealt her, the room spun. She caught herself from falling and scrambled for more distance.

  He stalked forward, crowding her further toward the kitchen. “Here I thought you were the classy type. Turns out you’ll fuck just about anyone if it gets you what you want. Even a sneaky lowlife like that cowboy.”