Redemption (The Protectors 8)

Neither man spoke, but Father O made a slight motion to the left with his head and then walked away.

Levi turned to face me. “Can you add the noodles?”

I nodded and then looked in the direction Father O had gone. “Everything okay? Is he going to have a problem with this?” I asked as I motioned between us.

“No,” Levi shook his head. “I told him I was gay back in prison…Father O doesn’t think the same way a lot of priests do,” was all he said. “I’ll be right back.”

I liked that he brushed a brief kiss over my mouth before leaving the room. I tried to focus on getting the spaghetti going, but I couldn’t help but glance at my watch every few minutes. When Levi returned, his face was pale and I could tell he’d been crying. But as soon as I reached for him, he skirted out of my grasp and hurried to the freezer to search out the dinner rolls.

“Levi-”

“Can you get the oven going?”

“Levi-”

“I’ll be right back. I’m going to go check the other freezer for more rolls.”

I knew he was talking about the larger freezer located in a back room. But I also knew we had plenty of rolls in the main freezer. It was an excuse to escape my questions.

It went on like that for the rest of the night, but when Levi tried to insist on walking by himself to the grocery store, I put my foot down and practically dragged him to my car. When we reached the store and he tried to get out of the SUV, I clamped my hand around his uninjured wrist.

“What’s going on?” I asked, trying to keep the frustration out of my voice.

He refused to look at me as he said, “Nothing…just tired.”

“Cut the shit, Levi,” I snapped. He flinched and I instantly regretted my harshness. I leaned across the console and put my hand around the back of his neck. “Don’t do this,” I whispered as I pressed a kiss to his temple.

“It was never going to work,” he said, his voice uneven…like he was on the verge of tears.

“Why not?” I asked, though I knew the answer.

The kicker was, he was absolutely right. We were building something based on lies. Only, he thought he was the only one lying. With that thought rattling around in my head, I released him when he pulled his hand free. Pain tore through me when he turned his face and brushed his mouth over mine.

“Please don’t be here waiting for me tomorrow morning,” he whispered. I was about to tell him no, that I would most definitely be waiting for him, but when he clasped the side of my face with his hand, he croaked out another “Please.” I couldn’t ignore the pain in his voice, but I couldn’t force myself to say the word, so I merely nodded.

He kissed me one more time and then he got out of the SUV. I didn’t wait for him to look back because I knew he wouldn’t. As soon as he entered the building through the employee entrance, I moved my car to the part of the lot where Levi wasn’t likely to notice it, but that would still afford me good views of both the front and side entrances.

It was about an hour before closing time when my phone buzzed and I looked down to see a text from Ronan.

Where are you?

I typed out a brief message telling him I was outside the mark’s work, but cringed at the use of the word ‘mark’.

Because Levi was anything but.

And I most certainly wasn’t there to keep an eye on him on Ronan’s behalf.

Not anymore.

Ronan didn’t respond, but twenty minutes later, his luxury SUV pulled in the spot next to mine.

Fuck, this couldn’t be good.

The man looked cool as a cucumber as he strode around his car, but I saw the familiar tick in his jaw.

He got in the passenger seat, but didn’t say a word as he handed me a file folder. I flipped it open and felt my gut clench.

In the folder was a single picture.

Of Curtis Deming’s car sitting in front of the old Nichols house.

And it was dated the night before.

I swallowed hard as I realized the picture had been taken a couple hours before Levi had shown up at my door.

“I want you to take him out.”

I closed my eyes and flipped the file shut. “Ronan, there are things about him-”

“I don’t give a shit!” he snapped. “I don’t care about this” – he motioned to the store – “and I don’t care that he’s trying to look legit by volunteering at that damn soup kitchen!” Ronan paused, seemingly to pull himself together. I’d never seen him so enraged before. Of course, I hadn’t been around when Seth’s life had been in danger a year earlier either.