One to Love (One to Hold 4)

“Oh, sure,” Patrick said. “So you’re the guy who’s dating my baby-mamma.”

I was pretty sure I’d die on the spot, but Patrick wasn’t through. He stood a little straighter, pulling his shoulders back. “Just so you know, punk, you hurt her, and—”

“Let me guess.” Slayde cut him off, pulling his own shoulders back. “You’ll rip my throat out and shove it up my ass.”

Again, silence filled the juice bar. This time I’d forgotten how to breathe.

Until Patrick laughed. “Good guess. How did you know?”

I almost collapsed, but Slayde slipped his hand into mine, lacing our fingers. “I heard the warning the first night I met her.”

I looked up at him, speaking softly. “It wasn’t for you.”

“Let me clock out,” he said, kissing the back of my hand.

I smiled and watched him step around to the office. Once he was gone, I looked up at Patrick. His hazel eyes twinkled. “Damn, girl, you are so beautiful in love.”

“I’m going to kill you,” I groaned.

“It’s okay if I say that, right? Because you are seriously glowing right now.”

My cheeks were hot. “Will you knock it off? What’s going on with your brother?”

His expression became serious. Derek rejoined us as Patrick explained. “He came back from Saudi a few months ago. He was running the Princeton office when Nikki, our office manager there, called and said he’d disappeared. Just went off the grid. I tracked a credit card transaction that led us here. Did he come to see you?”

“He did.” I racked my brain trying to remember everything that happened that day, every word we said. “He was okay, but he seemed very focused—not in a good way.”

Patrick’s lips tightened. “Was his behavior in any way erratic or threatening?”

My eyes widened slightly. “Not at all. He gave me a medal... he said it was your dad’s? He wanted me to keep it for Lane.”

Patrick’s face blanched, but Mariska jumped in, “He said he was going to your uncle’s!”

Both men turned to her. “What exactly did he say?” Derek’s deep voice was so serious, it made me afraid.

My friend was equally concerned. “He said it was out west, but he didn’t get specific. Somewhere he could breathe?”

“I know where he is.” Patrick seemed to relax a bit, and from the corner of my eye, I noticed Slayde returning to join us.

But something was wrong.

He was smiling until his eyes landed on the new addition to our group. At the sight of Derek, everything changed. It was as if he’d seen a ghost or something worse—something terrible. He paused and leaned heavily against the wall.

“Slayde?” I started to go to him, but Derek cut me off.

“What the HELL are you doing here?” Anger flared in his deep voice, hotter than his concern for Stuart.

His sudden rage made me pause.

Slayde appeared to be in shock. “I got out. They let me go on—”

“Of course they did.” Derek’s voice was disgusted. “Murderers always get out, don’t they?”

“It was an accident—”

“The ‘Slayer Death Attack’ is no fucking accident. It’s a trained fight move.”

My heart beat too hard; it made my arms and legs weak. I’d never seen Slayde like this, and Derek was seething.