The Chase

Chapter One

Sunday, March 31

Los Angeles

Dr. Kenneth Beckmanwatched Heavenly Young’s eyes narrow with betrayal. The sated bliss he and Seth Cooper had finally given her together—after months of strife and infighting—disappeared from her sweetly flushed face in an instant.

Oh, he was so screwed.

“Those papers don’t mean what you think, little girl. Let me explain.”

Heavenly clutched the pages in her trembling hand. “The words petition for divorce tell me everything I need to know.” She tossed them on the rumpled bed, where she’d given him and Seth her innocence minutes ago. “Nothing matters now except my dad. I’ll make my way to the hospital. You stay and deal with your wife.”

Beside him, Seth zipped up his jeans and shot him an I-told-you-so glare. “I’ll drive you, angel.”

Gut churning, Beck buttoned his shirt and slid on his shoes, trying to keep his shit together. But he was in love for the first time in his long, perverted life, and happiness was slipping through his fingers because he’d been a dumb ass.

“Thank you,” Heavenly said grimly to the former cop before she raced out the door.

With a bob of his head, Seth motioned him to follow, then jogged after her. Cursing under his breath, Beck headed out on Seth’s tail.

Inside the parking garage, the big blond PI jumped behind the wheel. When Heavenly neared the passenger door, Beck hustled close with long-legged strides and opened it for her. She shot him a side-eyed scowl, turned him a cold shoulder, then climbed into the backseat. Determined not to let her put distance between them, Beck slammed the open door and crowded in beside her.

Goddamn it, he only needed five minutes to explain his unmarriage to Heavenly. Unfortunately, while racing to reach her suddenly and gravely ill father wasn’t the time or place.

When he took her hand to offer his comfort, she jerked away and directed her attention to Seth. “Can we go?”

The PI nodded, and the car lurched from the parking garage while Heavenly stared stiffly out the window. Beck felt fucking impotent. Normally, he’d draw her onto his lap and force her to listen to the truth. Now he did the one thing for her he could: he yanked his phone from his pocket and dialed the hospital.

The charge nurse of the neurology unit transferred him to another caregiver in ICU. Beck didn’t take that as a good sign. “Jean, this is Dr. Beckman. I’m with Abel Young’s daughter and we’re en route. What’s his condition? His vitals?”

He pressed the phone to his ear, listening to the nurse’s efficient tone. “Dr. Litchfield thinks it’s a pulmonary embolism. We moved Mr. Young to ICU. His O-two sat is seventy-five and dropping. His pulse is 123. Blood pressure was eighty over forty but just dropped to fifty-two over thirty-seven. Respiration is forty-two. He’s diaphoretic and his anxiety is climbing. How long before his daughter gets here?”

Shit. Abel Young was dying.

Beck tried not to let the terrible news show on his face. “ETA is less than ten.”

“Hurry. His breathing is increasingly labored, and his DNR prohibits a vent, so…”

They didn’t have a moment to waste.

When he hung up, Heavenly finally looked at him. “What did they say?”

Seth shot him a glance in the rearview mirror. He gave the other man a subtle shake of his head.

“He’s in ICU. We’ll get more information when we get there,” he replied carefully. “Seth, step on it.”

“I’m trying.” He gripped the steering wheel and laid on his horn. “Fucking traffic even at midnight.”

Heavenly wrapped her arms around her middle and drew her knees to her chest, as if she could crawl into a little ball and hide from the encroaching reality. The sight tugged at Beck. As a vascular surgeon, he dealt with illness and death damn near every day. He did his best to remain compassionate but removed; it was the most effective way to stay focused on patient outcome. But Beck couldn’t disconnect from this. He already felt so close to losing Heavenly. Her father’s death might rip her away for good.

Ten minutes ago, he’d been on top of the world because he’d been inside her. After months of waiting and wooing her, of mustering a patience that had damn near driven him insane, he and Seth had finally gotten their shit together and made her theirs.

All that had changed when the hospital had called…and those fucking divorce papers had fallen from his pocket.

Screw it. Heavenly might be furious with him now, but Beck lifted her onto his lap anyway and settled her against his chest, determined to be her rock. For an instant, she melted into him, heaving a great sob.

“Shh, little girl. I’ve got you.”