The Chase

“You have to let me protect you, angel. It’s in my blood. It’s what I do. I need to know you’re safe. Every day. All the time. You have to let me do it my way, no questions.”

Beck stared at Seth. Where the fuck was this coming from? Sure, he wanted her safe, too. When Heavenly had wanted to traipse across the country without them, he’d been all for the tracking device. The man could obviously protect her, if the way he’d knocked Pike unconscious with one punch was any indication. But they couldn’t put her in a gilded cage and expect that she could keep her promise to Abel to fly free.

She frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I have to track your phone…just in case. And I need a few texts a day so I know you’re okay.” He backed off the bed and reached for his boxers with a shrug, as if backpedaling to convince them that he wasn’t manic. “That’s all.”

Bullshit. Maybe Seth’s profession had made him overprotective…but that wasn’t all he wanted. Beck didn’t call out the PI now, but he intended to ask some questions when she was out of earshot.

“I did that for my dad, too. That’s not a big deal.”

“Cool.” Seth tried to act nonchalant. “Give me your phones—both of them. You’re done using the burner.”

Heavenly didn’t balk, thank fuck. She dug through her purse and plucked out the disposable phone. Seth crushed it against the nearby desk and tossed it into the trash. Then she pulled the other out of her suitcase, and the PI turned it on with the press of a button. “Passcode?”

His tone suggested she better not protest.

Quietly, Heavenly recited the four digits. While Seth entered them and tapped away at her mobile, she turned to Beck with questions all over her face.

Since he had no fucking clue, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her forehead. “You’re important to us, and you’ve scared the hell out of us lately.”

“I know. I really am sorry.”

“The only thing that matters is you’re coming back with us. It’s going to be good, little girl. You’ll see.”

Heavenly sent him a smile as Seth finished syncing up their devices. Beck reached for his mobile. Time to call Gloria and get them a flight home tomorrow. Their girl might think this was a trial period, but as far as he was concerned, it would be the first day of the rest of their lives together.