Chapter Thirty
One Crown and Coke, two Buds, and a house merlot. Natalie punched the button on the screen that finalized her latest order, logged out of the system and spun—only to find Vicky looking at her funny from behind the bar.
For a pub with only a ten—to twelve-person crew on the busiest nights, word of her and Trevor being an item had sure traveled fast. Granted, most had given her purely curious looks, but a few were flat-out nasty. Thankfully, Vicky seemed to fall in the curious category.
Natalie pasted on the same fake, over-bright smile she had with all the waitresses and forged ahead. “Don’t think I’ve ever seen a Tuesday this busy.”
Bless her heart, Vicky bit back the questions dancing behind her eyes and played along with the lame attempt at small talk. “Yeah, Ivan said something about a convention going on nearby.”
Well, that explained the last-minute call for her to come in, though she was pretty sure the extra set of hands was still overkill. Stuck waiting on her drink orders and already caught up with checking her tables, she shifted enough to check out the TVs mounted over the bar. Of the three, only one was tuned to a local station. The weatherman stood in front of an animated map of Texas and did his best to showcase a promised cold front by New Year’s Day.
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 letting 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.”