Chapter Nine
The closet door opened, but it wasn’t Dylan standing there looking down at her.
“Elise.” Her name came out shaky on Athena’s lips as her newfound friend reached into the closet for Athena’s hand.
Elise gripped it and hauled her to her feet. Shaky and swaying, Athena put a hand to her forehead, holding tears at bay. “Where is he? Where’s Dylan?”
Her voice held a frantic edge, and she couldn’t even touch on the thought that he’d been the recipient of one of those bullets she’d heard zinging around her boutique.
“He had some business to tend to. You can come out now. It’s all clear.” Elise walked to the door and led the way.
When she stepped out into her showroom and saw even more destruction than the Knight Ops team had wreaked the first time, she stumbled to a halt. Looking around at shattered glass and bullet holes in the side of a counter and a wall by the front door.
And blood.
No bodies littered the floor, but she could see the clear outline of where one had been.
She slapped a hand over her mouth, bile rushing up her throat. “Where is he?” she repeated.
“He’s all right.” Elise touched her shoulder. “I promise he’s all right. He had to debrief—they all did—but they’ll be back soon.”
“Oh my God. It was really the Landrenaus the whole time?”
“Looks that way. C’mon, sit down. Let me start a pot of coffee.”
She took the stool behind the counter and while Elise went off to brew much-needed coffee, Athena looked down to see the velvet open on the surface. The jewels were gone.
Of course, they were evidence. This whole boutique was evidence. How could she ever look at it the same way again? Would she be able to move on with her world and happily dress customers for a living? Her mind was too shocked to think straight about the future of her shop.
Then there was Dylan.
A minute later, Elise returned with a foam cup of steaming coffee. She placed it in Athena’s hands and watched as she sipped it.
“Well, the cat’s out of the bag now. Or the baby is.” She rubbed her belly.
Athena blinked away some of the cobwebs clouding her mind. “What?”
“Sean spilled the news to the guys that I’m expecting. I give it an hour before it reaches Ellietta and Chip.”
“Who?” She wrapped her cold fingers around the cup, but it was no substitute for Dylan’s warmth.
“Mr. and Mrs. Knight. You’ll be meeting them soon, I’m sure. Along with the twins. They’re wild, both of them, and did you know Chaz has been dating an old high school crush?”
She shook her head, half aware that Elise was talking nonsense, everyday things with her just to keep her mind off the wreck that was the rest of her life.
“And Roades hasn’t exactly settled down yet but give him time. He’s such a sweetheart—probably more romantic than any of the others. Whoever finally gets Tyler to settle down has his work cut out for him, but Lexi will be fine. She’s savvy and knows what she wants. That’s half the battle, right?”
Elise dipped her head to look into Athena’s eyes. “You okay, hon?”
She nodded.
“You know what you want, don’t you?”
She dropped her gaze to the coffee. The warm brown depths wafted with the nutty tones she loved every morning. But even more than her first coffee of the day, she loved waking next to Dylan.
She wanted that for the rest of her life.
She nodded. “I do know. I want Dylan. I’m in love with him.”
Elise’s gaze slipped over Athena’s shoulder and she smiled. “I’ll leave you two alone.”
Athena gasped, jumping off the stool and spilling her coffee in the process. But what did a puddle of coffee matter when her floor was covered in glass and blood?
Dylan rounded the counter and took her by the hands. He led her to the front door and kept walking right through it, without locking it, without looking back.
“But…what about my shop?”
“We’ve got people in there. Next time you see it, it will be back to normal. Right now I need you.”
His words slicked through her insides like warm honey, and she focused on the heat of his callused fingers wrapped around hers. To her surprise, he put her in the car and drove her the few blocks to her apartment.
“Why are we here? Is it safe?”
“Anybody associated with this act has been placed under arrest and you’re as safe as you were before we barged into your boutique.” He opened the apartment door and swept his gaze around, though. She had a feeling he’d do that anyplace she entered, including the bathroom.
He drew her into her own space, and the familiar smells of home brought tears to her eyes. He closed the door and bolted it. Then he took her by the hand.
“Cher, what I want from you right now is too much for you to process. So I have to leave.”
She shook her head, curls cascading over her shoulders. “What?”
“We were thrown together into this mess, and I can’t let you make decisions about your feelings for me until you’ve had time to process. Distance, space.”
He was leaving her?
“No…”
“Fuck, I don’t want that either but it’s best. Believe me, we both need it.” He swallowed hard as if the words were rocks in his throat.
“Dylan, what are you saying?”
He grabbed her by the shoulders and crushed her to him. But only briefly. Too quickly, he stepped back. Eyes burning, he continued to move away from her, leaving her standing alone in the middle of her beloved apartment that didn’t seem so fantastic now without him.
She took a step, and he threw up a hand to stay her. She stopped in her tracks.
“You’ll be okay, Athena. Elise will check in with you. And… we’ll be watching.”