She walked out for the last time, and she couldn’t say she was sorry to see this place go. Nothing good had happened inside these four walls.
Seth gave her a nudge and slammed the door closed as she heard the first wail of sirens a few blocks over. “Go!”
“I don’t have my key to lock the door.”
“This place is Sanchez’s problem now. We’ve got to move!”
Or he and Beck could get arrested. Right. Everything was happening so fast, and the shock of tonight, coupled with the exhaustion now tugging at her after all those pointless tears, was making it hard to think straight. It probably didn’t matter if she didn’t lock the door. After they’d beaten the crap out of Sanchez, the man wasn’t going to return her five-hundred-dollar deposit.
They made a mad dash to Seth’s SUV. Beck was waiting by the back with her dad. He grabbed everything from her hands, stare lingering on the embroidered ears. “Backseat. Now.”
She didn’t hesitate. The last thing she wanted was for either man to suffer consequences for trying to help her. And maybe she shouldn’t be surprised they’d stayed and dragged her from that miserable apartment. Beck had been feeding her for months. Together, they’d slayed the Kathryn dragon for her. They’d said they both wanted a future with her. Hell, Seth had uprooted his entire life for her.
Was it possible they’d still want her now that they had seen the mess she’d made of her life? It seemed incredible they would when her own mother hadn’t.
As she rushed Dad into the backseat and followed, she mentally gnawed on the fact that, despite the worst possible circumstances, sometimes people stayed. After all, she hadn’t once considered leaving her father. And she saw people at the hospital every day who stuck by their loved ones, no matter what. So what made the difference? The character of the person? The strength of their love?
Heavenly didn’t know.
“Give me the keys.” Beck held out his hand to Seth.
“I can drive.” Seth fished them from his pocket.
“I know where I’m going.”
With a sigh, Seth tossed Beck the ring.
Seconds later, the capable doctor turned the engine over and shot down the street, lights dark. He was already at the stop sign at the end of the street and sliding into sparse traffic on Figueroa, heading for the freeway, when Heavenly caught sight of flashing red-and-blue lights in the rearview mirror. She turned to look out the back window. Sure enough, the police were stopping in front of her old building.
They really had gotten out just in time.
A knot of tension loosened in her belly.
The drive to the hospital passed in a blur. Beck made calls as he drove. A crew was waiting by the ambulance door. They wheeled her half-sleeping father to the neurological unit. Thankfully, the seasoned personnel barely gave Beck and Seth’s bloody clothes a second glance. Once the staff wheeled him to a private room, Heavenly squeezed her dad’s hand.
An unfamiliar nurse nodded their way. “Dr. Litchfield has already ordered the admitting paperwork. He’ll start the tests in the morning.”
“Thanks.” Beck nodded.
“I’ll visit you tomorrow, Dad,” she promised.
He raised a tired hand and closed his eyes.
When Beck and Seth led her away, Heavenly’s heart stuttered. She wrapped her arms around herself. She was doing the right thing. Her dad needed good care, certainly better than she could provide. But this was the first night she’d spend without him since…well, ever.
Suddenly, Beck’s arms circled her shoulders. “He’s fine here.”
“He’s where he needs to be,” she acknowledged with a jerky nod.
Seth took her into his arms and cupped her face. “Yeah, he is. And now we need to get you where you need to be.”
“Maybe I should stay and—”
“There’s nothing you can do for him tonight, angel. The hospital is taking care of his needs. He would want us to take care of yours.”
She blinked, looking down the empty hall, then turned back to the expectant men. She was so accustomed to being responsible for her father’s life and well-being. Heck, for her own, too. Someone else planning everything for her, despite the fact they were far more capable, made her anxious. And totally overwhelmed her.
“Heavenly?”
Slowly, she nodded. “Yes.”
Seth caressed her face, then brushed his palm down her arm before he took her hand. “Time to go.”
“You’re right.”
As they backtracked to her familiar unit, the edges of her vision blackened and tunneled in. Her equilibrium tilted. She was so tired her legs felt like noodles. She stumbled over her own feet.
A soft curse rang in her ears. Seth. Then he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, tucked the other under her knees, and lifted her against his chest. Suddenly, she was floating.
No, he was carrying her.
“I can walk,” she croaked out. Funny, what she said sounded more like slurs than words.
“You can if I put you down. But I’m not going to. End of conversation.”
No missing his implacable tone. She didn’t have the energy to argue anyway. Tomorrow she’d start making plans again and take all this responsibility back from them. Tonight, she needed sleep.
Heavenly closed her eyes and laid her head on Seth’s shoulder, barely aware when he eased her into the car. She had no memory of the drive to the condo, only of being lifted out of the car and carried across a bright parking garage. A keycard and an elevator ride later, they emerged into an enclosed atrium. It was industrial and sleek, obviously new and pristine and very upscale.
Beck was willing to let her stay here? Ha. Even if he didn’t intend to make her pay rent, she’d insist…but she could never afford it. Still, she had to admit, spending a night or two here would be absolute paradise.
He let them in the front door. Absently, she noticed he carried her suitcase. Everything else he must have left in the car. Fine. Tomorrow would be soon enough to take that off his hands.
Seth set her on
