Protecting His Pregnant Lover - Leslie North Page 0,16
His job here was to keep her safe, not get her involved in this mess any more than she already was. His gaze fell on her belly again and his heart tripped.
My baby. My kid.
It still hadn’t fully sunk in yet. He hadn’t lied before. He had always wanted kids of his own. Someday. But what was that old saying? Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans? Man, wasn’t that the truth?
Olive was still watching him with those big, pretty eyes of hers and he swallowed another gulp of tea before answering. In for a penny, in for a pound, he supposed. Besides, there was no harm in telling her a bit more about the situation, and how it was being handled by him and the other guys at Southern Soldiers of Fortune.
“Well, it started off with a tip one of the guys at SSoF received from the Arlington PD about a big shipment of fentanyl-laced cocaine coming in from Colombia. There’d been several Reaper-related shootings in the city over the past few months, so their involvement in it was almost a given, since they rule the Arlington territory with a tight fist. The cops up there wanted us to help them investigate some of the local dealers to figure out where those deadly drugs might be heading.”
“Couldn’t the police have investigated it themselves?” Olive asked.
“Sure—and they definitely are. I’m working in close collaboration with the local police force here. But for some parts of the investigation, especially when it branches out into small towns, it’s better to have someone involved who’s not known to be affiliated with the local force. The Reapers recruit a lot of local teens into their operations, and in a place this size, the locals will know the names and faces of all the cops. When two of my teammates, Noah and Clint, discovered the link to Harper’s Forge, I stepped in and requested to be the one sent down here to see what was up. Figured I had insider knowledge of the town that might help speed things along.”
“Wow.” Olive’s hands shook slightly as she set her cup aside, and Levon’s pulse stuttered. Shit. He’d not meant to upset her. “That’s scary to think those kinds of things might start happening here in our little town. I mean, God. Half the people in Harper’s Forge don’t even lock their doors at night. We have four police officers and two squad cars. If gangs come into this place, how are we even going to cope with that?” Her face had turned pale and Levon didn’t like where this was going at all. “What about my students? What about the high school?” Dots of bright crimson blossomed on her cheeks. “Just thinking about those jerks luring or bullying my kids into doing their dirty work for them…” She pushed to her feet, then swayed unsteadily, her leg bumping the table and sending her mug toppling to the floor. Tea splattered across his hardwood, but the only thing Levon cared about was Olive and the fact she was about to pass out right in front of him.
“Fuck!” He was on his feet and had her in his arms the second her knees buckled, pulling her close into the safety of his chest. Even seven months pregnant, she seemed to weigh less than nothing to him. “Liv? Honey, are you okay?”
Her dark eyes seemed too big for her face as she blinked up at him from behind her crooked glasses. Raw panic tore him to shreds inside. He hated being uncertain, being out of control. Not to mention the guilt. This was his fault. Dammit. He’d been back in her life less than a day and already he was screwing shit up again.
“I’m all right,” she said after a moment, her voice far too weak for his liking. His concern must have shown on his face, because a moment later she was reaching up to pat his cheek, giving him a wan smile. “Really, Levon, it’s all right. I started getting dizzy spells as soon as I hit my second trimester. It’s one symptom I haven’t been able to shake.”
“What can I do?” Anything, he’d do anything for her. For their baby. Wage war, whatever she needed.
“Unfortunately, there isn’t much anyone can do. Honestly.” Olive squirmed in his hold, trying to free herself, but Levon held fast. She might not like being carried like this, but he wasn’t putting her down until he knew she