Protecting His Pregnant Lover - Leslie North Page 0,51
must have caught a whiff of something amiss, and while they had no concept of the hell that was coming their way, the SSoF needed to act before they went to ground. “Where?”
He had been so absorbed with his reading that he hadn’t even noticed Olive until she spoke. Mostly it had been deliberate, since they’d been avoiding each other, practically walking on eggshells, since their argument. Still, he couldn’t help noticing she still looked lovely, dressed in a soft sea-green knit dress that draped her body fetchingly. Her hair hung in loose waves around her shoulders and framed her pale face, hiding her expression.
“My neighbor Tom and his wife are taking me shopping to get some stuff for the baby in Norfolk,” Olive said, her tone chilly.
A twinge of remorse pinched his chest. If he’d handled things differently the other day, it might have been him going with her to buy stuff for their baby, but now he’d pretty much blown any chance she’d let him be involved. He tried to tell himself it was fine. Up until a few weeks ago he’d not even known he’d fathered a kid and his life had been all good.
Hadn’t it?
He frowned down at his computer screen without seeing it, uncertainty churning inside him. Unfortunately, he wasn’t sure how good it had been. Honestly, he wasn’t sure of anything anymore, except his continuing responsibility to protect Olive and the baby. And speaking of that, “Before you go, I need you to contact Franklin. He’s our key to getting the Reapers gang leadership on the record about their level of involvement.”
“No.” Olive met his gaze with a flat look. “I’m not doing that.”
Levon rocked back in his chair, frowning. “Why?”
“Because I’m done with this. You said you made a mistake getting me involved in the case, so I’m rectifying that for you.” She crossed her arms and raised a brow at him. “Ask Principal James to do it, since he seems to be the one you trust to help you now.”
Shit. He’d known she’d been pissed at him after the other day, but he didn’t think Olive would let that anger override her sense of justice. Apparently he’d been wrong. And it was his own fault, because she was right. He was the one who had pushed her out of the case. “Right. Will do.” He got up to grab his phone off the counter and when he turned around again, Olive was gone.
“Franklin, what Mr. Asher and I are offering you is a way out,” Principal James said to his student a few hours later. The kid and Levon sat across from him. Based on Franklin’s dour expression, Levon couldn’t help thinking things would have gone a lot smoother if Olive had been there. As it was, there was no denying the feeling of being in the hot seat when you were in the principal’s office. Hell, Levon felt it himself as he shifted, an uncomfortable knot in his stomach.
Of course, having two hundred and fifty pounds of solid muscle and ex-SEAL next to you probably didn’t help either. For once, his impressive physique felt like a hindrance to getting the job done. He felt too big for his chair, and didn’t know what to do with his arms. He kept them crossed over his chest mainly because it was his default posture, but from the kid’s nervous glances in his direction, it was telegraphing intimidation instead. At first, Levon figured that was how he wanted it. There was a part of him that had been willing to pursue strong-arm tactics... until he saw Franklin up close. The gangster that had trashed Olive’s classroom was just a scared boy.
Principal James leaned in, his tone coaxing, “So you’ll help us, won’t you, Franklin? You’ll make it up to Miss Owen.” They’d been hammering that particular nail for a while now. It was the one that seemed to get the best results.
“Yes.” Franklin kept his gaze lowered, fiddling with the zipper on his hoodie. The kid was anxious, that much was obvious, and that was okay. He should be scared, considering the company he’d been keeping lately. But it was also obvious to Levon that Franklin wanted to make amends to Olive, a teacher he loved and respected, which bought him some bonus points with Levon.
He wished he could make his own amends, but there wasn’t time now, with the mission on the line.
“I’ll make it up to her... and you’ll take care of