Heedless (The Hellbound Brotherhood #4) - Shannon McKenna Page 0,86

that. So I might as well tell the truth about the paintings that I saw that day.”

There was a pause. Louisa heard Nate’s voice, prompting him. “Yes? And?”

Herzog gulped his gin tonic, his raddled face a picture of misery. “It was incredible work,” he said. “Brave. Vulnerable. Visceral. I could have looked at and talked about and praised those paintings forever. And I had to pan them. I felt like I’d committed treason. As if I had just betrayed my deepest, most intimate—”

Nate hit ‘stop.’ “That’s the general gist of it,” he said. “You can listen to the rest of his blather later, if you’re interested.”

“You got him to say all that?” she said, still amazed. “Isn’t it against his best interests?”

“Probably. The gin and tonic worked wonders. I imagine his lawyers won’t be happy at all when they see this, but I don’t give a fuck. It’s out there now.”

Elisa gazed at him. Her heart felt hot and tender, like it was melting. “You’re amazing, you know that?” she said. “You saved Josh, you saved me, and you just keep on trying to save me some more. You just can’t stop yourself. It’s incredibly sweet.”

He made an impatient sound. “This guy wasn’t any real threat to you. He’s just a washed up, perverted old man with his tail between his legs, holding forth about how Gil Clemens was mean to him, boo-fucking-hoo. He says that trashing your debut exhibit broke his heart, but for him, it was all about his broken heart, not you. I had to keep myself from smacking that pompous dickhead silly. But to his credit, he did a bad thing, and he wanted people to know the truth before he went down in flames.”

“So this is already public?” she asked.

“It’s more than public. It’s viral. I think it has over a million views at this point, and it keeps on racking up more. It cross-pollinated with the news stories about you and Gil and Josh, and then just went nuts. Now everybody wants to see the brave, vulnerable, visceral paintings of the gorgeous, famous, badass Louisa Roarke.”

“Holy shit,” she said softly. “That is really…something.”

“Now with Erebus asking you for your artwork to decorate their flagship headquarters, I think you’re going to be exactly as professionally busy as you feel like being in the foreseeable future.” Nate sounded pleased with himself. “You can pick and choose your projects.”

Elisa grabbed both of Nate’s hands. “I appreciate this.”

“You’re welcome, but don’t thank me. Helping you is helping myself.”

“But don’t feel obligated, okay? You don’t have to keep saving me forever.”

Nate went very still, his eyes wary. “Meaning what? Do you want me to go?”

“Oh, God, no!” she said swiftly. “I’m just letting you off the hook. From being responsible for me, I mean.”

“I don’t want to be off the hook,” he said. “It’s the only place on earth I want to be.”

Her tears overflowed again. “But I really don’t feel like a prize right now.”

Nate’s smile made her heart race “I beg to differ,” he said. “I’ve never known anyone so special as you. So rare and beautiful. I’ve never wanted anything like I want to be with you. You make me want to be a better man.”

“You’re great just as you are,” she said. “But you never knew me when I wasn’t running for my life.” She gestured at her messy, paint-smeared self. “This is the truth. Disheveled, distracted, out-in-space me. With paint in my hair.”

“So hot,” he said. “I can’t wait to know you better. And let’s not forget Kimball. We have to be careful. As careful as we ever were before. He’s watching both of us.”

“Oh, fuck Kimball,” she said impatiently. “I don’t have the juice to be scared of him, too. I’m exhausted with being scared.”

“Far-fucking-out. That’s going to make it real interesting to guard you.”

“I’m a mess, Nate,” she admitted. “I cry, all the freaking time. I have constant nightmares. I’m so jumpy, I hit the roof whenever the phone rings. I have fits of being so angry I want to break things. I need to do all this complicated salvage work on myself to be whole again, and I don’t even know where to start. Are you sure you want to take this on?”

He reached into the pocket of his leather jacket. “Do all the salvage work you want,” he said. “Take your own sweet time at it. Just let me watch your back while you do it. As long as it