Chapter 13

My feet clacked against the cement floor as I struggled to keep up with Lee's long stride. My heart felt like it hadn't slowed all night, and my breath was coming in short bursts that hurt as they raked through my chest. Every inch of me was on edge, like I was watching a car racing toward me and I was waiting on the crash.

I nearly ran into Lee as he slowed, and I grabbed his arm for support. He turned to me, the look on his face less calming than I'm sure he intended. He put his hand on my back, then ushered me forward through the door. Inside me, a dam burst.

"King!" I rushed forward as fast as I could, racing toward where he was sitting in the middle of the room. He had a wound behind his temple and blood smeared across the side of his face. I grabbed hold of him, pulling him to my breast.

"Carina?" he murmured against me, his voice woozy and weak. "Darling, what are you doing here?"

"I take it this is who you're looking for?" a voice sounded behind me, and I peered over my shoulder at Anthony Sparacello.

Before I could respond, King spit out, "You stay the fuck away from her! She didn't do anything to you!"

"I came here for you, you stupid man!" I edged back, looked down into King's dark eyes. "What the hell were you thinking? Mr. Sparacello said you barged in and threatened him!"

King shook his head, then flinched like something had hit him. I cupped his face in my palms, trying to hold his attention. "He took Nevaeh, I know he did."

"Of course he did, sugar." I brushed my thumbs over his cheeks, trying to calm him down as one of Sparacello's guards cut the ties from King's wrists. Instead of inspecting the red indentations in his skin, King threw his arms around me and pulled me close. "They got?—"

"Carina? King? What are you doing here?"

King's attention shot to the door, and I let go of him so I could look over my shoulder. Nevaeh was there, perfectly safe if not a little green around the edges.

"Nevaeh." Her name left King's mouth like a breath that'd been knocked out of him. "Are you okay?" He tried to stand, but his ankles were still attached to the chair, and honestly, with his head wound, I wasn't sure he'd be steady even if he could get up.

Nevaeh came closer, her hands pressed to her stomach, the fabric of her shirt and skirt billowing around her like she was an ethereal being. "I've been better," she said, her chin lowered while she peeked up at us. "Are you— Oh my god, King, what happened?"

She rushed forward, trying to get a better look at the gash on his head.

"This idiot came barging in here and pointed a gun at Mr. Sparacello."

Her eyes grew to the size of saucers, and she spun her heel. "Anthony! Did you hit him?"

Sparacello raised his hands in front of him. "I would never!"

"He wouldn't have to, sweetheart, that's what these goons are for," I told her, gesturing to the two giant men standing by the door.

"Why would you do such a thing?" Nevaeh wailed. "What did he do to you?"

"Honey, he was looking for you," I told her, grabbing her arm and trying to calm her. "We thought you were taken. Everything King's been warning us about for months is exactly what we thought happened to you. What the hell happened? I thought you felt comfortable enough with me to tell me something like this."

"Something like what?" King asked, his head injury not keeping him from following the conversation one bit.

Nevaeh had the decency to look chastised. She rubbed a hand over her belly and said, "I'm pregnant."

"Wait, what?" The screech of my voice had her jumping back and raising her hands like Sparacello had a few minutes before. "I thought you went to Vegas and got married!"

"We did!" Nevaeh stepped back, bumping into Sparacello, who wrapped her up in his arms. "I was feeling sick because I'm pregnant. It was a surprise! I mean, kind of. Not really. Anthony couldn't keep his hands off me—that's why he was always coming into the club at night. He just couldn't stay away. And, well. Surprise!"

She peeked over her shoulder at him, and he dropped a kiss to her lips. But when she turned back to us, she raised a hand to her mouth.

"Are you okay, sweetie?"

She shook her head. "I haven't been able to keep anything down, and when I told Anthony, he got me a test. When it came back positive, he wanted to get married right away."

"And you just left without telling me?"

"Wait." Sparacello tugged Nevaeh into his chest. "You didn't tell your boss you were leaving? I thought we decided you were going to call her."

"Oh, she called me," I told him, glaring at the girl. "She called me and told me she didn't feel good, and then she up and ghosted me. I've been texting and calling. I even went by your apartment, Nevaeh. We were worried sick about you!"

"I'm sorry, okay?" She wrapped her arms around herself. "I was going to tell you, but I forgot. Anthony swept me off to Vegas, and with the wedding and the baby and the constant sickness, I forgot."

"I'm terribly sorry about this," Sparacello said, a frown slashed across his face. "I've been in love with Nevaeh from the moment I first laid eyes on her. All I wanted was to be with her, and when we found out she's pregnant with my child, my only thought was that I wanted us to be a family." He slid his hand to cover her belly. "I wanted to give our child the best life possible, with two loving parents who will give him or her everything in this world."

"I thought you were going to harm her," King said, his hand pressed to his head. "When Carina said she couldn't find her, I thought the worst."

"I'm sorry," Sparacello said, attention on King. "If I'd known she hadn't told you… When you came here with your gun, I never imagined…"

"It sounds like there was a lot of miscommunication all around," Lee said from the corner he'd been standing in.

With his hand still pushed against his head, King turned his way. "You brought Carina here?" When Lee nodded, King pressed his lips into a thin line. "Thank you. I thought I'd never see her again."

"It's the least I could do after everything she did for me earlier this year." He scratched at his short beard. "Maybe next time, though, you ask some questions before you run off and get yourself into trouble?"

Though King frowned, the rest of us laughed.

"Let's get you home, shall we?" I asked, tugging King's hand.

"With the way that wound looks"—Lee said, stepping closer—"it might be best to get him to a hospital."

"Nonsense." Sparacello stepped forward, his fingers strung between Nevaeh's. "I've got a doctor in the house. I'll have her meet us upstairs."

"Anthony," Nevaeh hissed. "You told me she left."

"Yes, baby, I know. But you mean the world to me, and I will do everything to make sure you and our baby are taken care of."

Lee and one of Sparacello's guards helped King out of the room and down the hall. We went up in an elevator at the back of the property, coming out through the kitchen before settling him on the couch in the living room. The doctor checked his wound and ran some tests before diagnosing him with a concussion. She told me to keep an eye on him to make sure he didn't suffer from long-term effects that could need further medical intervention.

Once we were cleared to go, Lee drove us home to King's apartment and helped us inside. King stopped him as he tried to leave.

"Thank you," he said, offering the man his hand. "If you hadn't shown up when you did, I'm not sure what Sparacello would have done."

Lee's mouth tilted in a crooked smile. "You would have been fine. Vinny called him right before we got there. Told him it was a misunderstanding and asked him to meet us upstairs. Sparacello might be ruthless in business, but he's got some morals left in him."

King pressed his lips together, then scratched at the side of his neck. "I could have handled this whole thing better."

"You could have," Lee agreed. "A single phone call coulda cleared all of this right up. But sometimes, when you care enough about someone, the lines between doing the right thing and doing something right now can get crossed."

King grimaced but nodded. "Thank you, again. For everything,"

"Not a problem."

After Lee left, I sat next to King on the couch. He put his arm around me, and I tossed mine over his chest.

"What am I going to do with you, Kingston Donaghue?"

He took a deep breath, then pressed a kiss to my head. "Have patience with me," he finally said after a long beat. "This doing good thing doesn't come naturally."

"Sugar, you are more than good. You have a good heart, and you're a good man. Just because you came from a bad place doesn't mean you're unable to rise above that and do the right thing."

"I'm trying."

I looked up at him, pressed a kiss to his lips. "You're succeeding. I know you, King. I know you'll do the right thing."