hadnât expected Penny to invite herself along. But since she had silenced the others, he appreciated her input.
Then she added, âWe also need to make sure Nick stays safe.â
He swallowed a groan and assured her, âIâm fine.â
âYou lost a lot of blood,â she reminded him of what the doctor had said when heâd argued against Nick leaving the hospital. She stepped closer and gently patted the side of his face as she always did her sonsâ. âI was afraid that we were going to lose you.â
They had never really had him. But he didnât point that outâbecause he didnât want to hurt her feelings. She had done nothing to deserve the pain his mere existence had already caused her.
âItâs going to take a lot more than a bullet to bring down Nick,â Parker Payne said. He should have known. Heâd survived being blown up.
She ignored Loganâs twin, leaned forward and kissed Nickâs cheek. âPromise me youâll be careful,â she implored him.
Her sons groaned in sympathy. They knew what she was asking. For Nickâwith Annalise in dangerâit was the impossible. He shook his head.
âNicholas,â she murmured.
Logan came to his rescue. âMom, we need to strategize.â
She arched a reddish-brown brow and asked, âAre you throwing me out?â
Logan probably wouldnât dare. But he gently guided her toward the door of the Payne Protection Agency conference room. Their heads close, they whispered together, shooting glances back at him.
Uneasiness lifted the short hairs on the nape of Nickâs neck. They were obviously talking about him. He knew it wasnât the first time heâd been the topic of Payne family conversations. But he suspected he wasnât the only one about whom they talked. He didnât want them talking about Annalise, speculating about what their relationship was.
Nikki had already figured it out, though. She knew heâd gotten Annalise pregnantâjust like his dad had gotten his mother pregnant. He had never met the man, but Nikki was right: he was the most like him.
Everyone else talked about Nick Payne like heâd been a hero. But he hadnât been any hero to Nick. Heâd abandoned him to the care of a drug addict.
Nick wanted to be a hero for his kid. But mostly he wanted to be a hero for Annalise. When theyâd been growing up, she had always acted like he was oneâalways looked at him like he was one. Heâd let her down once already. He didnât want to let her down again.
* * *
Logan swallowed the sigh burning in his lungs. Heâd made the promise to their mother that Nick had refused to make. After she walked out, he closed the door of the conference room and turned back toward the others.
He would make sure Nick was carefulâthat he didnât get hurt again. A twinge of panic struck his chest as he remembered the fear that Nick had been the one lying on that gurney, a sheet covering his face. Even when Nick had appeared next to him, holding up a faint Annalise, Logan hadnât been sure the guy would survive. Blood had been dripping from him, running down his arm from his blood-soaked shirt and coat.
He wore a scrub shirt now. Blood had seeped through the bandage and the shirt, though. The damn fool should have stayed in the hospital. But he was stubbornâmore stubborn than Logan had ever realized.
âWeâve got this. Weâll make sure Annalise and Nikki stay safe,â he assured Nick.
Nick snorted. âYouâre crazy if you think Iâm going to sit back and do nothing.â
Logan had to acknowledge that he probably was crazy if he thought he could keep Nick away from the action. But heâd made a promise to their mother, so he had to try. He pointed out, âYou have your hands full with the River City PD.â
âIâm done,â Nick said.
After heâd brought down the
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