WhatwasSeth Volk interested in? “Why not?”
“I’m busy.” His hooded gaze was really beginning to annoy her.
“When was the last time you saw Ruby Redbird, Seth?” she asked.
Benjamin waved his hand. “No more questions about Ruby. We’ve answered them all.”
“I don’t remember the last time I saw Ruby,” Seth said, ignoring his father. “Sorry.”
Pete signaled her with a head tilt. Yeah, they were about done. The Volk men were finished answering questions for now, and the bodyguard would probably make an appearance any second.
Mia let out a breath. “I just have one more question. Do any of you know who fathered Ruby’s baby?”
Chapter6
Seth’s entire body went cold.
Erik leapt to his feet, and his fingers curled into fists. A growl emanated from deep in his gut, sounding way too animalistic. “Ruby wasn’t pregnant.”
A low rumble echoed from Benjamin as he stood, his stance set and fury vibrating off his body. He might be in his sixties, but Benjamin Volk was all power and strength and would be for a very long time. It was impossible for anybody with a brain to mistake the threat he represented for anything but death. “Get out of my house.” His voice had turned guttural.
Seth took two steps to put himself between his father and Mia, keeping them both in his sights. He didn’t stop to ask himself which one of them he was protecting. “Everyone, calm down. What proof do you have that Ruby was with child?” Why hadn’t the young woman said anything to him?
Mia stood, all grace, yet keeping her right leg free. The woman had a gun at her ankle. She eyed Erik but inched ever so slightly toward Seth—probably wasn’t even aware she’d moved. Seth’s tension ratcheted up more. He’d been trained since the age of six to protect his father…yet he was about to shield a woman he’d just met. What was it about this particular female?
The sheriff ambled to his feet, looking clumsy but seeming in perfect control of his body with his hand resting on the butt of his gun. He used the good ol’ boy role to his advantage, but his gaze was sharp and missed nothing. “We spoke with Ruby’s best friend, and we saw her calendar where she’d just had an appointment with a gynecologist in Seattle. A phone call to him confirmed the pregnancy.”
Erik’s hand trembled as he ran it through his hair. His face went pale, showing dark circles under his eyes. Even his lips leached of color. “Bullshit. This is bullshit.” His tone had risen from the low growl, so at least he was in control of his body at the moment. But his emotions rocketed through the room in waves of shock and hurt.
“Keep it together, brother.” Seth hadn’t felt the need to provide cover for his brother in a long time, and the urge to do so now rode him hard. He felt as if he were being pulled in three different directions, so all he could do was stand in the middle of the storm and wait for whoever made a move. The only person he wasn’t interested in protecting was the sheriff, and he was off to the side, surveying the entire scene. Safely.
Mia stepped toward Erik, looking small and graceful. “Would you like to revise your statement, Erik?”
Seth pivoted, putting his body slightly between them in case Erik struck. While Mia might think she had the advantage, considering her training and weapon at her ankle, she was dead wrong. If Erik lost control and showed his true face, she would be in even more danger. Benjamin would make sure of it. “Knock it off, Mia,” Seth growled, his voice way too guttural for the moment. Energy coursed through him, sparking through his extremities. He rolled his neck to remain sane and in control. The idea of her in danger shouldn’t be affecting him to this degree.
Erik’s chin lowered. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Benjamin shoved his son back into the chair with one hand on his shoulder, showing too much strength for his age. “I said to get out of my house.” Pivoting, he moved toward Mia with the obvious intention of removing her bodily.
Without thought, Seth grabbed Mia’s arm and turned them both toward the door. He tried to keep from bruising her, but when she attempted to pull away, he firmed his grip. There was no way she could evade him, but she didn’t understand that as of yet. Without hesitating, he dragged her to the door, his senses filling with her unique scent. He’d know her anywhere in the world, even if she were blocks away from him. “Time to leave, pretty Mia.”
The door swung open, and their housekeeper gestured toward the front door. About sixty and a permanent fixture in the house, her red hair had been tied to the side, revealing a wound in her upper shoulder. A raw one that had just begun to heal, which meant she’d probably sustained it the night before. Seth paused and then shook his head.
He gave Mia a slight push, releasing her arm. The loss of her touch hit him square in the gut, and it took every ounce of his impenetrable control to keep from reaching for her. She didn’t belong there in the middle of his family’s drama, especially since blood would most likely be shed. “Alice, please see Ms. Stone and Sheriff Maxwell out.” He bent to whisper in Mia’s ear. “Meet me at the diner three blocks down from the sheriff’s office at noon for lunch.”
She jerked her head away from him, her gaze on Alice. “Were you bitten by a dog?”
Alice pursed her thin lips. Her gaze was sharp, and her nostrils flared as she no doubt took in the tension surrounding them. “Yes, and I’m fine. Please let me show you out.”
Mia gave Seth one last look and headed for the door. He let her go, wanting nothing more than to follow her right out and touch that soft skin again. He needed some time to figure out why he was so drawn to her, especially since only danger surrounded him. There had to be a way for him to keep her safe, and that meant maintaining a close eye on her.
It would be their one and only date. He tried to convince himself of that truth and then gave up. While he had no problem lying to other people, he very rarely lied to himself. He wanted Mia Stone with a need that was frightening.
Erik’s ragged breathing caught Seth’s attention, so he schooled his features and returned to the study, shutting the door quietly even though he wanted to slam it. “Ruby was pregnant?”
Erik ran trembling hands over his face. His body shuddered, and for the briefest of seconds, he looked like that lost, five-year-old kid Seth used to protect. Bewilderment filled his blue eyes, and pain etched out from the corners in thin lines. “I didn’t know she was pregnant.”
Ben pierced them both with a narrow-eyed glare. “Whose baby was it? Seth?”
