“When do we do that again?” she asked.
“Danger doesn’t just find you. You go looking for it.”
“You put me on that motorcycle! You can’t expect me not to love it.”
He leaned forward, brushing a fang across the shell of her ear. “All I can think about is bending you over it.”
“Well,” she said breathily, “I hadn’t thought of that, but now that I am…”
“Next time.” Beckham nipped at her ear and she nearly moaned aloud.
He slipped his hand into hers and they walked through the garage door into the most glorious warmth. She’d been cold on the bike, but adrenaline had taken over. Now she realized belatedly that she was shaking.
“You brought me an icicle,” Gabe said with a grin.
“I think I may actually be frozen,” I grumbled.
“We should get you warmed up,” Beckham said. His phone rang noisily and he cursed, retreating to the end of the room to answer it.
“Come on, you,” Gabe said.
He veered her away in front of a fire, wrapped a couple blankets around her shoulders, and brought her some hot chocolate.
“What is this place?” she asked between her chattering teeth.
“Safe house.”
“Oh. I’ve been to one of those before. Are they all this shitty?”
“Helps with the cover.” He winked at her as usual and she shook her head. Typical Gabe. “You ready for this? I know with your history…”
“I’m ready.”
“He didn’t try to talk you into this, right? You came of your own free will?”
Reyna shot him an exasperated look. “If anything, Beckham tried to talk me out of it. Why would you think otherwise?”
Gabe glanced back at Beckham, who was still speaking animatedly on his phone. “Just wanted to make sure. You can never be too careful.”
“He thinks this is a trap. Am I walking into a trap?”
“We did everything that we possibly could to make sure that doesn’t happen. There’s no bug on him. We made him change clothes. We burned his clothes. No tracker in his skin. We confiscated his phone and it’s not in the building. The guy seems legit scared,” Gabe said thoughtfully. “I’ve seen enough shitbags like this to know when they’re faking it. And maybe he is, but he doesn’t look like it.”
“So, you think he actually has information for us? He’s not just trying to get to me?”
“He’s a spy and a good actor. You’re proof of that. I wouldn’t trust a word he tells you and I’d expect some serious mental manipulation in the process. But…yeah, I think he has something.”
“If I can get it, I will,” she said, handing him back the hot cocoa and squeezing his hand.
Gabe nodded and motioned for her to follow him now that she was warm. He showed her to a bedroom in the back of the safe house.
“He’s in there. We’re going to mic you so that we can hear everything that’s being said. There’s already a video camera in the room. And there’s nothing that he can use to hurt you. But if he tries, I’ll be on the other side of this door.”
“Okay.” She swallowed.
“Beckham will be watching from another room, because I don’t trust him not to barge in at the slightest provocation.”
Reyna nodded. That sounded reasonable.
“How…how did Everett find me?” she asked. “Like…how did he get here and everything?”
“He didn’t find you. He found me. I guess he did see me that night. He’s been piecing together who I am and finally tracked me down. I nearly blew his brains out when he approached me. Idiot did it when I was alone in a dark alley. All I can say is that he seems desperate.”
Reyna quelled her fear. She couldn’t show any to Everett when she walked into that room. And she didn’t need it now, thinking about how exactly Everett had been able to track her down.
“All right. Let’s do this.”
Tony, Elle’s resident techie, hooked her up to a microphone, and when he was done Gabe nudged her with his elbow. “Knock ’em dead.”
Beckham appeared in the doorway and Gabe made himself scarce. “Are you ready?”
“As I’ll ever be. Who was on the phone?”
“Work.” His entire demeanor said to let it go. So she did.
“I think I’m ready,” Reyna said.
“If he harms you, I will kill him,” Beckham said menacingly.
Reyna reached out and ran her hands up into his dark hair. “Nothing is going to happen to me.”
His kiss was urgent and chaotic. It made her entire body tremble with need. Her bones ache with desperation. Her lungs burn to breathe him in. She could have gotten so lost in him. And maybe he wanted her to.
Abruptly, she pulled back. “Wish me luck.”
“Luck is rarely on your side, Little One.” He brushed back her hair. “But I am on your side.”
“Even better,” she whispered.
She managed to disentangle herself from him and stepped back into the hallway. Gabe gestured to the door and she nodded. The door swung open and there sat Everett in a wooden chair in the center of the room. His hands were handcuffed in front of him, and it looked like someone had already tried the torture tactic on him. He glanced up and his hazel eyes sparkled at the sight of her.