“Exactly.” Papa exhaled. “I still see no indicators that she’s violent, but if she knows you killed Travis and whoever paid her has set her up with weapons, as well as their twisted version of events and a surplus of cash, you could be in extreme danger.”
“She’s not dangerous.” His voice felt tight and not just because he rarely used it. Whatever Emery Reeder was, whatever information she might have or quest she might be on, that woman could never hurt someone.
“You don’t know that, Greer.” Papa sounded tired. “Please be careful. I’ve seen the pictures. I know she looks beautiful and innocent, and she might be, but the fact remains she has to hate you for killing her brother and somebody has to be helping her. My gut says it’s the same person or persons who sent Ensigns Reeder, Newman, and Wright after the secret and paid them a million up front and the promise of five million if they succeeded. Those men were willing to resort to kidnapping, violence, and murder to succeed. Whoever hired them will not stop.”
It was all bad. Really bad for the family, for the Delta secret, for their nation. Greer had never thought of himself as selfish, but right now all he could think was how bad this was for him personally. Taylor was in fact Emery, his dream woman didn’t exist, and in Papa’s words, she had to hate him for killing her brother. Of course she did. How would he feel if someone had killed Aiden, Hudson, or Chandler? If someone had so much as hurt his sister Esther? One of his cousins? He’d avenge them.
His gut was churning and all thoughts of eating a relaxed breakfast, talking more than he ever had, and working his way into more hugs with Taylor sadly disappeared. She was Emery, and an incredible actress.
“Here’s what I’m thinking,” Papa continued. “You keep pretending you think she’s Taylor. You keep her close and see if you can get her to trust you somehow, get any information you can out of her.”
Greer hated all of this. He wanted to grow close to Emery, but not to ferret information out of her. How would she ever forgive him for killing her brother, and how could he ever trust her?
“You’re out riding Bear?”
“Yep.”
“Okay. Get back home, make her breakfast, and then get her out of the house. With her cover story, she claims she wants to stay hidden, right? See if she’ll go on a horseback ride, a boat ride, a hike, whatever you can think of. Reassure her it’ll just be the two of you and your family pretty much leaves you to yourself. I’ll make sure everybody knows not to stop by.”
Oh, great. First, he was going to lie; his family came to visit far more than was necessary. His mom always worried that he was an introvert and was going to “grow old alone.” Second, Greer was not the type to entertain anybody.
“I’ll watch your house with binoculars for you to leave. Plan on being out by ten if you can. Thor and I will get in there quick and get cameras with sensors set up. Check her bag for weapons.”
“No cameras in her bedroom,” Greer grunted out.
“Of course not. We’ll put them in the living area. She has to cross that to get to your room. I’ll send you an app and logins for your phone and an alarm will sound between ten p.m. and six a.m. if there’s movement. You’ll know and we’ll know. If she goes to attack you, you can defend yourself and we’ll get there fast.”
Was that necessary? He trusted Papa, so he just said, “Kay.”
“All right. I’ll keep researching and we’ll see if Miss Reeder reveals anything to you or if whoever is behind all this makes another move. Everything’s been quiet since Alivia and Klein’s foiled kidnapping. We’ll keep our patrols around the cave, but you’re off that detail for now. Esther’s taking a leave of absence from the Air Force to help out, Maddie said she’d work from here for a while, and Jessie is still on summer break, so we have enough coverage.”
Greer nodded even though Papa couldn’t see him. His sister and cousins were as well trained as he was and would do a great job.
“What do you need, Greer? How else can I help you?” Papa’s voice was kind and understanding. He knew Greer wasn’t given to excessive emotion, but shooting Travis Reeder had been devastating to him. Now it was hitting him harder than ever with Emery Reeder coming into his life. He had no idea how to navigate or deal with any of it.
“Prayer,” he grunted.
“Of course. I’ll send out a prayer request to the family and if you need to talk, I’m always here.”
“Thanks.”
“I’m sorry this is all happening to you, but … I see God’s hand in it. You asked me how you could help Emery Reeder. Maybe this crazy turn of events can somehow bring peace to both of your hearts. Maybe she’s confused, and surely she’s hurting. Hopefully you can help her somehow.”
Greer had no clue how peace or helping Emery could happen, but he wasn’t about to argue with Papa. Especially when he’d felt heaven’s hand yesterday when Emery walked into his life.
“I’m always so proud of you. You are one hundred percent loyal, kind, and good to the bone. I love you,” Papa said in a deep voice filled with emotion.
Greer found himself choked up. He knew his grandfather, parents, and family loved him and thought he was a good person, but only his mom and Esther told him they loved him every other minute, though they’d both claim it was only once a week or so. To hear Papa say those words meant a lot. He didn’t feel like a good-to-the-bone person right now. His worries over Emery, and how to somehow help her without endangering his family and the secret they’d been tasked to protect, was overwhelming.
“Love you,” he managed. Twice in two days now, he’d said those words to Papa. He tried to remember the last time he’d said more than “uh-huh” or “you too” when someone said they loved him.
He hung up the phone immediately and spurred Bear toward the barn. All this emotional stuff was wearing on him, and he had enough pressure waiting for him at home. With an angelic face and the ability to make his entire body heat with a single touch.
Had Emery Reeder been sent by heaven so they could heal each other, or was she sent by Satan’s henchmen to ferret out the secret and avenge her brother’s death in the process?
Heck if he knew. Papa claimed he was smart, but he was just a simple rancher, and not a “super sexy rancher” like that shirt Maddie gave him claimed.
As he rode home, he smiled at the memory of Emery holding that shirt and teasing him about it.
He was seriously messed up right now.