by Jamie Begley
Shoving a heavy swath of hair behind his ear, Reaper felt as if he had stepped on a small kitten. “Sorry.”
“The first apology, I’ll accept.” Clicking her seatbelt over her lap, Ginny looked forward as if she had a first-row seat for the landing. “The second, you can make it up to me by paying for dinner.”
He would have been better off not apologizing. The obtuse woman wasn’t getting the message that he wasn’t interested. Clearly, he was going to have to be blunt.
“No, we need to get several things settled up front. I’m here because Viper gave me no choice. I am here to find the person stalking you. What I am not here for is to be your buddy or anything else. The only thing I want from you is to do what I want when it involves your safety. You do that, and we’ll get along just fine. You get me?”
“I think so.” She hesitated then asked, “If you don’t mind, can I ask you a quick question?”
Reaper magnanimously agreed, completely taken in with the deferential way the soft timber of her voice sounded. “Go ahead.”
“Thank you.”
Her politeness lured him into thinking she was done speaking. She wasn’t. Reaper was taken aback by the proudful manner now confronting him.
“First off, if you want to lie to yourself about what happened at T.A. and Dalton’s wedding, go ahead. I won’t stop you. We both know the truth.”
Ginny’s self-assured demeanor, with hurt still visible in her eyes, couldn’t have shook him more if the plane had suddenly dropped from the sky. She was openly bringing up the contact they had shared at the pool, which he was still trying to convince himself hadn’t happened.
“Also, if Viper is the reason you’re here and you’re not happy about it, then that’s your problem with him, not with me. You don’t want to be security for me? Then don’t; it’s that simple.” Ginny held up a commanding hand when he would have opened his mouth. “I’m not done. If it involves my safety, all you have to do is ask and I’ll ask how high, so I don’t see any problem with us getting along just ‘fine,’ as long as you remember one thing. While you may only be here because Viper wants you to be, I don’t have to take the protection The Last Riders offered, and that means having to put up with someone who is rude to me. Been there, done that. Now, my question is: Are you going to call Viper or am I? Or, better yet, can you chill out and use a civil tone when you talk to me?”
Ginny was no kitten. She was as fierce lioness who expected to be treated like an equal or his ass could hit the road.
“I’m chill.” He wasn’t, but he could pretend he was … for now. Being sent home because Ginny refused protection from The Last Riders due to his behavior would be even worse.
“Good.” Ginny leaned closer to him, and Reaper stiffened when her hands went to the sides of his hips.
“Don’t touch ….”
Ginny expertly drew the sides of his seatbelt toward his abdomen, clicking it into place. “Safety first.”
Lowering his lashes to glare at her threateningly, he clicked his tongue on the roof of his mouth, the sound making her lift her brows at him.
“I’m still chill,” he said behind clenched teeth.
“You don’t look it.” She raised her brows higher.
His hands grasped the armrests tighter to stop himself from tossing her through the tiny window. “I am. So, where do you want to eat?”
“Dirty Dan’s. I’m dying for a bag of burgers and fries.”
“Dirty Dan’s?”
“Don’t worry, you’ll love it,” she assured him chipperly as the wheels bounced down onto the landing strip.
“I prefer not to eat at a place called Dirty Dan’s.”
“I’ll remind you of that when you want to go back.”
Everyone waited in the seats until Cross came out of the cockpit. As he opened the door, the others on the plane began gathering their things from the overhead compartments.
Ginny unfastened her seatbelt to stand. “I won’t be a minute to grab my purse.”
“Take your time.”
Unfazed by his lack of eagerness, she went back to her original seat.
As he stood to retrieve his duffle bag, he caught the signal that Nickel would be outside.
“Want to catch a bite to eat, Ginny?”
Closing the overhead bin, Reaper turned to see D-Mon come up behind Ginny to take out the leather purse she had stowed.
Turning, Ginny placed a hand on the seat to brace herself to maintain distance from D-Mon. “No, thanks.” Taking the purse from D-Mon, she frowned and indicted she wanted to get past him so she could walk down the narrow aisle.
“I’m only talking about catching a quick bite.” D-Mon placed an arm along the overhead bin, effectively keeping Ginny from leaving.
“No. I like our working relationship just as it is, don’t you agree?”
“You don’t have a problem hanging with Kaden or Ax. Why not me? Could it be I’m just the low man on the totem pole?”
Shrugging the strap of his duffel bag onto his shoulder, Reaper didn’t interfere, curious to know if he was the only man she had no problem holding her own with. If D-Mon tried to get out of hand, though, he was close enough to bash the guitarist’s face inside out if she got in trouble. Hell, he might do it, anyway. It would be the perfect way to get sent home by defending Ginny’s honor. Viper wouldn’t be able to blame him when Cross sent him back.
“I don’t hang out with Kaden or Ax. What we do is work. Which is more than I can say for you. If you worked as hard as you played, we wouldn’t have such long rehearsals. I’m sure your bandmates, as well as the crew and I, would appreciate that.
“You’re a big boy. You should be able to hear the word no without turning nasty. If not, you can be the one to explain to Kaden why I won’t be practicing with the band anymore.” Straightening, she took a step forward, forcing D-Mon to remove his hand from the bin.
He put both hands in air, backtracking at the frostbitten look Ginny was giving him. “I was just playing around.”
“I was never good at playing those types of games, and I don’t plan to start now, especially not with you.”
Reaper had to give her credit; even though he was standing just a few inches away and the other band members never once looked at them or told D-Mon to back off, she handled the amorous guitarist herself. He had lost count of the number of times Taylor had turned to him or one of The Last Riders when she hadn’t wanted to be bothered.
“Message received. Can’t blame a guy for trying.” Moving aside, he went down the aisle and toward the front of the plane where the others were getting off.
“Ready?” Spotting him, Ginny’s annoyance with D-Mon melted into the same unreserved friendliness she continued to treat him with, as if they were best fucking friends. The only time she hadn’t acted like that was when he tried to lay down the law. Even then, she managed to turn the tables on him.
“Yes.” Reaper went down the aisle, leaving Ginny to follow.
Outside, he scanned the area, taking mental notes of everyone nearby. This airport was much larger, and there were three carts waiting to drive them to the entrance.
As Ginny came to his side, he didn’t notice anyone else, paying attention only to her. Yet, he felt something eerie, as though someone was watching closely. Nickel’s rigid stance with his booted feet planted apart and his hand at his back under his leather jacket showed he felt the same. The overcast sky limited his ability to scan the shadows where someone could hide. The bank of windows of the terminal allowed hundreds of eyes to follow their progress as they both climbed into one of the awaiting carts.
Nickel took the forward-facing seat, while Reaper took the one that would give him a view of the rear beside Ginny. Reaper tried not to think of the closeness of her body next to his as the cart lurched forward. It was a short ride to the private entrance.
“Gavin and I are going to Dirty Dan’s for lunch; you want to come?” Ginny asked Nickel brightly.
Nickel s
hook his head. “I’ll pass. I’ll grab our luggage and an Uber to the apartment. You good with that, Reaper?”
“Yes.” Reaper pretended to agree to Nickel’s intentional deception. They had met in his room this morning before heading to the airport to discuss how they would handle Ginny’s security. When they were going back and forth between destinations, it had been decided that Reaper would ride in the car with Ginny, while Nickel followed discreetly behind, watching for other tails. Reaper had already called ahead and had a rental car waiting for Nickel.
In little time they were walking out of the airport, with Nickel going in the direction of baggage and Ginny, the band members, and him walking outside of the terminal.
“What about their luggage?” Reaper asked when they started walking behind the others as they made their way to long-term parking.
“One of Kaden’s staff members collects it from the plane and will deliver it to their homes. Kaden doesn’t like to make his traveling habits public.”
“I wasn’t judging,” Reaper said, eyeing each person coming and going past them.
“Oh … Usually, people do when they find out Kaden has his own airplane.”
“He’s protecting his wife and those he cares about. You travel with them frequently?”
“Every now and then.”
“D-Mon bother you often?”
Ginny slowed her steps, letting the group get ahead of them. “Depends on how long he’s been away from his groupies. I wouldn’t call him Mr. Persistent. More like Mr. Opportunist.”
“I’d call him a dick.” Reaper didn’t bother lowering his voice the way Ginny had to keep the others from hearing.
Ginny laughed. “I wouldn’t down him too fast, if I were you. Both Shade and Rider like him. He can be fun to be around when women aren’t.”
After walking between two stone pillars, the band members started breaking apart individually to go to their own cars, except for Kaden and his wife. Reaper closely observed each vehicle they got into.
Ginny waved as the others drove past, pressing a button on her keyring. “Here we are.” Opening the driver door of a grey KIA sport that was parked farther away from the others, Ginny got inside as he bit out a curse, going to the opposite side.
Opening the back door, he tossed his bag into the back seat before moving to the front.
“Don’t do that again,” he snapped, closing the door after him.
Putting the key in the ignition, she looked at him with a perplexed expression. “Do what?”
“Don’t get in the car before I check to make sure no one’s inside.”
“Okay.”
When she would have put the car in reverse, he stopped her.
“Hang on for a few minutes.”
“Okay.” She patiently looped her hands over the steering wheel.
Five minutes later, he received the text he had been waiting for from Nickel. “We can go now.”
Unconcerned, she backed out of the parking spot, and turned on the radio.
“That’s it? You don’t want to know what we’re waiting for?”
“Nope. I told you I wouldn’t argue with you about my safety.” Keeping her attention on driving, she didn’t spare him a glance. “I’m really easy to get along with, you’ll see.” Ginny took her eyes off the road long enough to flash him a quick grin.
“Can’t wait.”
“Me neither.”
Reaper wanted to bang his head against the dashboard. Did she have to be so nice to him? He was being a smart-ass, and she was acting like he had given her a compliment.
Turning the radio up louder, she darted the small SUV between two slow-moving vehicles before sliding expertly into the third lane of fast-moving traffic, bopping her head to the beat.
Reaper grabbed the oh-shit handle when Ginny nearly kissed the front end of an eighteen-wheeler. The skillful driving sent a bead of cold sweat slithering down his back.
Serving in the military, he had learned to recognize several characteristics that would make a great soldier. In the short time he had known Ginny, she exhibited both—fearlessness and courage. She held her own against Viper, D-Mon, and him without batting an eyelash. The soldier in him was astute enough to be aware that type of inner strength wasn’t ingrained; it was learned behavior.
Damn. He hadn’t anticipated beginning to like her. Resisting the instant attraction could be a fool’s mission.
I’m fucked.
Ginny lowered the volume of the radio. “You say something?”
“No.”
After they ate, he would call Moon and have his ass on the first available plane to Nashville. He didn’t care whether Cross wanted Moon there or not. Every day was a trial of endurance to keep the memories at bay that dogged his nightmares. If he gave her the littlest chance, she could wreak havoc on that tremulous balance.
He had drawn an imaginary line in the sand, and he would not cross it for anyone’s well-being. Reaper saw Ginny on the other side of that line, plain as day. And not only was she standing there, she was digging a trench.
A warrior knew when to retreat. He didn’t have the emotional capacity to participate in the war that Ginny was signaling she wanted to wage. Wars came with a price, and he had nothing left to give.
Chapter Eight
“You’re kidding, right?”
Standing outside the tiny restaurant that was the size of a school bus, Reaper stared doubtfully at the grimy exterior where Ginny was determined to eat.
Laughter bubbling out, she hooked her arm through his, tugging him toward the door. “Quit being a stick-in-the-mud. You’re going to enjoy it.”
The smell coming out when he opened the door made him realize how hungry he was, until he went farther into the restaurant. Then his appetite took a dip when he saw the inside was dirtier than the outside, appearing as if it hadn’t been painted since it was built. If he had to take a guess, the restaurant was at least fifty years old, which was a kind assumption.
Before he could do an about-face, Ginny tugged him down onto the closest metal stool.
“Marty? You here?” Ginny yelled out.
A burly man exited the door at the end of the restaurant marked Restroom. Catching sight of him, Ginny gave him a bright smile as the man who Reaper assumed was Marty came around the counter.
“Where else would I be?” Tying a white apron behind his back, Marty moved to stand in front of them.
She had no answer for that bit of cheer, and Reaper didn’t blame her; Marty’s fuck you disposition was plainly written across the front of his apron.
“I’m back from Kentucky! You miss me?”
“Didn’t know you left. What you want to eat?”
“We’ll take two sacks,” Ginny ordered cheerfully.
Reaper gave her a side-eye. Was she on fucking valium?
The big man didn’t move away to start the order. “Who’s the new shadow?”
“Marty, this is Gavin. Gavin, Marty.” Ginny gave a wave of her hand between the two men.
“Reaper,” Reaper corrected her.
Ginny continued as if he hadn’t spoken. “He’s a friend of mine from Kentucky.”
The men critically sized each other up, neither extending their hands at the introduction.
“What happened to sunglasses and bozo?”
The snide comment had Reaper arching a brow in Ginny’s direction.
“He means Shade and Rider,” Ginny explained to him before answering Marty’s question. “They stayed home. Shade is expecting a new baby, and Rider wanted to spend more time with his family also. They left Gavin to fill their shoes.”
“He doesn’t look happy about it.”
“No, he doesn’t. I’m hoping one of your burgers will make it worth the trip for him.”
Marty rolled his eyes at Ginny. “The boy has eyes. If just being with you doesn’t do that trick, my fucking burgers aren’t going to help.” Giving Reaper a disparaging once-over, the beefy man then jostled his heavy body to t
he side and behind the tight counterspace, bending over to take hamburgers and fries out of a small metal freezer.
The only way Reaper would touch any food that asswipe cooked was to shove it down that asshole’s throat, Reaper thought vindictively.
“Marty must be in a good mood.” Ginny grinned infectiously as if the asswipe couldn’t hear. Swiveling on her stool, she got up to go to a cooler along the wall. Sliding the glass open, she took out two sodas before coming back and placing one in front of him.
“Any water in there? I don’t drink soda.” Reaper pressed down on his feet, preparing to rise, when he heard a snort from the asswipe.
“Don’t have any fucking bottles of water.” Turning from the grill, Marty took a dull and cloudy plastic glass on a shelf before going to the sink and filling the glass with tap water. “Ocean has enough shit in it; don’t need more fucking water bottles.”
Reaper opened the can of soda as Marty went back to the grill and started flipping the burgers before dropping the fries in the fryer.
Reaper jerked his head to the side when he heard Ginny’s muffled laughter. “What’s so funny?”
She lowered her hand. “You are. He loves bugging his customers. You’re making his day.”
“It’s going be his last day if he doesn’t stop.”
“Boy, you couldn’t take me down with my hands tied behind my back.” Marty reached under the grill to take out two white bags, snapping each open.
Reaper watched as he put the buns on the grill to warm them, then started putting them together with the patties. His movements were quick and efficient as other customers started coming through the door.
“We made it just before the lunch rush hit,” Ginny enthused as the customers ordered, then went outside to wait for their numbers to be called to make room for others entering.
“Yippee. How come it’s called Dirty Dan’s instead of Marty’s?”
Ginny’s eyes almost bugged out of her head at his question. “Ixnay on asking …” Ginny tried to frantically call him off by waving a hand at her throat.
Smirking, Reaper ignored her. “The first owner die of food poisoning?”