“You feel all right? Still want to do this?”
“Yes.” Her expression was serious, as it had been since we’d walked out of the sheriff’s department the night before.
She tilted her chin, and my next kiss was on her lips. I was truly going to miss this. Felt like we were on a countdown now. And every tick of that clock wrenched my heart.
We knew the identity of the second shooter: Ryan Garrett. Keira had explained it all to me last night. I understood now why Garrett had targeted her.
One thing was certain. I was going to kill that fucker.
“I’m almost ready,” she said.
“Take your time.” I reached for the bullet at my throat as she got dressed and fixed her hair.
Keira had been stressing over the fact that I killed Woodson. She’d thought I might feel some kind of conflict because I hadn’t killed anyone in so long. But the truth was far worse.
I feltnothing. No remorse. Technically, I’d acted in self-defense, but I would’ve done the same to Woodson even without that flimsy justification. He’d hurt Keira, so he’d earned his bad ending. I wouldn’t lose any sleep over him. I supposed I did have some kind of conscience left, but it was hardly worth protecting the way Keira thought.
That was the difference between me and Keira. She had a good, pure heart, and mine was tainted.
Together, we walked into the tavern just before noon. A hostess greeted us, but Keira told her we were meeting someone.
A quick scan of the tables didn’t reveal anyone resembling Harris Medina. But as soon as we stepped onto the deck outside, there he was. Sitting alone at a table, with one leg crossed over his knee, wearing khakis and a polo. Smiling confidently like he’d expected us to walk out at that very moment.
“Deputy Marsh.” Medina stood. “Thanks for being here.”He shook Keira’s hand, then pulled out a chair for her. I frowned as he turned to me. “And Dean Reynolds. Pleasure to meet you in person.”
“Already knew my name, huh? Is that supposed to intimidate me?”
“Knowing your history, I doubt it would.” He held out his hand, and I shook it.
My history? I wondered what he meant by that. How much did he know? “I’ve heard a few things about your history as well.”
“Then we’re on an even playing field. Just the way I like it.”
I didn’t believe that for a second. But Keira wanted to talk to this guy, so I sat in the chair beside her.
We were in a quiet part of the outdoor seating area, and some families sat on the other side with kids running around. The beefy men sitting at a nearby table were certainly Crosshairs bodyguards. Neither Keira nor I was armed.
I really hoped this wasn’t a mistake, meeting Medina with innocent people around, but he’d be a complete fool to start trouble here. The man was probably capable of plenty, but a guy who’d been Army Special Forces and a PMC for two decades was no fool.
Then again, we probably should’ve told the Protectors about this meeting as a courtesy. Keira hadn’t wanted to. She’d worried Trace or Aiden would show up and try to take over, which probably wasn’t too far off.
“I ordered a few things from the menu for our table already,” Medina said. “Hope you don’t mind. But I assumed you’d like to talk sooner rather than later.”
Keira nodded. “Definitely. I’m not that hungry, actually.”
“Understandable, given yesterday’s events. Though I do love the food here.”
I reached for her hand under the table and tangled our fingers together.
After a server brought glasses of water and iced tea, Medina clasped his hands on the table. “I’ll get right to it. I heard last night about the tragic death of Donny Phelan, a Crosshairs client, at the hands of one of my men. I assure you, I was shocked and outraged when I found out. It’s a mess, and I do not like messes.”
“You didn’t order Phelan’s death?” Keira asked.
He didn’t flinch. “No, ma’am. I did not.”
“What aboutmydeath? Did you order that?”
Damn, my woman had nerves of steel. I was proud of her.
