“You know what I mean.”
“Still gunning for a spot with the Protectors, after all this time?”
“Yes. And you can’t stop me, so you might as well help me.”
At least I knew she’d be on the right side of things withthe Protectors, instead of wading into the murky gray waters I’d been living in during my ghost op days.
“I thought you didn’t want me using weapons. Because of my vow.”
“Teaching me is another loophole.”
“You’ve thought of everything. But your arm is still in a sling.”
“Two more weeks. Then I’m free of the sling.”
“It’ll be almost a couple moremonthsuntil you’re healed. You can’t fire a weapon until then. Even longer before you can fire a rifle.”
“So you can teach me other things in the meantime. We’ll also be investigating Phelan and his friends and figuring out exactly what they’re hiding. Are you rushing this mission, Reynolds? We don’t know how long it will take to nail the bad guys and bring them to justice. I’ve got time. Do you?”
I stared through the windshield. “I’ve got time. That’s never been a question. I’m all yours until this is finished.”
Shit, why had I phrased it that way?I’m all yours. If only. But Keira didn’t comment on that.
“Then we’re agreed,” she said.
“You weren’t going to stop arguing until I gave in, anyway.”
She smiled more genuinely this time. “Nope.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Dean
I carriedin all of Keira’s boxes and suitcases. She shooed me out of her bedroom, telling me she didn’t need help unpacking.
And that was fine by me. Despite this fake relationship thing we were diving into, that bedroom would be hers alone. Her private domain. It was far better for me to remain an exile in the upstairs rooms.
So that was where I went, taking a seat on my bedroll and pressing Owen’s contact on my phone screen.
“Dean,” my best friend said warily. Couldn’t blame him after the last conversation we’d had a few weeks ago in his office. “Staying out of trouble?”
I thought of the scuffle I’d had with Donny Phelan yesterday. The car chase. The implied threat against Keira’s family. Not to mention Keira walking in on me naked, and then the forbidden make-out session that nearly fogged up my truck windows.
Uh, perhaps more than a little trouble. Sorry, Sheriff.
“Mostly. I’ve been keeping busy. What’s new with you, Tex?”
We chatted awhile, and Owen didn’t say a single wordabout Donny Phelan. Which was good. It meant the podcaster hadn’t sent his lawyers to complain about me and press charges. Phelan was keeping this quiet.
But did that mean he was backing off, and someoneelsewas trying to intimidate us? Seemed likely. We needed a lot more info. We needed River’s hacker skills again.
“How’s Keira doing?” Owen asked. “I know you’ve been spending time with her.”
“I have. And she’s well. She’s healing.”
“That last talk you and I had. You were very upset, understandably, about the attack on her. My department’s investigation hasn’t been as fruitful so far as I’d like. I was worried for a while that you might go after Donny Phelan. I assume Keira’s told you about her argument with him the night of the shooting. But I’m glad you’re keeping your head cool. ”
There. That wasdefiniteconfirmation that he didn’t know what I’d really been up to.
